Fungal deterioration of limestone false-door monument.

Unfortunately, monuments all over the world may become discolored and degraded as a result of the growth and activity of fungi. Biodeterioration is an irreversible damage that is caused by microbial colonization on the surface of buildings. Different fungi were isolated from limestone False-door in Kom Aushim museum- El-Fayoum governorate, Egypt. These include; Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, A. sulphureus, A. flavus, Alternaria alternata, Alternaria spp., and Cladosporium herbarium. Fungal grow on modern limestone surfaces after 60 days of infection. Transmission electron microscope demonstrated the penetration and presence of fungal threads inside limestone. Environmental Scanning electron microscope attached with EDX Unit revealed an increase in carbon and magnesium ions from 9.16 to 12.17% and 1.41-1.51%, respectively after fungal infection of limestone, while other ions decreased after infection; aluminum from 1.96 to 1.39%, silicon from 7.40 to 3.57%, potassium from 0.44 to 0.41%, calcium from 41.41 to 35.04 % and iron from 1.08 to 0.90 %. p-Chloro-m-crysol is the most potent to inhibit the growth of isolated fungi at MIC 50 ppm for most fungal species.

Parkinson's-adapted cognitive stimulation therapy: a pilot randomized controlled clinical trial.

Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is widely used with people with dementia, but there is no evidence of its efficacy in mild cognitive impairment or dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI; PDD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We aimed to explore the impact of 'CST-PD', which is home-based, individualized CST adapted for this population. In a single-blind, randomized controlled exploratory pilot trial (RCT), we randomized 76 participant-dyads [PD-MCI (n = 15), PDD (n = 40), DLB (n = 21) and their care partners] to CST-PD or treatment as usual (TAU). CST-PD involves home-based cognitively stimulating and engaging activities delivered by a trained care partner. Exploratory outcomes at 12 weeks included cognition (Addenbrooke's Cognitive Evaluation; ACE-III), neuropsychiatric symptoms and function. In care partners, we assessed burden, stress and general health status. Relationship quality and quality of life were assessed in both dyad members. At 12 weeks, the ACE-III showed a nonstatistically significant improvement in the CST-PD group compared with the TAU group, although neuropsychiatric symptoms increased significantly in the former. In contrast, care partners' quality of life (d = 0.16) and relationship quality ('satisfaction', d = 0.01; 'positive interaction', d = 0.55) improved significantly in the CST-PD group, and care burden (d = 0.16) and stress (d = 0.05) were significantly lower. Qualitative findings in the CST-PD recipients revealed positive 'in the moment' responses to the intervention, supporting the quantitative results. In conclusion, care-partner-delivered CST-PD may improve a range of care-partner outcomes that are important in supporting home-based care. A full-scale follow-up RCT to evaluate clinical and cost effectiveness is warranted.

Evaluation of potentially probiotic attributes of certain dairy yeast isolated from buffalo sweetened Karish cheese.

Egyptian traditional cheese has a long history and still represent an important part of the Egyptian diet. A lot of scientific studies in probiotic topic is usually related to bacteria, in particular lactic acid bacteria, and there is lack of information about potentially probiotic yeasts, except Saccharomyces boulardii. In the current study, 50 samples of traditional Egyptian buffalo sweetened cheese randomly were collected from five local Egyptian markets for yeast isolation. Isolated yeast species were identified using API20 kits techniques and the most frequently isolates were genotypically confirmed identified using the variability in the ITS rDNA. Appropriate in vitro assays have been conducted to examine their probiotic potentiality counting acid and bile salts tolerance, stimulated gastrointestinal tract tolerance, cell adhesion/hydrophobic characteristics, killer toxin productivity and antimicrobial activity against some clinical and food borne pathogens. The incidence of the obtained yeast taxa was found to be; S. cerevisiae (25%), Wickerhamomyces anomalus (23%), Pichia kudriavzevii (19%), Kluyveromyces lactis (17%), Geotrichum candidum (6%), Debaryomyces hansenii (4%), Candida tropicalis (3%), Cryptococcus neoformans (1%), Rhodotorula glabrata (1%) and Trichosporon cutaneum (1%). The most frequently isolates (S. cerevisiae, W. anomalus and P. kudriavzevii) exhibited high tolerance to bile salts elevated concentrations up to 2.0 %. W. anomalus could withstand the elevated bile salts concentrations and it was the most tolerable yeast isolate to intestinal juice environment. W. anomalus showed the lowest eradication from intestinal mucosa as indicated by the hydrophobicity average percentage 11.891% to xylene comparing to the P. kudriavzevii which showed the highest hydrophobicity average percentage of 46.185% to chloroform. Yeast isolates S. cerevisiae, W. anomalus and P. kudriavzevii (particularly W. anomalus) were recognized as ideal potentially probiotic model having in vitro properties that make them favorable candidates for probiotic applications.

Parkinson's-adapted cognitive stimulation therapy: feasibility and acceptability in Lewy body spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND: Drug-based therapeutic approaches for Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are moderately effective and not always tolerated. Tailoring psychosocial approaches in PDD and DLB may offer additional support and improve outcomes. We adapted home-based, care partner-delivered Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for individuals with PDD or DLB and their care partners (CST-PD). OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and tolerability of CST-PD. METHODS: This randomised controlled trial used mixed methods, including a process evaluation. People with PDD, DLB or mild cognitive impairment in PD (PD-MCI) and their care partners were randomised to 12 weeks of treatment as usual (TAU) or CST-PD. Outcomes were feasibility of the study conduct (i.e., recruitment, retention rate) and acceptability and tolerability of the intervention. Measures included rating scales, researcher field notes, therapy diaries, and exploratory clinical and care partner efficacy measures. RESULTS: The recruitment target was met with 76 consenting participant-dyads. Retention in both arms was high at over 70%. More than 90% of dyads undertook discrete sessions greater than 20 min duration, but the average number of sessions completed was lower than the recommended dose. Acceptability ratings (i.e., interest, motivation and sense of achievement) of the intervention were high. Participants reported no serious adverse events related to the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The field of psychosocial interventions for PDD and DLB is newly emerging, and we demonstrated that this type of intervention is acceptable and well tolerated. Evaluating its clinical effectiveness in a full-scale randomized controlled clinical trial is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The trial is a psychosocial intervention with an allocated ISRCTN number 11455062.