A simple strategy based on ATR-FTIR difference spectroscopy to monitor substrate intake and metabolite release by growing bacteria.

Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) difference spectroscopy has been employed for a variety of applications spanning from reaction mechanisms analysis to interface phenomena assessment. This technique is based on the detection of spectral changes induced by the chemical modification of the original sample. In the present study, we highlight the potential of the ATR-FTIR difference approach in the field of microbial biochemistry and biotechnology, reporting on the identification of main soluble species consumed and released by growing bacteria during the biohydrogen production process. Specifically, the mid-infrared spectrum of a model culture broth, composed of glucose, malt extract and yeast extract, was used as background to acquire the FTIR difference spectrum of the same broth as modified by Enterobacter aerogenes metabolism. The analysis of difference signals revealed that only glucose is degraded during hydrogen evolution in anaerobic conditions, while ethanol and 2,3-butanediol are the main soluble metabolites released with H2. This fast and easy analytical approach can therefore represent a sustainable strategy to screen different bacterial strains and to select raw and waste materials to be employed in the field of biofuel production.

SEM/EDX analysis of stomach contents of a sea slug snacking on a polluted seafloor reveal microplastics as a component of its diet.

Understanding the impacts of microplastics on living organisms in aquatic habitats is one of the hottest research topics worldwide. Despite increased attention, investigating microplastics in underwater environments remains a problematic task, due to the ubiquitous occurrence of microplastic, its multiple modes of interactions with the biota, and to the diversity of the synthetic organic polymers composing microplastics in the field. Several studies on microplastics focused on marine invertebrates, but to date, the benthic sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) were not yet investigated. Sea slugs are known to live on the organisms on which they feed on or to snack while gliding over the sea floor, but also as users of exogenous molecules or materials not only for nutrition. Therefore, they may represent a potential biological model to explore new modes of transformation and/or management of plastic, so far considered to be a non-biodegradable polymer. In this study we analysed the stomachal content of Bursatella leachii, an aplysiid heterobranch living in the Mar Piccolo, a highly polluted coastal basin near Taranto, in the northern part of the Ionian Sea. Microplastics were found in the stomachs of all the six sampled specimens, and SEM/EDX analyses were carried out to characterize the plastic debris. The SEM images and EDX spectra gathered here should be regarded as a baseline reference database for future investigations on marine Heterobranchia and their interactions with microplastics.

Acral Myxoinflammatory Fibroblastic Sarcoma: Report of a Case and Treatment with Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

Acral myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (AMFS) represents a low-grade sarcoma with a high rate of local recurrence that commonly affects the distal extremities. The lesion often presents as a painless mass in the hands or feet. There is no formal standardized treatment protocol for this tumor, but wide surgical excision, with or without adjuvant radiation therapy, is the conventional treatment. We report a case of a patient with an AMFS treated with Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) without recurrence. Because of the propensity of this tumor to involve acral sites where tissue conservation is important, MMS might be an alternative treatment modality for this rare entity.

Opções de reconstrução para fechamento de defeitos cirúrgicos nasais / Reconstruction options for the closure of nasal surgical defects

O carcinoma basocelular é o câncer de pele não melanoma mais comum, sendo o nariz o local de maior ocorrência. O tratamento de primeira escolha é a excisão cirúrgica. Defeitos nasais são um desafio para os cirurgiões devido à dificuldade para manter a funcionalidade e o bom resultado estético. Ao planejar a reconstrução, deve-se considerar as características anatômicas do nariz e individualidades do paciente. Relatamos quatro casos com defeitos cirúrgicos localizados em topografias semelhantes, abordados com técnicas de fechamento diferentes - fechamento primário, retalho, enxerto e segunda intenção - com resultados igualmente satisfatórios dos pontos de vista estético e funcional

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of nonmelanoma skin cancer, and the nose is the most common site. The treatment of choice, surgical excision, may cause nasal defects, which may be challenging for surgeons for maintaining functionality and aesthetics. When planning the reconstruction, one should carefully consider the nose's anatomical features and the patient's individual characteristics. We report four cases of nasal defects due to surgical excision of basal cell carcinoma approached with different closure techniques (primary closure, flap, graft, and second-intention healing), achieving equally satisfactory esthetic and functional results..

