Structural characterization of a homopolysaccharide produced by Weissella cibaria FMy 2-21-1 and its potential application as a green corrosion inhibiting film.

Steel corrosion is a global issue that affects safety and the economy. Currently, the homopolysaccharide (HoPS) structure of a novel lactic acid bacterium (LAB) is under study, as well as its application as a green corrosion inhibitor. Weissella cibaria FMy 2-21-1 is a LAB strain capable of producing HoPS in sucrose enriched media.

Biotechnological use of dairy by-products for the production and microencapsulation of the food preservative enterocin CRL35.

Bacteriocins from Gram-positive bacteria have been proposed as natural food preservative and there is a need for large-scale production for commercial purposes. The aim of the present work is to evaluate whey, a cheese industrial by-product, for the production and microencapsulation of enterocin CRL35. Whey proved to be a promising basal medium for bacterial growth although the bacteriocin production was quite low.

Techno-functional properties of HoPS from lactic acid bacteria of different origins as potential food additives.

Homopolysaccharides (HoPS) produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are highly versatile, biocompatible and safe compounds. In this work, six HoPS from different species of Weisella and Leuconostoc were identified as thermally stable dextrans, with endothermic crystalline deformations between 214 and 239 °C. These dextrans proved to have greater solubility and capacities to retain water and oil than similar polymers in other reports.

Identification of flavonoids as regulators of YbeY activity in Liberibacter asiaticus.

Liberibacter asiaticus is the prevalent causative pathogen of Huanglongbing or citrus greening disease, which has resulted in a devastating crisis in the citrus industry. A thorough understanding of this pathogen's physiology and mechanisms to control cell survival is critical in the identification of therapeutic targets. YbeY is a highly conserved bacterial RNase that has been implicated in multiple roles.

The Cause of Death of a Child in the 18th Century Solved by Bone Microbiome Typing Using Laser Microdissection and Next Generation Sequencing.

The history of medicine abounds in cases of mysterious deaths, especially by infectious diseases, which were probably unresolved because of the lack of knowledge and of appropriate technology. The aim of this study was to exploit contemporary technologies to try to identify the cause of death of a young boy who died from a putative "infection" at the end of the 18th century, and for whom an extraordinarily well-preserved minute bone fragment was available. After confirming the nature of the sample, we used laser microdissection to select the most "informative" area to be examined.

Drug Repurposing: Tolfenamic Acid Inactivates PrbP, a Transcriptional Accessory Protein in .

CLIBASIA_01510, PrbP, is a predicted RNA polymerase binding protein in . PrbP was found to regulate expression of a small subset of ribosomal genes through interactions with the β-subunit of the RNA polymerase and a short, specific sequence on the promoter region. Molecular screening assays were performed to identify small molecules that interact with PrbP .

Biopolymers from lactic acid bacteria. Novel applications in foods and beverages.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are microorganisms widely used in the fermented food industry worldwide. Certain LAB are able to produce exopolysaccharides (EPS) either attached to the cell wall (capsular EPS) or released to the extracellular environment (EPS). According to their composition, LAB may synthesize heteropolysaccharides or homopolysaccharides.

Antifungal starter culture for packed bread: influence of two storage conditions.

In this study, we analyzed the conservation of a semi-liquid bio-preserver (SL778) developed with Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 778, a lactic acid bacterium (LAB) having antifungal activity. The characteristics of the SL778 starter remained stable during a 14-day storage at 4°C. At -20°C, cell viability and organic acid concentration showed a significant (p<0.

Twenty-four-hour monitoring of scrotal temperature in obese men and men with a varicocele as a mirror of spermatogenic function.

Study Question: How do day and night scrotal temperatures, spermatogenesis parameters, sex hormones and intratesticular perfusion in obese men and men with a varicocele compare with healthy controls?

Summary Answer: Compared with healthy controls, 24-h monitoring of scrotal temperature in men with a varicocele and obese men showed higher temperatures and this condition was related to a significant alteration of spermatogenesis and stasis of testicular perfusion.

