<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sesuvium portulacastrum</Emphasis> (L.) L.: a potential halophyte for the degradation of toxic textile dye,Green HE4B

Sesuvium portulacastrum is a common halophyte growing well in adverse surroundings and is exploited mainly for the environmental protection including phytoremediation, desalination and stabilization of contaminated soil. In the present investigation, attempts have been made on the decolorization of a toxic textile dye Green HE4B (GHE4B) using in vitro grown Sesuvium plantlets. The plantlets exhibited significant (70%) decolorization of GHE4B (50 mg l(-1)) that sustain 200 mM sodium chloride (NaCl) within 5 days of incubation. The enzymatic analysis performed on the root and shoot tissues of the in vitro plantlets subjected to GHE4B decolorization in the presence of 200 mM NaCl showed a noteworthy induction of tyrosinase, lignin peroxidase and NADH-DCIP reductase activities, indicating the involvement of these enzymes in the metabolism of the dye GHE4B. The UV-visible spectrophotometer, HPLC and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses of the samples before and after decolorization of the dye confirmed the efficient phytotransformation of GHE4B in the presence of 200 mM NaCl. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis of the products revealed the formation of three metabolites such as p -amino benzene, p -amino toluene and 1, 2, 7-amino naphthalene after phytotransformation of GHE4B. Based on the FTIR and GC-MS results, the possible pathway for the biodegradation of GHE4B in the presence of 200 mM NaCl has been proposed. The phytotoxicity experiments confirmed the non-toxicity of the degraded products. The present study demonstrates for the first time the potential of Sesuvium for the efficient degradation of textile dyes and its efficacy on saline soils contaminated with toxic compounds.     

Correspondence between evoked vocal responses and auditory thresholds in Pleurodema thaul (Amphibia; Leptodactylidae)

Thresholds for evoked vocal responses and thresholds of multiunit midbrain auditory responses to pure tones and synthetic calls were investigated in males of Pleurodema thaul, as behavioral thresholds well above auditory sensitivity have been reported for other anurans. Thresholds for evoked vocal responses to synthetic advertisement calls played back at increasing intensity averaged 43 dB RMS SPL (range 31–52 dB RMS SPL), measured at the subjects’ position. Number of pulses increased with stimulus intensities, reaching a plateau at about 18–39 dB above threshold and decreased at higher intensities. Latency to call followed inverse trends relative to number of pulses. Neural audiograms yielded an average best threshold in the high frequency range of 46.6 dB RMS SPL (range 41–51 dB RMS SPL) and a center frequency of 1.9 kHz (range 1.7–2.6 kHz). Auditory thresholds for a synthetic call having a carrier frequency of 2.1 kHz averaged 44 dB RMS SPL (range 39–47 dB RMS SPL). The similarity between thresholds for advertisement calling and auditory thresholds for the advertisement call indicates that male P. thaul use the full extent of their auditory sensitivity in acoustic interactions, likely an evolutionary adaptation allowing chorusing activity in low-density aggregations.     

Liquid-liquid extraction of commercial and biosynthesized nisin by aqueous two-phase micellar systems

Nisin is a natural additive for conservation of food, and can also be used as a therapeutic agent. Nisin inhibits the outgrowth of spores, the growth of a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this paper we present a potentially scalable and cost-effective way to purify commercial and biosynthesized in bioreactor nisin, including simultaneously removal of impurities and contaminants, increasing nisin activity. Aqueous two-phase micellar systems (ATPMS) are considered promising for bioseparation and purification purposes. Triton X-114 was chosen as the as phase-forming surfactant because it is relatively mild to proteins and it also forms two coexisting phases within a convenient temperature range. Nisin activity was determined by the agar diffusion assay utilizing Lactobacillus sake as a sensitive indicator microorganism. Results indicated that nisin partitions preferentially to the micelle rich-phase, despite the surfactant concentration tested, and its antimicrobial activity increases. The successful implementation of this peptide partitioning, from a suspension containing other compounds, represents an important step towards developing a separation method for nisin, and more generally, for other biomolecules of interest.     

In vitro assessment of safety and probiotic potential characteristics of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lactobacillus</Emphasis> strains isolated from water buffalo mozzarella cheese

