Bioprospecting of exopolysaccharide-producing bacteria from different natural ecosystems for biopolymer synthesis from vinasse

Abstract Background Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) belong to a family of organic thickeners or alternative hydrocolloids of microbial origin. Because the chemical structure offers beneficial bioactive functions, biocompatibility and biodegradability, EPSs are used in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and packaging industries as well as in agriculture and medicine. In this study, new bacterial strains were selected on the basis of their ability to synthesize EPS from substrate containing vinasse as a nutrient source to identify the best candidate for bio-based polymer production. Results Among the 99 newly identified bacterial strains isolated from different natural ecosystem, the strain Azotobacter chroococcum 76A was selected as the best biopolymer producer since it synthesized the highest concentration of EPS in all media containing vinasse. The maximum EPS concentration (44.6 ± 0.63 mg/50 mL) was observed at 24 h, corresponding to its sub-stationary growth phase (7 × 108 ± 0.29 CFU/mL). Chemical characterization of the EPS produced showed that carbohydrates representing the principal component, followed by uronic acids and proteins. Interestingly, comparing the IR spectrum of the EPS with alginate by FTIR-ATR analysis revealed an overlap of a peak identified as guluronic acid, a component of alginate. Conclusions The potential biotechnological capacity of A. chroococcum 76A to synthetize biopolymer from vinasse, inexpensive starting materials, represents a possible alternative to expensive disposal of agri-food waste through its transformation into high value-added products

Anaerobic Process for Bioenergy Recovery From Dairy Waste: Meta-Analysis and Enumeration of Microbial Community Related to Intermediates Production

Dairy wastes are widely studied for the hydrogen and methane production, otherwise the changes in microbial communities related to intermediate valuable products was not deeply investigated. Culture independent techniques are useful tools for exploring microbial communities in engineered system having new insights into their structure and function as well as potential industrial application. The deep knowledge of the microbiota involved in the anaerobic process of specific waste and by-products represents an essential step to better understand the entire process and the relation of each microbial population with biochemical intermediates and final products. Therefore, this study investigated the microbial communities involved in the laboratory-scale anaerobic digestion of a mixture of mozzarella cheese whey and buttermilk amended with 5% w/v of industrial animal manure pellets. Culture-independent methods by employing high-throughput sequencing and microbial enumerations highlighted that lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillaceae and Streptococcaceae dominated the beginning of the process until about day 14 when a relevant increase in hydrogen production (more than 10 ml H2 gVS-1 from days 13 to 14) was observed. Furthermore, during incubation a gradual decrease of lactic acid bacteria was detected with a simultaneous increase of Clostridia, such as Clostridiaceae and Tissierellaceae families. Moreover, archaeal populations in the biosystem were strongly related to inoculum since the non-inoculated samples of the dairy waste mixture had a relative abundance of archaea less than 0.1%; whereas, in the inoculated samples of the same mixture several archaeal genera were identified. Among methanogenic archaea, Methanoculleus was the dominant genus during all the process especially when the methane production occurred, and its relative abundance increased up to 99% at the end of the incubation time highlighting that methane was formed from dairy wastes primarily by the hydrogenotrophic pathway in the reactors

The indirect effect of cognitive reserve on the relationship between age and cognition in pathological ageing: A cross-sectional retrospective study in an unselected and consecutively enrolled sample

Cognitive reserve (CR) allows individuals to maintain cognitive functionality even in the presence of pathologies. The compensation hypothesis suggests that CR plays an indirect role between age and cognitive decline, contrasting the negative effect of ageing on cognition. We test this hypothesis in an unselected and consecutively enrolled sample of memory clinic attendees (n = 134) who completed the CR Index questionnaire and three neuropsychological tests assessing global cognition (MMSE, FAB, CDT). Participants were divided into two groups based on standard diagnostic criteria (DSM-5): those who were cognitively impaired (n = 92) and those who were preserved (n = 42). A principal component analysis was used to extract a composite measure of global cognitive functioning from the three neuropsychological tests, and mediation analysis was used to examine the relationship between CR, age and global cognitive functioning in the two groups. Results revealed that: (i) age had a significant direct negative effect on the global cognitive score in both groups; (ii) the three socio-behavioural proxies of CR together suppress the direct negative relationship between age and global cognitive score in cognitively impaired patients but not in cognitively preserved participants. This study confirms the association between CR, age and cognition and allows us to validate its role in a population with cognitive impairment and extend findings to a low-to-middle educated population. These results hold important implications for public health and wellness promotion, emphasising the beneficial role of maintaining healthy and active physical, cognitive and social lifestyles

In GH-treated girls with Turner syndrome height prognosis may sometimes exceed target height: a case report

