Microscopic fungi on the corpse - Promising tool requiring further research.

Forensic microbiology is a relatively new area of forensic sciences. It considers the potential of microorganisms to be used in criminal investigations. As most studies involve the role of bacteria in fields like post-mortem interval estimation, personal identification or geolocation, the data on the role of fungi is comparatively scarce.

Analysis of Polymorphisms in Lung Cancer Patients Using Novel, Quick and Easy Methods Based on CAPS and ACRS-PCR Techniques.

Within the sequence of the gene, more than 50 polymorphisms, resulting from single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), have been described. Some of them play an important role as specific genetic markers in the process of carcinogenesis and for therapeutic purposes. In this publication, we present methods we have developed that enable the specific and unambiguous identification of four polymorphisms that result in amino acid changes: c.

New silicate-substituted hydroxyapatite materials doped with silver ions as potential antifungal agents.

Background: Hydroxyapatites (HAp) are widely used as medical preparations for e.g., bone replacement or teeth implants.

The First Comprehensive Biodiversity Study of Culturable Fungal Communities Inhabiting Cryoconite Holes in the Werenskiold Glacier on Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago, Arctic).

Cryoconite holes on glacier surfaces are a source of cold-adapted microorganisms, but little is known about their fungal inhabitants. Here, we provide the first report of distinctive fungal communities in cryoconite holes in the Werenskiold Glacier on Spitsbergen (Svalbard Archipelago, Arctic). Due to a combination of two incubation temperatures (7 °C and 24 ± 0.

"Salt mummification" - atypical method of embalming a corpse.

It is extremely rare for table salt to be used to preserve a dead body in criminal cases. In the case presented here, after the death of his 85-year-old mother, a son kept her body preserved in table salt for about 2 years to extort social benefits (pension). Before her death, the woman had been hospitalised twice due to chronic diseases.

A Culture-Based Study of Micromycetes Isolated from the Urban Nests of Grey Heron () in SW Poland.

There are many positive relationships between micromycetes and birds: They can spread fungal spores, and fungi facilitate cavity woodpecker excavation by preparing and modifying excavation sites. In turn, bird nests are mainly a source of potentially zoopathogenic fungi. The Wrocław city centre hosts the biggest grey heron breeding colony in Poland with at least 240 breeding birds pairs.

Microbial traces and their role in forensic science.

Forensic microbiology, also known as the microbiology of death, is an emerging branch of science that is still underused in criminal investigations. Some of the cases might be difficult to solve with commonly used forensic methods, and then they become an operational field for microbiological and mycological analyses. The aim of our review is to present significant achievements of selected studies on the thanatomicrobiome (micro-organisms found in the body, organs and fluids after death) and epinecrotic community (micro-organisms found on decaying corpses) that can be used in forensic sciences.

Mitochondrial Function Are Disturbed in the Presence of the Anticancer Drug, 3-Bromopyruvate.

3-bromopuryvate (3-BP) is a compound with unique antitumor activity. It has a selective action against tumor cells that exhibit the Warburg effect. It has been proven that the action of 3-BP is pleiotropic: it acts on proteins, glycolytic enzymes, reduces the amount of ATP, induces the formation of ROS (reactive oxygen species), and induces nuclear DNA damage.

First Speleomycological Study on the Occurrence of Psychrophilic and Psychrotolerant Aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave (Western Tatras Mts., Slovakia) and First Reports for Some Species at Underground Sites.

Most underground ecosystems are heterotrophic, fungi in these objects are dispersed in the air in the form of spores, and they may be potentially hazardous to mammals. Research in underground sites has focused on mesophilic airborne fungi and only a few concerned cold-adapted species. Therefore, the goal of our research was the first report of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant aeromycota in the Brestovská Cave using culture-based techniques with genetic and phenotypic identification.

Greater Mouse-Eared Bats () Hibernating in the Nietoperek Bat Reserve (Poland) as a Vector of Airborne Culturable Fungi.

