Carbazole hydroxylation by the filamentous fungi of the Cunninghamella species.

Nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, especially carbazole, quinolone, and pyridine are common types of environmental pollutants. Carbazole has a toxic influence on living organisms, and the knowledge of its persistence and bioconversion in ecosystems is still not complete. There is an increasing interest in detoxification of hazardous xenobiotics by microorganisms. In this study, the ability of three filamentous fungi of the Cunninghamella species to eliminate carbazole was evaluated. The Cunninghamella elegans IM 1785/21Gp and Cunninghamella echinulata IM 2611 strains efficiently removed carbazole. The IM 1785/21Gp and IM 2611 strains converted 93 and 82 % of the initial concentration of the xenobiotic (200 mg L(-1)) after 120 h incubation. 2-Hydroxycarbazole was for the first time identified as a carbazole metabolite formed by the filamentous fungi of the Cunninghamella species. There was no increase in the toxicity of the postculture extracts toward Artemia franciscana. Moreover, we showed an influence of carbazole on the phospholipid composition of the cells of the tested filamentous fungi, which indicated its harmful effect on the fungal cell membrane. The most significant modification of phospholipid levels after the cultivation of filamentous fungi with the addition of carbazole was showed for IM 1785/21Gp strain.

Detection of biosurfactants in Bacillus species: genes and products identification.

AIM: To screen environmental Bacillus strains for detection of genes encoding the enzymes involved in biosurfactant synthesis and to evaluate their products e.g. surfactin, iturin and fengycin. MATERIALS AND RESULTS: The taxonomic identification of isolated from the environment Bacillus strains was performed by Microgene ID Bacillus panel and GEN III Biolog system. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) strategy for screening of genes in Bacillus strains was set up. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was used for the identification of lipopeptides (LPs). All studied strains exhibited the presence of srfAA gene and produced surfactin mostly as four homologues (C13 to C16). Moreover, in 2 strains (KP7, T'-1) simultaneous co-production of 3 biosurfactants: surfactin, iturin and fengycin was observed. Additionally, it was found out that isolate identified as Bacillus subtilis ssp. subtilis (KP7), beside LPs co-production, synthesizes surfactin with the efficiency much higher than other studied strains (40·2 mg l(-1) ) and with the yield ranging from 0·8 to 8·3 mg l(-1) . CONCLUSION: We showed that the combined methodology based on PCR and LC-MS/MS technique is an optimal tool for the detection of genes encoding enzymes involved in biosurfactant synthesis as well as their products, e.g. surfactin, iturin and fengycin. This approach improves the screening and the identification of environmental Bacillus co-producing biosurfactants-stimulating and facilitating the development of this area of science. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The findings of this work will help to improve screening of biosurfactant producers. Discovery of novel biosurfactants and biosurfactants co-production ability has shed light on their new application fields and for the understanding of their interactions and properties.

[Radiotherapy in breast carcinoma]. / Rádioterapia karcinómu prsníka.

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of breast carcinoma. It becomes even more significant in the era of breast-preserving conservative surgical therapy. Similarly, screening and early diagnosis shift the therapy of breast carcinoma into the field of local therapy, which usually is a characteristic feature of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is applied as primary treatment in primary processes or tumor bed and lymphatic drainage, as a secondary therapy in locoregional recurrences, and as a palliative therapy in metastases. It can be preoperative or postoperative--adjuvant. External radiotherapy is frequently combined with brachytherapy. The main aim is to prevent the origin of locoregional recurrences and to improve the quality of life and survival of patients. In the effort to use the potential of technology and personnel, we have introduced the isocentric half-beam technique, which makes the daily setting of patient more precise, reduces the risk of local recurrences and that of overdose in the site of the connection of irradiation fields. (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 4.)

Meningitis por streptococcus bovis en un recién nacido / Streptococcus bovis meningitis in a neonate

El Streptococcus bovis es un gérmen causal muy infrecuente de patología infecciosa neonatal y pediátrica. Presentamos un caso de meningitis neonatal por este gérmen con aislamiento del organismo en líquido cefalorraquídeo y hemocultivo. La clínica de nuestro caso, al igual que los casos descritos en la literatura, corresponde a una sepsis precoz indistinguible de la producida por el Streptococcus agalactiae, el origen de la misma parece en relación con la adquisición en el canal del parto. El tratamiento antibiótico de elección es penicilina asociada inicialmente a aminoglucósido. La evolución fue favorable sin secuelas neurológicas a los 25 meses de vida (AU)