Valorisation of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) gonads through canning.

Fresh sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) gonads are a delicacy with short seasonal availability, very often heterogeneous in size and intrinsic characteristics. This study aimed to valorise this resource through the preparation of canned products (with/without Porphyra spp.) and evaluate their physicochemical and sensory quality (3-12 months). Canning contributed to a decrease in protein, K and most carotenoids contents; and a concentration of lipids, ash, Na and Se levels. A simulated 12-month ageing led to decrease the protein and ß-carotene contents; and the Na and lutein levels concentration. The macroalgae addition resulted in an orange, darker and less soft product, with higher carbohydrates, Na, Se and carotenoids contents. A 25 g-dose contributes to significant daily intakes of protein (8-9%), EPA+DHA (47-53%), I (35-62%) and Se (30-47%). The products were commercially stable/sterile and had good sensory acceptance. Overall, canning constitutes a strategy to provide a nutritionally balanced product available all year-round.

Effect of storage and single layer centrifugation before cryopreservation on stallion sperm cryosurvival.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of a short, cooled storage before cryopreservation on sperm progressive motility (PM) and compare the effect of different centrifugation methods on post-thaw PM of stored samples. Semen was diluted in chilling extender and aliquoted in 6 protocols: i) Standard centrifugation (SC) followed by freezing; ii) Single Layer Centrifugation (SLC) followed by freezing; iii) Storage for 8 h/5 °C before SC; iv) Storage for 8 h/5 °C before SLC; v) Storage for 8 h/15 °C before SC; and vi) Storage for 8 h/15 °C before SLC. PM was assessed before centrifugation, after centrifugation, and post-thawing. Stallions were classified as "good freezers" (GF) or "bad freezers" (BF). The PM in samples immediately frozen was greater than in the stored ones (71.98 ± 14.2, 52.91 ± 17.8, 53.93 ± 18.9 for no storage, 5 ºC storage and 15 ºC storage, respectively) (P˂ 0.0001). There was an effect of storage condition (p ˂ 0.0001), centrifugation method (p ˂ 0.0001), and freezability (P=0.0016), with an interaction between them (P= 0.0004), on PM after centrifugation. Post-thaw PM was greater in samples treated by SLC than in samples processed by SC, for all storage conditions (p ˂ 0.05). All BF stallions 'showed post-thaw PM ˂ 30 % when samples were previously stored. Storage at 5 ºC or 15º C for 8 h maintains an appropriate quality in GF stallions. Applying a sperm selection technique as SLC is suggested to improve post-thaw motility, allowing GF straws to be frozen after storage, although BF semen should be prepared by SLC immediately after collection.

Altitudinal distribution and body condition of migratory fish juveniles Megaleporinus obtusidens (Valenciennes) and Salminus brasiliensis (Cuvier) in the main channel of the Uruguay River, Southern Brazil.

In this study, we analyzed the altitudinal distribution and body condition of the juvenile migratory fish Megaleporinus obtusidens and Salminus brasiliensis in the Uruguay River, a South American subtropical river. We used the presence/absence data and condition factor (K) of juveniles as indicators to try to characterize some recruitment patterns of migratory fish in the main channel of the Uruguay River. Gillnet sampling was conducted during two reproductive years, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 (November and March of each reproductive year), in three Uruguay River stretches at different levels of altitude. The nets remained in the water for 10-12 hours per night or day for 10 days during each field trip (NOV-15, MAR-16, NOV-16, and MAR-17). The abundance of M. obtusidens juveniles were similar between the two reproductive years, whereas S. brasiliensis capture was higher during the 2015-2016 reproductive year. The probability of finding M. obtusidens juveniles in the Uruguay River was negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with the altitudinal gradient of the sampling points, as shown by the GLM model. For S. brasiliensis, the logit model indicated a non-significant probabilistic relationship (p > 0.05) between the presence of juveniles of this fish species and the altitude gradient. Regarding the body condition of juveniles, the water quality of the sampling points did not affect the juvenile condition factor for either species; however, a positive relationship (p < 0.05) was found with the water level for both species, even with an adjusted R2 of 0.13 for M. obtusidens and 0.48 to S. brasiliensis. Altitude gradient and water level were factors that may affect the juvenile distribution and body condition of these species, respectively, in the Uruguay River. Therefore, this information can be used in hydropower generation policies to conserve migratory fish populations in the Uruguay River Basin.

