Biotechnological production and application of fructooligosaccharides

Currently, prebiotics are all carbohydrates of relatively short chain length. An important group is the fructooligosaccharides, which are a special kind of prebiotics associated to their selective stimulation of the activity of certain groups of colonic bacteria that have a positive and beneficial effect on intestinal microbiota, reducing incidence of gastrointestinal infections, respiratory and also possessing a recognized bifidogenic effect. Traditionally, these prebiotic compounds have been obtained through extraction processes from some plants, as well as through enzymatic hydrolysis of sucrose. However, different fermentative methods have also been proposed for the production of fructooligosaccharides, such as solid-state fermentation utilizing various agroindustrial by-products. By optimizing the culture parameters, fructooligosaccharides yields and productivity can be improved. The use of immobilized enzymes and cells has also been proposed as being an effective and economic method for large-scale production of fructooligosaccharides. This paper is an overview on the results of recent studies on fructooligosacharides biosynthesis, physicochemical properties, sources, biotechnological production and applications.The authors thank the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) for funding this study. D. A. Flores-Maltos thank the CONACYT for the financial support provided for her postgraduate studies in the Food Science and Technology Program, Universidad Autonoma de Coahuila, Mexico

Human milk and mucosal lacto- and galacto-N-biose synthesis by transgalactosylation and their prebiotic potential in Lactobacillus species

Lacto-N-biose (LNB) and galacto-N-biose (GNB) are major building blocks of free oligosaccharides and glycan moieties of glyco-complexes present in human milk and gastrointestinal mucosa. We have previously characterized the phospho-β-galactosidase GnbG from Lactobacillus casei BL23 that is involved in the metabolism of LNB and GNB. GnbG has been used here in transglycosylation reactions, and it showed the production of LNB and GNB with N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine as acceptors, respectively. The reaction kinetics demonstrated that GnbG can convert 69 ± 4 and 71 ± 1 % of o-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside into LNB and GNB, respectively. Those reactions were performed in a semi-preparative scale, and the synthesized disaccharides were purified. The maximum yield obtained for LNB was 10.7 ± 0.2 g/l and for GNB was 10.8 ± 0.3 g/l. NMR spectroscopy confirmed the molecular structures of both carbohydrates and the absence of reaction byproducts, which also supports that GnbG is specific for β1,3-glycosidic linkages. The purified sugars were subsequently tested for their potential prebiotic properties using Lactobacillus species. The results showed that LNB and GNB were fermented by the tested strains of L. casei, Lactobacillus rhamnosus (except L. rhamnosus strain ATCC 53103), Lactobacillus zeae, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus johnsonii. DNA hybridization experiments suggested that the metabolism of those disaccharides in 9 out of 10 L. casei strains, all L. rhamnosus strains and all L. zeae strains tested relies upon a phospho-β-galactosidase homologous to GnbG. The results presented here support the putative role of human milk oligosaccharides for selective enrichment of beneficial intestinal microbiota in breast-fed infants

Genomic Islands as a Marker to Differentiate between Clinical and Environmental Burkholderia pseudomallei

Burkholderia pseudomallei, as a saprophytic bacterium that can cause a severe sepsis disease named melioidosis, has preserved several extra genes in its genome for survival. The sequenced genome of the organism showed high diversity contributed mainly from genomic islands (GIs). Comparative genome hybridization (CGH) of 3 clinical and 2 environmental isolates, using whole genome microarrays based on B. pseudomallei K96243 genes, revealed a difference in the presence of genomic islands between clinical and environmental isolates. The largest GI, GI8, of B. pseudomallei was observed as a 2 sub-GI named GIs8.1 and 8.2 with distinguishable %GC content and unequal presence in the genome. GIs8.1, 8.2 and 15 were found to be more common in clinical isolates. A new GI, GI16c, was detected on chromosome 2. Presences of GIs8.1, 8.2, 15 and 16c were evaluated in 70 environmental and 64 clinical isolates using PCR assays. A combination of GIs8.1 and 16c (positivity of either GI) was detected in 70% of clinical isolates and 11.4% of environmental isolates (P<0.001). Using BALB/c mice model, no significant difference of time to mortality was observed between K96243 isolate and three isolates without GIs under evaluation (P>0.05). Some virulence genes located in the absent GIs and the difference of GIs seems to contribute less to bacterial virulence. The PCR detection of 2 GIs could be used as a cost effective and rapid tool to detect potentially virulent isolates that were contaminated in soil

Perfil de los donantes de un banco de sangre de la ciudad de Barranquilla-Colombia, años 2014 y 2015

Introducci&oacute;n: la transfusi&oacute;n de sangre es parte esencial delcuidado de la salud. La evaluaci&oacute;n continua de todas las actividadesde recolecci&oacute;n de la sangre y el conocimiento delperfil de los donantes pueden ayudar a la reducci&oacute;n del riesgode transmisi&oacute;n de enfermedades infecciosas asociadasal proceso.Objetivo: determinar el perfil de los donantes de un banco desangre de la ciudad de Barranquilla&ndash;Colombia y la seroprevalenciade los marcadores infecciosos entre los a&ntilde;os 2014y 2015.M&eacute;todos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo que incluy&oacute; 5,827datos de variables socio-demogr&aacute;ficas y resultados de pruebasinfecciosas de donantes de un Banco de Sangre de laciudad de Barranquilla-Colombia durante los a&ntilde;os 2014 y2015.Resultados: 78,86% de los donantes de sangre fueron voluntariospor primera vez, las participaci&oacute;n de la mujer comodonante fue significativamente m&aacute;s baja (32,69%) en comparaci&oacute;ncon los hombres (67,31%), la fuente m&aacute;s importantede donantes fue la captaci&oacute;n en campa&ntilde;as de donaci&oacute;n(74,19%). El marcador infeccioso m&aacute;s frecuentementeencontrado en los donantes fue S&iacute;filis (1,73%), seguido porHepatitis B (1,53%), Hepatitis C (0,46%) HTLV I-II (0,21%), laenfermedad de Chagas (0,27%) y VIH (0,17%).Conclusiones: En el banco de sangre estudiado, los donantesvoluntarios por primera vez captados en campa&ntilde;as dedonaci&oacute;n fueron el tipo de donante m&aacute;s frecuente y la mejorfuente de sangre segur

