Microalgae as a safe food source for animals: nutritional characteristics of the acidophilic microalga .

Background: Edible microalgae are marine or fresh water mesophilic species. Although the harvesting of microalgae offers an abundance of opportunities to the food and pharmaceutical industries, the possibility to use extremophilic microalgae as a food source for animals is not well-documented.

Objective: We studied the effects of dietary supplementation of a powdered form of the acidophilic microalga on growth and health parameters of laboratory rats.

Dried human amniotic membrane as an antiadherent layer for intraperitoneal placing of polypropylene mesh in rats.

Background: Intraabdominal peritoneal onlay polypropylene (PP) mesh repair of incisional hernia has the potential risk of adhesions, bowel obstructions, and intestinal fistulae. Fresh or cryopreserved human amniotic membrane (HAM) has been tested as an antiadherent layer in animals, with excellent outcomes. However, it has disadvantages: it is difficult to handle, and it is expensive to store.

Structural characteristics of phosphoramide derivatives as urease inhibitors. Requirements for activity.

Taking as a reference the structural characteristics of a set of compounds that act as jack bean ( Canavalia ensiformis) urease inhibitors, namely, phenylphosphorodiamidate (PPD), N- n-butylthiophosphorictriamide (NBPT), and N- n-butylphosphorictriamide (NBPTO), we have studied the structure-activity relationships of a series of phosphoramide derivatives for which the activity as urease inhibitors in both in vitro and in vivo assays is known. Molecular modeling studies were carried out, and the results highlighted the relevance of characteristics such as the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, the volume of the fragment involved in the enzyme interaction, and the degree of conformational freedom as well as the HOMO orbital and atomic orbital contributions to the HOMO orbital, electron density, and PEM distributions on the activity of these compounds as urease inhibitors. These data, along with the preliminary docking study carried out, allow us to propose a union mode to the active site of the enzyme for these compounds.

Gastric rupture from blunt abdominal trauma.

Gastric rupture following blunt abdominal trauma is rare, with a reported incidence of 0.02-1.7%.