Sustained PGC-1α2 or PGC-1α3 expression induces astrocyte dysfunction and degeneration.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α) transcriptional coactivators are key regulators of energy metabolism-related genes and are expressed in energy-demanding tissues. There are several PGC-1α variants with different biological functions in different tissues. The brain is one of the tissues where the role of PGC-1α isoforms remains less explored. Here, we used a toxin-based mouse model of Parkinson's disease (PD) and observed that the expression levels of variants PGC-1α2 and PGC-1α3 in the nigrostriatal pathway increases at the onset of dopaminergic cell degeneration. This increase occurs concomitant with an increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein levels. Since PGC-1α coactivators regulate cellular adaptive responses, we hypothesized that they could be involved in the modulation of astrogliosis induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Therefore, we analysed the transcriptome of astrocytes transduced with expression vectors encoding PGC-1α1 to 1α4 by massively parallel sequencing (RNA-seq) and identified the main cellular pathways controlled by these isoforms. Interestingly, in reactive astrocytes the inflammatory and antioxidant responses, adhesion, migration, and viability were altered by PGC-1α2 and PGC-1α3, showing that sustained expression of these isoforms induces astrocyte dysfunction and degeneration. This work highlights PGC-1α isoforms as modulators of astrocyte reactivity and as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of PD and other neurodegenerative disorders.

A role for total alloplastic temporomandibular joint replacement in Gardner syndrome.

Gardner syndrome (GS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that can present with craniomaxillofacial abnormalities. The identification of osteomas or craniomaxillofacial abnormalities can therefore serve as a marker of this condition, facilitating early referral and diagnosis. A 17-year-old female with GS was referred for the management of severe limited mouth opening, causing a major problem for routine endoscopy to monitor the gastrointestinal alterations of GS. Clinical and radiological evaluations showed multiple osteomas in the mandibular angle, condylar and coronoid regions bilaterally and maximum mouth opening of 8 mm. The patient underwent surgery for osteoma removal and bilateral customized alloplastic total temporomandibular joint replacement (TMJ-TJR). At the 2-year follow-up, the patient showed improvements in quality of life, with a maximum mouth opening of 34 mm, allowing routine upper endoscopy to be performed. This is the first report of GS, a rare and challenging craniomaxillofacial abnormality, treated with TMJ-TJR. A comprehensive overview of the patient's clinical presentation, diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, and outcomes is provided.

The applicability of the "surprise question" as a prognostic tool in patients with severe chronic comorbidities in a university teaching outpatient setting.

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy in recent decades has increased the prevalence of chronic diseases in the population, requiring an approach to new health topics, such as discussions on quality of life and expectations about death and dying. The concept of advance directives (ADs) gives individuals the opportunity to make known their decisions about the treatments they would like to receive at the end of life. Despite the recognition of relevance in clinical practice, the applicability of the concept presents challenges, including establishing the appropriate prognosis for each patient and the ideal time to approach the patient. Some prognostic tools were developed, such as the surprise question (SQ): "Would you be surprised if your patient died in 12 months?", which is used in some clinical settings to predict patient deaths and to make decisions regarding ADs. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the behavior of second-year resident physicians (PGY-2) when the SQ was applied. METHOD: In our observational study, from July 1, 2016, to February 28, 2017, (PGY-2) in the Internal Medicine Residency Program (IMRP) applied SQ to all patients with multiple and varied chronic no communicable comorbidities, who were followed up at the general medicine outpatient clinic (GMOC) of a tertiary university hospital in São Paulo- Brazil. The frequency of the outcome (death or non-death within 12 months) was analyzed by correlating it with the clinical data (impact of the studied variables). RESULTS: Eight hundred forty patients entered the study. Fitfty-two of them (6.2%) died within one year. PGY-2 predicted that two hundred and fourteen patients (25.5% of total) would die within a year (answer No to SQ), of which, 32 (14.9%) did so. The correct residents' prognosis for the subgroup of 626 patients (answer "Yes" to SQ) was NPV = 96.8% (CI = 95.4%-98.2%) and PPV = 14.9% (CI 10.1%-19, 6%). Answering "Yes" to SQ correlated negatively to addressing AD while the outcomes death and the answer No to SQ were positively correlated, according to the number of comorbidities. CONCLUSION: The SQ, in addition to care, contributed to health education, communication and care planning shared by the doctor and patient.

