Bulk segregant mapping and transcriptome analyses reveal the molecular mechanisms of spinetoram resistance in Spodoptera frugiperda.

The evolution of resistance to insecticides poses a significant threat to pest management programs. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying insecticide resistance is essential to design sustainable pest control and resistance management programs. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is an important insect pest of many crops and has a remarkable ability to evolve resistance to insecticides. In this study, we employed bulk segregant analysis (BSA) combined with DNA and RNA sequencing to characterize the molecular basis of spinetoram resistance in S. frugiperda. Analysis of genomic data derived from spinetoram selected and unselected bulks and the spinetoram-resistant and susceptible parental strains led to the identification of a three-nucleotide deletion in the gene encoding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α6 subunit (nAChR α6). Transcriptome profiling identified the upregulation of few genes encoding detoxification enzymes associated with spinetoram resistance. Thus, spinetoram resistance in S. frugiperda appears to be mediated mainly by target site insensitivity with a minor role of detoxification enzymes. Our findings provide insight into the mechanisms underpinning resistance to spinetoram in S. frugiperda and will inform the development of strategies to control this highly damaging, globally distributed crop pest.

Full-fat corn germ improves the performance and milk fat yield of Girolando cows fed sugarcane bagasse and cactus cladodes as forage sources.

We investigated the effects of replacing ground corn with full-fat corn germ (FFCG) on milk production, milk composition, and nutrient use in cows fed sugarcane bagasse and cactus cladodes. Ten multiparous Girolando cows (average body weight 500 ± 66 kg, 90 ± 15 days in milk) were distributed in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin Square and assigned to five dietary treatments containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of full-fat corn germ in substitution to ground corn. Full-fat corn germ increased fat-corrected milk yield by 2.2 kg/day and the synthesis of fat, lactose, and total solids in milk by 94.4, 60.0, and 201.10 g/day, respectively (p < 0.05). Cows fed corn germ quadratically increased (p < 0.05) dry matter intake by 1.01 kg/day, with the intake of crude protein and total digestible nutrients following the same pattern. Conversely, the substitution of corn for full-fat corn germ linearly reduced (p < 0.05) the total non-fiber carbohydrate intake from 5.79 to 4.40 kg/d. Except for ether extract and non-fiber carbohydrates, full-fat corn germ did not alter (p > 0.05) nutrient digestibility. Cows fed corn germ excreted less (p < 0.05) urea-N in milk and urine N. These results demonstrate that full-fat corn germ can partially replace ground corn to enhance the milk production efficiency of crossbred cows fed cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse. Furthermore, including sugarcane bagasse in FFCG-supplemented diets prevents milk fat depression in cows fed cactus cladodes.

Emerging mycotoxins in infant and children foods: A review.

A proper nutrition is crucial for children's healthy development. Regardless of the usual recommendations to follow a varied diet, some foods can be a source of toxic natural contaminants such as mycotoxins, potent secondary metabolites produced by filamentous fungi. In addition to the most well-known mycotoxins, many of which are subject to tight regulation regarding the maximum levels allowed in different types of food, there is a large group of mycotoxins, the so-called emerging mycotoxins, about which less knowledge has already been acquired, which have gradually been the target of interest from the scientific community due to their prevalence in most foodstuffs, particularly in cereals and cereal-based products. Alternariol and his metabolite alternariol mono-methyl ether, beauvericin, citrinin, culmorin, enniatins, ergot alkaloids, fusaproliferin, kojic acid, moniliformin, sterigmatocystin, tentoxin and tenuazonic acid are the most representative of them. The current review gathered the information of the last ten years that have been published on the levels of emerging mycotoxins in food products dedicated for infants and children. European Union countries are responsible for most of the reported studies, which showed levels that can reach hundreds of mg/kg.

Cactus cladodes for dairy goats: what is the best fiber source?

This study evaluated the effect of different fiber sources supplied with cactus cladodes in diets on the intake and digestibility of nutrients, ingestive behavior, milk yield, and composition of dairy goats. The fiber sources were corn silage, sorghum silage, Digitaria pentzii Stent. hay, and sugarcane bagasse. Twelve Saanen goats with an average weight of 48.9 ± 7.3 kg and average production of 2.8 ± 0.7 kg of milk/day were assigned in three simultaneous 4 × 4 Latin squares (four animals, four treatments, and four experimental periods). There was no difference between the fiber sources for intake (P > 0.05) of dry matter (2.58 kg/day), organic matter (2.30 kg/day), crude protein (0.385 kg/day), neutral detergent fiber (0.895 kg/day), non-fibrous carbohydrates (0.858 kg/day), and metabolizable energy (5.66 Mcal/day). Also, the fiber sources did not influence dry matter and nutrient digestibility (P > 0.05). The association of cactus cladodes with silages, hay, and sugarcane bagasse did not change milk production, milk production corrected for 3.5% of fat and corrected for energy (2.78; 2.53 and 2,55 kg/day, respectively), in addition to milk composition (P > 0.05). No differences were observed in ingestive behavior (P > 0.05). Any fiber sources evaluated are recommended.

Nutritional effects of using cactus cladodes (Opuntia stricta Haw Haw) to replace sorghum silage in sheep diet.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of replacing the sorghum silage in sheep diet with cactus cladodes [CC - Opuntia stricta (Haw) Haw] on dry matter and its compound intake and digestibility, feeding behavior, and nitrogen balance. The diets consisted of five replacement levels [0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 g/kg on a dry matter (DM) basis] and were formulated to be isonitrogenous [140 g/kg crude protein [CP], considering the ingredients' composition, with a roughage/concentrate ratio of 65:35, on a DM basis. Five uncastrated crossbred sheep, with an average body weight of 52.9 ± 6.0 kg, were assigned to a 5 × 5 Latin square. The trial lasted for 105 days with five consecutive 21-day periods, divided into 14-day adaptation and 7-day sampling periods. Dry matter (DM), organic matter, non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC), total digestible nutrient intake, and DM and NFC digestibility, increased (P ≤ 0.04) with the replacement of sorghum silage by CC. However, the time spent feeding and ruminating decreased, while idle time increased (P ≤ 0.03). Only feeding and rumination efficiency of DM improved (P ≤ 0.01) with the replacement, whereas feeding and rumination efficiency of neutral detergent fiber corrected to ash and protein did not. Nitrogen intake and nitrogen balance were not influenced, and urinary volume increased (P ≤ 0.01) with the addition of CC in the diet. In conclusion, we recommend replacing 80% of the sorghum silage with CC in sheep diets (with 35% concentrate), as CC was found to substantially increase the intake of nutrients, primarily energy.

Effect of association of fresh cassava root with corn silage in replacement for cactus cladodes on dairy cow performance.

The aim of this study was to investigate the replacement effect of cactus cladodes with cassava root and corn silage (CRCS) (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%, dry matter basis) in diets of lactating dairy cows on nutrients intake and digestibility, microbial protein synthesis, nitrogen balance, and milk yield. Ten Holstein cows with an average milk yield of 16 kg/day, an initial body weight (BW) of 670 ± 35 kg, and an average of 17 weeks in milking were assigned to an experiment using a double 5 × 5 Latin square design. The ratio of forage/concentrate was 82:18, and the ingredients used were cactus cladodes, cassava root, corn silage, soybean meal, wheat meal, urea, and mineral premix. The intake of dry matter, organic matter, and total digestible nutrients were not influenced by the replacement levels. On the other hand, the intake of crude protein and neutral detergent fiber increased while the intake of non-fiber carbohydrates decreased with addition of CRCS. The digestibility of the nutrients was not changed as the milk yield as fat-corrected milk production and milk content of fat, protein, lactose, and total solids. The microbial protein synthesis, microbial protein efficiency, nitrogen balance, and efficiency of N in milk were not changed. Therefore, we recommend the complete replacement of cactus cladodes by cassava root and corn silage in the diets of lactating cows with an average milk yield of 16 kg/day.

Quantification of eight bisphenol analogues in blood and urine samples of workers in a hazardous waste incinerator.

Bisphenol A (BPA) has been widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. In recent years, producers have started replacing BPA by other chemical analogues, such as bisphenol -S (BPS) and -F (BPF), all of them under the label "BPA-free". However, despite bisphenol (BP) analogues have a very similar structure, their endocrine-disrupting properties could differ from those of BPA. Unfortunately, information regarding human exposure to BP analogues is very limited, not only as single substances, but also as chemical mixtures. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of 8 BP analogues (A, S, F, B, AF, Z, E, and AP) in biological samples from a controlled cohort of workers in a hazardous waste incinerator (HWI) located in Constantí (Catalonia, Spain). Firstly, a chemical method to analyze a mixture of those 8 analogues in total blood and urine was optimized, being samples quantified by means of gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, a biomonitoring study was performed by collecting samples of total blood and urine of 29 people working in the HWI. Among the 8 BP analogues assessed, BPA presented the highest levels in both biological samples, with mean total (free + conjugated) BPA concentrations of 0.58 and 0.86 µg/L in blood and urine, respectively. Free vs. total BPA levels presented a mean percentage of 79% in blood and 19% in urine. Beyond BPA, traces of BPB were also found in a single sample of blood. Furthermore, none of the remaining BP analogues was detected in blood or urine. Despite BPA has been regulated, it is still very present in the environment, being human exposure to this chemical still an issue of concern for the public health.

Vitek® MS v3.0 System in the Identification of Filamentous Fungi.

Infections caused by filamentous fungi are rising in incidence and became a serious health concern. Their rapid and reliable identification in the clinical laboratory is essential for an early and accurate diagnosis to guide timely therapy. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been reported as a rapid and reliable method for identification of bacteria and yeasts isolated from clinical samples. However, it has less used for molds identification. The aim of this study was to evaluate Vitek® MS (a MALDI-TOF MS system) ability to identify molds and differentiate species within a complex. A collection of 90 filamentous fungi, 70 clinical and 20 environmental isolates, was studied by morphological and molecular methods and by Vitek® MS. Seventy-four isolates (82.2%) were identified using Vitek® MS v3.0 at Genus/Complex/Species group level; within these, 47/74 (63.5%) were correctly identified at species level and only one was misidentified. In contrast, 16/90 isolates (17.8%) were not identified, of which 13 were not present in the database. Results here expressed favor Vitek® MS v3.0 as a very useful system for identification of most common clinical isolates of filamentous fungi. Accordingly, it may be an important tool for clinical microbiology laboratories in their task to answer to clinicians, adequately and rapidly, helping in proper patient's management.

The midgut microbiota plays an essential role in sand fly vector competence for Leishmania major.

For many arthropod vectors, the diverse bacteria and fungi that inhabit the gut can negatively impact pathogen colonization. Our attempts to exploit antibiotic treatment of colonized Phlebotomus duboscqi sand flies in order to improve their vector competency for Leishmania major resulted instead in flies that were refractory to the development of transmissible infections due to the inability of the parasite to survive and to colonize the anterior midgut with infective, metacyclic stage promastigotes. The parasite survival and development defect could be overcome by feeding the flies on different symbiont bacteria but not by feeding them on bacterial supernatants or replete medium. The inhibitory effect of the dysbiosis was moderated by lowering the concentration of sucrose (<30% w/v) used in the sugar feeds to maintain the colony. Exposure of promastigotes to 30% sucrose was lethal to the parasite in vitro. Confocal imaging revealed that the killing in vivo was confined to promastigotes that had migrated to the anterior plug region, corresponding to the highest concentrations of sucrose. The data suggest that sucrose utilization by the microbiota is essential to promote the appropriate osmotic conditions required for the survival of infective stage promastigotes in vivo.

Can cactus (Opuntia stricta [Haw.] Haw) cladodes plus urea replace wheat bran in steers' diet?

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of replacing wheat bran for cactus cladodes plus urea (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) on the intake of nutrients, nitrogen balance, microbial protein synthesis, and rumen fermentation for steers. METHODS: Five crossbred steers (1/2 Holstein-Zebu), with rumen cannula and an average body weight of 180±5.3 kg, were assigned to a 5×5 Latin square design. Dietary treatments consisted of the replacement of the total of wheat bran in basal diet by cactus cladodes using the following proportions: 0% for basal diet, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% cactus cladodes replacing wheat bran. Urea was added to the diets to adjust the crude protein (CP) content to 130 g/kg dry matter. RESULTS: Maximum dry matter intake (5.73 kg/d) and maximum nitrogen balance (103 g/d) were estimated for 54.6% and 70.8% replacement levels of wheat bran. The maximum microbial protein production (44.6 g/d) was obtained at a replacement level of 49.7%, and a medium value (125 g CP mic/kg total digestible nutrients) of microbial protein efficiency was observed. The rumen pH increased linearly according to cactus cladodes inclusion, while the ammonia nitrogen medium value was 24.5 mg/dL. CONCLUSION: The replacement of 55% wheat bran for cactus cladodes plus urea in the diet of crossbred steers is recommended.

Cadmium stress antioxidant responses and root-to-shoot communication in grafted tomato plants.

Many aspects related to ROS modulation of signaling networks and biological processes that control stress responses still remain unanswered. For this purpose, the grafting technique may be a powerful tool to investigate stress signaling and specific responses between plant organs during stress. In order to gain new insights on the modulation of antioxidant stress responses mechanisms, gas-exchange measurements, lipid peroxidation, H2O2 content, proline, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) were analyzed in Micro-Tom grafted plants submitted to cadmium (Cd). The results observed revealed that higher amounts of Cd accumulated mainly in the roots and rootstocks when compared to leaves and scions. Macronutrients uptake (Ca, S, P and Mg) decreased in non-grafted plants, but differed among plant parts in all grafted plants. The results showed that the accumulation of proline observed in scions of grafted plants could be associated to the lower MDA contents in the scions of grafted plants. In the presence of Cd, non-grafted plants displayed increased CAT, GR, GPOX and APX activities for both tissues, whilst grafted plants revealed distinct trends that clearly indicate signaling responses from the rootstocks, allowing sufficient time to activate defense mechanisms in shoot. The information available concerning plants subjected to grafting can provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of Cd detoxification involving root-to-shoot signaling, opening new possibilities on strategies which can be used to manipulate heavy metal tolerance, since antioxidant systems are directly involved in such mechanism.

Therapeutic futility in cancer patients at the time of palliative care transition: An analysis with a modified version of the Medication Appropriateness Index.

BACKGROUND: Palliative Care professionals are often confronted with therapeutic futility, consisting in inappropriate strategies that do not add any advantage to the patient and may actually increase adverse events. Scientific literature concerning this issue is lacking. This article is one of the first to study therapeutic futility specifically at the time of transition to the palliative care setting. AIM: To study the phenomenon of pharmacologic therapeutic futility at the time of transition of a cancer patient to palliative care. DESIGN: The pharmacological prescriptions at the time of the first appointment at an oncological palliative care unit during a time period of 2 months were prospectively collected and characterized using the Medication Appropriateness Index. PARTICIPANTS: The sample comprised 71 patients with a mean age of 68.2 years. RESULTS: The most common pharmacological groups were analgesics (n = 121; 19.2%), psychoactive drugs (n = 89; 14.1%), and antihypertensives (n = 51; 8.1%). A total of 61 patients (85.9%) consumed 5 drugs or more at the time of the first appointment. The mean number of daily medications decreased significantly after the palliative care team intervention, from 7.15 to 5.73 (p < 0.05). The principal causes of inappropriateness were absence of indication for the drug (23.0% "inappropriate"), the drugs' adverse interactions (11.1%), and inadequate dosage (9.9%). After the first consultation in the palliative care setting, 28.2% of the drugs were suspended. CONCLUSION: This article tried to evaluate the main causes of therapeutic futility at the palliative care transition. The principal causes of inappropriateness were absence of clinical indication, clinically significant drug-disease/comorbidity interactions, and incorrect dosage/posology.

Replacement of wheat bran with spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus indica Mill cv Gigante) and urea in the diets of Holstein x Gyr heifers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replacement effect of wheat bran with spineless cactus and urea in heifers. Twenty-four heifers with an average initial weight of 185 ± 13 kg were used in this experiment. Four levels of spineless cactus corrected with urea and ammonium sulfate (9:1) were studied: 0, 33, 66, and 100 % replacement with wheat bran. Samples of feed, orts, and feces were analyzed to estimate the intake and digestibility of dry matter (DM) and nutrients. Indigestible neutral detergent fiber was used as an internal marker. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design. Dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, and total digestible nutrient intake demonstrated a quadratic effect (P < 0.05). Rumen degradable protein intake increased linearly (P < 0.05). The maximum DM digestibility was estimated to be 0.67 with a 43 % replacement. Crude protein and NDF digestibility increased linearly (P < 0.05). The total body weight gain and average daily gain decreased linearly with the replacement. Thus, it is practical to replace wheat bran with spineless cactus containing urea and ammonium sulfate up to 66 % in sugar cane-based diets.

Towards transparent decision-making processes within museums: Case study of Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC).

Understanding that good decision-making is paramount for the success of an organization and recognizing that strategic decision-making inside museums is a topic that has been over-passed by researchers, this paper intends to contribute to the relevance of the subject through the implementation of an innovative tool. Decision-making in museums is normally focused on the intuition, subjectivity, and experience of the curator, who brings all his knowledge to the exhibition programming. However, museums' management and environment are constantly changing, thus the application of this tool would aim to make decisions in a more democratic, transparent, inclusive, and accurate manner. Besides, it will be easier to understand how distinct subjects can work together, demonstrating successful results to improve the decision-making process when programming and measuring temporary exhibition seasons in museums. This paper describes the design and implementation of the Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT) for the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). It also analyzes and evaluates the decision-making process when scheduling exhibitions for a season.

The workup process of vaccination in IBD patients needs a change-Insights from a multinational survey.

BACKGROUND: Immunosuppressive medications play a crucial role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) but increase susceptibility to infections, underlining the importance of vaccination. Nevertheless, vaccination rates are often low. AIMS: This study assessed the perspective of gastroenterologists (GEs) on vaccination of IBD patients. METHODS: An online survey was applied to GEs worldwide, from 10/2022 to 06/2023. RESULTS: The 271 respondents considered vaccination important, however, 26 % never/rarely prescribed vaccines and 60 % admitted having limited or no confidence on managing their side effects - GEs practicing in Europe, male and older more often felt capable of this. Female and younger participants were more aware of the need to alter the current workflow in vaccination. Some respondents proposed to delegate the responsibility of vaccination to general practitioners, nurses in gastroenterology units, or infectious diseases specialists, but 19 % considered that no change was needed. CONCLUSION: Overall, the importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy, providing flyers to patients, and implementing vaccine guidelines were consensually recognized. The data indicated that the vaccination process needs reformulation and that different opinions/attitudes toward vaccines are influenced by demographic factors, workplace characteristics, affiliation, and teaching activities. Delegating the responsibility of vaccination and adopting a multidisciplinary approach seem like effective strategies to increase vaccination coverage among IBD patients.

