Valorization of Waste from Argan Seeds for Polyhydroxybutyrate Production Using Bacterial Strains Isolated from Argan Soils

The aim of this work was to study the valorization of argan seed pulp, a waste material obtained from argan oil extraction, for the biosynthesis of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB). A new species that showed the metabolic capacity for the conversion of argan waste into the bio-based polymer was isolated from an argan crop located in Teroudant, a southwestern region of Morocco, where the arid soil is exploited for goat grazing. The PHB accumulation efficiency of this new species was compared to the previously identified species 1B belonging to the genus Sphingomonas, and results were reported as dry cell weight residual biomass and PHB final yield measured. Temperature, incubation time, pH, NaCl concentration, nitrogen sources, residue concentrations, and culture medium volumes were analyzed with the aim of obtaining a maximum accumulation of PHB. UV-visible spectrophotometry and FTIR analysis confirmed that PHB was present in the material extracted from the bacterial culture. The results of this wide investigation indicated that the new isolated species 2D1 had a higher efficiency in PHB production compared to the previously identified strain 1B, which was isolated from a contaminated argan soil in Teroudant. PHB final yield of the two bacterial species, i.e., the new isolated and 1B, cultivated under optimal culture conditions, in 500 mL MSM enriched with 3% argan waste, were 21.40% (5.91 ± 0.16 g/L) and 8.16% (1.92 ± 0.23 g/L), respectively. For the new isolated strain, the result of the UV-visible spectrum indicates the absorbance at 248 nm, while the FTIR spectrum showed peaks at 1726 cm−1 and 1270 cm−1: these characteristic peaks indicated the presence of PHB in the extract. The data from the species 1B UV-visible and FTIR spectra were previously reported and were used in this study for a correlation analysis. Furthermore, additional peaks, uncharacteristic of standard PHB, suggest the presence of impurities (e.g., cell debris, solvent residues, biomass residues) that persisted after extraction. Therefore, a further enhancement of the sample purification during extraction is recommended for more accuracy in the chemical characterization. If 470,000 tons of argan fruit waste can be produced annually, and 3% of waste is consumed in 500 mL culture by 2D1 to produce 5.91 g/L (21.40%) of the bio-based polymer PHB, it can be estimated that the amount of putative PHB that can be extracted annually from the total argan fruit waste is about 2300 tons

Immunomodulatory drugs in acute myeloid leukemia treatment

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) are analogs of thalidomide. They have immunomodulatory, antiangiogenic and proapoptotic properties and exert a role in regulating the tumor microenvironment. Recently IMiDs have been investigated for their pleiotropic properties and their therapeutic applications in both solid tumors (melanoma, prostate carcinoma and differentiated thyroid cancer) and hematological malignancies. Nowadays, they are applied in de novo and relapsed/ refractory multiple myeloma, in myelodysplastic syndrome, in del5q syndrome with specific use of lenalidomide and B-cell lymphoma. Several studies have been conducted in the last few years to explore IMiDs possible use in acute myeloid leukemia treatment. Here we report the mechanisms of action of IMiDs in acute myeloid leukemia and their potential future therapeutic application in this disease

An Overview of Ecological Indicators of Fish to Evaluate the Anthropogenic Pressures in Aquatic Ecosystems: From Traditional to Innovative DNA-Based Approaches

In order to halt the loss of global biodiversity and considering the United Nations Decade for Ocean Conservation Agenda, increasing efforts to improve biomonitoring programs and assessment of ecosystem health are needed. Aquatic environments are among the most complex to monitor, requiring an array of tools to assess their status and to define conservation targets. Although several parameters need to be considered for a comprehensive ecological status assessment, it is important to identify easy-to-apply high-resolution monitoring methods. Shifts in fish composition and abundance are often good indicators of ecosystem health status in relation to anthropogenic activities. However, traditional monitoring methods are strictly related to the habitat under study and cannot be applied universally. This review summarizes the importance of ecological indicators for aquatic environments subjected to anthropogenic stressors, with a particular focus on fish communities and transitional water ecosystems. We describe the main characteristics of both traditional and novel methods for fish monitoring, highlighting their advantages and shortcomings in an attempt to identify simple and reliable ways for a correct evaluation of the dynamics of aquatic ecosystems

Genomic segmental duplications on the basis of the t(9;22) rearrangement in chronic myeloid leukemia

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Direct Alcohol Fuel Cells: A Comparative Review of Acidic and Alkaline Systems

In the last 20 years, direct alcohol fuel cells (DAFCs) have been the subject of tremendous research efforts for the potential application as on-demand power sources. Two leading technologies respectively based on proton exchange membranes (PEMs) and anion exchange membranes (AEMs) have emerged: the first one operating in an acidic environment and conducting protons; the second one operating in alkaline electrolytes and conducting hydroxyl ions. In this review, we present an analysis of the state-of-the-art acidic and alkaline DAFCs fed with methanol and ethanol with the purpose to support a comparative analysis of acidic and alkaline systems, which is missing in the current literature. A special focus is placed on the effect of the reaction stoichiometry in acidic and alkaline systems. Particularly, we point out that, in alkaline systems, OH- participates stoichiometrically to reactions, and that alcohol oxidation products are anions. This aspect must be considered when designing the fuel and when making an energy evaluation from a whole system perspective

Hsp90 depletion goes wild

Hsp90 reveals phenotypic variation in the laboratory, but is Hsp90 depletion important in the wild? Recent work from Chen and Wagner in BMC Evolutionary Biology has discovered a naturally occurring Drosophila allele that downregulates Hsp90, creating sensitivity to cryptic genetic variation. Laboratory studies suggest that the exact magnitude of Hsp90 downregulation is important. Extreme Hsp90 depletion might reactivate transposable elements and/or induce aneuploidy, in addition to revealing cryptic genetic variation