Tuning the Bioactive Properties of Dunaliella salina Water Extracts by Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction.

(1) Background: Microalgae are promising feedstock for obtaining valuable bioactive compounds. To facilitate the release of these important biomolecules from microalgae, effective cell disruption is usually necessary, where the use of ultrasound has achieved considerable popularity as an alternative to conventional methods. (2) Methods: This paper aims to evaluate the use of ultrasound technology in water medium as a green technology to recover high added-value compounds from Dunaliella salina and improve its sensory profile towards a high level of incorporation into novel food products. (3) Results: Among the variables, the solid concentration and extraction time have the most significant impact on the process. For the extraction of protein, or fat, the most influential factor is the extraction time. Total polyphenols are only significantly affected by the extraction time. The antioxidant capacity is strongly affected by the solid to liquid ratio and, to a small extent, by the extraction time. Ultrasound-assisted extraction improves the overall odor/aroma of D. salina with good acceptability by the panelists. (4) Conclusions: The application of ultrasonic-assisted extraction demonstrates a positive overall effect on enhancing the sensory profile, particularly the odor of microalgal biomass, while the bioactive properties are preserved. Notably, the intense sea/fish odors are reduced, while earthy and citrus notes become more prominent, resulting in an improved overall sensory profile score. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that this innovative, green, and efficient technology has been used to upgrade the aroma profile of microalgae.

Multi-analytical characterisation of blotting sands on documents from religious orders in Portugal (16th-19th centuries).

Too little is known about areia de escrever, i.e., blotting sands, the intriguing particles sprinkled on freshly written scripts to accelerate the drying time of the ink. Blotting sands constitute a valuable but underestimated historical source. This work investigated the blotting sands used on the account books of the religious houses scattered across continental Portugal and Madeira Island (16th-19th centuries). The sands were mainly composed of different minerals, predominately black sands, but in a few cases, minerals were found mixed with gums, paper cocoons or bone shavings. The combined use of SEM-EDS, µ-Raman and FT-IR techniques uncovered the materials' chemical or mineralogical composition and morphology. This approach, allied with image analysis and statistics complemented with multivariate analysis, allowed us to look for trends between the samples and hypothesise about their provenance. Heavy minerals, such as ilmenite, hematite and almandine, were identified as major components, together with other silicates (e.g. quartz). Samples were dominated by medium-sized grains with shape features indicating texturally mature sediments resulting from a medium-to-long sedimentary transport. Due to shorter geological transport distances, Madeira Island was the exception, with more angular grains. This work allowed us to uncover blotting sands, value them as historical sources, and establish a roadmap for their use in Portugal, aiming to pave the way towards a more global context in Europe.

Evaluating dried salted cod amino acid signature for nutritional quality assessment and discriminant analysis.

