Corticospinal excitability preceding the grasping of emotion-laden stimuli.

Evolutionary theories posit that emotions prime organisms for action. This study examined whether corticospinal excitability (CSE) is modulated by the emotional valence of a to-be-grasped stimulus. CSE was estimated based on the amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and recorded on the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle.

Characterization of commercial cellulases and their use in the saccharification of a sugarcane bagasse sample pretreated with dilute sulfuric acid.

This study aimed to correlate the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose contained in a sugarcane bagasse sample pretreated with dilute H(2)SO(4) with the levels of independent variables such as initial content of solids and loadings of enzymes and surfactant (Tween 20), for two cellulolytic commercial preparations. The preparations, designated cellulase I and cellulase II, were characterized regarding the activities of total cellulases, endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, cellobiase, β-glucosidase, xylanase, and phenoloxidases (laccase, manganese and lignin peroxidases), as well as protein contents. Both extracts showed complete cellulolytic complexes and considerable activities of xylanases, without activities of phenoloxidases.

Mannitol production by lactic acid bacteria grown in supplemented carob syrup.

Detailed kinetic and physiological characterisation of eight mannitol-producing lactic acid bacteria, Leuconostoc citreum ATCC 49370, L. mesenteroides subsp. cremoris ATCC19254, L.

[Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in an HIV+ patient: An uncommon association].

The human infection by Rhodococcus equi, even in the presence of HIV infection, remains a rare disease. The authors present a case report of pneumonia, occurring in a HIV+ man. After identifying Pneumocystis jiroveci in the BAL, despite proper medication, the patient didn't improve.

PCR monitoring of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium dynamics in fermentations by piglet intestinal microbiota.

A new group-specific primer (Lact71R), targeting the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region of Lactobacillus, was tested in its specificity to amplify rDNA of lactobacilli from piglet intestinal origin by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Lact71R and Lab0677F, a Lactobacillus group-specific primer targeting the 16S rDNA, generated a common amplicon by PCR with DNA from Lactobacillus and Pediococcus reference strains, but not from Weissella strains. Sequence analysis of clones obtained by PCR amplification with Lact71R and Lab0677F and total DNA isolated from the ileal, caecal and colonic contents of one piglet resulted in Lactobacillus and Lactobacillus-like sequences mainly retrieved from intestinal environments.