Isolation and characterization of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii from calves and piglets.

The goal of our study was to isolate and characterize Faecalibacterium prausnitzii from fecal samples of healthy calves and piglets, in order to develop a novel probiotic for livestock animals. We identified 203 isolates of Faecalibacterium sp., which were clustered in 40 genetically distinct groups. One representative isolate from each cluster was selected for further characterization. The concentrations of the short chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, butyrate, propionate and isobutyrate in the culture media were measured by gas chromatography. We observed reduction in the concentration of acetate followed by concomitant increase in the concentration of butyrate, suggesting that the isolates were consuming acetate present in the media and producing butyrate. Butyrate production correlated positively with bacterial growth. Since butyrate has many benefits to the colonic epithelial cells, the selection of strains that produce higher amounts of butyrate is extremely important for the development of this potential probiotic. The effect of pH and concentration of bile salts on bacterial growth was also evaluated in order to mimic the conditions encountered by F. prausnitzii in vivo. The optimal pH for growth ranged between 5.5 and 6.7, while most isolates were inhibited by of the lowest concentration of bile salts tested (0.1%). Antimicrobial resistance profile showed that most isolates of Faecalibacterium sp. were resistant against ciprofloxacin and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. More than 50% of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline, amikacin, cefepime and cefoxitin. A total of 19 different combinations of multidrug resistance were observed among the isolates. Our results provide new insights into the cultural and physiological characteristics of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii illustrating large variability in short chain fatty acid production, in vitro growth, sensitivity to bile salts, and antibiotic resistance and suggesting that future probiotic candidates should be carefully studied before elected for in vivo studies

Erratum to: Quantitative physiology and elemental composition of Kluyveromyces lactis CBS 2359 during growth on glucose at different specific growth rates

In the original publication of the article, the below mentioned errors have appeared. The correct text is provided in this erratum. In the abstract section, the sentence ‘‘This dataset serve’’ should be replaced as ‘‘This dataset serves’’. Also, the reference ‘‘Basso TO, Gomes FS, Lopes ML, et al (2014) Homo- and heterofermentative lactobacilli differently affect sugarcane-based fuel ethanol fermentation.Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek105:169–177. doi:10.1007/s10482-013-0063-6’’ should be replaced as ‘‘Basso TO, Dario MG, Tonso A, Stambuk BU, GombertAK(2010)Insufficienturacilsupplyinfullyaerobic chemostat cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae leads torespiro-fermentative metabolism anddouble nutrientlimitation. Biotechnol Lett 32:973–977. doi: 10.1007/ s10529-010-0248-2’’. Finally, in the Table 2 footnote, ‘‘according to (Heijnen 1981)’’ should be replaced as ‘‘according to Heijnen (1981)’’.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quantitative physiology and elemental composition of Kluyveromyces lactis CBS 2359 during growth on glucose at different specific growth rates

The yeast Kluyveromyces lactis has received attention both from academia and industry due to some important features, such as its capacity to grow in lactose-based media, its safe status, its suitability for large-scale cultivation and for heterologous protein synthesis. It has also been considered as a model organism for genomics and metabolic regulation. Despite this, very few studies were carried out hitherto under strictly controlled conditions, such as those found in a chemostat. Here we report a set of quantitative physiological data generated during chemostat cultivations with the K. lactis CBS 2359 strain, obtained under glucose-limiting and fully aerobic conditions. This dataset serve as a basis for the comparison of K. lactis with the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in terms of their elemental compositions, as well as for future metabolic flux analysis and metabolic modelling studies with K. lactis.This study was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the scope of the strategic funding of UID/BIO/04469/2013 unit and COMPETE2020 (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006684) and BioTecNorte operation (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000004) funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the scope of Norte2020 - Programa Operacional Regional do Norte. T.O.B. would like to express his gratitude for funds provided by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brasília, Brazil).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DESiRED -- Dynamic, Enhanced, and Smart iRED: A P4-AQM with Deep Reinforcement Learning and In-band Network Telemetry

Active Queue Management (AQM) is a mechanism employed to alleviate transient congestion in network device buffers, such as routers and switches. Traditional AQM algorithms use fixed thresholds, like target delay or queue occupancy, to compute random packet drop probabilities. A very small target delay can increase packet losses and reduce link utilization, while a large target delay may increase queueing delays while lowering drop probability. Due to dynamic network traffic characteristics, where traffic fluctuations can lead to significant queue variations, maintaining a fixed threshold AQM may not suit all applications. Consequently, we explore the question: \textit{What is the ideal threshold (target delay) for AQMs?} In this work, we introduce DESiRED (Dynamic, Enhanced, and Smart iRED), a P4-based AQM that leverages precise network feedback from In-band Network Telemetry (INT) to feed a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) model. This model dynamically adjusts the target delay based on rewards that maximize application Quality of Service (QoS). We evaluate DESiRED in a realistic P4-based test environment running an MPEG-DASH service. Our findings demonstrate up to a 90x reduction in video stall and a 42x increase in high-resolution video playback quality when the target delay is adjusted dynamically by DESiRED.Comment: Preprint (Computer Networks under review