Aim: Thus, the aim of this study was to answer three scientific questions: (1) Are the protein content and amino acid profile of dried salted cod influenced by species (Gadus morhua and Gadus macrocephalus)? (2) Are the protein content and amino acid profile of dried salted cod influenced by the geographical area of capture (Iceland and Norway)? and (3) Does the amino acid profile have the potential to be used as a discriminator of species and geographical areas of capture? Methods: A total of 45 dried salted cods (2-3 kg of dry weight; n = 15 samples/origin) were used in this study. The Atlantic cod was fished in the Atlantic northeast (FAO 27 area) within the Exclusive Economic zones (EEZ) of Norway (n = 15) and Iceland (n = 15), while the Pacific cod was caught in the Pacific northeast (FAO 67 area) within the Alaska EEZ (n = 15). Total protein content was determined by the Kjeldahl method, in accordance with the AOAC procedures. The amino acid profile was analyzed by HPLC with fluorescence detection (at excitation and emission wavelengths of 338 and 425 nm, respectively). Results: The Atlantic cod presented higher contents of total protein (33.90 versus 33.10 g/100 g of cod edible portion; p = 0.017) and total amino acid contents (32.52 versus 32.04 g/100 g of cod edible portion; p = 0.015) but displayed lower percentage of indispensable amino acids (32.16 versus 32.83 g/100 g of protein; p < 0.001) than Pacific cod. Among the Atlantic cod harvesting locations, the Norwegian cod displayed higher total amino acid contents (96.91 versus 96.81 g/100 g of protein; p = 0.012) and higher percentage of indispensable amino acids (35.38 versus 28.94 g/100 g of protein; p = 0.042) than the Icelandic counterpart. A correct classification of 100% was obtained for the Pacific and Icelandic cod varieties, but the classification accuracy in the Norwegian cod was of just 86.67%, since 2 samples out of 15 were incorrectly classified as Icelandic. Conclusion: The comparison of cod species showed that the Atlantic cod had a significantly lower EAAI than the Pacific cod (p < 0.001; 88.23 versus 88.61). On the other hand, the comparison of the two origins in the Atlantic cod, showed that Norwegian cod displayed a significantly higher EAAI than the Icelandic cod (99.15 versus 77.32). The assessment of the EAAI allows the classification of the protein's nutritional quality, allowing us to classify both cod species as a good protein source to human diet. However, within the Atlantic cod, the Norwegian cod's protein is classified as high quality, while the Icelandic cod attain the classification of useful quality. Regarding the amino acid profile discriminatory potential to classify cod samples. The results show that the AA profile has 100% accuracy in the separation of cod species, but was not globally efficient in the differentiation of the Norwegian from the Icelandic cod.

Wear of Bulk-fill Composite Resins After Thermo-mechanical Loading.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Wear of conventional composite resin presented many challenges when restoring posterior teeth and resulted in clinical complications. Bulk-fill composite resins have been proposed as a more suitable and wear-resistant alternative. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the volumetric wear (mm3) of bulk-fill composite resins to a conventional composite resin and enamel after thermo-mechanical loading. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Five composite resins (n=10) were evaluated: four bulk-fill composite resins (Filtek One Bulk Fill [3M Oral Care], Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill [Ivoclar Vivadent], Tetric PowerFill [Ivoclar Vivadent], SonicFill 3 [Kerr Corp]); and one conventional composite resin (Filtek Supreme Ultra [3M Oral Care]). Enamel from recently extracted human teeth was used as a control. Specimens were subjected to a 2-body volumetric wear evaluation using a chewing simulator (CS-4.8, Mechatronik). Disc-shaped specimens (10 mm in diameter × 3 mm in thickness) received 500,000 load cycles against steatite antagonists while simultaneously thermocycled (5000 cycles, 5-55°C). Volumetric wear (mm3) was measured using the Geomagic Control X software (3D Systems) based on digital scans of the specimens obtained before and after thermo-mechanical loading, with a Trios 3 (3Shape) digital scanner. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of wear facets and composite resin filler shape and size was performed. Volumetric wear was statistically analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test (α=0.05). RESULTS: All tested composite resins wore at rates significantly higher than enamel (p<0.05). The mean volumetric wear of the composite resins ranged from 1.01 mm3 to 1.48 mm3, while enamel had a mean volumetric wear of 0.25 mm3. Bulk-fill composite resins showed higher wear resistance than the conventional composite resin (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Bulk-fill composite resins showed higher wear resistance than the conventional composite resin, and both types of composite resin were not as wear-resistant as enamel.

Effect of Grape Pomace Flour in Savory Crackers: Technological, Nutritional and Sensory Properties.

