Selective response of soil bacterial and fungal taxa to biodegradable polymers.

Biodegradable mulching films offer an eco-friendly alternative to petroleum-based plastics in agriculture, but their effects on soil parameters are not well understood. A microcosm experiment (20 °C, 75% field capacity) investigated the impact of two doses (0.021% and 1% w/w) of a biodegradable polymer on soil chemical and microbiological properties over a year.

Microplastics in the diet of Hermetia illucens: Implications for development and midgut bacterial and fungal microbiota.

In a world with a population exceeding 8 billion people and continuing to grow, pollution from food and plastic waste is causing long-term issues in ecosystems. Potential solutions may be found by exploiting insect-based bioconversion. In this context, we investigated the impact of polyvinyl chloride microparticles (PVC-MPs) on the development of Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly; BSF) and its midgut bacterial and fungal microbiota.

The hidden network of biocrust successional stages in the High Arctic: Revealing abiotic and biotic factors shaping microbial and metazoan communities.

Despite the important role that biocrust communities play in maintaining ecosystem structure and functioning in deglaciated barren soil, few studies have been conducted on the dynamics of biotic communities and the impact of physicochemical characteristics in shaping the different successional stages. In this study an integrated approach encompassing physicochemical parameters and molecular taxonomy was used for identifying the indicator taxa and the presence of intra- and inter-kingdom interactions in five different crust/biocrust successional stages: i) physical crust, ii) cyanobacteria-dominated biocrust, iii) cyanobacteria/moss-dominated biocrust, iv) moss-dominated biocrust and v) bryophyte carpet. The phylum Gemmatimonadota was the bacterial indicator taxon in the early stage, promoting both inter- and intra-kingdom interactions, while Cyanobacteria and Nematoda phyla played a pivotal role in formation and dynamics of cyanobacteria-dominated biocrusts.

Impact of Brightness on Choroidal Vascularity Index.

The use of choroidal vascularization to diagnose and follow-up ocular and systemic pathologies has been consolidated in recent research. Unfortunately, the choroidal parameters can be different depending on the lighting settings of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the brightness of OCT images could influence the measurements of choroidal parameters obtained by processing and analyzing scientific images with the ImageJ program.

Exploring different methodological approaches to unlock paleobiodiversity in peat profiles using ancient DNA.

Natural and human-induced environmental changes deeply affected terrestrial ecosystems throughout the Holocene. Paleoenvironmental reconstructions provide information about the past and allow us to predict/model future scenarios. Among potential records, peat bogs are widely used because they present a precise stratigraphy and act as natural archives of highly diverse organic remains.

Distinct taxonomic and functional profiles of high Arctic and alpine permafrost-affected soil microbiomes.

Background: Global warming is affecting all cold environments, including the European Alps and Arctic regions. Here, permafrost may be considered a unique ecosystem harboring a distinct microbiome. The frequent freeze-thaw cycles occurring in permafrost-affected soils, and mainly in the seasonally active top layers, modify microbial communities and consequently ecosystem processes.

Positive fungal interactions are key drivers in Antarctic endolithic microcosms at the boundaries for life sustainability.

In the ice-free areas of Victoria Land in continental Antarctica, where the conditions reach the limits for life sustainability, highly adapted and extreme-tolerant microbial communities exploit the last habitable niches inside porous rocks (i.e. cryptoendolithic communities).

Comment on Moshirfar et al. Accuracy of Six Intraocular Lens Power Calculations in Eyes with Axial Lengths Greater than 28.0 mm. 2022, , 5947.

With great interest, we read the article by Moshirfar et al. [..

The Unusual Dominance of the Yeast Genus in the Deeper Layer in an Antarctic Permafrost Core (Adélie Cove, Northern Victoria Land) Is Driven by Elemental Composition.

Rock glaciers are relatively common in Antarctic permafrost areas and could be considered postglacial cryogenic landforms. Although the extensive presence of rock glaciers, their chemical-physical and biotic composition remain scarce. Chemical-physical parameters and fungal community (by sequencing the ITS2 rDNA, Illumina MiSeq) parameters of a permafrost core were studied.

Impact of PVC microplastics on soil chemical and microbiological parameters.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants whose occurrence is a global problem in natural ecosystems including soil. Among MPs, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a well-known polymer with remarkable resistance to degradation, and because its recalcitrant nature serious environmental concerns are created during manufacturing and waste disposal. The effect of PVC (0.

A possible unique ecosystem in the endoglacial hypersaline brines in Antarctica.