What Is Known Already: Several studies have shown that increased scrotal temperature has dramatic effects on spermatogenesis. Scrotal hyperthermia by exposure to sauna is able to induce a significant alteration of sperm production.

Optimization of lactic ferment with quinoa flour as bio-preservative alternative for packed bread.

The consumers' demand for food with high nutritional quality and free of chemical additives increases the need to look for new products and preservation strategies. Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) is an Andean pseudocereal highly appreciated because of its nutritional properties. Moreover, it is an optimal substrate for growing and production of improved amounts of antifungal compounds by Lactobacillus plantarum CRL 778.

Fermentation enhances the content of bioactive compounds in kidney bean extracts.

The influence of solid (SSF) or liquid state fermentation (LSF) for 48 and 96 h on the production of water soluble extracts from kidney beans was investigated. SSF was carried out by Bacillus subtilis, whilst LSF was performed either by natural fermentation (NF) or by Lactobacillus plantarum strain (LPF). SSF extracts showed high soluble phenolic compound content (31-36 mg/g) and antioxidant activity (508-541 μg trolox equivalents/g), whilst LSF extracts exhibited potential antihypertensive activity due to their large γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) content (6.

Barriers to pediatric disaster triage: a qualitative investigation.

Background: In disasters, paramedics often triage victims, including children. Little is known about obstacles paramedics face when performing pediatric disaster triage.

Objective: To determine obstacles to pediatric disaster triage performance for paramedics enrolled in a simulation-based disaster curriculum.

Efficacy of subcutaneous epoetin-zeta on anemia in renal transplant recipients: a single-center experience.

Background: Persistent or "de novo" anemia (plasma hemoglobin<11 g/dL) may complicate the graft outcome in a significant number of renal transplant recipients. We describe a single-center experience with epoetin-zeta (EPO-Z), the biosimilar form for epoetin-alfa.

Methods: Twenty patients were included in the study, 10 in treatment with different erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) and shifted to EPO-Z (shift group) and 10 who started EPO-Z treatment for anemia (naive group).

Efficacy of a reduced pill burden on therapeutic adherence to calcineurin inhibitors in renal transplant recipients: an observational study.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of nonadherence in a cohort of renal transplant recipients (RTRs) and to evaluate prospectively whether more intense clinical surveillance and reduced pill number enhanced adherence.

Patients And Methods: The study was carried out in 310 stable RTRs in whom adherence, life satisfaction, and transplant care were evaluated by specific questionnaires (time 0). The patients under tacrolimus (TAC; bis in die [BID]) were then shifted to once-daily TAC (D-TAC) to reduce their pill burden (Shift group) and were followed up for 6 months to reevaluate the same parameters.

Prostate volume and growth during testosterone replacement therapy is related to visceral obesity in Klinefelter syndrome.

Objective: Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is a chromosomal alteration characterized by increased risk of metabolic syndrome, mainly caused by visceral obesity. In the last years, obesity has been studied as a potential risk factor for prostate disease and recently a link has been demonstrated between visceral adiposity with prostate volume. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between obesity and prostate volume and growth during testosterone therapy in KS subjects.

Seminal and molecular evidence that sauna exposure affects human spermatogenesis.

Study Question: What are the effects of continuous sauna exposure on seminal parameters, sperm chromatin, sperm apoptosis and expression of genes involved in heat stress and hypoxia?

Summary Answer: Scrotal hyperthermia by exposure to sauna can induce a significant alteration of spermatogenesis.

What Is Known Already: Several authors have evidenced that high temperature has dramatic effects on spermatogenesis.

Study Design, Size And Duration: A longitudinal time-course study.

Antioxidant and antihypertensive properties of liquid and solid state fermented lentils.

