Antimicrobial Activity of Green Synthesized Silver and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles against the Foodborne Pathogen .

is a major cause of global foodborne illnesses. To develop alternative antimicrobial strategies against , this study designed and optimized the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with intracellular components of the medicinal fungus to provide the needed reducing and stabilizing agents. NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, and the quasi-spherical NPs had sizes of 2.

Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles by fungi and its potential in SERS.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) by using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) has gained relevance for the identification of biomolecules and some cancer cells. Searching for greener NPs synthesis alternatives, we evaluated the SERS properties of AuNPs produced by using different filamentous fungi. The AuNPs were synthesized utilizing the supernatant of Botrytis cinerea, Trichoderma atroviride, Trichoderma asperellum, Alternaria sp.

Potential application of a fungal co-culture crude extract for the conservation of post-harvest fruits.

Fungal plant pathogens are responsible for serious losses in many economically important crop species worldwide. Due to the use of fungicides and the fungi genome plasticity, multi-drug resistant strains are emerging as a new generation of pathogens, causing an expansive range of superficial and systemic plant infections, or new opportunistic fungal pathogens for humans. The group of antagonistic fungi Trichoderma spp.

RHO-3 plays a significant role in hyphal extension rate, conidiation, and the integrity of the Spitzenkörper in Neurospora crassa.

The Rho family of monomeric GTPases act as signaling proteins to establish and maintain cell polarity and other essential cellular processes. Rho3 is a GTPase of the Rho family that is exclusive of fungi that regulate cell polarity in yeast. However, studies have yet to explore its function in filamentous fungi.

Antibacterial Activity of Biosynthesized Copper Oxide Nanoparticles (CuONPs) Using .

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) were synthesized using an eco-friendly method and their antimicrobial and biocompatibility properties were determined. The supernatant and extract of the fungus yielded small, quasi-spherical NPs with an average size of 4.5 ± 1.

The small Ras-like GTPase BUD-1 modulates conidial germination and hyphal growth guidance in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa.

In filamentous fungi, the hypha orientation is essential for polarized growth and morphogenesis. The ability to re-orient tip growth in response to environmental cues is critical for the colony survival. Therefore, hyphal tip orientation and tip extension are distinct mechanisms that operate in parallel during filamentous growth.

Functional significance of microbial diversity in arid soils: biological soil crusts and nitrogen fixation as a model system.

Microbial communities respond to changes in environmental conditions; however, how compositional shifts affect ecosystem processes is still not well-understood and it is often assumed that different microbial communities will function equally under similar environmental conditions. We evaluated this assumption of functional redundancy using biological soil crusts (BSCs) from two arid ecosystems in Mexico with contrasting climate conditions (hot and cold deserts) following an experimental approach both in the field (reciprocal transplants) and in laboratory conditions (common garden), focusing on the community's composition and potential for nitrogen fixation. Potential of nitrogen fixation was assessed through the acetylene reduction assay.

Highly Antifungal Activity of Biosynthesized Copper Oxide Nanoparticles against .

(ATCC SC5314) was exposed to biosynthesized copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) to determine their inhibitory capacity. Nanoparticles were polydisperse of small size (5.8 ± 3.

Optimized Synthesis of Small and Stable Silver Nanoparticles Using Intracellular and Extracellular Components of Fungi: An Alternative for Bacterial Inhibition.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) represent an excellent option to solve microbial resistance problems to traditionally used antibiotics. In this work, we report optimized protocols for the production of AgNPs using extracts and supernatants of and . AgNPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and the hydrodynamic diameter and Z potential were also determined.

Ten-Week Sucralose Consumption Induces Gut Dysbiosis and Altered Glucose and Insulin Levels in Healthy Young Adults.

Sucralose consumption alters microbiome and carbohydrate metabolism in mouse models. However, there are no conclusive studies in humans. Our goals were to examine the effect of sucralose consumption on the intestinal abundance of bacterial species belonging to Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes and explore potential associations between microbiome profiles and glucose and insulin blood levels in healthy young adults.

The Combined Use of Cytokine Serum Values with Laboratory Parameters Improves Mortality Prediction of COVID-19 Patients: The Interleukin-15-to-Albumin Ratio.

Laboratory parameters display limited accuracy in predicting mortality in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, as with serum albumin. Emerging evidence suggests that cytokine serum values may enhance the predictive capacity of albumin, especially interleukin (IL)-15. We thus investigated whether the use of the IL-15-to-albumin ratio enables improving mortality prediction at hospital admission in a large group of COVID-19 patients.

The Biology of Invasive Growth by the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

This introductory chapter describes the life cycle of Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. During plant infection, M. oryzae forms a specialized infection structure called an appressorium, which generates enormous turgor, applied as a mechanical force to breach the rice cuticle.

Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) foraging habitat and trophic position in the Gulf of Mexico based on intrinsic isotope tracers.

Yellowfin tuna (YFT, Thunnus albacares) is a commercially important species targeted by fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico (GM). Previous studies suggest a high degree of residency in the northern GM, although part of the population performs movements to southern Mexican waters. Whether YFT caught in southern waters also exhibit residency or migrate to the northern gulf is currently uncertain, and little is known regarding their trophic ecology.

Supporting coordination of children with ASD using neurological music therapy: A pilot randomized control trial comparing an elastic touch-display with tambourines.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) using a traditional and a technological intervention (elastic touch-display) in improving the coordination of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as a primary outcome, and the timing and strength control of their movements as secondary outcomes.