The wine industry generates large amounts of by-products that are usually destined as waste. Grape pomace is the residue of the winemaking process and is rich in compounds with functional properties, such as dietary fiber and phenolic compounds. The aim of this research was to study the influence of white and red grape pomace flour (GPF) addition in the enhancement of functional properties of savory crackers. Different levels of incorporation were tested (5%, 10% and 15% (w/w)). Analysis of physical properties, nutritional composition and sensory acceptability were conducted to evaluate the effect of GPF incorporation. GPF cracker stability throughout a four-week period was achieved with regard to firmness and color. These products presented distinctive and appealing colors, ranging from a violet (GPF of Touriga Nacional variety) to a brown hue (GPF of Arinto variety). Concerning nutritional composition, both crackers incorporated with 10% GPF of Arinto or Touriga Nacional varieties could be considered "high in fiber", as per the Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006, suggesting a functional food. GPF crackers demonstrated an overall great acceptance of this kind of innovative foods, with the majority indicating that they would certainly/probably buy them. Moreover, the cracker with 10% Arinto GPF achieved the most balanced and overall preference.

Nucleotides and free amino acids in sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus gonads: Contributions for freshness and overall taste.

This study aims to report the chemical changes, specifically the nucleotides and free amino acids (FAAs) during refrigerated storage of live sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (7 °C) and packed gonads (2 °C) and respective contributions to overall taste. Results showed that the adenylate energy charge (AEC) is an adequate indicator for live sea urchin through storage, while K-value does not distinguish freshness. Changes of both indexes were not clear in packed gonads. The FAAs profile were related with maturation stage where amino acids associated to sweet (Gly, Ala), umami (Glu) and bitter (Arg, Lys, His, Val) had significant contribution to overall taste. In general, the storage did not significantly affect the FAAs content nor its contribution to overall taste in contrast to nucleotides that seemed to induce potential changes after day 5. The findings provide insights that will complement a full study on quality index scheme development of the products.

Lipid Profile Quantification and Species Discrimination of Pine Seeds through NIR Spectroscopy: A Feasibility Study.

Pine seeds are known for their richness in lipid compounds and other healthy substances. However, the reference procedures that are commonly applied for their analysis are quite laborious, time-consuming, and expensive. Therefore, it is important to develop rapid, accurate, multi-parametric, cost-effective and, essentially, environmentally friendly analytical techniques that are easily implemented at an industrial scale. The viability of using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy to analyse the seed lipid content and profile of three different pine species (Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia and Pinus pinaster) was investigated. Moreover, species discrimination using NIR was also attempted. Different chemometric models, namely partial least squares (PLS) regression, for lipid analysis, and partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), for pine species discrimination, were applied. In relation to the discrimination of pine seed species, a total of 90.5% of correct classification rates were obtained. Regarding the quantification models, most of the compounds assessed yielded determination coefficients (R2P) higher than 0.80. The best PLS models were obtained for total fat, vitamin E, saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, C20:2, C20:1n9, C20, C18:2n6c, C18:1n9c, C18 and C16:1. Globally, the obtained results demonstrated that NIR spectroscopy is a suitable analytical technique for lipid analysis and species discrimination of pine seeds.

LC-MS/MS methodology development and validation for the screening and quantification of five antibiotics in water.

The generalized use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine may cause the development of antibiotic resistance, namely, in farmed fish, and subsequently, transmission of such resistance to humans. To overcome this serious problem, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of antibiotic removal processes from water, and a route for attaining that goal is the use of hydrophobic ionic liquids. LC-MS/MS is an analytical technique with proven utility for pharmaceutical identification and quantification. A methodology for the identification and quantification of five antibiotics, namely ampicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline, from four families, namely ß-lactams, phenicols, quinolones and tetracyclines, was developed and validated using one SPE extraction and clean-up step for detection analysis by LC-MS/MS. The selected linear range for each analyte is as follows: 5-200 ng mL-1 for ampicillin; 0.1-200 ng mL-1 for amoxicillin and chloramphenicol; and 1-200 ng mL-1 for enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline, respectively. The limits of detection for each target analyte vary between 0.01 ng mL-1 and 0.81 ng mL-1, and the limits of quantification for each target analyte vary between 0.1 ng mL-1 and 5 ng mL-1 for the five antibiotics under study. The extraction recovery value range is between 89.91% and 100.33%. The validation proved that the developed methodology is suitable for the identification and quantification of ampicillin, amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, enrofloxacin and oxytetracycline. After validation, this new assay was successfully applied to a liquid-liquid extraction process using a hydrophobic ionic liquid.

