Phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeasts.

Currently, pursuing yeast strains that display both a high potential fitness for alcoholic fermentation and a favorable impact on quality is a major goal in the alcoholic beverage industry. This considerable industrial interest has led to many studies characterizing the phenotypic and metabolic traits of commercial yeast populations. In this study, 20 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains from different geographical origins exhibited high phenotypic diversity when their response to nine biotechnologically relevant conditions was examined.

Solid lipid nanoparticles for hydrophilic biotech drugs: optimization and cell viability studies (Caco-2 & HEPG-2 cell lines).

Insulin was used as model protein to developed innovative Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) for the delivery of hydrophilic biotech drugs, with potential use in medicinal chemistry. SLNs were prepared by double emulsion with the purpose of promoting stability and enhancing the protein bioavailability. Softisan(®)100 was selected as solid lipid matrix.

Influence of the structural features of commercial mannoproteins in white wine protein stabilization and chemical and sensory properties.

The cloudy aspect formed in white wines due to protein instability is a visual defect. Sodium bentonite is the most commonly used fining agent to treat this instability, but has usually a negative impact on the wine's physicochemical and sensory characteristics. Aiming to find suitable alternatives, eleven commercial mannoproteins were chemically characterized concerning their sugar composition and protein content, and their effectiveness on wine protein stabilization.

Potential of Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers for DNA fingerprinting of newly synthesized tritordeums and their respective parents.

Hexaploid tritordeum (H(ch)H(ch)AABB; 2n = 42) results from the cross between Hordeum chilense (H(ch)H(ch); 2n = 14) and cultivated durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum (AABB; 2n = 28). Morphologically, tritordeum resembles the wheat parent, showing promise for agriculture and wheat breeding.

Comparison between different types of carboxylmethylcellulose and other oenological additives used for white wine tartaric stabilization.

Carboxylmethylcellulose (CMC) is authorised to prevent wine tartaric instability. The effect of CMC structural characteristics on their effectiveness is not well understood. The main purpose of this study was to compare the impact of CMC's with different degrees of substitution and molecular weight, on tartaric stability, tartaric acid, mineral concentration, phenolic compounds, chromatic and sensory characteristics in white wines, and compare its effectiveness with other oenological additives.

Potential impact of antimicrobial resistance in wildlife, environment and human health.

Given the significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in antimicrobial resistance distribution and the factors that affect its evolution, dissemination, and persistence, it is important to highlight that antimicrobial resistance must be viewed as an ecological problem. Monitoring the resistance prevalence of indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli and enterococci in wild animals makes it possible to show that wildlife has the potential to serve as an environmental reservoir and melting pot of bacterial resistance. These researchers address the issue of antimicrobial-resistant microorganism proliferation in the environment and the related potential human health and environmental impact.

Nanotoxicology applied to solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers - a systematic review of in vitro data.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) were developed as alternative to other colloidal carriers. They were designed to overcome lipid nanoemulsions and liposomes in stability and ability to control the release of an encapsulated substance, and at the same time to be better tolerated than polymeric nanoparticles. Since the patenting of SLN discovery, large amount of data became available on the behaviour of these systems in vitro.

A case-control study between interleukin-10 gene variants and periodontal disease in dogs.

Periodontal disease (PD) refers to a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the periodontium, the organ which surrounds and supports the teeth. PD is a highly prevalent disease with a multifactorial etiology and, in humans the individual susceptibility is known to be strongly determined by genetic factors. Several candidate genes have been studied, namely genes related with molecules involved in the inflammatory response.

A comprehensive factorial design study of variables affecting protein extraction from formalin-fixed kidney tissue samples.

Formalin-fixed tissues are an important source of biological samples for biomedical research. However, proteomics analysis of formalin-fixed tissues has been set aside by formalin-induced protein modifications, which reduce protein extraction efficiency. In this study, a two level full factorial experimental design (2(4)) was used to determine the effects of the extracting conditions in the efficiency of protein recovery from formalin-fixed kidney samples.

ERBB2 in cat mammary neoplasias disclosed a positive correlation between RNA and protein low expression levels: a model for erbB-2 negative human breast cancer.

Human ERBB2 is a proto-oncogene that codes for the erbB-2 epithelial growth factor receptor. In human breast cancer (HBC), erbB-2 protein overexpression has been repeatedly correlated with poor prognosis. In more recent works, underexpression of this gene has been described in HBC.

In vitro evaluation of permeation, toxicity and effect of praziquantel-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles against Schistosoma mansoni as a strategy to improve efficacy of the schistosomiasis treatment.

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) are a promising drug delivery system for oral administration of poorly-water soluble drugs because of their capacity to increase the solubility of drug molecules when loaded in their lipid matrices, with the resulting improvement of the drug bioavailability. In the present work, we have developed praziquantel (PZQ)-loaded SLN and explored the biological applications of this system for intestinal permeation of PZQ. The effect in vitro on Schistosoma mansoni culture and the cytotoxicity in HepG2 line cell were also evaluated.

