Risk analysis of Bacillus spp. isolated from cured pork sausages

This study was undertaken to acquire information about the toxigenic potential of Bacillus strains isolated from eight cured pork sausages obtained from traditional or industrial processings. The application of RAPD-PCR protocols made it possible to identify 52 different biotypes among 220 heat-resistant Gram-positive endospore-forming colonies. The sequence analysis of the 5’ region of 16S rDNA revealed that 36 strains belonged to B. subtilis and 16 to B. pumilus species. No strains belonging to B. cereus species were isolated from the cured sausages analysed. The toxigenic potential of these strains was assayed by PCR analysis and physiological tests to identify the most important B. cereus toxins and virulence factors. No specific PCR fragment was obtained from any of the strains; however, some of them were found positive for hemolytic and lecithinase activity.These preliminary results reassure about the microbiological risk related to the presence of pathogenic Bacillus strains in cured pork sausages analysed even though the hemolytic and lecithinase activities found in some strains suggest that more in-depth analyses need to be carried out

Microbial community dynamics during the Scamorza Altamurana cheese natural fermentation.

The growth dynamics of the natural microbial community responsible for the fermentation of Scamorza Altamurana, a typical Southern Italian cheese made using backslopping, was investigated applying a polyphasic approach combining 1) microbial enumeration with culture media, 2) randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting of microbial communities, 3) sequencing of partial 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) genes, and 4) physiological tests. Viable cell counts on different culture media showed that the cocci community prevailed during the 18 h of curd fermentation and the 6 d of cheese ripening. RAPD fingerprinting made it possible to isolate 25 different strains identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as belonging to five species of Lactobacillus, three species of Streptococcus, one species of Weissella, and one species of Enterococcus. The physiological analyses of all lactic acid bacteria strains revealed that the isolates belonging to Streptococcus genus were the most acidifying, whereas lactobacilli were most proteolytic. Streptococcus thermophilus C48W and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus B15Z dominated all through the fermentation process. Furthermore, they seemed to be stable in a subsequent whey sample analyzed after 7 mo. The recovery of strains endowed with interesting technological features, such as acidifying and proteolytic activities, and surviving in natural whey could allow the upscaling of cheese processing safeguarding the organoleptic characteristics of Scamorza Altamurana and could possibly improve other fermented dairy products

Prevalence of antibodies to the BK and JC papovaviruses in isolated populations

A total of 173 sera from isolated Brazilian Indian populations, 39 from the Diauarun area, and 68 from the Alto Xingú area, respectively in the North and the South of the Xingú National Park and 66 Kren-Akorore Indians, were examined for hemagglutination - inhibiting (HI) antibodies against BK and JC viruses. The global percentages of positive sera (;>;; 1:40) were 5.2% for BK virus and 1.7% for JC virus. The distribution of positive sera according to the population groups showed one individual to be positive for BK virus in the Diauarun Indians and none of the sera contained HI antibody to JC virus; in the Alto Xingú Indians, 4 were positive for BK virus and 3 others were positive for JC virus; as regards Kren-Akorore Indians none of the sera contained antibody to JC virus, and only 4 were BK positive. Due to the limited number of observations it was neither possible to determine the time of occurrence of seroconversion nor correlate the positivity rates for both viruses in the different tribes with the respective "contact" with the white population.Foram estudados 173 soros de índios brasileiros, sendo 39 da área Diauarum, 68 do Alto Xingú e 66 índios Kren-Akorore. A pesquisa de anticorpos inibidores da hemaglutinação para os papovavirus BK e JC mostrou uma percentagem global de positividade (;>;; 40) para os virus BK de 5,2% e para o virus JC de 1,7%. A distribuição dos soros positivos segundo sua origem foi a seguinte: dos 39 índios Diauarum somente um apresentou titulo significante para o virus BK e nenhum deles foi positivo para o virus JC; dos 68 índios do Alto Xingú, 4 apresentaram título significante para o virus BK e 3 para o virus JC, sendo estes últimos diferentes dos indivíduos positivos para o virus BK; dos 66 índios Kren-Akorore, 4 mostraram possuir título significante para o virus BK, sem positividade para o virus JC. O número reduzido de soros não permitiu estabelecer o momento da ser o conservação, em termos de idade, como não permitiu relacionar as taxas de positividade com o maior ou menor "contato" com a população branca