Methods: Twenty-two children with ASD completed 8 NMT sessions, as a part of a 2-month intervention. Participants were randomly assigned to either use an elastic touch-display (experimental group) or tambourines (control group).

Preparation of Virus-Enriched Inoculum for Oral Infection of Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera).

Honey bees are of great ecological and agricultural importance around the world but are also subject to a variety of pressures that negatively affect bee health, including exposure to viral pathogens. Such viruses can cause a wide variety of devastating effects and can often be challenging to study due to multiple factors that make it difficult to separate the effects of experimental treatments from preexisting background infection. Here we present a method to mass produce large quantities of virus particles along with a high throughput bioassay to test viral infection and effects.

Marine peptides as immunomodulators: -derived synthetic conotoxins induce IL-10 production by regulatory T cells (CD4Foxp3).

CD4 T lymphocytes are able to differentiate into distinct subtypes according to several immunological scenarios, including T helper (Th)1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T (Treg) cells. CD4 T cells are phenotypically flexible and have specific ion channels, such as the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) that could be modulated by peptides produced by marine snails, known as conotoxins. Their effect on T lymphocytes has not been explored and emerging evidence suggests that these peptides may have immunomodulatory activities.

Optimal selection of molecular descriptors for antimicrobial peptides classification: an evolutionary feature weighting approach.

Background: Antimicrobial peptides are a promising alternative for combating pathogens resistant to conventional antibiotics. Computer-assisted peptide discovery strategies are necessary to automatically assess a significant amount of data by generating models that efficiently classify what an antimicrobial peptide is, before its evaluation in the wet lab. Model's performance depends on the selection of molecular descriptors for which an efficient and effective approach has recently been proposed.

Transcriptome mining of immune-related genes in the muricid snail Concholepas concholepas.

The population of the Chilean endemic marine gastropod Concholepas concholepas locally called "loco" has dramatically decreased in the past 50 years as a result of intense activity of local fisheries and high environmental variability observed along the Chilean coast, including episodes of hypoxia, changes in sea surface temperature, ocean acidification and diseases. In this study, we set out to explore the molecular basis of C. concholepas to cope with biotic stressors such as exposure to the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio anguillarum.

Improved in vitro angiogenic behavior on anodized titanium dioxide nanotubes.

Background: Neovascularization over dental implants is an imperative requisite to achieve successful osseointegration onto implanted materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects on in vitro angiogenesis of anodized 70 nm diameter TiO nanotubes (NTs) on Ti6Al4V alloy synthesized and disinfected by means of a novel, facile, antibacterial and cost-effective method using super oxidized water (SOW). We also evaluated the role of the surface roughness and chemical composition of materials of materials on angiogenesis.

A Tale of Two RNAs during Viral Infection: How Viruses Antagonize mRNAs and Small Non-Coding RNAs in The Host Cell.

Viral infection initiates an array of changes in host gene expression. Many viruses dampen host protein expression and attempt to evade the host anti-viral defense machinery. Host gene expression is suppressed at several stages of host messenger RNA (mRNA) formation including selective degradation of translationally competent messenger RNAs.

A heterotrimer model of the complete Microprocessor complex revealed by single-molecule subunit counting.

During microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, the Microprocessor complex (MC), composed minimally of Drosha, an RNaseIII enzyme, and DGCR8, a double-stranded RNA-binding protein, cleaves the primary-miRNA (pri-miRNA) to release the pre-miRNA stem-loop structure. Size-exclusion chromatography of the MC, isolated from mammalian cells, suggested multiple copies of one or both proteins in the complex. However, the exact stoichiometry was unknown.

Characterization of a Novel Prevacuolar Compartment in Neurospora crassa.

Using confocal microscopy, we observed ring-like organelles, similar in size to nuclei, in the hyphal tip of the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa. These organelles contained a subset of vacuolar proteins. We hypothesize that they are novel prevacuolar compartments (PVCs).

Live imaging of β-1,3-glucan synthase FKS-1 in Neurospora crassa hyphae.

The subcellular localization and dynamics of FKS-1, the putative catalytic subunit of the β-1,3-glucan synthase complex, was analyzed in growing hyphae of Neurospora crassa by live confocal microscopy. GFP-tagged FKS-1 accumulated at the outer layer of the Spitzenkörper (Spk), and at the apical plasma membrane (PM). Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed arrival of FKS-1-containing carriers first at the immediate surroundings of the core region of the Spk, and thereafter to the Spk most outer region.

Impact of seasonal changes on fungal diversity of a semi-arid ecosystem revealed by 454 pyrosequencing.

Fungi play fundamental ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their distribution and diversity remain poorly described in natural communities, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In order to identify environmental factors determining fungal community structure in these systems, we assessed their diversity in conjunction with soil physicochemical characteristics in a semi-arid ecosystem in Baja California, Mexico, endemic for Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever).

Plant-derived anticancer agents: a promising treatment for bone metastasis.

Bone metastasis is a very frequent complication of advanced cancer, and it remains an incurable disease. Current therapies that have been approved for the treatment of bone metastases delay the occurrence of skeletal-related events and can extend the patient's lifespan by a few years. However, they will not cure or cause the regression of established bone metastases, and new side effects are emerging after prolonged treatment.