Impact of Soil Fertilized with Biomass Ash on Depth-Related Variability of Culturable Bacterial Diversity and Selected Physicochemical Parameters in Spring Barley Cultivation.

This study investigated the effect of different doses of fertilization with biomass combustion ash (Salix viminalis L. willow) on changes in the biological, chemical, and physical properties of soil. The experiment was carried out on podzolic and chernozem soils in a one-way field experiment (fertilization dose: control (without fertilization), NPK (nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K)), 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 kg K2O ha-1). The biomass ash was characterized by a pH value of 12.83 ± 0.68 and a high content of macronutrients. The samples were collected from 0-5, 10-15, and 20-25 cm soil layers under the cultivation of spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L) cv. Planet in April and August 2021. Mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was used for microbiological analyses, which revealed the presence of 53 culturable species from 11 genera: Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Lysinibacillus, Pseudarthrobacter, Arthrobacter, Staphylococcus, Paenarthrobacter, Micrococcus, Rhodococcus, and Flavobacterium. The podzolic and chernozem soils exhibited the presence of 28 and 44 culturable species, respectively. The study showed an increase in the number of microorganisms in the top layer of the soil profile. However, the number of bacteria decreased at the depths of 10-15 cm and 20-25 cm. With depth, the bulk density (BD) and moisture increased.

The Impact of Using Different Doses of Biomass Ash on Some Physical Properties of Podzolic Soil under the Cultivation of Winter Oilseed Rape.

This two-year study was focused on the effect of the application of different biomass ash doses on selected soil physical properties, i.e., soil moisture (SM), bulk density (BD), penetration resistance (PR), and soil stability in water measured by the content of readily dispersible clay (RDC), following control and mineral NPK fertilization in the cultivation of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. var. napus). A one-factor field experiment conducted on podzolic soil (control, NPK, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 kg K2O·ha-1) showed that the use of biomass combustion ash significantly improved soil moisture at all depths and variants, and especially at a depth of 30-35 cm in the 500 kg·ha-1 variant, i.e., by 2.99% v/v, compared to NPK. In turn, the moisture content in the 30-35 cm layer increased by 3.19% v/v in all variants in both years compared to the control. In 2020 and 2021, bulk density in the 0-5 cm layer treated with a dose of 500 kg·ha-1 exhibited a positive 0.15 and 0.12 Mg·m-3 decrease, respectively, compared to the control. In both years, the BD values in the 30-35 cm layer were reduced by 0.14 and 0.16 Mg·m-3 compared to the control. The PR values decreased in the treatments with doses of 300, 400, and 500 kg·ha-1, especially in 2021. The RDC content was found to decline in both years, i.e., 2020 and 2021, upon the application of even the lowest dose (100 kg·ha-1) in all the analysed layers. The reduction in the RDC content, especially in the 0-5 cm layer, is very important for soil structure stability and to protect the soil environment. This layer is most susceptible to crusting, which results in poor aeration and weak plant emergence during drought and/or periods of excessive moisture. It may also increase surface runoff and intensify soil erosion processes.

Microbiological and Physicochemical Composition of Various Types of Homemade Kombucha Beverages Using Alternative Kinds of Sugars.

Kombucha is a beverage made by fermenting sweetened tea with a symbiotic culture of yeast and bacteria. Literature data indicate that the kombucha beverage shows many health-promoting properties such as detoxification, chemo-preventive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, and general strengthening. The research conducted focuses on the analysis of polyphenolic compounds formed in the fermentation process using ultra-efficient liquid chromatography, as well as on checking the antimicrobial properties of kombucha against pathogenic bacteria and yeasts found in food. Analysis of the composition of the tea mushroom (SCOBY) microflora using the MALDI TOF MS Biotyper mass spectrometer showed 8 species of bacteria and 7 species of yeasts. In vitro studies confirm the bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties of fermented kombucha beverages, with white and green tea beverages showing the highest antibacterial activity. The bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and yeast Candida albicans were the most sensitive to the effects of kombucha tea beverages. UPLC chromatographic analysis confirmed the presence of 17 bioactive compounds in kombucha beverages that can affect human health. The analyses conducted were aimed at indicating the best recipe and conditions to prepare a kombucha beverage, which allowed the selection of the version with the best health-promoting properties. Fermented kombucha teas contain many elements such as aluminium, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and sulphur.

The Spectroscopic Similarity between Breast Cancer Tissues and Lymph Nodes Obtained from Patients with and without Recurrence: A Preliminary Study.