IDIOPATHIC PARTIAL EPILEPSY WITH AUDITORY FEATURES (IPEAF): A CLINICAL AND GENETIC STUDY OF 53 SPORADIC CASES

The purpose of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics of sporadic (S) cases of partial epilepsy with auditory features (PEAF) and pinpoint clinical, prognostic and genetic differences with respect to previously reported familial (F) cases of autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features (ADPEAF). We analysed 53 patients (24 females and 29 males) with PEAF diagnosed according to the following criteria: partial epilepsy with auditory symptoms, negative family history for epilepsy and absence of cerebral lesions on NMR study. All patients underwent a full clinical, neuroradiological and neurophysiological examination. Forty patients were screened for mutations in LGI1/epitempin, which is involved in ADPEAF. Age at onset ranged from 6 to 39 years (average 19 years). Secondarily generalized seizures were the most common type of seizures at onset (79%). Auditory auras occurred either in isolation (53%) or associated with visual, psychic or aphasic symptoms. Low seizure frequency at onset and good drug responsiveness were common, with 51% of patients seizure-free. Seizures tended to recur after drug withdrawal. Clinically, no major differences were found between S and F patients with respect to age at onset, seizure frequency and response to therapy. Analysis of LGI1/epitempin exons failed to disclose mutations. Our data support the existence of a peculiar form of non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy closely related to ADPEAF but without a positive family history. This syndrome, here named IPEAF, has a benign course in the majority of patients and could be diagnosed by the presence of auditory aura. Although LGI1 mutations have been excluded, genetic factors may play an aetiopathogenetic role in at least some of these S cases

c-Abl and Src-family kinases cross-talk in regulation of myeloid cell migration

AbstractCytoskeleton dynamics are regulated by Src-family tyrosine kinases (SFKs) and c-Abl. We found that the SFK members Hck and c-Fgr regulate tyrosine phosphorylation of c-Abl and c-Abl associates with β1 integrin-bound Hck or c-Fgr in murine macrophages. Studies with selective inhibitors and cells from SFK-deficient mice showed that c-Abl and SFK regulate migration and activation of the small GTPases Cdc42 and Rac in macrophages. Additionally, human neutrophil chemotactic activity was reduced by c-Abl inhibitors, and neutrophils from chronic myeloid leukaemia patients displayed an increased chemotactic ability. Hence, Src-family kinase and c-Abl cross-talk in the regulation of myeloid cell migration.Structured summaryMINT-7296608: Integrin beta-1 (uniprotkb:P09055) physically interacts (MI:0914) with Hck (uniprotkb:P08103), Abl (uniprotkb:P00520) and Fgr (uniprotkb:P14234) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006) MINT-7296596: Integrin beta-1 (uniprotkb:P09055) physically interacts (MI:0914) with Fgr (uniprotkb:P14234) and Abl (uniprotkb:P00520) by anti bait coimmunoprecipitation (MI:0006

Innovative eco-friendly hydrogel film for berberine delivery in skin applications†

Hydrogel formulations (masks or patches, without tissue support) represent the new frontier for customizable skin beauty and health. The employment of these materials is becoming popular in wound dressing, to speed up the healing process while protecting the affected area, as well as to provide a moisturizing reservoir, control the inflammatory process and the onset of bacterial development. Most of these hydrogels are acrylic-based at present, not biodegradable and potentially toxic, due to acrylic monomers residues. In this work, we selected a new class of cellulose-derived and biodegradable hydrogel films to incorporate and convey an active compound for dermatological issues. Films were obtained from a combination of different polysaccharides and clays, and berberine hydrochloride, a polyphenolic molecule showing anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, was chosen and then embedded in the hydrogel films. These innovative hydrogel-based systems were characterized in terms of water uptake profile, in vitro cytocompatibility and skin permeation kinetics by Franz diffusion cell. Berberine permeation fitted well to Korsmeyer–Peppas kinetic model and achieved a release higher than 100 µg/cm2 within 24 h. The latter study, exploiting a reliable skin model membrane, together with the biological assessment, gained insights into the most promising formulation for future investigations

Differentiation of Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastonoi strains isolated from various host plants by restriction fragment lengh polymorphism

A 1.8 kb DNA fragment encoding a putative protein similar to precorrin-3 methylase, a protein of Pseudomonas aeruginosa involved in cobalamin biosynthesis, was cloned from an olive strain of the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae subsp. savastanoi. This fragment, potentially involved also in virulence, methionine prototrophy and ability to elicit a hypersensitive response, was used as a probe for detecting restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) in 52 strains of P. s. subsp. savastanoi isolated from olive, oleander and ash. Southern blot analysis revealed a single strongly hybridizing band in all P. s. subsp. savastanoi strains and EcoRI polymorphism was detected among strains isolated from olive plants. In addition, when HindIII was used as a restriction enzyme, the P. s. subsp. savastanoi strains isolated from olive clearly differed from those isolated from oleander and ash on the basis of the size of a single hybridizing band. This clear difference between the strains isolated from olive and those isolated from oleander further supports the hypothesis that the populations of P. s. subsp. savastanoi which infect the above-mentioned host plants differ from one another