Dextran and fructose separation on an SMB continuous chromatographic unit

A dextran/fructose mixture was obtained by fermentation of a sucrose rich media using Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B512(f). The dextran and fructose mixture obtained by fermentation as well as a synthetic mixture of pure components were separated using simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography. In the case of the synthetic feed, the purity in the raffinate (dextran) and extract (fructose) was 96 and 81%, respectively. For the fermented mixture the purity values were 87.2% for the extract and 100% for the raffinate.(undefined

Screening of perfused combinatorial 3D microenvironments for cell culture

Biomaterials combining biochemical and biophysical cues to establish close-to-extracellular matrix (ECM) models have been explored for cell expansion and differentiation purposes. Multivariate arrays are used as material-saving and rapid-to-analyze platforms, which enable selecting hit-spotted formulations targeting specific cellular responses. However, these systems often lack the ability to emulate dynamic mechanical aspects that occur in specific biological milieus and affect physiological phenomena including stem cells differentiation, tumor progression, or matrix modulation. We report a tailor-made strategy to address the combined effect of flow and biochemical composition of three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials on cellular response. We suggest a simple-to-implement device comprising (i) a perforated platform accommodating miniaturized 3D biomaterials and (ii) a bioreactor that enables the incorporation of the biomaterial-containing array into a disposable perfusion chamber. The system was upscaled to parallelizable setups, increasing the number of analyzed platforms per independent experiment. As a proof-of-concept, porous chitosan scaffolds with 1 mm diameter were functionalized with combinations of 5 ECM and cell-cell contact-mediating proteins, relevant for bone and dental regeneration, corresponding to 32 protein combinatorial formulations. Mesenchymal stem cells adhesion and production of an early osteogenic marker were assessed on-chip on static and under-flow dynamic perfusion conditions. Different hit-spotted biomaterial formulations were detected for the different flow regimes using direct image analysis. Cell-binding proteins still poorly explored as biomaterials components amelogenin and E-cadherin - were here shown as relevant cell response modulators. Their combination with ECM cell-binding proteins - fibronectin, vitronectin, and type 1 collagen - rendered specific biomaterial combinations with high cell adhesion and ALP production under flow. The developed versatile system may be targeted at wM.B. Oliveira acknowledges the financial support from Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology- FCT (Grant SFRH/BPD/111354/2015). This work was developed within the scope of the projects CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2013) and IPC/i3N Minho (FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50025/2013), financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when appropriate co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. This work was also supported by European Research Council grant agreement ERC-2014-ADG-669858 (project ATLAS)

Candida tropicalis biofilm and human epithelium invasion is highly influenced by environmental pH

Objective: The main goal of this study was to investigate the role of pH on Candida tropicalis virulence determinants, namely the ability to form biofilms and to colonize/invade reconstituted human vaginal epithelia. Methods: Biofilm formation was evaluated by enumeration of cultivable cells, total biomass quantification and structural analysis by scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Candida tropicalis human vaginal epithelium colonization and invasiveness were examined qualitatively by epifluorescence microscopy and quantitatively by a novel quantitative real-time PCR protocol for Candida quantification in tissues. Results: The results revealed that environmental pH influences C. tropicalis biofilm formation as well as the colonization and potential to invade human epithelium with intensification at neutral and alkaline conditions compared to acidic conditions. Conclusions: For the first time, we have demonstrated that C. tropicalis biofilm formation and invasion is highly influenced by environmental pH.We would like to thank Mrs Lucília Goreti Pinto for processing and sectioning tissue samples. The authors acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal, for supporting Sonia Silva (SFRH/BPDT/111645/2015). This study was also supported by the Programa Operacional, Fatores de competitividade– COMPETE and by national funds through FCT –Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia on the scope of the projects FCT PTDC/EBB-EBI/120495/2010 and RECI/EBB-EBI/0179/2012 (FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-027462).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Potentially irritant preservatives in newborn baby cosmetics – analysis of labels of products sold in Portugal

