Common Features of Environmental Mycobacterium chelonae from Colorado Using Partial and Whole Genomic Sequence Analyses.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmentally acquired opportunistic pathogens that cause chronic lung disease in susceptible individuals. While presumed to be ubiquitous in built and natural environments, NTM environmental studies are limited. While environmental sampling campaigns have been performed in geographic areas of high NTM disease burden, NTM species diversity is less defined among areas of lower disease burden like Colorado. In Colorado, metals such as molybdenum have been correlated with increased risk for NTM infection, yet environmental NTM species diversity has not yet been widely studied. Based on prior regression modeling, three areas of predicted high, moderate, and low NTM risk were identified for environmental sampling in Colorado. Ice, plumbing biofilms, and sink tap water samples were collected from publicly accessible freshwater sources. All samples were microbiologically cultured and NTM were identified using partial rpoB gene sequencing. From these samples, areas of moderate risk were more likely to be NTM positive. NTM recovery from ice was more common than recovery from plumbing biofilms or tap water. Overall, nine different NTM species were identified, including clinically important Mycobacterium chelonae. MinION technology was used to whole genome sequence and compare mutational differences between six M. chelonae genomes, representing three environmental isolates from this study and three other M. chelonae isolates from other sources. Drug resistance genes and prophages were common findings among environmentally derived M. chelonae, promoting the need for expanded environmental sampling campaigns to improve our current understanding of NTM species abundance while opening new avenues for improved targeted drug therapies.

Recent advances in edible insect processing technologies.

Alternative foods have emerged as one of the hot research topics aiming at alleviating food shortage. Insects are one of the alternative foods due to their rich nutrients. Processing is a critical step to develop insect foods, while there is a lack of comprehensive reviews to summarize the main studies. This review aims to demonstrate different processing methods in terms of their impact on insect nutrition and their potential risks. Heat treatments such as boiling and blanching show a negative effect on insect nutrition, but essential to assure food safety. Insects treated by high-pressure hydrostatic technology (HPP) and cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) can achieve a similar sterilization effect but retain the nutritional and sensory properties. Drying is a practical processing method for industrial insect production, where oven drying serves as a cost-effective method yielding products comparable in quality to freeze-dried ones. In terms of extraction technology, supercritical carbon dioxide and ultrasound-assisted technology can improve the extraction efficiency of proteins and lipids from insects, enhance the production of composite insect-fortified foods, and thus facilitate the development of the insect food industry. To address the widespread negative perceptions and low acceptance towards insect foods among consumers, the primary development direction of the insect food industry may involve creating composite fortified foods and extracting insect-based food components.

Catechins and caffeine absorption, and antioxidant activity of tea-macerated wine in a Caco-2 intestinal cell culture model.

A novel style of flavored wine was developed via infusion of either black tea or green tea into Chardonnay wine. The bioaccessibility and bioavailability of phenolic substances in green/black tea-infused Chardonnay wine were investigated. Catechin, caffeine, and epicatechin gallate, originating from the tea, displayed high absorption rates with apparent permeability coefficient values above 10 × 10-6 cm/s in a human Caco-2 intestinal cell model. A paracellular pathway was proposed to drive the transport of catechin and epicatechin gallate, while the possible transport pathway of caffeine is passive transcellular diffusion route. Co-supplementation of flavonoids of quercetin or naringenin (20 µM) could further enhance the uptake of catechin and epicatechin gallate, but reduce the absorption of caffeine. Great in vitro and cellular antioxidant capacities were witnessed in the tea-macerated wine samples. The wine samples also neutralized the negative impact of tert-butyl hydroperoxide (25 µM) on glutathione S-transferase and glutathione levels, apoptosis induction, and intracellular malondialdehyde levels. RNA sequencing with limma method revealed a total of 1473 and 406 differentially expressed genes in the 21-day-old Caco-2 intestinal cells treated with the green and black tea-macerated wines for 5 h respectively, indicating metabolic changes in the cells from the different wines.

Alternative culture medium for isolation and growth of Borrelia burgdorferi

Borrelia burgdofer é uma spirochete que é agente causador de doenças infecciosas: Doença Lyme (LD). Muitos meios de cultura säo descritos para isolamento e crescimento desse agente. O autor descreve um meio alternativo de cultivar em laboratório o vírus do Lyme spirochetes