Age-Related Changes in the Yeast Component of the Drosophila melanogaster Microbiome

Microbiology - Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies are an important model for studying the multifaceted interactions between a multicellular organism and its microbiome. The nature of these...     

Endophytic Bacteria as Effective Agents of New-Generation Biopesticides (Review)

In this review, the data on endophytic bacteria with protective properties are covered, and their characteristics and species composition are discussed. The mechanisms of fungicidal and insecticidal activities, including the synthesis of lipopeptides, siderophores, and hydrolases, systemic resistance induction, and the production of insecto-toxic compounds, are analyzed. Possible methods for the production of complex biological preparations are considered; the preparations are based on endophytic microorganisms and would protect plants from both pathogens and pests. The means of extending their activity spectrum via the combination of different strains or the construction of new recombinant endophytic strains by genetic engineering techniques are also considered.     

Circulation and distribution of gold nanoparticles and induced alterations of tissue morphology at intravenous particle delivery

Kinetics, biodistribution, and histological studies were performed to evaluate the particle‐size effects on the distribution of 15 nm and 50 nm PEG‐coated colloidal gold (CG) particles and 160 nm silica/gold nanoshells (NSs) in rats and rabbits. The above nanoparticles (NPs) were used as a model because of their importance for current biomedical applications such as photothermal therapy, optical coherence tomography, and resonance‐scattering imaging. The dynamics of NPs circulation in vivo was evaluated after intravenous administration of 15 nm CG NPs to rabbit, and the maximal concentrations of gold were observed 15–30 min after injection. Rats were injected in the tail vein with PEG‐coated NPs (about 0.3 mg Au/kg rats). 24 h after injection, the accumulation of gold in different organs and blood was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy. In accordance with the published reports, we observed 15 nm particles in all organs with rather smooth distribution over liver, spleen and blood. By contrast, the larger NSs were accumulated mainly in the liver and spleen. For rabbits, the biodistribution was similar (72 h after intravenous injection). We report also preliminary data on the light microscopy and TEM histological examination that allows evaluation of the changes in biotissues after gold NPs treatment. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)