Different Flour Microbial Communities Drive to Sourdoughs Characterized by Diverse Bacterial Strains and Free Amino Acid Profiles

This work aimed to investigate whether different microbial assemblies in flour may influence the microbiological and biochemical characteristics of traditional sourdough. To reach this purpose, members of lactic acid bacteria, enterobacteria, and yeasts were isolated from durum wheat flour. Secondly, the isolated microorganisms (Pediococcus pentosaceus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Pantoea agglomerans, and Escherichia hermannii) were inoculated in doughs prepared with irradiated flour (gamma rays at 10 kGy), so that eight different microbial assemblies were obtained. Two non-inoculated controls were prepared, one of which (C-IF) using irradiated flour and the other (C) using non-irradiated flour. As shown by plate counts, irradiation of flour caused total inactivation of yeasts and a decrease of all the other microbial populations. However, acidification occurred also in the dough C-IF, due to metabolic activity of P. pentosaceus that had survived irradiation. After six fermentations, P. pentosaceus was the dominant lactic acid bacterium species in all the sourdoughs produced with irradiated flour (IF). Yet, IF-based sourdoughs broadly differed from each other in terms of strains of P. pentosaceus, probably due to the different microorganisms initially inoculated. Quantitative and qualitative differences of free amino acids concentration were found among the sourdoughs, possibly because of different microbial communities. In addition, as shown by culture-independent analysis (16S metagenetics), irradiation of flour lowered and modified microbial diversity of sourdough ecosystem

Application of Vibrational Spectroscopies in the Qualitative Analysis of Gingival Crevicular Fluid and Periodontal Ligament during Orthodontic Tooth Movement

Optical vibrational techniques show a high potentiality in many biomedical fields for their characteristics of high sensitivity in revealing detailed information on composition, structure, and molecular interaction with reduced analysis time. In the last years, we have used these techniques for investigating gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) and periodontal ligament (PDL) during orthodontic tooth treatment. The analysis with Raman and infrared signals of GCF and PDL samples highlighted that different days of orthodontic force application causes modifications in the molecular secondary structure at specific wavenumbers related to the Amide I, Amide III, CH deformation, and CH3/CH2. In the present review, we report the most relevant results and a brief description of the experimental techniques and data analysis procedure in order to evidence that the vibrational spectroscopies could be a potential useful tool for an immediate monitoring of the individual patient's response to the orthodontic tooth movement, aiming to more personalized treatment reducing any side effects

Massive non-natural proteins structure prediction using grid technologies

Background The number of natural proteins represents a small fraction of all the possible protein sequences and there is an enormous number of pr oteins never sampled by nature, the so called "never born proteins" (NBPs). A fundamental question in this regard is if the ensemble of natural proteins possesses peculiar chemical and physical properties or if it is just the product of contingency coupled to functional selection. A key feature of natural proteins is thei r ability to form a well defined three-dimensional structure. T hus, the structural study of NBPs can help to understand if natural protein sequences were selecte d for their peculiar properties or if they are just one of the possible stable and functional ensembles. Methods The structural characterization of a huge number of random proteins cannot be approached experimentally, thus the problem has been tackled using a computational approach. A large random protein sequences library (2 × 10 ^4 sequences) was generated, discarding amino acid sequences with significant simi larity to natural proteins, and the corresponding structures were predicted using Rosetta. Given th e highly computational demanding problem, Rosetta was ported in grid and a user friendly job submission environment was developed within the GENIUS Grid Portal. Protein structures generated were analysed in terms of net charge, secondary structure content, surface/volume ratio, hydrophobic core composition, etc. Results The vast majority of NBPs, according to the Rosetta mode l, are characterized by a compact three-dimensional structure with a high secondary structure content. Structure compactness and surface polarity are comparable to those of natural proteins, suggesting similar stability and solubility. Deviations are observed in α helix- β strands relative content and inydrophobic core composition, as NBPs appear to be richer in helical structure and aromatic amino acids with respect to natural proteins. Conclusion The results obtained suggest that the abil ity to form a compact, ordered and water-soluble structure is an intrinsic property of polypeptides. The tendency of random sequences to adopt α helical folds indicate that all-α proteins may have emerged ea rly in pre-biotic evolution. Further, the lower percentage of aromatic residu es observed in natural proteins has important evolutionary implications as far as tolerance to mutati ons is concerned

Manufacture of a functional fermented milk enriched of Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)

