Decolorization of remazol brilliant blue R with laccase from Lentinus crinitus grown in agro-industrial by-products.

Lentinus crinitus is a white-rot fungus that produces laccase, an enzyme used for dye decolorization. Enzyme production depends on cultivation conditions, mainly agro-industrial by-products. We aimed to produce laccase from Lentinus crinitus with agro-industrial by-products for dye decolorization. Culture medium had coffee husk (CH) or citric pulp pellet (CP) and different nitrogen sources (urea, yeast extract, ammonium sulfate and sodium nitrate) at concentrations of 0, 0.7, 1.4, 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 g/L. Enzymatic extract was used in the decolorization of remazol brilliant blue R. CH medium promoted greater laccase production than CP in all evaluated conditions. Urea provided the greatest laccase production for CH (37280 U/L) as well as for CP (34107 U/L). In CH medium, laccase activity was suppressed when carbon-to-nitrogen ratio changed from 4.5 to 1.56, but the other nitrogen concentrations did not affect laccase activity. For CP medium, reduction in carbon-to-nitrogen ratio from 6 to 1.76 increased laccase activity in 17%. The peak of laccase activity in CH medium occurred on the 11th day (41246 U/L) and in CP medium on the 12th day (32660 U/L). The maximum decolorization within 24 h was observed with CP enzymatic extract (74%) and with CH extract (76%).

Whole-Body Vibration Exercise in Different Postures on Handgrip Strength in Healthy Women: A Cross-Over Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of Whole-Body Vibration Exercise (WBVE) applied in push-up modified and half-squat positions, on handgrip strength (HS) and on the electromyography registry (EMGrms) of the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle (FDSM) of the dominant hand. METHODS: Nineteen healthy women (age 23.40 ± 4.03 years, bodyweight: 58.89 ± 9.87 kg), performed in a randomized order five different tests: (S1) Control; (S2) Push-up modified; (S3) Push-up placebo; (S4); Half-squatting; (S5) Half-squatting placebo. The HS and the EMGrms were assessed at baseline and immediately after the tests. ANOVA two-way design mixed test, with Tukey post hoc, was used to evaluate the HS, EMGrms and the ratio between EMGrms and HS, i.e., neural ratio (NR). Thus, the lower NR represents the greater neuromuscular modifications. The statistical significance level was set up at p < 0.05. RESULTS: WBVE on S2 increased HS compared to the stimulus applied to the S4 (p = 0.0001). The increase in HS was associated with a reduction in the EMGrms of the FDSM (p < 0.001) and a lower NR (p < 0.0001), i.e., greater neuromuscular modifications, in the S2 compared to the S4 after the tests. CONCLUSION: The distance of the stimulus and the positioning on the vibratory platform influence the maximum muscular strength due to neuromuscular modifications of hands in healthy women.