Nova proposta cirúrgica para reparação de lóbulo de orelha após o uso de alargador / Proposal of a new surgical technique to repair gauge earlobe defect

As deformidades nos lóbulos das orelhas causadas por adornos e ornamentos são muito comuns. O uso de alargadores e piercings nessa topografia gera uma fenda parcial de grandes dimensões, além do alongamento, o que causa prejuízo estético e social quando no abandono de seu uso. Várias técnicas cirúrgicas já foram propostas para a correção de defeitos nos lóbulos das orelhas. Nesse relato de caso, foi descrita uma nova abordagem cirúrgica, simples, rápida e com resultado estético satisfatório nos casos de fenda parcial de grandes dimensões: a técnica em "L" adaptada

Earlobes deformities caused by adornments and ornaments are prevalent. The use of plugs and piercings in this topography generates a large partial cleft in the earlobes, which causes aesthetic and social damage when abandoning its use. The literature has already proposed several surgical techniques to correct defects in the earlobes. This case report describes a new, simple, and fast surgical approach, which had satisfactory aesthetic results in significant partial cleft cases: the adapted "L-plasty" technique

Studies of biominerals relevant to the search for life on Mars.

The evidence of the water erosion on Mars is particularly interesting since present climatic conditions are such that liquid water cannot exist at the surface. But, if water was present on the planet in the past, there may have been life, too. Since the discovery of carbonates on Mars also may have very important implications on the possibility that life developed there, we are studying minerals that can have biotic or abiotic origin: calcite (CaCO(3)) and aragonite, a metastable state of calcite.We have analysed biomineral aragonite, in the form of recent sea shells, as well as crystals of mineral aragonite. Infrared spectroscopy in the 2-25 mum wavelength range reveals that, after thermal processing, the biotic samples have a different spectral behaviour from the abiotic ones. As a result, it is possible to distinguish abiotic mineral aragonite from aragonite of recent biological origin.Obviously, if life existed in the past on the Red Planet, we could expect to find "ancient" biotic carbonates, which should therefore be investigated, in order to search for a way of discriminating them from abiotic minerals. For this reason, at the beginning we have considered samples of crushed fossil shells of aragonite composition. Afterwards, in order to take into account that fossilization processes almost always produce a transformation of metastable form (aragonite) into more stable form (calcite), we also studied samples of mineral calcite and different types of fossils completely transformed into calcite. All these biotic fossil samples show the same spectral behaviour as the fresh biotic material after thermal annealing at 485 degrees C. Instead, the calcite behaves like abiotic aragonite.Furthermore, it is known that seashells and other biominerals are formed through an intimate association of inorganic materials with organic macromolecules. The macromolecules control the nucleation, structure, morphology, crystal orientation and spatial confinement of the inorganic phase: this differentiates biominerals from minerals. Analysing the aragonite or calcite fossils with a Scanning Electron Microscope, we found that the fossilization process did not modify the structure of the biominerals which maintain their microscopic characteristics. Looking at the morphology of fossil biominerals, it is evident that the crystals are arranged in complex architectures compared with the compact structure of the mineral crystals. In conclusion, the properties and structure of the biominerals are different from those of the minerals. The rapid increase of the crystalline structure developed under biotic conditions makes these minerals less resistant to thermal treatments, compared with samples of abiotic origin. This result holds both for recent shells as well as all fossil samples. The spectroscopic behaviour of all analysed calcium carbonates of biotic origin is different from that of the abiotic one. Therefore, the infrared spectroscopy is a valid technique to discern the origin of the samples and a powerful tool for analysing in-situ and "sample-return" Mars missions specimens. Also Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopy can be useful to support this type of studies.