A 5-years-old girl was diagnosed with Turner syndrome (TS) during a diagnostic work-up for short stature and dysmorphic features. Chromosome analysis revealed rare X-chromosomal abnormalities 46 Xt (13:X) (p12:q24). GH therapy was started at the age of 5.5 years, and continued for 7 years with a fixed dose of 0.33 mg/kg/week, until adult height (AH) achievement. Six-monthly assessment of height standard deviation score and height velocity was performed under therapy, evaluating a prepubertal height gain of 31.7 cm and pubertal height gain of 20 cm. She achieved an AH of 159.3 cm, better than her target height (156.8 cm). In addition, she underwent spontaneous puberty at the age of 9.6 years, completed with menarche at 11.6 years and followed by regular menstrual cycles.  During GH treatment, IGF-1, insulin and glucose blood levels remained within a normal range. The early onset of GH therapy may have allowed such a successful height outcome, with the achievement of full stature recovery during childhood and puberty in this TS case. The rare karyotype of our patient may also positively influenced her height final result

A clinical case of intricate tracheal disease and asthma

Context: Asthma is the most common inflammatory disease of the airways in children. The term problematic asthma is used to describe children with chronic symptoms or acute severe exacerbations, or both, not responding to standard asthma therapy. Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 5 years old girl with a history of recurrent respiratory infections and asthma since the first months of life, with a poor response to conventional therapies (antibiotics, high dose corticosteroids combined with long-acting β2 agonists and oral leukotriene-receptor antagonists). In some cases she needed hospitalization for the important respiratory engagement and radiological findings of pulmonary consolidations, predominantly localized to the right lung. Computed tomography angiography (CTA), described a mild tracheobronchomalacia caused by the right innominate artery compression and a dense tissue mediastinal extrinsic compression of the main bronchus of the middle lobe, defined a Middle Lobe Syndrome (MLS). Evidence Acquisition: MLS is defined as a recurrent or chronic collapse or infection of the middle lobe of the right lung. There is often a history of multiple treatments with antibiotics and anti-asthmatic drugs for ‘‘recurrent pneumonia’’ or ‘‘asthma’’, as in our patient. Chest X-ray is the first-line diagnostic tool, especially on the lateral view. CT-scan and bronchoscopy are considered useful for diagnosis or treatment. Treatment depends on etiology of MLS. Conclusion: In case of severe asthma symptoms co-morbidities must be evaluated. MLS is frequently unrecognized in children and thinking of it is a prerequisite for diagnosis, especially when recurrent respiratory infections or asthma symptoms are predominantly localized to the right lung

Time to act on childhood obesity: the use of technology

Childhood obesity is rapidly increasing worldwide and there is an urgent need to implement treatment and prevention programs. Over the last decade, in addition to increasing rates of childhood obesity, we have also observed rapid technological and digital development. The Covid-19 pandemic has largely contributed to both expansions but has also allowed an opening towards a broader vision of medicine, through new therapeutic opportunities such as mobile healthcare. The digital and technological delivery of obesity prevention and treatment programs can represent an innovative tool to support children and families to overcome some limitations and barriers such as the accessibility of programs that prevent them from adopting healthy lifestyle changes. This review aimed to summarize the impact of different digital interventions for children and adolescent affected by obesity

Global incidence and prevalence of differentiated thyroid cancer in childhood: systematic review and meta-analysis

ObjectiveDifferentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is rare in childhood and adolescence although it represents the most frequent endocrine malignancy in this population. DTC includes both papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). Most pediatric DTCs are PTCs, while FTCs are rare. To date, no systematic reviews on the global epidemiology of pediatric and adolescent DTC have been published. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to estimate the overall incidence and prevalence of DTCs in patients aged 0–19 years.MethodsThe systematic research was conducted from January 2000 to December 2021 through MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases. Two separate meta-analyses were performed for PTC and FTC.ResultsAfter the selection phase, a total of 15 studies (3,332 screened) met the inclusion criteria and are reported in the present systematic review. Five studies were conducted in Europe, five in North America, two in South America, one in Asia, one reported data for 49 countries and territories across the five continents, and one from both the USA and Africa. Most of the studies (n = 14) reported data obtained from national registries, and only one provided information collected from hospital medical records. Beyond the actual trend over time, our study reported a pooled global incidence rate (IR) of PTC and FTC in the pediatric age of 0.46 (95% CI: 0.33–0.59) and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.02–0.12) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The highest IRs were recorded among Caucasian girls, and the lowest in black or other races/ethnicities.ConclusionOur data confirm that DTC in the pediatric population is a rare condition. The pooled IRs of the studies included in this meta-analysis are ~0.5 for PTC, which is the most common histological type when both genders and all age groups are considered. The implementation of a prospective international registry on pediatric DTC, as part of the wider European Registries for Rare Endocrine Conditions, has been recently proposed. In addition to providing relevant information on the clinical behavior of this rare disease, standardization of data collection will be pivotal to fill current gaps and allow an accurate estimation of the real incidence and risk factors of DTC