Biofilms for babies: introducing microbes and biofilms to preschool-aged children

Microbes are beneficial to life on our planet as they facilitate natural processes such as global nutrient cycling in our environment. This article details a 30-minute activity to introduce pre-school children ranging from 3 to 5 years of age to microbes and biofilms in the natural environment

A keystone Methylobacterium strain in biofilm formation in drinking water

The structure of biofilms in drinking water systems is influenced by the interplay between biological and physical processes. Bacterial aggregates in bulk fluid are important in seeding biofilm formation on surfaces. In simple pure and co-cultures, certain bacteria, including Methylobacterium, are implicated in the formation of aggregates. However, it is unclear whether they help to form aggregates in complex mixed bacterial communities. Furthermore, different flow regimes could affect the formation and destination of aggregates. In this study, real drinking water mixed microbial communities were inoculated with the Methylobacterium strain DSM 18358. The propensity of Methylobacterium to promote aggregation was monitored under both stagnant and flow conditions. Under stagnant conditions, Methylobacterium enhanced bacterial aggregation even when it was inoculated in drinking water at 1% relative abundance. Laminar and turbulent flows were developed in a rotating annular reactor. Methylobacterium was found to promote a higher degree of aggregation in turbulent than laminar flow. Finally, fluorescence in situ hybridisation images revealed that Methylobacterium aggregates had distinct spatial structures under the different flow conditions. Overall, Methylobacterium was found to be a key strain in the formation of aggregates in bulk water and subsequently in the formation of biofilms on surfaces

She will give birth easily : therapeutic approaches to childbirth in 1st millennium BCE cuneiform sources

This article offers, in the first place, an overview on women’s healthcare in relation to childbirth in ancient Mesopotamia, as an introduction that helps to evaluate the meaning of the 7th century Assur text BAM 248 within therapeutic cuneiform texts on childbirth. We proceed to analyse the variety of therapeutic approaches to childbirth present in BAM 248, which brings together various healing devices to help a woman give birth quickly and safely. We analyse the text in its entirety as an example of intersection between different medical approaches to childbirth, given the number of differences in the complexity of remedies, in the materia medica employed, in the methods of preparation and application, even in the technical knowledge required and also, most probably, in the social origin and/or use of the remedies in question

Experiencias cotidianas de padres con hijos discapacitados

A família é considerada um espaço de aprendizagem que está em constante renovação e enriquecimento, no entanto, quando um dos seus elementos é portador de deficiência, a família assume um papel primordial na reconstrução diária da vida intima e social dos seus membros. Os pais vivem com preocupação constante quem irá cuidar dos seus filhos, porque o envelhecimento é inevitável: logo, estes ficam cada vez mais dependentes, já que os progenitores enfrentam incapacidades físicas para cuidar dos filhos. Este estudo qualitativo tem características fenomenológicas, sendo igualmente exploratório descritivo, e surgiu da seguinte pergunta de partida. “Será que os pais de filhos portadores de deficiência na idade adulta expressam necessidades específicas?”. Com base na metodologia utilizada, a colheita de dados foi efetuada através de entrevista semiestruturada a cinco pais idosos que cuidam dos seus filhos deficientes e que frequentam o Centro de Educação e Formação Profissional Integrada (CEFPI). Dos resultados obtidos salientamos que estes pais vivem em função dos filhos e para os filhos; tal facto está inerente à dependência de cuidados em grau moderado, destacando-se o autocuidado higiene, deambular, vestir e despir. O cuidar dos filhos não é partilhado, cuidam sozinhos dos filhos e sentem-se sós no desempenho do seu papel

Metagenomic sequencing unravels gene fragments with phylogenetic signatures of O2-tolerant NiFe membrane-bound hydrogenases in lacustrine sediment

Many promising hydrogen technologies utilising hydrogenase enzymes have been slowed by the fact that most hydrogenases are extremely sensitive to O2. Within the group 1 membrane-bound NiFe hydrogenase, naturally occurring tolerant enzymes do exist, and O2 tolerance has been largely attributed to changes in iron–sulphur clusters coordinated by different numbers of cysteine residues in the enzyme’s small subunit. Indeed, previous work has provided a robust phylogenetic signature of O2 tolerance [1], which when combined with new sequencing technologies makes bio prospecting in nature a far more viable endeavour. However, making sense of such a vast diversity is still challenging and could be simplified if known species with O2-tolerant enzymes were annotated with information on metabolism and natural environments. Here, we utilised a bioinformatics approach to compare O2-tolerant and sensitive membrane-bound NiFe hydrogenases from 177 bacterial species with fully sequenced genomes for differences in their taxonomy, O2 requirements, and natural environment. Following this, we interrogated a metagenome from lacustrine surface sediment for novel hydrogenases via high-throughput shotgun DNA sequencing using the Illumina™ MiSeq platform. We found 44 new NiFe group 1 membrane-bound hydrogenase sequence fragments, five of which segregated with the tolerant group on the phylogenetic tree of the enzyme’s small subunit, and four with the large subunit, indicating de novo O2-tolerant protein sequences that could help engineer more efficient hydrogenases

PAI-1 Expressa no Infiltrado Inflamatório Intratumoral em Pacientes com Carcinoma Epidermoide de Cavidade Oral

PAI-1 Expressa no Infiltrado Inflamatório Intratumoral em Pacientes com Carcinoma Epidermoide de Cavidade Ora

Caracterização isoenzimática de pupunha (Bactris gasipaes).

Resumo 23