Here, we present the results related to a new unique terrestrial ecosystem found in an englacial hypersaline brine found in Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica). Both the geochemistry and microbial (prokaryotic and fungal) diversity revealed an unicity with respect to all the other known Antarctic brines and suggested a probable ancient origin mainly due a progressive cryoconcentration of seawater. The prokaryotic community presented some peculiarities, such as the occurrence of sequences of Patescibacteria (which can thrive in nutrient-limited water environments) or few Spirochaeta, and the presence of archaeal sequences of Methanomicrobia closely related to Methanoculleus, a methanogen commonly detected in marine and estuarine environments.

Fungal communities in European alpine soils are not affected by short-term in situ simulated warming than bacterial communities.

The impact of global warming on biological communities colonizing European alpine ecosystems was recently studied. Hexagonal open top chambers (OTCs) were used for simulating a short-term in situ warming (estimated around 1°C) in some alpine soils to predict the impact of ongoing climate change on resident microbial communities. Total microbial DNA was extracted from soils collected either inside or outside the OTCs over 3 years of study.

Endolithic Bacterial Diversity in Lichen-Dominated Communities Is Shaped by Sun Exposure in McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica.

The diversity and composition of endolithic bacterial diversity of several locations in McMurdo Dry Valleys (Continental Antarctica) were explored using amplicon sequencing, targeting the V3 and V4 of the 16S region. Despite the increasing interest in edaphic factors that drive bacterial community composition in Antarctic rocky communities, few researchers focused attention on the direct effects of sun exposure on bacterial diversity; we herein reported significant differences in the northern and southern communities. The analysis of β-diversity showed significant differences among sampled localities.

sp. nov. and sp. nov., two novel basidiomycetous yeast species isolated from cold environments.

Five yeast strains were isolated from soil and sediments collected from Alps and Apennines glaciers during sampling campaigns carried out in summer 2007 and 2017, respectively. Based on morphological and physiological tests and on phylogenetic analyses reconstructed with ITS and D1/D2 sequences, the five strains were considered to belong to two related but hitherto unknown species within the genus , in an intermediate position between and . The names (holotype DBVPG 10734) and (holotype DBVPG 10736) are proposed for the two novel species and a detailed description of their morphological, physiological and phylogenetic features are presented.

Intra- and inter-cores fungal diversity suggests interconnection of different habitats in an Antarctic frozen lake (Boulder Clay, Northern Victoria Land).

A perennially frozen lake at Boulder Clay site (Victoria Land, Antarctica), characterized by the presence of frost mounds, have been selected as an in situ model for ecological studies. Different samples of permafrost, glacier ice and brines have been studied as a unique habitat system. An additional sample of brines (collected in another frozen lake close to the previous one) was also considered.

Mrakia fibulata sp. nov., a psychrotolerant yeast from temperate and cold habitats.

Tree fluxes are sugar-rich, sometimes ephemeral, substrates occurring on sites where tree sap (xylem or phloem) is leaking through damages of tree bark. Tree sap infested with microorganisms has been the source of isolation of many species, including the biotechnologically relevant carotenoid yeast Phaffia rhodozyma. Tree fluxes recently sampled in Germany yielded 19 species, including several psychrophilic yeasts of the genus Mrakia.

Mrakia gelida in brewing process: An innovative production of low alcohol beer using a psychrophilic yeast strain.

Due to the increasing consumer demand, the production of low alcoholic and non alcoholic beer is the new goal of the present brewing producers. Although the beer with reduced alcohol content is currently obtained by physical methods, the use of non-Saccharomyces yeast, with low fermentations capacities, may represent an interesting biological approach. In this study the ethanol content and the volatile profile of a beer obtained using the basidiomycetous psychrophilic yeast strain Mrakia gelida DBVPG 5952 was compared with that produced by a commercial starter for low alcohol beers, Saccharomycodes ludwigii WSL17.

Medical Cannabis in Patients with Chronic Pain: Effect on Pain Relief, Pain Disability, and Psychological aspects. A Prospective Non randomized Single Arm Clinical Trial.

Background: There is an increasing interest in the medical use of cannabis, particularly in the treatment of chronic pain.

Objectives: The aim is to evaluate the effects of cannabis use and the associated benefits reported by patients with various chronic pain diagnoses.

Material And Methods: A total of 338 patients with different chro- nic pain conditions were treated with a Cannabis Flos 19% decoction for 12 months, in addition to their pharmacological therapy.

Yeast lipids from cardoon stalks, stranded driftwood and olive tree pruning residues as possible extra sources of oils for producing biofuels and biochemicals.

Background: Some lignocellulosic biomass feedstocks occur in Mediterranean Countries. They are still largely unexploited and cause considerable problems due to the lack of cost-effective harvesting, storage and disposal technologies. Recent studies found that some basidiomycetous yeasts are able to accumulate high amount of intracellular lipids for biorefinery processes (i.