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and probiotic potential characteristics of ten Lactobacillus spp. strains (Lactobacillus fermentum SJRP30, Lactobacillus casei SJRP37, SJRP66, SJRP141, SJRP145, SJRP146, and SJRP169, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus SJRP50, SJRP76, and SJRP149) that had previously been isolated from water buffalo mozzarella cheese. The safety of the strains was analyzed based on mucin degradation, hemolytic activity, resistance to antibiotics and the presence of genes encoding virulence factors. The in vitro tests concerning probiotic potential included survival under simulated gastrointestinal (GI) tract conditions, intestinal epithelial cell adhesion, the presence of genes encoding adhesion, aggregation and colonization factors, antimicrobial activity, and the production of the β-galactosidase enzyme. Although all strains presented resistance to several antibiotics, the resistance was limited to antibiotics to which the strains had intrinsic resistance. Furthermore, the strains presented a limited spread of genes encoding virulence factors and resistance to antibiotics, and none of the strains presented hemolytic or mucin degradation activity. The L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus strains showed the lowest survival rate after exposure to simulated GI tract conditions, whereas all of the L. casei and L. fermentum strains showed good survivability. None of the tested lactobacilli strains presented bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity, and only L. casei SJRP145 did not produce the β-galactosidase enzyme. The strains showed varied levels of adhesion to Caco-2 cells. None of the cell-free supernatants inhibited the growth of pathogenic target microorganisms. Overall, L. fermentum SJRP30 and L. casei SJRP145 and SJRP146 were revealed to be safe and to possess similar or superior probiotic characteristics compared to the reference strain L. rhamnosus GG (ATCC 53103).     

Subchronic nandrolone administration reduces cardiac oxidative markers during restraint stress by modulating protein expression patterns

lncRNAs are an emerging class of regulators involved in multiple biological processes. MEG3, an lncRNA, acts as a tumor suppressor, has been reported to be linked with osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. However, limited knowledge is available concerning the roles of MEG3 in the multilineage differentiation of hASCs. The current study demonstrated that MEG3 was downregulated during adipogenesis and upregulated during osteogenesis of hASCs. Further functional analysis showed that knockdown of MEG3 promoted adipogenic differentiation, whereas inhibited osteogenic differentiation of hASCs. Mechanically, MEG3 may execute its role via regulating miR-140-5p. Moreover, miR-140-5p was upregulated during adipogenesis and downregulated during osteogenesis in hASCs, which was negatively correlated with MEG3. In conclusion, MEG3 participated in the balance of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation of hASCs, and the mechanism may be through regulating miR-140-5p.     

Anti-inflammatory effect of the hydralcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizomes on rat paw and skin edema.

Plant extracts have been used for centuries as a popular mode of treatment for several health disorders. Over the last ten years, the study of those extracts has attracted attention in different fields of the biological sciences. Ginger, the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae), is a commom constituent of diet worldwide and it has been reported that its extracts present some pharmacological activities. Here we investigate the effects of the crude hydralcoholic extract of ginger rhizomes on the classical models of rat paw and skin edema. The carrageenan-, compound 48/80- or serotonin-induced rat paw edema were inhibited significantly by the intraperitoneal administration of alcoholic ginger extract. Ginger extract was also effective in inhibiting 48/80-induced rat skin edema at doses of 0.6 and 1.8 mg/site. Rat skin edema induced by substance P or bradikinin was not affected by treatment with Z. officinalle extract. The intraperitoneal administration of ginger extract (186 mg/kg(-1) body wt.) 1 h prior to serotonin injections, reduced significantly the serotonin-induced rat skin edema. Our results demonstrated that crude extract of Zingiber officinale was able to reduce rat paw and skin edema induced by carrageenan, 48/80 compound and serotonin. The antiedematogenic activity seems to be related, at least partially, to an antagonism of the serotonin receptor.     

Leprosy among patient contacts: a multilevel study of risk factors

Background

This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with developing leprosy among the contacts of newly-diagnosed leprosy patients.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A total of 6,158 contacts and 1,201 leprosy patients of the cohort who were diagnosed and treated at the Leprosy Laboratory of Fiocruz from 1987 to 2007 were included. The contact variables analyzed were sex; age; educational and income levels; blood relationship, if any, to the index case; household or non-household relationship; length of time of close association with the index case; receipt of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BGG) vaccine and presence of BCG scar. Index cases variables included sex, age, educational level, family size, bacillary load, and disability grade. Multilevel logistic regression with random intercept was applied. Among the co-prevalent cases, the leprosy-related variables that remained associated with leprosy included type of household contact, [odds ratio (OR) = 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.73] and consanguinity with the index case, (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.42–2.51). With respect to the index case variables, the factors associated with leprosy among contacts included up to 4 years of schooling and 4 to 10 years of schooling (OR = 2.72, 95% CI: 1.54–4.79 and 2.40, 95% CI: 1.30–4.42, respectively) and bacillary load, which increased the chance of leprosy among multibacillary contacts for those with a bacillary index of one to three and greater than three (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.19–2.17 and OR: 4.07–95% CI: 2.73, 6.09), respectively. Among incident cases, household exposure was associated with leprosy (OR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.29–2.98), compared with non-household exposure. Among the index case risk factors, an elevated bacillary load was the only variable associated with leprosy in the contacts.

Conclusions/Significance

Biological and social factors appear to be associated with leprosy among co-prevalent cases, whereas the factors related to the infectious load and proximity with the index case were associated with leprosy that appeared in the incident cases during follow-up.