Carbohydrate profiling of fungal cell wall surface glycoconjugates of Aspergillus species in brain and lung tissues using lectin histochemistry.

The aim of this study was to evaluate, through lectin histochemistry, the expression of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, L-fucose, D-galactose and glucose/mannose on the cell wall surfaces of Aspergillus species in histopathological specimens of brain (n = 1) and lung (n = 6) tissues obtained during autopsy of patients diagnosed postmortem as having had invasive aspergillosis. Concanavalin A (Con A), wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Ulex europeus agglutinin I (UEA-I) and peanut agglutinin (PNA), all conjugated with horseradish peroxidase, were employed. Lectin-binding was visualized using 3,3-diaminobendizine (DAB) and hydrogen peroxide in phosphate buffer solution (PBS). We observed expression of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and methyl-α-D-mannoside on the cell wall surfaces of all evaluated Aspergillus species, while the expression of L-fucose and D-galactose demonstrated inter and intra-specific variations. The results obtained from this study indicate that the use of WGA and Con A lectins permits visualization of Aspergillus structures such as hyphae, conidial heads and conidia in histopathological specimens of brain and lung tissues.

Processing, properties, and in vitro bioactivity of polysulfone-bioactive glass composites.

The mismatch between the mechanical properties of bioceramics and natural tissue has restricted in several cases a wider application of ceramics in medical and dental fields. To overcome this problem, polymer matrix composites can be designed to combine bioactive properties of some bioceramics with the superior mechanical properties of some engineering plastics. In this work, polymer particulate composites composed of a high mechanical-property polymer and bioactive glass particles were produced and both the in vitro bioactivity and properties of the system were investigated. Composites with different volume fraction and particle size were prepared. In vitro tests showed that hydroxy-carbonate-apatite can be deposited on the surface of a composite as early as 20 h in a simulated body fluid. Ionic evolution from a composite with 40% volume fraction of particles was demonstrated to be similar to bulk bioactive glasses. The mechanical properties of some of the obtained composites had values comparable with the ones reported for bone. Moreover, a physical model based on dynamical mechanical tests showed evidences that the interface of the composite was aiding in the stress transfer process.