Uloga bakterija octenog vrenja u proizvodnji hrane i pića

Acetic acid bacteria (AAB) are microorganisms widely distributed in nature. Although this group is involved in the spoilage of some foods, AAB are of great industrial interest, and their functionality is still poorly understood. AAB convert ethanol, sugars and polyols into various organic acids, aldehydes and ketones via oxidative fermentation. These metabolites are produced during a succession of biochemical reactions in various fermented foods and beverages, such as vinegar, kombucha, water kefir, lambic and cocoa. Furthermore, important products such as gluconic acid and ascorbic acid precursors can be produced industrially from their metabolism. The development of new AAB-fermented fruit drinks with healthy and functional properties is an interesting niche for research and the food industry to explore, as it can meet the needs of a wide range of consumers. Exopolysaccharides such as levan and bacterial cellulose have unique properties, but they need to be produced on a larger scale to expand their applications in this area. This work emphasizes the importance and applications of AAB during the fermentation of various foods, their role in the development of new beverages as well as numerous applications of levan and bacterial cellulose.Bakterije octenog vrenja su široko rasprostranjeni mikroorganizmi u prirodi. Iako uzrokuju kvarenje hrane, od velikog su industrijskog značaja, no njihova funkcionalnost još uvijek nije dovoljno istražena. U procesu octeno-kiselog vrenja pretvaraju etanol, šećere i poliole u različite organske kiseline, aldehide i ketone. Ti metaboliti nastaju nakon niza biokemijskih reakcija u različitim fermentiranim proizvodima i pićima, kao što su ocat, kombucha, vodeni kefir, lambic pivo i kakao. Osim toga, metabolizam bakterija octenog vrenja može se iskoristiti za dobivanje proizvoda od industrijskog značaja, kao što su prekursori glukonske i askorbinske kiseline. Razvoj novih voćnih napitaka sa zdravim i funkcionalnim svojstvima dobivenih octeno-kiselim vrenjem predstavlja zanimljiv segment razvoja prehrambene industrije, jer takvi proizvodi mogu zadovoljiti potrebe velikog broja potrošača. Egzopolisaharidi koje proizvode bakterije octenog vrenja, poput levana i bakterijske celuloze, imaju jedinstvena svojstva, ali potrebno ih je proizvesti u većoj mjeri da bi se mogla proširiti njihova primjena u proizvodnji hrane i pića. U ovom revijalnom prikazu su istaknuti značaj i primjena bakterija octenog vrenja u proizvodnji raznovrsne hrane, njihova uloga u razvoju novih napitaka, te mogućnosti primjene levana i bakterijske celuloze

A study of practitioner–service user relationships in social work

This paper reports on findings from a qualitative study of practitioner–service user relationships in social work. The research aimed to identify social workers’ personal constructs of their relationships with service users and explore how these constructs differed across roles and settings. A qualitative methodology employing a variation on role repertory grid techniques was used to carry out semi-structured interviews with social workers. Twenty-five social workers from seven different practice settings were interviewed and altogether identified over 200 personal constructs. The research team undertook a thematic analysis of these constructs along with their explanation and discussion in interview transcripts. The results identified twenty-five superordinate constructs within ten core themes, which reflected practitioners’ experience of relationships, their systemic context, along with dynamics of power and collaboration. The constructs were often found to contrast a positive or preferred attribute of relationships with a more negative or challenging attribute, although the reality of relationships was often found to be complex and ambiguous. Some implications are explored for current theories of relationship-based practice in social work

Complete compensation of criss-cross deflection in a negative ion accelerator by magnetic technique

During 2016, a joint experimental campaign was carried out by QST and Consorzio RFX on the Negative Ion Test Stand (NITS) at the QST Naka Fusion Institute, Japan, with the purpose of validating some design solutions adopted in MITICA, which is the full-scale prototype of the ITER NBI, presently under construction at Consorzio RFX, Padova, Italy. The main purpose of the campaign was to test a novel technique, for suppressing the beamlet criss-cross magnetic deflection. This new technique, involving a set of permanent magnets embedded in the Extraction Grid, named Asymmetric Deflection Compensation Magnets (ADCM), is potentially more performing and robust than the traditional electrostatic compensation methods. The results of this first campaign confirmed the effectiveness of the new magnetic configuration in reducing the criss-cross magnetic deflection. Nonetheless, contrary to expectations, a complete deflection correction was not achieved. By analyzing in detail the results, we found indications that a physical process, taking place just upstream of the plasma grid, was giving an important contribution to the final deflection of the negative ion beam. This process appears to be related to the drift of negative ions inside the plasma source, in the presence of a magnetic field transverse to the extraction direction, and results in a non-uniform ion current density extracted at the meniscus. Therefore, the numerical models adopted in the design were improved by including this previously disregarded effect, so as to obtain a much better matching with the experimental results. Based on the results of the first campaign, new permanent magnets were designed and installed on the Extraction Grid of NITS. A second QST-Consorzio RFX joint experimental campaign was then carried out in 2017, demonstrating the complete correction of the criss-cross deflection and confirming the validity of the novel magnetic configuration and of the hypothesis behind the new models. This contribution presents the results of the second joint experimental campaign on NITS along with the overall data analysis of both campaigns, and the description of the improved models. A general picture is given of the relation among magnetic field, beam energy, meniscus non-uniformity and beamlet deflection, constituting a useful database for the design of future machines