H. guilliermondii impacts growth kinetics and metabolic activity of S. cerevisiae: the role of initial nitrogen concentration.

Non-Saccharomyces yeasts include different species which comprise an ecologically and biochemically diverse group capable of altering fermentation dynamics and wine composition and flavour. In this study, single- and mixed-culture of Hanseniaspora guilliermondii and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used to ferment natural grape-juice, under two nitrogen regimes. In single-culture the strain H.

A clinical survey on the prevalence and types of cheek teeth disorders present in 400 Zamorano-Leonés and 400 Mirandês donkeys (Equus asinus).

Dental disease is now recognised as a major but often unrecognised disorder of equids, including horses and donkeys. However, very few large clinical studies have documented the prevalence and type of dental disease present in different equid populations and no dental studies have been reported in Zamorano-Leonés or Mirandês donkeys, two endangered donkey breeds. Clinical and detailed oral examinations were performed in 400 Mirandês and 400 Zamorano-Leonés donkeys in Portugal and Spain.

The transcriptomics of secondary growth and wood formation in conifers.

In the last years, forestry scientists have adapted genomics and next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies to the search for candidate genes related to the transcriptomics of secondary growth and wood formation in several tree species. Gymnosperms, in particular, the conifers, are ecologically and economically important, namely, for the production of wood and other forestry end products. Until very recently, no whole genome sequencing of a conifer genome was available.

Comet assay reveals no genotoxicity risk of cationic solid lipid nanoparticles.

Cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (cSLN) are colloidal carriers for genes or drugs, particularly lipophilic drugs. Several reports exist on their high efficiency, but only a few studies report the effect of cSLNs on living cells. In the present work, internalization, cell viability (alamar blue assay) and genotoxic potential (alkaline comet assay) of three cSLN formulations (A-C) were evaluated in HepG2 and Caco-2 cells.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci among haemodialysis patients in Portugal: prevalence and molecular characterization of resistance, virulence and clonality.

Introduction: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) among haemodialysis patients has increased rapidly and, to date, there is no report of this incidence in Portugal.

Methods: A total of 121 faecal samples were collected from haemodialysis patients, and then tested for VRE. Antimicrobial resistance, virulence and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were studied.

Trehalose is not a universal solution for solid lipid nanoparticles freeze-drying.

Objective: To prepare stable and easy to handle formulation of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) by freeze-drying with or without cryoprotectants, as appropriate.

Materials And Methods: SLNs were freeze-dried without cryoprotectants or with cryoprotectants in quantities selected by freeze-thaw test (sucrose, glucose) or literature search (trehalose, maltose). Appearance, re-dispersability and size distribution of re-dispersed samples were evaluated.

Differential rRNA genes expression in bread wheat and its inheritance.

The expression of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes from rye, located within the nucleolus organizer regions (NORs), is repressed by cytosine methylation in wheat x rye hybrids and in triticale, as consequence of nucleolar dominance. Our previous study revealed that bread wheat cultivars with a maximum number of four Ag-NORs presented high level of rDNA cytosine methylation when compared to others with a maximum of six Ag-NORs. In order to evaluate the inheritance of the Ag-NORs number and NOR methylation patterns, we produced F1 hybrids between bread wheat cultivars with four Ag-NORs and bread wheat cultivars with six Ag-NORs (in the direct and reciprocal senses).

Percutaneous approach for sialolith removal in a donkey.

Salivary duct lithiasis is a condition characterized by the partial or total obstruction ofa salivary gland or its excretory duct due to the formation of sialoliths. A 9-year-old female donkey, belonging to the unique and endangered indigenous breed of donkey in Portugal, was diagnosed with a sialolith in the rostral portion of the right parotid duct based on clinical, oral, dental, and radiographic examination results. Surgical removal of the sialolith was done through a percutaneous approach.

High-resolution melting analysis for bird sexing: a successful approach to molecular sex identification using different biological samples.

High-resolution melting (HRM) analysis is a very attractive and flexible advanced post-PCR method with high sensitivity/specificity for simple, fast and cost-effective genotyping based on the detection of specific melting profiles of PCR products. Next generation real-time PCR systems, along with improved saturating DNA-binding dyes, enable the direct acquisition of HRM data after quantitative PCR. Melting behaviour is particularly influenced by the length, nucleotide sequence and GC content of the amplicons.

Reduction of volatile acidity of acidic wines by immobilized Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells.

Excessive volatile acidity in wines is a major problem and is still prevalent because available solutions are nevertheless unsatisfactory, namely, blending the filter-sterilized acidic wine with other wines of lower volatile acidity or using reverse osmosis. We have previously explored the use of an empirical biological deacidification procedure to lower the acetic acid content of wines. This winemaker's enological practice, which consists in refermentation associated with acetic acid consumption by yeasts, is performed by mixing the acidic wine with freshly crushed grapes, musts, or marc from a finished wine fermentation.