High-throughput nanofluidic real-time PCR to discriminate Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV)-associated serogroups 6, 18, and 22 to serotypes using modified oligonucleotides.

Current real-time high-throughput Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) methods do not distinguish serotypes 6A from 6B, 18C from 18A/B and 22F from 22A. We established a nanofluidic real-time PCR (Fluidigm) for serotyping that included Dual-Priming-Oligonucleotides (DPO), a Locked-Nucleic-Acid (LNA) probe and TaqMan assay-sets for high-throughput serotyping. The designed assay-sets target capsular gene wciP in serogroup 6, wciX and wxcM in serogroup 18, and wcwA in serogroup 22. An algorithm combining results from published assay-sets (6A/B/C/D; 6C/D; 18A/B/C; 22A/F) and designed assay-sets for 6A/C; 18B/C/F; 18C/F, 18F and 22F was validated through blind analysis of 1973 archived clinical samples collected from South African children ≤ 5-years-old (2009-2011), previously serotyped with the culture-based Quellung method. All assay-sets were efficient (92-101%), had low variation between replicates (R2 > 0.98), and were able to detect targets at a limit of detection (LOD) of < 100 Colony-Forming-Units (CFU)/mL of sample. There was high concordance (Kappa = 0.73-0.92); sensitivity (85-100%) and specificity (96-100%) for Fluidigm compared with Quellung for serotyping 6A; 6B; 6C; 18C and 22F. Fluidigm distinguishes vaccine-serotypes 6A, 6B, 18C, next-generation PCV-serotype 22F and non-vaccine-serotypes 6C, 6D, 18A, 18B, 18F and 22A. Discriminating single serotypes is important for assessing serotype replacement and the impact of PCVs on vaccine- and non-vaccine serotypes.

Histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of malignant adenomyoepithelioma in a cat: case report / [Características histopatológicas e imuno-histoquímicas do adenomioepitelioma maligno em gata: relato de caso]

The malignant adenomyoepithelioma is a rare mammary tumor in women and uncommon in cats with only one report in this species. In this case report, the histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of six cases of malignant adenomyopithelioma in the feline mammary gland are described. Microscopic evaluation of tumors showed dense cellular neoplastic proliferation, composed of malignant myoepithelial and epithelial cells, formed by varied arrangements and presenting papillary, tubular and solid nest proliferation. Immunohistochemistry was performed for markers Ki67, Cox-2, RE, RP, p63 and HER-2. All cases were positive for p63, confirming the myoepithelial nature of neoplastic cells. The diagnosis of malignant adenomyopithelioma was made possible through the association between histopathological characteristics and immunohistochemical results.(AU)

O adenomioepitelioma maligno é uma neoplasia mamária rara em mulheres e incomum em gatas, possuindo apenas uma descrição nessa espécie. Neste relato de caso, são descritas as características histopatológicas e imuno-histoquímicas de seis casos de adenomioepitelioma maligno na glândula mamária felina. A avaliação microscópica dos tumores demonstrou proliferação neoplásica densamente celular, composta por células mioepiteliais e epiteliais malignas dispostas em padrão papilar, tubular e ninhos sólidos. Foi realizada técnica de imuno-histoquímica para os marcadores Ki67, Cox-2, RE, RP, p63 e HER-2. Todos os casos foram positivos para p63, confirmando a natureza mioepitelial das células neoplásicas. O diagnóstico de adenomioepitelioma maligno foi possível por meio da associação entre as características histopatológicas e os resultados de imuno-histoquímica.(AU)

Distribution of virulence determinants in Streptococcus agalactiae recovered from different clinical sources.