Aspergillus bertholletius sp. nov. from Brazil Nuts

During a study on the mycobiota of brazil nuts (Bertholletia excelsa) in Brazil, a new Aspergillus species, A. bertholletius, was found, and is described here. A polyphasic approach was applied using morphological characters, extrolite data as well as partial β-tubulin, calmodulin and ITS sequences to characterize this taxon. A. bertholletius is represented by nineteen isolates from samples of brazil nuts at various stages of production and soil close to Bertholletia excelsa trees. The following extrolites were produced by this species: aflavinin, cyclopiazonic acid, kojic acid, tenuazonic acid and ustilaginoidin C. Phylogenetic analysis using partial β-tubulin and camodulin gene sequences showed that A. bertholletius represents a new phylogenetic clade in Aspergillus section Flavi. The type strain of A. bertholletius is CCT 7615 ( = ITAL 270/06 = IBT 29228)

Identificação molecular de Aspergillus spp. isolados de grãos de café

Algumas espécies pertencentes ao gênero Aspergillus possuem potencial para produção de Ocratoxina A (OA), uma micotoxina de efeitos nefrotóxicos, imunossupressivos, teratogênicos e carcinogênicos. Com o objetivo de identificar as espécies de Aspergillus que contaminam o interior de grãos de café, foram coletadas amostras em diferentes estádios de maturação do produto, em 16 propriedades produtoras do norte do estado do Paraná. Um total de 108 isolados de Aspergillus spp. foram identificados ao nível de espécie, pelo sequenciamento dos espaços internos transcritos (ITS1-5,8S-ITS2) do DNA ribossomal (rDNA). Os resultados revelaram a presença de espécies potencialmente ocratoxigênicas em 82% das regiões analisadas, sendo dentre estas, Aspergillus niger a espécie mais freqüentemente detectada,seguida por A. ochraceus, e A. carbonarius. É relatada pela primeira vez a presença de A. carbonarius em frutos de café coletados na árvore.Some species belonging to the genus Aspergillus are potential producers of ochratoxin A (OA), a mycotoxin with nephrotoxic, immunosuppressive, teratogenic and carcinogenic effects. The aim of the present study was to identify the species of Aspergillus that contaminate the inside of coffee beans collected in the stage of maturation and drying, from 16 producing areas located in the northern region of the State of Paraná, in the South of Brazil. A total of 108 isolates of Aspergillus spp. was identified at the species level, by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA). The results revealed the presence of potentially ochratoxigenic species in 82% of the geographic regions studied, among which Aspergillus niger was the species most frequently detected, followed by A. ochraceus and A. carbonarius. The presence of A. carbonarius in immature coffee fruits harvested from trees is reported for the first time

Development of Algorithm for Clinical Management of Sickle Cell Bone Disease: Evidence for a Role of Vertebral Fractures in Patient Follow-up

Sickle-cell disease (SCD) is a worldwide distributed hemoglobinopathy, characterized by hemolytic anemia associated with vaso-occlusive events. These result in acute and chronic multiorgan damage. Bone is early involved, leading to long-term disability, chronic pain and fractures. Here, we carried out a retrospective study to evaluate sickle bone disease (SBD) in a cohort of adults with SCD. We assessed bone density, metabolism and turnover. We also evaluated the presence of fractures and the correlation between SCD severity and skeletal manifestations. A total of 71 patients with SCD were analyzed. The mean age of population was 39 \ub1 10 years, 56% of which were females. We found osteoporosis in a range between 7% and 18% with a high incidence of vertebral fractures. LDH and AST were predictive for the severity of vertebral fractures, while bone density was not. Noteworthy, we identified -1.4 Standard Deviations T-score as the cutoff for detecting the presence of fractures in patients with SCD. Collectively our data allowed us to develop an algorithm for the management of SBD, which may be useful in daily clinical practice to early intersect and treat SBD

Evaluation of a novel human IgG1 anti-claudin3 antibody that specifically recognizes its aberrantly localized antigen in ovarian cancer cells and that is suitable for selective drug delivery

Membrane protein claudin3 has been recently suggested as a marker for biologically aggressive tumors and a possible target for the therapeutic delivery of active anti-cancer compounds. Claudin3-binding molecules such as the Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), CPE-related molecules, and murine and chimeric antibodies have shown promising antitumor efficacy in preclinical oncological settings. We first engineered a fully human anti-claudin3 IgG1 antibody (IgGH6) by fusing the human IgG1 Fc-domain to the anti-claudin3 scFvH6 previously isolated from a pre-immune phage display library. The construct was expressed in mammalian cells and specifically targeted claudin3 endogenously expressed on the surface of different human ovarian cancer cell lines. No detectable cross-reactivity with other homologous claudins was observed. The epitope recognized by IgGH6 is located within the minor extracellular domain of claudin3 and becomes accessible only in tumor cells characterized by incomplete junction formation. Confocal microscopy experiments demonstrated that IgGH6 was actively internalized in tumor cells after binding to native claudin3 and co-localized, likely within intracellular vesicles, with the C-CPE peptide. Preliminary results indicate that IgGH6 accumulated in vivo in free claudin3 ovarian carcinoma xenografts. For its selective uptake in tumor cells and its human nature, IgGH6 represents a valuable candidate for antibody-drug conjugate therapeutic applications in ovarian cancer patients