Abstract This study aimed at developing and characterizing a fermented milk with a potentially anti-hypertensive effect due to the concurrent presence of Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory peptides and γ-amino butyric acid (GABA). Preliminarily, lactic acid bacteria strains were screened based on the capacity of releasing ACE-inhibitory peptides and of synthesizing GABA. The most potent RP-FPLC fraction from the milk fermented with Lactococcus lactis DIBCA2 had an ACE-inhibitory activity, expressed in terms of IC 50 , of 5 ± 2 μg/mL, a value which compares well to those reported for the majority of ACE-inhibitory peptides identified in fermented milks. This fraction contained a mixture of six peptides, five of which shared motifs in common with ACE-inhibitory peptides previously reported. Lactobacillus plantarum PU11 was selected as the highest producer of GABA, ca. 77.4 mg/kg after 120 h of milk fermentation. Both the strains were selected and used as starters for consecutive milk fermentation. After fermentation, the milk contained both the lactic acid bacteria at the cell density of ca. 8.0 log CFU/mL, had a pH of ca. 4.45, and showed ACE-inhibitory activity (IC 50 = 0.70 ± 0.07 mg/mL) and a concentration of GABA (ca. 144.5 mg/kg), which were compatible with the dosage for mild antihypertensive effect

A New Combined Protocol to Treat the Dentin Hypersensitivity Associated with Non-Carious Cervical Lesions: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this research is to assess the desensitizing effect of a diode laser on non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) responsible for dentin hypersensitivity (DH) in two separate output forces implemented both independently and in sequential combination modalities. A randomized controlled trial for this study was applied. Sixty-nine NCCLs responsible for DH pain with severity between 6 and 9 on the VAS scale were considered. Three study groups were developed using just one lesion from three different quadrants of the oral cavity of each patient. All treatment procedures were conducted using a laser diode (810 nm, 5 W) with varying power outputs used separately or in combination. The pain by DH was evaluated at baseline, at treatment completion, and at 15 days and 3 months after each laser procedure. Data analysis was performed using a Wilcoxon test for paired samples, a one-way ANOVA test, and an unpaired t-test. The significant reduction of the mean VAS score was estimated in each study group immediately and at 15 days and 3 months after the end of treatment and compared with the baseline mean VAS score (p-value < 0.0001). The best result concerning the improvement of DH symptomatology was assessed when a combined protocol of two different output powers of the diode laser was used. The authors conclude that the diode laser (810 nm) therapy procedure combining two separate output forces (low and high power) can improve the painful symptoms of DH from NCCLs

Complication of Gastric Cancer Surgery: A Single Centre Experience

Background/aim: Gastric cancer surgery is still characterised by high morbidity and mortality. However, in 2018 an online platform, GASTRODATA has been proposed in Europe to standardize the recording of gastric surgery complications. The aim of the study was to present a single center experience regarding incidence and grading of acute postoperative complications in a population of patients treated surgically for gastric cancer on the basis of the gastrodata online platform. Patients and methods: The present study was a single center, observational, retrospective trial held in the General Surgery Unit of the Sant'Andrea Hospital of Rome. The study included 181 consecutive patients who underwent gastric surgical resection for cancer from May 2004 to December 2020 with curative R0 purpose. Results: Thirty-three percent of patients reported at least one complication, while seventeen percent of the whole population reported a complication classified as at least grade 3 on the Clavien Dindo Classification. The most frequent complications were disorders of the respiratory system (13.3%), followed by bleeding (7.6%) and wound infections (6.2%). Deaths accounted for 3.7% of the population. Conclusion: A list of defined complications of gastrectomy, if systematically adopted in the Literature, could lead to a reduction in the wide variation of proposals for treatment and assessment. Objectively evaluating the impact of complications on outcomes can lead to quality improvement project proposals

Never born proteins as a test case for ab initio protein structures prediction

The number of natural proteins although large is significantly smaller than the theoretical number of proteins that can be obtained combining the 20 natural amino acids, the so-called “never born proteins” (NBPs). The study of the structure and properties of these proteins allows to investigate the sources of the natural proteins being of unique characteristics or special properties. However the structural study of NPBs can also been intended as an ideal test for evaluating the efficiency of software packages for the ab initio protein structure prediction. In this research, 10.000 three-dimensional structures of proteins of completely random sequence generated according to ROSETTA and FOD model were compared. The results show the limits of these software packages, but at the same time indicate that in many cases there is a significant agreement between the prediction obtained