The use of cosmetics containing preservatives might pose a risk to the skin health of newborns, despite improving their adaptation to the external environment. The present work aimed at depicting the potentially hazardous preservatives in cosmetics sold in the district of Porto, Portugal. A total of 281 labels from newborn cosmetics were analyzed. From 729 different ingredients found in the analyzed labels, 15 were preservatives with previously recorded irritant activity, being sodium benzoate the most mentioned (n = 118). There was a significant difference between the means of number of preservatives with an irritant potential present in the products sold in pharmacies and in the products sold in supermarkets. Most analyzed products contained at least one preservative. Still, the choice of cosmetics for newborns should consider those with a minimum number of preservatives, being more probable to choose a less sensitizing product in pharmacies than in supermarkets.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Skin metastases: three-year study of 50 cases in a university center

Introduction. Skin metastases are rare metastases of internal or cutaneous tumors, commonly diagnosed after the primary cancer. Sometimes, they can be the first manifestation of a malignancy. Cutaneous metastases associate a poor prognosis for the patient and the survival rate decreases considerably. The objective of the study was to analyze the clinico-epidemiological and histological characteristics of skin metastases, in order to better understand different types of malignancies and their prognosis, as well as to highlight the particularities of this rare localization of the metastases. Material and methods. We conducted a retrospective study, in which we included 50 cases of skin metastases diagnosed in the Pathology Department of the University Emergency Hospital Bucharest, Romania, over a period of three years. We analyzed the cases from all epidemiological, clinical, gross and histological data, based on the records of the hospital. Results. The patients’ ages ranged from 16 to 92 years old, with a mean age of 60.1 years. Almost half of the patients were females (26 cases). Most of the patients were diagnosed with primary melanoma (17 cases), followed by primary tumors of the gastrointestinal tract (9 cases) and breast carcinomas (8 cases). 29 cases presented with complications, such as ulceration, infection or necrosis. Conclusions. Most of the skin metastases were of malignant melanoma, but any kind of primary tumor can, eventually, disseminate to the skin, conferring a poor prognosis on the patient. Also, any site can be involved, but some malignancies do have preferred areas for dissemination

In vitro testing of salicylanilide derivatives against some fungal and bacterial strains

Twelve N-(2-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide and N-(4-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide derivatives were tested for antimicrobial activity against 6 bacterial strains, S. aureus (ATCC 25923), E. coli (ATCC 25922), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), S. pyogenes (ATCC 19615), S. flexneri (ATCC 12022), S. typhimurium (ATCC 14028) and 2 fungal strains, C. albicans (ATCC 10231), C. parapsilopsis (ATCC 22019), using the Disk diffusion method for susceptibility testing, according to the Standard Rules for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing using Impregnated Disks [1]. In vitro testing was performed in plates, containing microcomprimates with Nystatin for the antifungal activity and Gentamicin for the antimicrobian activity as positives controls, alongside blank filter papers impregnated with DMSO as negatives controls and filter papers impregnated with 10 µL of 20 g/L stock solution of each compound. A 10-2 dilution of the fresh Candida cultures and a 10-2 fresh bacteria culture was used to perform the assay, an inoculum equivalent to a 0.5 McFarland standard. The Petri plates so seeded and the respective specimens with the extract were incubated at 30 °C for Candida species and 37 °C in case of the bacterial strains, for 24-48 hours. Tests were performed in duplicate. Finally, the interpretation of the result, the ratio of the antimycotic and antibacterial effect of the tested compounds, was achieved by measuring the diameter of the analyzed culture inhibition zones (including the diameter of the disc – 5mm) in millimeters. The results are presented as the average of three determinations as well as the standard deviation and a percentage representation of the efficacy of the compounds in relation to the effectiveness of the positive control. The tested compounds presented no effect against S. aureus, S. flexneri, S. typhimurium and C. parapsilopsis at the tested concentration. The results indicated that the N-(2-bromo-phenyl)-2-hydroxy-benzamide derivatives were more active against the tested microbes, inhibition zones of 6-10 mm being obtained, although the most effective compound against S. pyogenes proved to be N-(4-bromo-phenyl)- 2-hydroxy-benzamide (14 mm inhibition zone)