Microenvironment expression in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is recognized as a heterogeneous disease with distinct molecular subtypes derived from different stages of B-cell differentiation. The contribution of the tumor microenvironment to the pathogenesis and tumor survival of DLBCL is poorly understood. However, several recent studies have yielded intriguing findings and shed some light on the possible roles of the microenvironment. In this retrospective study, data from 29 patients diagnosed with DLBCL between 2009 and 2013 were reviewed. All patients had pathologically confirmed DLBCL and had been treated with the R-CHOP regimen. In these patients, we correlated the expression of CD3 staining for T cells, tryptase staining for mast cells, CD68 for tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and CD31 staining for blood vessels. CD68 and tryptase expression, as well as MVD, were increased in chemo-resistant patients compared to chemosensitive patients. Tryptase expression showed a positive correlation with MVD, supporting a role for mast cells in DLBCL tumor angiogenesis, while the CD68 correlation with MVD was not significant, indicating a different role for TAMs rather than angiogenesis in DLBCL. A statistically significant difference was observed in the expression of CD3 in patients with bulky disease. Specifically, a higher expression of CD3 was observed in nonbulky disease patients (mean expression 52.91%, n = 20) compared to bulky disease patients (mean expression 34.9%, n = 9), P value < .05. The reduction in T cells in bulky disease patients contributes to loosen the immune control over the tumor, resulting in an increased cell proliferation, leading to large tumor cell masses, which are predictive of poor prognostic and clinical outcomes. CD3 showed a positive correlation with tryptase and MVD, while multiple regression analysis efficaciously predicted MVD depending on CD3 and tryptase as predictors, supporting a complex interplay between these cells in sustaining tumor angiogenesis in DLBCL patients. The improved understanding of tumor biology and of the role of the tumor microenvironment has led to advances in the diagnosis, classification, prognostics, as well as novel treatments of patients with hematologic malignancies. In particular, translational research, leading to drugs that target the interaction between the tumor microenvironment and malignant cells, has provided many promising new approaches to cancer therapy. Ongoing dynamic and correlation studies of tumor biology and the contribution of the tumor microenvironment should be promoted in the context of novel drug development in order to identify optimal therapies for various lymphomas and improve the curability of these diseases

Stress da radiazione RF a 900 MHz ed attivazione di elementi trasponibili in tessuti germinali di Drosophila melanogaster

Nel mondo naturale gli individui, le popolazioni e le specie si devono confrontare con variazioni delle condizioni ambientali. Gli organismi e le loro cellule mettono in atto un adattamento fisiologico attraverso risposte che sono immediate e reversibili. Condizioni di stress però, possono causare modificazioni a livello genomico che possono alterare processi biologici fondamentali conducendo a trasformazioni cellulari. È noto da tempo che fattori ambientali provocano condizioni di stress che possono indurre in vari organismi l’attivazione di elementi genetici mobili o elementi trasponibili (TEs) il cui movimento è tra le cause di instabilità genomica. In questo lavoro, individui di Drosophila melanogaster sono stati sottoposti a stress da radiazione RF a 900 MHz ed esaminati per l’attivazione di TEs nei tessuti germinali di entrambi i sessi. Tale stress ha causato un significativo incremento dell’attivazione di tali elementi, confermando che diversi stress ambientali possono avere come conseguenza l’instabilità dei genomi e la comparsa di mutazioni de novo dovute all’inserzione di elementi trasponibili in geni codificanti

The future of biotic indices in the ecogenomic era: Integrating (e)DNA metabarcoding in biological assessment of aquatic ecosystems

The bioassessment of aquatic ecosystems is currently based on various biotic indices that use the occurrence and/ or abundance of selected taxonomic groups to define ecological status. These conventional indices have some limitations, often related to difficulties inmorphological identification of bioindicator taxa. Recent development of DNA barcoding and metabarcoding could potentially alleviate some of these limitations, by using DNA sequences instead of morphology to identify organisms and to characterize a given ecosystem. In this paper,we review the structure of conventional biotic indices, andwe present the results of pilotmetabarcoding studies using environmental DNA to infer biotic indices. We discuss the main advantages and pitfalls of metabarcoding approaches to assess parameters such as richness, abundance, taxonomic composition and species ecological values, to be used for calculation of biotic indices.We present some future developments to fully exploit the potential of metabarcoding data and improve the accuracy and precision of their analysis. We also propose some recommendations for the future integration of DNA metabarcoding to routine biomonitoring program

A multicenter study on the appropriateness of hospitalization in obstetric wards: application of Obstetric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (Obstetric AEP)

The cross-sectional study has been based on the implementation of the Obstetric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (OAEP) in seven hospitals to determine inappropriate hospital admissions and days of stay. The outcomes were: inappropriateness of admission and "percentage of inappropriateness" for one hospitalization. A total number of 2196 clinical records were reviewed. The mean percentage of inappropriateness for hospitalization was 22%. The percentage of inappropriateness for the first 10 d of hospitalization peaked in correspondence of the fourth (42%). The logistic regression model on inappropriated admission reported that emergency admission was a protective factor (OR = 0.4) and to be hospitalized in wards with 6530 beds risk factor (OR = 5.12). The second linear model on "percentage of inappropriateness" showed that inappropriated admission and wards with 6530 beds increased the percentage (p < 0.001); whereas the admission in Teaching Hospitals was inversely associated (p < 0.001). The present study suggests that the percentage of inappropriate admission depends especially on the inappropriate admission and the large number of beds in obstetric wards. This probably indicates that management of big hospitals, which is very complex, needs improving the processes of support and coordination of health professionals. The OAEP tool seems to be an useful instrument for the decision-makers to monitor and manage the obstetric wards. \ua9 2014 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved