Bioactive components of ovine and caprine cheese whey

Cheese whey, also known as sweet whey, is a by-product of cheese-making that contains many valuable constituents. Among them, whey proteins stand out for their high nutritional value in terms of biological value and composition in essential amino acids. In recent years, the increasing demand for caprine and ovine cheeses has produced important amounts of whey from these species, boosting research on the biological activities of its constituent proteins. Different bioactivities have been associated to these proteins, among them antihypertensive, antimicrobial, opioid, antioxidant and immunomodulant activity being the most studied. Although biological activities are present in the intact proteins, in many cases whey proteins act as precursors of bioactive peptides that are released from the hydrolysis of these proteins with different enzymes. This review presents an overview of the different biological activities described for caprine and ovine cheese whey proteins as well as for other whey components such as lactose, oligosaccharides or minerals.     

Parasitic infections of three Mexican howler monkey groups (Alouatta palliata mexicana) living in forest fragments in Mexico

In order to better understand how patterns of parasitism in howler monkeys are affected by forest fragmentation, we carried out a 1 year survey of gastrointestinal parasites in fecal samples from three groups of Mexican howler monkeys inhabiting different forest fragments in the Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. The study groups were chosen because the conditions in which they lived suggested a potentially negative gradient for parasite richness and a positive gradient for levels of parasitism. We report for the first time the presence of Entamoeba coli in Alouatta palliata mexicana and of hookworms (Family Ancylostomidae) in A. palliata. A reduction in home range size and an increase in disturbance was associated with a loss of parasite richness, which in general was high. Parasite prevalence and the proportion of contaminated samples in which each parasite taxon was present was also high in general and there were no differences between groups. A factor related to the generally high levels of parasitism in our study groups could be the high humidity in the study area, because this favors the survival of parasitic free forms and increases the chances of infection. This would also account for the tendency towards higher levels of parasitism observed in the rainy season. Finally we did not find a pattern relating sex and parasitism.     

Deep phylogeographic splits and limited mixing by sea surface currents govern genetic population structure in the mangrove genus Lumnitzera (Combretaceae) across the Indonesian Archipelago

The Indonesian Archipelago accommodates the largest mangrove area in Southeast Asia and possesses the world's richest composition of mangrove species. The archipelago comprises areas of the biogeographic regions Sunda and Wallacea, separated by Wallace's line. Here, we used the true mangrove species Lumnitzera littorea and Lumnitzera racemosa as a study case for understanding the effects of phylogeographic history, sea surface currents, and geographical distance on genetic diversity and genetic structure. We sampled 14 populations of L. littorea (N = 106) and 21 populations of L. racemosa (N = 152) from Indonesia and used 3122 and 3048 SNP loci, respectively, genotyped using the ddRADseq approach. We assessed genetic diversity, genetic structure, and effective dispersal of the populations and related them to geographical distance and sea surface currents. Our study revealed low levels of genetic variation at the population level in Lumnitzera. Pronounced genetic differentiation between populations indicated two phylogroups in both species. While in L. littorea the two phylogroups were largely separated by Wallace's line, L. racemosa showed a northwest vs. southeast pattern with strong mixture in Wallacea. Our findings provide novel insights into the phylogeography of the mangrove genus Lumnitzera and the role of sea surface currents in the Indonesian Archipelago.     

Extraintestinal Helminth Infection Reduces the Development of Colitis-Associated Tumorigenesis

Colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) is one of the most common cancers and is closely related to chronic or deregulated inflammation. Helminthic infections can modulate inflammatory responses in some diseases, but their immunomodulatory role during cancer development remains completely unknown. We have analyzed the role of Taenia crassiceps-induced anti-inflammatory response in determining the outcome of CAC. We show that extraintestinal T. crassiceps infection in CAC mice inhibited colonic inflammatory responses and tumor formation and prevented goblet cell loss. There was also increased expression of IL-4 and alternatively activated macrophages markers in colonic tissue and negative immunomodulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. In addition, T. crassiceps infection prevented the upregulation of β-catenin and CXCR2 expression observed in the CAC mice, which are both markers associated with CAC-tumorigenesis, and reduced the numbers of circulating and colonic CD11b⁺Ly6C^hiCCR2⁺ monocytes. Thus, immunomodulatory activities induced by helminth infections may have a role in the progression of CAC.     

EST2uni: an open,parallel tool for automated EST analysis and database creation,with a data mining web interface and microarray expression data integration

Background  

Expressed sequence tag (EST) collections are composed of a high number of single-pass, redundant, partial sequences, which need to be processed, clustered, and annotated to remove low-quality and vector regions, eliminate redundancy and sequencing errors, and provide biologically relevant information. In order to provide a suitable way of performing the different steps in the analysis of the ESTs, flexible computation pipelines adapted to the local needs of specific EST projects have to be developed. Furthermore, EST collections must be stored in highly structured relational databases available to researchers through user-friendly interfaces which allow efficient and complex data mining, thus offering maximum capabilities for their full exploitation.     

Effect of maternal praziquantel treatment for Schistosoma japonicum infection on the offspring susceptibility and immunologic response to infection at age six,a cohort study

In areas endemic to schistosomiasis, fetal exposure to schistosome antigens prime the offspring before potential natural infection. Praziquantel (PZQ) treatment for Schistosoma japonicum infection in pregnant women has been demonstrated to be safe and effective. Our objectives were to evaluate whether maternal PZQ treatment modifies the process of in utero sensitization to schistosome antigens potentially impacting later risk of infection, as well as immune response to S. japonicum. We enrolled 295 children at age six, born to mothers with S. japonicum infection who participated in a randomized control trial of PZQ versus placebo given at 12–16 weeks gestation in Leyte, The Philippines. At enrollment, we assessed and treated current S. japonicum infection and measured serum cytokines. During a follow-up visit four weeks later, we assessed peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cytokine production in response to soluble worm antigen preparation (SWAP) or soluble egg antigen (SEA). Associations between maternal treatment group and the child’s S. japonicum infection status and immunologic responses were determined using multivariate linear regression analysis. PZQ treatment during pregnancy did not impact the prevalence (P = 0.12) or intensity (P = 0.59) of natural S. japonicum infection among children at age six. Among children with infection at enrollment (12.5%) there were no significant serum cytokine concentration differences between maternal treatment groups. Among children with infection at enrollment, IL-1 production by PBMCs stimulated with SEA was higher (P = 0.03) in the maternal PZQ group compared to placebo. Among children without infection, PBMCs stimulated with SEA produced greater IL-12 (P = 0.03) and with SWAP produced less IL-4 (P = 0.01) in the maternal PZQ group compared to placebo. Several cytokines produced by PBMCs in response to SWAP and SEA were significantly higher in children with S. japonicum infection irrespective of maternal treatment: IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13. We report that maternal PZQ treatment for S. japonicum shifted the PBMC immune response to a more inflammatory signature but had no impact on their offspring’s likelihood of infection or serum cytokines at age six, further supporting the safe use of PZQ in pregnant women.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00486863","term_id":"NCT00486863"}}NCT00486863.     

Fern and lycopod spores rain in a cloud forest of Hidalgo,Mexico

The aim of this study was to determine the composition of the “spore rain” of ferns and lycopods in a cloud forest. We tested whether the canopy impedes spore dispersal to surrounding areas and how spore dispersal is affected by rainfall. The spores were captured with a modified Bush–Gosling trap placed at 30 cm above ground level in forested and non-forested sites from March 2009 to February 2010. We collected 2462 fern spores from 158 morphospecies of which 76 were identified to species level. Thirty-seven species were found exclusively in the spore rain, and 39 were found as sporophytes as well (local component). Mean daily spore density (spores m^?2) was calculated to find the sporulation period for each species. Twenty species showed seasonal patterns of sporulation. The highest spore density was found at the forested site (70 morphospecies and 1856 spores), of which 39 morphospecies (1482 spores) corresponded to the local vegetation. Fifty-five taxa were shared between the forested and non-forested site. In the non-forested site, 605 spores were captured belonging to 64 species. The density of spore rain between sites was significantly different. The rainfall amount was the same at both sites, with a dry period in March, April, and July 2009, and February 2010. There was a negative effect of rainfall on spore rain. The main sporulation occurred in the dry season with strong winds. Although the canopy inhibits airborne dispersal of fern spores, a small amount of spores can disperse beyond the canopy and reach surrounding areas. The rainfall might wash spores to ground and favor the colonization and the establishment of new populations.     

Natural insecticides fromHippocratea excelsa andHippocratea celastroides

Hippocratea excelsa andHippocratea celastroides have therapeutic and insecticide applications in Mexican traditional medicine. The toxicity ofH. excelsa root cortex has been previously demonstrated against the stored grain pest Sitophilus zeamais. To identify the active compounds, several extracts (petroleum ether, CH₂Cl₂, acetone, methanol, and water) and compounds were obtained from the roots, and tested (1% w/w) with a force-feeding assay againstS. zeamais. AllH. excelsa extracts showed high antifeedant activity, and elicited moderate mortality. The triterpenoid pristimerin and a mixture of sesquiterpene evoninoate alkaloids, isolated from the hexane and methanol extracts, respectively, strongly reduced the insect feeding capacity. Other triterpenoids (friedelin, β-sitosterol, canophyllol) isolated from the hexane extract, and the alditol galactitol obtained from the water extract, were innocuous or its activity was not statistically significant. The organic extracts fromH. celastroides only showed moderate antifeedant activity, while the water extract was innocuous. Galactitol was also obtained from this extract.     

The SARS-CoV-2 origin dilemma: Zoonotic transfer or laboratory leak?

The COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide yet its origin remains unclear. Two potential scenarios of how infection of humans initially occurred include zoonotic transfer from wild animals and a leak of the pathogen from a research laboratory. The Wuhan wet markets where wild animals are sold represent a strong scenario for zoonotic transfer. However, isolation of SARS-CoV-2 or its immediate predecessor from wild animals in their natural environment has yet to be documented. Due to incomplete evidence for a zoonotic origin, a laboratory origin is plausible. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is at the epicenter of the pandemic and their work has included manipulation of wild-type coronavirus to enable infection of human cells. Although stronger evidence supports the zoonotic transfer, inconclusive reports maintain the laboratory leak hypothesis alive. It is imperative to reach a factual conclusion to prevent future pandemics.