Degradation of long-chain n-alkanes in soil microcosms by two actinobacteria

The ability of two recently isolated actinobacteria, that degrade medium and long chain n-alkanes in laboratory water medium, was investigated in soil microcosms using different standard soils that were artificially contaminated with n-alkanes of different length (C12- C20- C24- C30). The two strains, identified as Nocardia sp. SoB and Gordonia sp. SoCp, revealed a similar high HC degradation efficiency with an average of 75% alkane degraded after 28 days incubation. A selectivity of bacteria towards n-alkanes of different length was detected as well as a consistent effect of soil texture and other soil physical chemical characteristics on degradation. It was demonstrated the specific aptitude of these selected strains towards specific environmental conditions

some more about dogs proteomics of neglected biological fluids

Abstract We report in this manuscript what is known about the protein makeup of a selection of biological fluids in the domestic dog. The samples we review – amniotic and allantoic fluid, seminal fluid, saliva, bile, synovial fluid, tears – are still very poorly characterized in this species. For some of them we can present results from our own, mainly unpublished experiments. Significance The dog is one of the most widespread companion animals, and also of medical relevance as model species for some human diseases. Still, investigation of body fluids other than serum and urine is not so commonly undertaken, although – like in humans - also these sample types may have potential for diagnostic purposes. We compile published data about proteomes of fetal fluids, seminal plasma, saliva, bile, synovial fluid and tears, enriched by some yet unpublished data of our own (proteins of amniotic and allantoic fluid, tears). Closing gaps in our knowledge on dog proteins will further our understanding of (patho)physiological processes

Antilisterial effect of citrus essential oils and their performance in edible film formulations

[EN] The antimicrobial activity of eight essential oils (EOs) extracted from the fruit peel of Citrus genotypes (orange, mandarin and lemon) was evaluated against 76 strains of Listeria monocytogenes, previously isolated from different food matrices. EOs showing the most (EO L2 and EO L8) and least (EO O3 and EO M7) effective inhibition activities were chemically characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to compare their composition. EO L2 and EO L8 were chosen to determine the MIC and to evaluate the cell viability of the most sensitive strains (L. monocytogenes LM35 and LM69) after 1, 2, 4 and 6 h of exposure. The effectiveness of chitosan (CH) and methylcellulose (MC) edible films, alone and in combination with EO L2 and EO L8, was determined against LM35 and LM69 at 37 C for 0, 8 and 24 h and at 8 C for 0, 1, 3 and 7 days. In addition, the analysis of the microstructure of the films were performed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) to evidence the interactions between the polymers and EOs. Thirty-five and twenty-nine strains were clearly inhibited by EO L2 and EO L8, respectively, while the other Citrus EOs showed poor (EO M1, O4, O5, O6) or minimal (EO O3 and M7) antimicrobial activity. A total of 36 chemical volatile substances was identified by GC/MS to detect the compounds that might play an important role in the characterization of the EOs. The chemical characterization points to oxygenated monoterpenes as relevant compounds in inhibiting Listeria strains, since they have been detected in lemon EOs in concentrations four/five folds higher than orange EOs. Generally, CH- and MCbased films containing EO L2 and EO L8 showed antilisterial activities, even though, the best performances were observed in case of CH-films at 8 C, with a major reduction up to 3 log (CFU/cm2) in case of EO L2 incorporation. The microstructures observed by SEM suggested a better incorporation of the EOs in CH matrix, where a higher amount of oil droplets was distinguished. Therefore, lemon EOs incorporated into chitosan films could be an efficient tool to control Listeria monocytogenes, especially in refrigerated applied conditions.WR was supported by the "Student Mobility for Placement - SMP" grant of the EU Life Learning Program. The authors thank the "Azienda Sperimentale Palazzelli C.R.A. - Centro di ricerca per l'agrumicoltura e le colture mediterranee Contrada Palazzelli Scordia" (CT, Italy) for providing some of the fruits used for EOs extractions.Randazzo, W.; Jiménez Belenguer, AI.; Settanni, L.; Perdones Montero, A.; Moschetti, M.; Palazzolo, E.; Guarrasi, V.... (2016). Antilisterial effect of citrus essential oils and their performance in edible film formulations. Food Control. 59:750-758. doi:10.1016/j.foodcont.2015.06.057S7507585

Il fenomeno delle dipendenze patologiche nella Provincia di Ragusa. Anno 2005. I Rapporto

Report on the state of legal and illegal substances use in the territory of Ragusa ProvinceIl Report analizza il fenomeno delle dipendenze nel territorio della Provincia di Ragusa. La descrizione del fenomeno si sviluppa intorno all\u27analisi degli indicatori individuati dall\u27Osservatorio Europeo delle Dipendenze di Lisbona (OEDT): 1-uso di sostanze nella popolazione generale (questo indicatore va a rilevare i comportamenti nei confronti di alcol e sostanze psicoattive da parte della popolazione generale); 2-prevalenza d\u27uso problematico delle sostanze psicoattive; 3-domanda di trattamento degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 4-mortalit? degli utilizzatori di sostanze; 5-malattie infettive. Altri due importanti indicatori che si stanno sviluppando, e che vengono qui illustrati, sono l\u27analisi delle Schede di Dimissione Ospedaliera (SDO) e gli indicatori relativi alle conseguenza sociali dell\u27uso di droghe (criminalit? droga correlata). Inoltre sono state applicate diverse metodologie standard di stima sia per quantificare la quota parte sconosciuta di utilizzatori di sostanze che non afferiscono ai servizi, sia per identificarne alcune caratteristiche