The effect of liquid (LSF) and solid state fermentation (SSF) of lentils for production of water-soluble fractions with antioxidant and antihypertensive properties was studied. LSF was performed either spontaneously (NF) or by Lactobacillus plantarum (LP) while SSF was performed by Bacillus subtilis (BS). Native lactic flora in NF adapted better than L.

[Primary bone lymphoma with multicentric involvement].

Primary bone lymphoma is a rare disease, which usually has a different presentation and evolution than lymphomas of other locations. We are presenting a case of primary bone lymphoma of rapid growth, in cranial and sternal locations. In its evolution, once the excision of the primary lesion of the skull was performed, the patient presented new lesions of rapid growth at the skull and femur level, and progression of pre-sternal lesion.

Multifunctional properties of soy milk fermented by Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from raw soy milk.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from soy milk were used to produce a multifunctional fermented food. Seven isolates were screened for their ability to produce peptides and free isoflavones in soy milk. The antihypertensive, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties of the resulting fermented soy milks were evaluated in vitro using biochemical assays.

The expression of the pro-apoptotic gene Air is inducible in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.

We previously identified apoptosis-induced regulator (air) as a pro-apoptotic transcript whose expression was repressed by NF-κB/Rel activity in the human leukemia cell line Jurkat (Turco, Lamberti, Bisogni, Romano, Petrella, Ammirante, Rosati, d'Avenia, Arra, Spugnini, Venuta, 2007, Leukemia 21:2557-2559). In this paper, we report that air sequence is detectable by Southern blot in human healthy donors (HHD) leukocytes and in two pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines (AsPC-1 and PANC-1), providing the first definitive evidence of air gene presence in human genome. In addition, we demonstrate that air expression is induced in the tumor cell lines by a naturally occurring ROS-inducing compound, phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a potential dietary cancer chemopreventive agent.

A ready-to-use antifungal starter culture improves the shelf life of packaged bread.

Fungal spoilage is the main cause of economic loss in the baking industry. In this study, we developed a ready-to-use biopreserver (slurry [SL]) for nonsliced packed bread by using selected antifungal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and low-cost ingredients that are compatible with the food matrix. Four LAB strains (Lactobacillus brevis CRL 772, L.

Testicular contrast harmonic imaging to evaluate intratesticular perfusion alterations in patients with varicocele.

Purpose: To determine whether changes in intratesticular microcirculation perfusion affect spermatogenesis in patients with left varicocele we performed testicular contrast harmonic imaging.

Materials And Methods: A total of 90 patients with left varicocele (oligospermia in 50 and normozoospermia in 40) and 36 controls without varicocele (oligospermia in 16 and normozoospermia in 20) were enrolled in the study. Before contrast harmonic imaging all participants were evaluated by clinical examination, hormonal analysis, semen sample and scrotal ultrasound.

Functionality of exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria in an in vitro gastric system.

Aims: To evaluate whether slime-exopolysaccharides (EPS) or capsular-polysaccharide (CPS) production could protect the polymer-producing strains Streptococcus thermophilus CRL 1190 and Lactobacillus casei CRL 87 against the harsh conditions of an in vitro gastric system (GS). EPS stability on the GS was studied.

Methods And Results: An in vitro GS model containing human saliva and gastric juice was standardized.

Growth and exopolysaccharide production by Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 15807 in an adenine-supplemented chemically defined medium.

Aims: To analyse the exopolysaccharide (EPS) production by Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 15807 in a chemically defined medium (CDM) and the effect of nutrients and stress culture conditions on cell growth and EPS formation.

Methods And Results: Cultures were conducted in CDM: (i) containing essential and nonessential bases and vitamins; (ii) without nonessential bases and vitamins [Simplified CDM (SCDM)]; (iii) SCDM supplemented individually with vitamins and bases. The influence of carbohydrates, pH and osmotic culture conditions on growth and polymer formation was analysed.

Citrate catabolism and production of acetate and succinate by Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 15807.

The citrate metabolism of Lactobacillus helveticus ATCC 15807 was studied under controlled-pH fermentations at pH 4.5 and pH 6.2.