Study of the Biological Activity and Phenolic Content of the Ethanol Extract of Phyllogonium viride Brid. (Phyllogoniaceae,Bryophyta)

The present study aimed to examine the phenolic content and evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of ethanol extracts from the moss species Phyllogonium viride Brid. on the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli, and the pathogenic fungi Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans. The antimicrobial activity was determined from Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC). Antioxidant activity was determined by the DPPH method. Folin-Denis reagent was used for the content of total phenolics and flavonoids and HPLC-DAD for identification of phenolic compounds. The results showed that bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities occurred at concentrations ranging from 9.76 μg/mL–78.13 μg/mL among all evaluated microorganisms. These values, considering the criteria used, suggest the P. viride extract as a potent antimicrobial. For antioxidant activity, P. viride extract was considered weak. Analysis of the phenolic content showed a wide range of compounds, with Kaempferol (0.41 mg/g) being the major compound, followed by t-cinnamic acid and caffeic acid (0.17 mg/g). Although P. viride is a species of moss not yet referenced in scientific publications of biotechnological interest, it has shown promising potential for further studies and possible application as an antimicrobial of natural origin.     

Antiproliferative Activity and Ultrastructural Changes in Promastigote and Amastigote forms of Leishmania amazonensis Caused by Limonene-Acylthiosemicarbazide Hybrids

Leishmaniasis is a tropical zoonotic disease. It is found in 98 countries, with an estimated 1.3 million people being affected annually. During the life cycle, the Leishmania parasite alternates between promastigote and amastigote forms. The first line treatment for leishmaniasis are the pentavalent antimonials, such as N-methylglucamine antimoniate (Glucantime®) and sodium stibogluconate (Pentostam®). These drugs are commonly related to be associated with dangerous side effects such as cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and pancreatitis. Considering these aspects, this work aimed to obtain a new series of limonene-acylthiosemicarbazides hybrids as an alternative for the treatment of leishmaniasis. For this, promastigotes, axenic amastigotes, and intracellular amastigotes of Leishmania amazonensis were used in the antiproliferative assay; J774-A1 macrophages for the cytotoxicity assay; and electron microscopy techniques were performed to analyze the morphology and ultrastructure of parasites. ATZ−S-04 compound showed the best result in both tests. Its IC₅₀, in promastigotes, axenic amastigotes and intracellular amastigotes was 0.35±0.08 μM, 0.49±0.06 μM, and 15.90±2.88 μM, respectively. Cytotoxicity assay determined a CC₅₀ of 16.10±1.76 μM for the same compound. By electron microscopy, it was observed that ATZ−S-04 affected mainly the Golgi complex, in addition to morphological changes in promastigote forms of L. amazonensis.     

Evaluation of Probiotic Properties of Novel Brazilian Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains

Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins - Beneficial effects of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains have been widely reported. Knowing that the effects of probiotic bacteria are strain-dependent,...     

Natural lignin modulators improve bagasse saccharification of sugarcane and energy cane in field trials

The burgeoning cellulosic ethanol industry necessitates advancements in enzymatic saccharification, effective pretreatments for lignin removal, and the cultivation of crops more amenable to saccharification. Studies have demonstrated that natural inhibitors of lignin biosynthesis can enhance the saccharification of lignocellulose, even in tissues generated several months post-treatment. In this study, we applied daidzin (a competitive inhibitor of coniferaldehyde dehydrogenase), piperonylic acid (a quasi-irreversible inhibitor of cinnamate 4-hydroxylase), and methylenedioxy cinnamic acid (a competitive inhibitor of 4-coenzyme A ligase) to 60-day-old crops of two conventional Brazilian sugarcane cultivars and two energy cane clones, bred specifically for enhanced biomass production. The resultant biomasses were evaluated for lignin content and enzymatic saccharification efficiency without additional lignin-removal pretreatments. The treatments amplified the production of fermentable sugars in both the sugarcane cultivars and energy cane clones. The most successful results softened the most recalcitrant lignocellulose to the level of the least recalcitrant of the biomasses tested. Interestingly, the softest material became even more susceptible to saccharification.     

Treatment-resistant depression: definition,prevalence, detection,management, and investigational interventions