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus, GBS) is a pathobiont, a member of human microbiota that can change from commensal to pathogen, causing a large spectrum of diseases. This study assessed virulence determinants of 32 GBS isolates recovered from different clinical sources associated with asymptomatic and symptomatic clinical outcomes that present distinct capsular types and antimicrobial resistance profiles. The ability of a unique strain to colonize and cause infection in different subjects was also evaluated. By PFGE analysis, it was observed that a given strain could be associated with both asymptomatic and symptomatic outcomes. Cell wall anchor proteins ß and alpha C encoding genes (bac and bca, respectively) were detected in all capsular type Ib isolates. bca was more frequent among asymptomatic outcome-related isolates, as well as high expression of ß-hemolysin/cytolysin (ß-H/C). Symptomatic outcome-related isolates produced strong biofilm more frequently. All bacterial isolates recovered from urine were strong biofilm producers. In growth experiments, asymptomatic outcome-related isolates grew faster after 2 h until the end of the log phase. Taken together, these findings show virulence genotypic and phenotypic features of GBS from distinct sources, which may be helpful to understand their pathogenic potential and predict different clinical outcomes.

Geochemical and isotopic evidence for pumping-induced impacts to bedrock groundwater quality in the City of Guelph, Canada.

Groundwater can be a key water resource in urban environments, providing a source of freshwater for community needs. The City of Guelph relies on groundwater for a population of over 130,000 people. Thus, groundwater quality is a critical component of long-term water management. This study assesses the effect of urban, industrial and agriculture activities on groundwater quality using a suite of multidisciplinary methods including geological, hydrological, geochemical, and isotopic tools. Multi-level systems (with depth-discrete ports), conventional well clusters, and municipal production wells were used to monitor hydraulic head and collect groundwater samples. Geochemical and isotopic measurements included redox parameters, major anions and cations, VOC, tritium and δ34S and δ18O in sulfate. Hydraulic head data show vertical gradient profiles characteristic of a multi-layered flow system within a shallow and deep Silurian bedrock aquifer and an intermediate aquitard varying in occurrence. Head loss disappears near production wells, showing enhanced vertical hydraulic connectivity between shallow and deep aquifers, attributed to pumping and long open intervals. Hydrochemical data show no impact of nitrate and high chloride is observed in the shallow and deep aquifer, attributed to seasonal road salt and the underlying aquitard unit, respectively. The aquitard unit also control the high sulfate in the deep aquifer which is supported by the isotope data on sulfate. Facilitated transport of shallow groundwater into the deeper aquifer is supported by the tritium data, showing the presence of recent groundwater throughout the whole depth of the two aquifers in some areas, likely due to the varying aquitard presence and enhanced vertical flow due to proximity from pumping municipal wells and active rock quarry. The results of this research suggest long term implications for groundwater resource management of sedimentary bedrock aquifers, where there is increasing groundwater demand due to population growth and potential for continual water quality degradation.

Morphological and Chemical Differentiation between Tunisian Populations of Pinus halepensis, Pinus brutia, and Pinus pinaster.

The lipid fraction of seeds from different pine species and populations was studied regarding total lipid content, fatty acid profile and vitamin E composition. The investigated seeds contained a high percentage of lipid (13.6 to 31.5 %). Lipid fractions were found to be rich in vitamin E, which varied significantly among species and populations. P. halepensis (Ph-Hn) showed the highest content of vitamin E (256.3 mg/kg of seeds) and the uppermost content of α-tocopherol (44 mg/kg). However, P. halepensis (Ph-Kas) was the richest in γ-tocopherol (204.9 mg/kg). Lipid fractions had a low content of δ-tocopherol (1.2 to 3.6 mg/kg. The highest content of γ-tocotrienol (∼18 %) was determined for P. halepensis (Ph-Dc and Ph-Hn). Thirteen fatty acids were identified by GC-FID with significant variation between the investigated species. The linoleic acid was the major fatty acid followed by oleic acid and palmitic acid. The chemical differentiation among species for the composition of fatty acids and vitamin E was confirmed by PCA. Significant correlations were observed between the content of vitamin E and fatty acids and ecological parameters of P. halepensis populations.