Evaluating the human neurotoxicity and toxicological interactions impact of co-occurring regulated and emerging mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins can inflict harmful effects on diverse organs, and mounting evidence indicates their potential involvement in human neurodegenerative diseases. Given the common occurrence of these toxins in food, there is an increasing demand for a comprehensive assessment of their combined toxicity to enhance our understanding of their potential hazards. This research investigates mycotoxin exposure from widely consumed cereal-based products, including enniatin B (ENNB), sterigmatocystin (STG), aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), cyclopiazonic acid (CPZ), citrinin (CIT), and ochratoxin A (OTA). Employing the median-effect equation based on Chou and Talalay's mass-action law, we assessed their cytotoxicity in human SH-SY5Y neuronal cells. Notably, ENNB displayed the highest neurotoxicity (IC50 = 3.72 µM), followed by OTA (9.10 µM) and STG (9.99 µM). The combination of OTA + STG exhibited the highest toxicity (IC50 = 3.77 µM), while CPZ + CIT showed the least detrimental effect. Approximately 70 % of tested binary combinations displayed synergistic or additive effects, except for ENNB + STG, ENNB + AFB1, and CPZ + CIT, which showed antagonistic interactions. Intriguingly, the senary combination displayed moderate antagonism at the lowest exposure and moderate synergism at higher doses. OTA exhibited predominantly synergistic interactions, comprising approximately 90 %, a noteworthy finding considering its prevalence in food. Conversely, ENNB interactions tended to be antagonistic. The most remarkable synergy occurred in the STG and CIT combination, enabling a 50-fold reduction in CIT dosage for an equivalent toxic effect. These findings highlight the biological relevance of robust synergistic interactions, emphasizing the need to assess human exposure hazards accurately, particularly considering frequent mycotoxin co-occurrence in environmental and food settings.

Enhancing antimicrobial photodynamic therapy with phenothiazinium dyes and sodium dodecyl sulfate against Candida albicans at various growth stages.

BACKGROUND: The eradication of C. albicans is difficult due to the organization of the yeast in biofilms. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proposed as an alternative to antifungals. Phenothiazinium dyes, e.g. methylene blue (MB), have been proposed as photosensitizing agents (PS), and their association with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has recently been shown to improve the effectiveness of PDT in planktonic culture. In this sense, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of PDT with phenothiazinium dyes associated to SDS in biofilms at the different stages of growth. METHODS: Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of PDT on biofilm formation and on established biofilms of C. albicans ATCC 10231. Samples were exposed to PS 50 mg/L (MB, Azure A - AA, Azure B - AB and dimethyl methylene blue - DMMB) dissolved in water or 0.25% SDS, for 5 min in the dark. After irradiation at 660 nm, 37.3mW/cm2 for 27 min, 60.4J/cm2 colony forming units count assay (CFU/mL) was performed. One or two irradiations were applied. Statistical methods were used to assess effectiveness. RESULTS: PSs showed low toxicity in the dark. An application of PDT irradiation was not able to reduce the CFU/mL both in mature biofilms (24h) and in biofilms in the dispersion phase (48h), only in the adherence phase did PDT prevent the formation of biofilms. With two successive applications of PDT irradiation in the dispersion phase, PDT with MB, AA, and DMMB completely inactivated C. albicans. The similar was not observed with mature biofilms. CONCLUSIONS: Different stages of biofilm growth respond differently to PDT, with the greatest inhibitory effect found in the adhesion stage. Mature and dispersed biofilms are less susceptible to PDT. The use of two successive applications of PDT with PSs associated with SDS may be a useful approach to inactivate C. albicans biofilms.

The combination of methylene blue and sodium dodecyl sulfate enhances the antimicrobial photodynamic therapy of Candida albicans at lower light parameters.

BACKGROUND: The growth of resistant microorganisms has been a challenge for health systems. Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) has gained attention due to its effects on resistant strains. Recently, it was shown that the association of methylene blue (MB) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) are an effective strategy to increase the effect of aPDT; however, it is unknown which are the best light parameters (such as irradiance and radiant exposure, RE), to reach the most effective protocols. This work aimed to evaluate the light parameters, irradiance, and radiant exposure, in aPDT with MB when conveyed in water compared to MB associated with SDS. METHODS: Tests were carried out to quantify the colony-forming units (CFU) of ATCC 10,231 strain of Candida albicans when using MB in different media and with different light parameters: Control (water), SDS (0.25%), MB (20 mg/mL), and the MB/SDS at irradiances of 3.7; 11.2; 18.6, and 26.1 mW/cm2 and varied irradiation times to reach radiant exposures of 4.4; 17.8; 26.7, and 44 J/cm². RESULTS: The results showed that aPDT with MB/SDS had a higher antimicrobial effect than MB when conveyed in water. Furthermore, for the highest irradiance studied (26.1 mW/cm2), CFU decreases exponentially with increasing RE from 4.4 up to 44 J/cm2. Similarly, at a fixed RE, the higher the irradiance used, the higher the antimicrobial effect was observed, except for the lowest RE studied (4.4 J/cm2). CONCLUSIONS: aPDT with MB/SDS had a greater antimicrobial action at the lower light parameters when compared to MB conveyed in water. The authors suggest the use of RE above 18 J/cm2 and irradiance above 26 mW/cm2 since at the mentioned parameters the increase in its value caused a greater antimicrobial effect.