Bats can contribute to an increase of aeromycota in underground ecosystems and might be a vector/reservoir of microorganisms; however, there is no information about the number and species composition of fungi around hibernating bats. One of the most common species in Europe with direct human contact is the greater mouse-eared bat (). The goal of our research was the first report of the airborne fungi present in the close vicinity of hibernating in the Nietoperek bat reserve (Western Poland) by the use of culture-based techniques and genetic and phenotypic identifications.

New Approach to Antifungal Activity of Fluconazole Incorporated into the Porous 6-Anhydro-α-l-Galacto-β-d-Galactan Structures Modified with Nanohydroxyapatite for Chronic-Wound Treatments-In Vitro Evaluation.

New fluconazole-loaded, 6-Anhydro-α-l-Galacto-β-d-Galactan hydrogels incorporated with nanohydroxyapatite were prepared and their physicochemical features (XRD, X-ray Diffraction; SEM-EDS, Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy; ATR-FTIR, Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy), fluconazole release profiles and enzymatic degradation were determined. Antifungal activity of pure fluconazole was tested using species (, , ), species (, ) and species (, ) reference strains and clinical isolates. Standard microdilution method was applied, and fluconazole concentrations of 2-250 µg/mL were tested.

Plant-Fungal Interactions: A Case Study of Link.

Link is a cosmopolitan species, and it has been described as both an in vitro and in vivo antagonist of many fungal pathogens of plants. However, there are no clear reports about the interactions between and various plant species, and about the effects of culture filtrates produced by this fungus on plants. Therefore, we assessed the interactions between and different plant species, such as sugar beet ( L.

A Culture-Based ID of Micromycetes on the Wing Membranes of Greater Mouse-Eared Bats () from the "Nietoperek" Site (Poland).

Bats play important functions in ecosystems and many of them are threatened with extinction. Thus, the monitoring of the health status and prevention of diseases seem to be important aspects of welfare and conservation of these mammals. The main goal of the study was the identification of culturable fungal species colonizing the wing membranes of female greater mouse-eared bat () during spring emergence from the "Nietoperek" underground hibernation site by the use of genetic and phenotypic analyses.

The Anticancer Drug 3-Bromopyruvate Induces DNA Damage Potentially Through Reactive Oxygen Species in Yeast and in Human Cancer Cells.

3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) is a small molecule with anticancer and antimicrobial activities. 3-BP is taken up selectively by cancer cells' mono-carboxylate transporters (MCTs), which are highly overexpressed by many cancers. When 3-BP enters cancer cells it inactivates several glycolytic and mitochondrial enzymes, leading to ATP depletion and the generation of reactive oxygen species.

Phenotypic and genotypic diversity of airborne fungal spores in Demänovská Ice Cave (Low Tatras, Slovakia).

This paper is the first aero-mycological report from Demänovská Ice Cave. Fungal spores were sampled from the internal and external air of the cave in June, 2014, using the impact method with a microbiological air sampler. Airborne fungi cultured on PDA medium were identified using a combination of classical phenotypic and molecular methods.

Dark stains on rock surfaces in Driny Cave (Little Carpathian Mountains, Slovakia).

Mycobiota are important in underground ecology. In 2014, we discovered dark stains on clayey sediments on the walls of Driny Cave, Slovakia. Our description is based on the morphology of the fungus and the phylogenetic relationships of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region.

Bats Increase the Number of Cultivable Airborne Fungi in the "Nietoperek" Bat Reserve in Western Poland.

The "Nietoperek" bat reserve located in Western Poland is one of the largest bat hibernation sites in the European Union with nearly 38,000 bats from 12 species. Nietoperek is part of a built underground fortification system from WWII. The aims of the study were (1) to determine the fungal species composition and changes during hibernation season in relation to bat number and microclimatic conditions and (2) evaluate the potential threat of fungi for bat assemblages and humans visiting the complex.

Mycobiota of Underground Habitats: Case Study of Harmanecká Cave in Slovakia.

Harmanecká Cave is located in the Harmanec Valley to the northwest of Banská Bystrica city, in the southern part of the Great Fatra Mountains, Slovakia. This cave is the most important underground locality of bat occurrence in Slovakia (population of 1000 to 1500 individuals). The study aimed at mycological evaluation of the air, the water, and the rock surface of Harmanecká Cave in Slovakia.