Environmental evaluation of the Reloncaví estuary in southern Chile based on lipophilic shellfish toxins as related to harmful algal blooms.

The Reloncaví estuary in southern Chile is famous for its aquaculture. However, recurring harmful algal blooms have adversely affected mussel production. Therefore, regular monitoring of algal toxins is urgently needed to better understand the contamination status of the estuary. In this study, we quantified 15 types of lipophilic shellfish toxins in Metri Bay in the Reloncaví estuary on a biweekly basis for 4 years. We identified algal species using microscopy and metabarcoding analysis. We also measured water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a, and dissolved oxygen to determine the potential relationships of these parameters with algal toxin production. Our results revealed the presence of a trace amount of pectenotoxin and the causal phytoplankton Dinophysis, as well as yessotoxin and the causal phytoplankton Protoceratium. Statistical analysis indicated that fluctuations in water temperature affected the detection of these toxins. Additionally, metabarcoding analysis detected the highly toxic phytoplankton Alexandrium spp. in some samples. Although our results suggest that the level of lipophilic shellfish toxins in Metri Bay during the study period was insignificantly low using our current LC-MS method, the confirmed presence of highly toxic algae in Metri Bay raises concerns, given that favorable environmental conditions could cause blooms.

Protist-Lactic Acid Bacteria Co-Culture as a Strategy to Bioaccumulate Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Protist Aurantiochytrium sp. T66.

Thraustochytrids are aquatic unicellular protists organisms that represent an important reservoir of a wide range of bioactive compounds, such as essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as arachidonic acid (ARA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are involved in the regulation of the immune system. In this study, we explore the use of co-cultures of Aurantiochytrium sp. and bacteria as a biotechnological tool capable of stimulating PUFA bioaccumulation. In particular, the co-culture of lactic acid bacteria and the protist Aurantiochytrium sp. T66 induce PUFA bioaccumulation, and the lipid profile was evaluated in cultures at different inoculation times, with two different strains of lactic acid bacteria capable of producing the tryptophan dependent auxins, and one strain of Azospirillum sp., as a reference for auxin production. Our results showed that the Lentilactobacillus kefiri K6.10 strain inoculated at 72 h gives the best PUFA content (30.89 mg g-1 biomass) measured at 144 h of culture, three times higher than the control (8.87 mg g-1 biomass). Co-culture can lead to the generation of complex biomasses with higher added value for developing aquafeed supplements.

Evaluación de la utilidad de la dieta rica en fibras para el manejo de la constipación en la enfermedad de Parkinson / Useful assessment of a fiber rich diet to treat constipation in Parkinson's disease

Reportamos un estudio en que se evalúa el uso de dieta rica en fibras (DRF) en el manejo de la constipación en la enfermedad de Parkinson (EP).Se evalúan 14 pacientes con edad media 66.5ñ6.7 años, tiempo de evolución de 7.5ñ5.6. La escala unificada para evaluar EP en su punto III tiene una media de 39.9ñ9.6 puntos. Todos los pacientes presentaban contipación y se les instruyó para consumir DRF (30 gr), fueron evaluados en forma basal y posteriormente al mes. El número de evacuaciones espontáneas antes del uso de DRF fue de 0.5ñ1.0 por semana y al mes de usar DRF 2.2ñ2.0 (p<0.05). Otros parámetros como consistencia de las heces, esfuerzo defecatorio y uso de laxantes presentaron mejprías significativas. La frecuencia de presentación de dolor o disconfort en la defecación y las evacuaciones incompletas no presentaron variaciones de significación