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is common and associated with multiple serious public health implications. A consensus definition of TRD with demonstrated predictive utility in terms of clinical decision-making and health outcomes does not currently exist. Instead, a plethora of definitions have been proposed, which vary significantly in their conceptual framework. The absence of a consensus definition hampers precise estimates of the prevalence of TRD, and also belies efforts to identify risk factors, prevention opportunities, and effective interventions. In addition, it results in heterogeneity in clinical practice decision-making, adversely affecting quality of care. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have adopted the most used definition of TRD (i.e., inadequate response to a minimum of two antidepressants despite adequacy of the treatment trial and adherence to treatment). It is currently estimated that at least 30% of persons with depression meet this definition. A significant percentage of persons with TRD are actually pseudo-resistant (e.g., due to inadequacy of treatment trials or non-adherence to treatment). Although multiple sociodemographic, clinical, treatment and contextual factors are known to negatively moderate response in persons with depression, very few factors are regarded as predictive of non-response across multiple modalities of treatment. Intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine (co-administered with an antidepressant) are established as efficacious in the management of TRD. Some second-generation antipsychotics (e.g., aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, cariprazine, quetiapine XR) are proven effective as adjunctive treatments to antidepressants in partial responders, but only the olanzapine-fluoxetine combination has been studied in FDA-defined TRD. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is established as effective and FDA-approved for individuals with TRD, with accelerated theta-burst TMS also recently showing efficacy. Electroconvulsive therapy is regarded as an effective acute and maintenance intervention in TRD, with preliminary evidence suggesting non-inferiority to acute intravenous ketamine. Evidence for extending antidepressant trial, medication switching and combining antidepressants is mixed. Manual-based psychotherapies are not established as efficacious on their own in TRD, but offer significant symptomatic relief when added to conventional antidepressants. Digital therapeutics are under study and represent a potential future clinical vista in this population.     

Evaluation of laboratory indexes of absorption of soil phosphorus by plants: II

Summary A comparison was made of several laboratory methods for estimating the yield of phosphorus in plants grown in greenhouse cultures on samples of 22 soils from different parts of the United States. The methods investigated and their rank in order of increasing precision of the estimates of the yield of phosphorus were as follows: extraction with lactic acid, calcium lactate buffer solution extraction with 2 per cent citric acid solution < extraction with 0.03N NH₄F, 0.025N HCl solution < percentage phosphorus saturation (found as follows: 100 × labile phosphorus by isotopic dilution/ phosphorus adsorption capacity according to Langmuir adsorption equation) labile phosphorus by isotopic dilution phosphorus extracted by water.Journal Paper No. J-3747 of the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 1183. Contribution from the Department of Agronomy.     

Between-population variation in size-dependent reproduction and reproductive allocation in Pinguiculavulgaris (Lentibulariaceae) and its environmental correlates

Several important fitness components in herbaceous perennial plants are commonly related to plant size: flowering probability, reproductive allocation and fecundity. However, evidence for such size-dependence of fitness components is mostly anecdotal and unconnected to other life history traits. Here we report size-dependence for flowering probability and reproductive allocation in 11 populations of Pinguicula vulgaris and relate it to environmental factors. Flowering probability was size-dependent in all populations of P. vulgaris , and indicated the existence of a threshold size for reproduction. Populations at low altitudes and in wet soils showed a significantly higher threshold size for reproduction. Reproductive mass was also size-dependent in all populations. We found considerable between-population differences in the slope and the intercept of the regression between plant size and reproductive mass. This variation was weakly related to the environmental factors measured. In general, relationships between different size-dependent fitness components were low. Instead of showing a covariation of traits, in line with interpretations in terms of life history "tactics", P. vulgaris seemed to independently vary each size-dependent fitness component in each locality. In particular, no significant relationship was found between threshold size for reproduction and the slope of size-dependent reproductive allocation, as predicted by previous authors. Neither we found a significant influence of somatic cost of reproduction on size-dependent fitness components.     

Development of the Predatory Stinkbug Brontocoris tabidus Signoret Heteroptera: Pentatomidae on Different Proportions of an Artificial Diet and Pupae of Tenebrio molitor L. Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae

The development of the Neotropical predatory pentatomid Brontocoris tabidus on an artificial diet based on beef meat and liver was evaluated. The predator showed significantly longer nymphal development and lower adult weights on this diet than when reared on pupae of the mealworm Tenebrio molitor. The survival of nymphs fed exclusively on the artificial diet was somewhat lower compared with feeding on T. molitor pupae. When B. tabidus was bred on this artificial diet during part of its nymphal period i.e. during the second; second and third; and second, third and fourth instars , and was subsequently returned to T. molitor pupae, the predator nymphs completed the nymphal stage with a developmental rate similar to that of nymphs fed on live prey throughout. The adults attained after switching from the artificial diet to live prey from the third and fourth instar onwards had similar weights to those in the control. Considering the relatively good results obtained with B. tabidus and other members of the pentatomid subfamily Asopinae, this meat-based diet may be a valuable alternative for use in the mass production of predatory pentatomids.     

Domain protolife

We propose the Thermal Protein First Paradigm (protocell theory) that affirms that first life was cellular. The first cells emerged from molecular (chemical) evolution as protocells (heated amino acids self-order in copolymerization reactions to form thermal proteins which self-organize when in contact with water to form protocells). Metaprotocells are specialized protocells capable of synthesizing ATP (light energy conversion to chemical energy), polypeptides, and polynucleotides. Aggregations of protocells in thermal protein matrices form distinctive morphologies (protocellular networks). Prokaryotic cells emerged from metaprotocells. We classify protocells and metaprotocells as members of the Domain Protolife. We revised the cell theory to include protolife.