Impact of gastrointestinal side effects on patients’ reported quality of life trajectories after radiotherapy for prostate cancer: Data from the prospective, observational pros-it CNR study

Radiotherapy (RT) represents an important therapeutic option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. The aim of the current study is to examine trajectories in patients’ reported quality of life (QoL) aspects related to bowel function and bother, considering data from the PROState cancer monitoring in ITaly from the National Research Council (Pros-IT CNR) study, analyzed with growth mixture models. Data for patients who underwent RT, either associated or not associated with androgen deprivation therapy, were considered. QoL outcomes were assessed over a 2-year period from the diagnosis, using the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (Italian-UCLA-PCI). Three trajectories were identified for the bowel function; having three or more comorbidities and the use of 3D-CRT technique for RT were associated with the worst trajectory (OR = 3.80, 95% CI 2.04–7.08; OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.22–3.87, respectively). Two trajectories were identified for the bowel bother scores; diabetes and the non-Image guided RT method were associated with being in the worst bowel bother trajectory group (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.06–2.67; OR = 2.57, 95% CI 1.70–3.86, respectively). The findings from this study suggest that the absence of comorbidities and the use of intensity modulated RT techniques with image guidance are related with a better tolerance to RT in terms of bowel side effects

Disease-specific and general health-related quality of life in newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients: The Pros-IT CNR study

Background: The National Research Council (CNR) prostate cancer monitoring project in Italy (Pros-IT CNR) is an observational, prospective, ongoing, multicentre study aiming to monitor a sample of Italian males diagnosed as new cases of prostate cancer. The present study aims to present data on the quality of life at time prostate cancer is diagnosed. Methods: One thousand seven hundred five patients were enrolled. Quality of life is evaluated at the time cancer was diagnosed and at subsequent assessments via the Italian version of the University of California Los Angeles-Prostate Cancer Index (UCLA-PCI) and the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: At diagnosis, lower scores on the physical component of the SF-12 were associated to older ages, obesity and the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities. Lower scores on the mental component were associated to younger ages, the presence of 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities and a T-score higher than one. Urinary and bowel functions according to UCLA-PCI were generally good. Almost 5% of the sample reported using at least one safety pad daily to control urinary loss; less than 3% reported moderate/severe problems attributable to bowel functions, and sexual function was a moderate/severe problem for 26.7%. Diabetes, 3+ moderate/severe comorbidities, T2 or T3-T4 categories and a Gleason score of eight or more were significantly associated with lower sexual function scores at diagnosis. Conclusions: Data collected by the Pros-IT CNR study have clarified the baseline status of newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. A comprehensive assessment of quality of life will allow to objectively evaluate outcomes of different profile of care

Biodegradation of organophosphorus pesticides by soil bacteria.

A number of studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed that crop-protection products, applied to drained fields, could move downwards through the soil profile and to the groundwater. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) are used all over the world for crop protection, for other agricultural practices such as sheep dipping and, in aquaculture, for the control of sea lice. Ops besides showing a specific neurotoxicity and have also been related to various modern diseases, including Creutzfeldt–Jakob (CJD) and the Gulf War syndrome. Although OPs are less persistent than Organoclorine pesticides (OCs), they still constitute an environmental risks thus increasing the social concern about their levels in soils, surface waters, and ground waters. Degradation of OPs by microorganisms has been assessed for a few bacterial strains. In the present study the OPs degrading potential of indigenous soil microorganisms was investigated. Using enrichment cultures in which parathion was the only C and energy sources many bacterial strains were isolated from OPs contaminated and pristine agricultural soils characterized by different physico-chemical properties. More than 40 potential OPs degraders were isolated and grouped in operational taxonomic units (OTU) using analysis of polymorphism showed by the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene of representative isolates of each OTU revealed that most of them belong to Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. All the analyzed soils showed the presence of putative OPs degraders: the highest diversity was found in organic cultivated soils, the lowest in chemically cultivated soils. Degradation of different OPs, characterized by different physical and chemical properties, was obtained by different selected representative strains using SPME GC-MS analysis on water and soil microcosms. The results showed that, after the incubation period, the amount of pesticide residues were in the range 20-80%. Some of the isolates bacterial species are currently unknown as OPs degrader

Inhibition of foodborne pathogen bacteria by essential oils extracted from citrus fruits cultivated in Sicily

The antagonistic activity of the essential oils (EOs) extracted by hydrodistillation from the fruit peel of several citrus genotypes (pummelo, grapefruit, orange, kumquat, mandarin and lemon) was evaluated against foodborne pathogen bacteria (43 strains of Listeria monocytogenes, 35 strains of Staphylococcus aureus and 14 strains of Salmonella enterica). Five commercial EOs were used for comparison. Most of the EOs were more effective against the Gram-positive bacteria rather than Salmonella. EOs of lemon genotypes 14 and 15 showed the best results in terms of number of strains inhibited and width of the inhibition zone. The most susceptible strain of each species (L. monocytogenes 133, St. aureus 473 and Salmonella Newport 50404)was used as indicator for the evaluation of the minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of the EOs 14 and 15. The last two EOs, EO 16 (showing the weakest inhibition power among lemon EOs), and the commercial EO L (lemon) were analysed for their chemical composition. A total of 30major compounds were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and the oxygenated monoterpenes were suggested to be implicated in the process of bacterial inhibition by citrus EOs