A systematic review of peptide-based serological tests for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis.

Serological methods should meet the needs of leishmaniasis diagnosis due to their high sensitivity and specificity, economical and adaptable rapid diagnostic test format, and ease of use. Currently, the performances of serological diagnostic tests, despite improvements with recombinant proteins, vary greatly depending on the clinical form of leishmaniasis and the endemic area. Peptide-based serological tests are promising as they could compensate for antigenic variability and improve performance, independently of Leishmania species and subspecies circulating in the endemic areas.

A rational approach for the improvement of biomass production and lipid profile in cacao cell suspensions.

Cocoa butter (CB) is produced in the seeds of Theobroma cacao representing 50% of its dry weight. The lipid composition plays an important role in the physicochemical, rheological, and sensory properties of the CB, making this fat a valuable resource for the production of chocolates, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. In this paper, are described experimental strategies used for a rational improvement of biomass production and fatty acids in cacao cell suspension cultures.