Seasonal occurrence and risk assessment of endocrine-disrupting compounds in Tagus estuary biota (NE Atlantic Ocean coast).

Estuaries are continually threatened by anthropogenic pressures, consequently, a large group of contaminants harmful to human health affects the aquatic biota; therefore, it is necessary to monitor their quality. This study deals with the determination of a large group of compounds representing different endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) classes [21 pesticides, 4 polycyclic musk fragrances, 4 UV-filters, 7 bisphenols, 6 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and 8 of their methoxylated (MeO-BDEs)] in several estuarine species (fish, bivalves, crustaceans, earthworm, and macroalgae) collected seasonally along one year in two distinct areas of Tagus River estuary ("contaminated" vs. "clean" areas). The most abundant compounds found were galaxolide (HHCB) (81% positive samples; 0.04-74 ng/g ww), isoamyl 4-methoxycinnamate (IMC) (64%; 1.13-251 ng/g ww), alachlor (44%; 0.08-16 ng/g ww), and BDE-47 (36%; 0.06-2.26 ng/g ww). Polycyclic musks were the most frequent contaminants in fish (seabass, barbus, mullet, and sole) and macroalgae samples, while UV-filters were predominant in bivalves and crustaceans, and bisphenols in earthworms. Seasonal variation was verified for Σpesticides and Σmusks, with significantly higher levels in summer and autumn, whereas ΣUV-filters highest levels were found in spring and summer, and for ΣPBDEs statistically higher levels were registered in cold seasons (autumn and winter). Σbisphenols were significantly lower in spring than in the other seasons. In general, considering all species analysed in both areas, no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were verified between the two collection areas. Based on the estimated daily intake data, consumption of fish from this estuary is unlikely to be a human health concern, since the levels of contamination were below the toxicological threshold values. Overall, the data obtained in this study will allow regulatory authorities to identify and prioritize contaminants monitoring programs in estuaries, such as the case of bisphenol A, which was found, for the first time, in earthworm and clam species.

Nutritional Quality of Milk Fat from Cows Fed Full-Fat Corn Germ in Diets Containing Cactus Opuntia and Sugarcane Bagasse as Forage Sources.

We evaluated the performance, milk composition, and milk fatty acid profile of cows fed diets composed of cactus cladodes (Opuntia stricta [Haw.] Haw), sugarcane bagasse and increasing levels of full-fat corn germ (FFCG). We hypothesized that ground corn can be effectively replaced by FFCG when cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse are used as forage sources. The cows were randomly distributed into two 5 × 5 Latin Squares and fed five diets in which ground corn was progressively replaced with full-fat corn germ (FFCG; 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of substitution). Adding FFCG to the diet increased milk production and milk fat content and reduced milk protein content. Overall, FFCG reduced the proportion of saturated FAs and increased mono- and polyunsaturated FAs in milk, including CLA isomers. In addition, activity indices of stearoyl-CoA desaturase were reduced by increasing levels of FFCG. We conclude that the substitution of corn for FFCG in diets based on cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse positively modifies the FA profile of milk and could add commercial value to milk products (e.g., CLA-enriched milk). In addition, the milk fat response indicates that the basal diet was favorable to the rumen environment, preventing the trans-10 shift commonly associated with milk fat depression.