Perfil de los donantes de un banco de sangre de la ciudad de Barranquilla-Colombia, años 2014 y 2015

Introducci&oacute;n: la transfusi&oacute;n de sangre es parte esencial delcuidado de la salud. La evaluaci&oacute;n continua de todas las actividadesde recolecci&oacute;n de la sangre y el conocimiento delperfil de los donantes pueden ayudar a la reducci&oacute;n del riesgode transmisi&oacute;n de enfermedades infecciosas asociadasal proceso.Objetivo: determinar el perfil de los donantes de un banco desangre de la ciudad de Barranquilla&ndash;Colombia y la seroprevalenciade los marcadores infecciosos entre los a&ntilde;os 2014y 2015.M&eacute;todos: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo que incluy&oacute; 5,827datos de variables socio-demogr&aacute;ficas y resultados de pruebasinfecciosas de donantes de un Banco de Sangre de laciudad de Barranquilla-Colombia durante los a&ntilde;os 2014 y2015.Resultados: 78,86% de los donantes de sangre fueron voluntariospor primera vez, las participaci&oacute;n de la mujer comodonante fue significativamente m&aacute;s baja (32,69%) en comparaci&oacute;ncon los hombres (67,31%), la fuente m&aacute;s importantede donantes fue la captaci&oacute;n en campa&ntilde;as de donaci&oacute;n(74,19%). El marcador infeccioso m&aacute;s frecuentementeencontrado en los donantes fue S&iacute;filis (1,73%), seguido porHepatitis B (1,53%), Hepatitis C (0,46%) HTLV I-II (0,21%), laenfermedad de Chagas (0,27%) y VIH (0,17%).Conclusiones: En el banco de sangre estudiado, los donantesvoluntarios por primera vez captados en campa&ntilde;as dedonaci&oacute;n fueron el tipo de donante m&aacute;s frecuente y la mejorfuente de sangre segur

Risk factor for breast cancer development under exposure to bovine leukemia virus in Colombian women : A case-control study

Q2Q1Viruses have been implicated in cancer development in both humans and animals. The role of viruses in cancer is typically to initiate cellular transformation through cellular DNA damage, although specific mechanisms remain unknown. Silent and long-term viral infections need to be present, in order to initiate cancer disease. In efforts to establish a causative role of viruses, first is needed to demonstrate the strength and consistency of associations in different populations. The aim of this study was to determine the association of bovine leukemia virus (BLV), a causative agent of leukemia in cattle, with breast cancer and its biomarkers used as prognosis of the severity of the disease (Ki67, HER2, hormonal receptors) in Colombian women. An unmatched, observational case–control study was conducted among women undergoing breast surgery between 2016–2018. Malignant samples (n = 75) were considered as cases and benign samples (n = 83) as controls. Nested-liquid PCR, in-situ PCR and immunohistochemistry were used for viral detection in blood and breast tissues. For the risk assessment, only BLV positive samples from breast tissues were included in the analysis. BLV was higher in cases group (61.3%) compared with controls (48.2%), with a statistically significant association between the virus and breast cancer in the unconditional logistic regression (adjusted-OR = 2.450,95%CI:1.088–5.517, p = 0.031). In this study, BLV was found in both blood and breast tissues of participants and an association between breast cancer and the virus was confirmed in Colombia, as an intermediate risk factor.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0084-0339Revista Internacional - IndexadaS

VIII Semana de la Facultad de Educación : Desafíos de las pedagogías, las prácticas y las perspectivas investigativas en el siglo XXI.

Estas memorias de la viii Semana de la Educación Desafíos de las pedagogías, las prácticas y las perspectivas investigativas en el siglo XXI, publicadas por la editorial de la Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (uniminuto), contienen las ponencias, los talleres y los foros sobre las tendencias actuales de la pedagogía, las prácticas y la investigación que desarrollan los maestros y estudiantes de licenciaturas en las instituciones educativas a nivel preescolar, básica, media y superior. Son ponencias con carácter innovador e incluyente, que responden a los retos actuales de la sociedad y que conducen a la mejora de las condiciones de formación de los ciudadanos que requiere el país, dadas las particularidades de pluralismo propias de nuestras regiones. Durante el encuentro, también se compartieron experiencias artísticas, culturales y deportivas

VIII Semana de la Facultad de Educación : Desafíos de las pedagogías, las prácticas y las perspectivas investigativas en el siglo XXI.

Estas memorias de la viii Semana de la Educación Desafíos de las pedagogías, las prácticas y las perspectivas investigativas en el siglo XXI, publicadas por la editorial de la Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios (uniminuto), contienen las ponencias, los talleres y los foros sobre las tendencias actuales de la pedagogía, las prácticas y la investigación que desarrollan los maestros y estudiantes de licenciaturas en las instituciones educativas a nivel preescolar, básica, media y superior. Son ponencias con carácter innovador e incluyente, que responden a los retos actuales de la sociedad y que conducen a la mejora de las condiciones de formación de los ciudadanos que requiere el país, dadas las particularidades de pluralismo propias de nuestras regiones. Durante el encuentro, también se compartieron experiencias artísticas, culturales y deportivas