Lymph nodes (LNs) play a very important role in the spread of cancer cells. Moreover, it was noticed that the morphology and chemical composition of the LNs change in the course of cancer development. Therefore, finding and monitoring similarities between these characteristics of the LNs and tumor tissues are essential to improve diagnostics and therapy of this dreadful disease. In the present study, we used Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies to compare the chemical composition of the breast cancer tissues and LNs collected from women without (I group-4 patients) and with (II group-4 patients) recurrence. It was shown that the similarity of the chemical composition of the breast tissues and LNs is typical for the II group of the patients. The average Raman spectrum of the breast cancer tissues from the I group was not characterized by vibrations in the 800-1000 cm-1 region originating from collagen and carbohydrates, which are typical for tumor-affected breast tissues. At the same time, this spectrum contains peaks at 1029 cm-1, corresponding to PO2- from DNA, RNA and phospholipids, and 1520 cm-1, which have been observed in normal breast tissues before. It was shown that Raman bands of the average LN spectrum of the II group associated with proteins and carbohydrates are more intensive than those of the breast tissues spectrum. The intensity of the Raman spectra collected from the samples of the II group is almost three times higher compared to the I group. The vibrations of carbohydrates and amide III are much more intensive in the II group's case. The Raman spectra of the breast cancer tissues and LNs of the II group's samples do not contain bands (e.g., 1520 cm-1) found in the Raman spectra of the normal breast tissues elsewhere. FTIR spectra of the LNs of the I group's women showed a lower level of vibrations corresponding to functional group building nucleic acid, collagen, carbohydrates, and proteins in comparison with the breast cancer tissues. Pearson's correlation test showed positive and more significant interplay between the nature of the breast tissues and LN spectra obtained for the II group of patients than that in the I group's spectra. Moreover, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that it is possible to distinguish Raman and FTIR spectra of the breast cancer tissues and LNs collected from women without recurrence of the disease.

Spectroscopic identification of benign (follicular adenoma) and cancerous lesions (follicular thyroid carcinoma) in thyroid tissues.

Thyroid follicular nodules are quite common in the population, however only a small proportion is malignant. Thyroid cancer differs from adenoma by features of cellular atypia, angioinvasiveness and possibility of metastasis via blood vessels mainly in the lungs and bones. Pathomorphological examination of the postoperative material plays a significant role in the diagnosis of cystic thyroid lesions. De facto, there is no possibility to determine with certainty whether the lesion is benign or malignant before surgery, therefore new methods are being sought to meet clinical needs. The study aimed to investigate if Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy combined with multidimensional analysis can be a useful tool in distinguishing between thyroid adenomas and carcinomas. The obtained results indicate quantitative and qualitative alterations within proteins and fats derived from patients' tissues samples. Raman spectroscopy additionally shows significant changes in the amount of tissue collagen due to the pathogenic process. In the spectra of the second FTIR derivative, shifts of vibrations corresponding to the ß-sheet and α-helix structure are observed towards the lower rates of wave numbers in the case of neoplastic tissues. Using the leave-one-out cross-validation, sensitivity and specificity calculated with Principal Component Analysis-Linear Discriminant Analysis (PCA-LDA) clearly shows the possibility to distinguish between pathologically changed and normal thyroid tissue as well as differentiate follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) from widely invasive follicular thyroid carcinoma (WI-FTC) tissues.

Spectroscopic analysis of normal and neoplastic (WI-FTC) thyroid tissue.

Thyroid cancer holds the first place of the malignant tumors of the endocrine system. One of the less common thyroid cancers is follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), which is very difficult to diagnose because it gives the same image as adenoma, which is benign. Certainty of the diagnosis is gained only when FTC gives metastases. Therefore, it was decided to compare normal and neoplastic (FTC) thyroid tissues with Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The obtained FTIR spectra and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) allowed us to conclude that there are differences in the FTIR spectrum between normal tissues and those affected by cancer. In addition, the results indicate that there is a decrease in the number of functional groups that build cellular and tissue structures in tumoral tissues. The shifts of wave numbers corresponding to the protein and lipid function group vibrations, as well as the calculated second derivative of the FTIR spectra showed the structural changes in neoplastic tissues. Moreover, the deconvolution of the amide I massif indicates that in cancerous tissues the prevailing secondary structure is ß-sheet structure, while in normal tissues it is α-helix. The obtained results allow us to conclude that infrared spectroscopy, in addition to providing information on the composition of tested samples, can be an excellent diagnostic tool contributing to understanding the FTC substrate.