Abiotic modulation of Spartina maritima photobiology in different latitudinal populations

Spartina maritima has a very wide distribution in the northern hemisphere salt marshes crossing a wide variety of climatic environments. Therefore, it is not strange that some differences arise when observing the photosynthetic mechanisms of different populations inhabiting different latitudes. During this study it could be observed that climate is the most important factor controlling the photosynthetic traits of different populations distributed along a climatic gradient, namely the air temperature, humidity and light environment. Also some sediment physicochemical parameters such as pH and pore water salinity showed important influences driving the photosynthetic mechanisms in S. maritima. Furthermore S. maritima is one of the most abundant halophytes colonizing the Portuguese salt marshes. These facts have greater importance if one considers the large abundance of this halophytic species and how climate change will affect their metabolism and thus the ecosystem services provided by this species to the estuarine system.The authors would like to thank to the “ Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT)” for funding the research in the Centre of Oceanography throughout the project PEst-OE/MAR/UI0199/2011 and this specific work throughout the projects ECOSAM (PTDC/ AAC-CLI/104085/2008) and 3M RECITAL (LTER/BIA-BEC/0019/ 2009). B. Duarte investigation was supported by FCT throughout a PhD grant (SFRH/BD/75951/2011)

Capim - santo (Cymbopogon citratus - DC) Stapf – Poaceae: uso popular versus comprovação científica, perspectivas para novos tratamentos do câncer

Introduction: Phytotherapics are industrialized products, technically elaborated exclusively of plant raw materials with one or more active principles, provided they are not isolated, characterized by the knowledge of their efficacy and efficiency, from clinical evidence, risks related to their use, capacity reproduction and maintenance of its quality. Methods: The main keywords (MEDLINE, PubMed, LILACS, SCIELO and BDTD) were used in the Portuguese and English languages between 2000 and 2017, using the keywords "Cymbopogon citratus, capim-santo, therapeutic study and popular use". Development: Cymbopogon citratus Stapf is a perennial herb native to India and brought to Brazil in colonial times, popularly known as lemongrass, lemongrass or lemon grass. It has numerous studies that report the use of the plant with various therapeutic effects, Such as: antispasmodic, analgesic, antimicrobial, sedative, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, diuretic and tranquilizer, in addition to being used also for flu, as an expectorant and treatment of high blood pressure. Conclusion: All these indications were referred to as popular use and some scientific studies conducted tests suggesting these activities, but no scientific studies were found to prove the effects of treating influenza, sputum, high blood pressure and diuretics. Two studies have revealed that the plant has a substance that was able to inhibit the development of the skin tumor and the growth of cancer cells showing to be promising for the development of cancer drugs.  Introdução: Fitoterápicos são produtos industrializados, tecnicamente elaborados exclusivamente de matérias-primas vegetais com um ou mais princípios ativos, desde que não sejam isolados, caracterizados pelo conhecimento de sua eficácia e eficiência, a partir de evidências clínicas, riscos relacionados ao seu uso, capacidade de reprodutividade e manutenção de sua qualidade. Métodos: Foram utilizadas as palavras-chave “Cymbopogon citratus, capim-santo, estudo terapêutico e uso popular” nos principais indexadores (MEDLINE, PubMed, LILACS, SCIELO e BDTD), em língua portuguesa e inglesa entre os anos de 2000 a 2017. Desenvolvimento: Cymbopogon citratus Stapf é uma erva perene originária da Índia e trazida para o Brasil na época colonial, conhecida popularmente como capim-limão, capim-santo ou grama de limão, possui inúmeros estudos que relatam a utilização da planta com diversos efeitos terapêuticos, tais como: antiespasmódico, analgésico, antimicrobiano, sedativo, anti-inflamatório, antipirético, diurético e tranquilizante, além de ser usada também para gripe, como expectorante e tratamento da pressão alta. Conclusões: Todas essas indicações foram referidas como uso popular e alguns estudos científicos realizaram testes que sugerem essas atividades, porém não foram encontrados estudos científicos que comprovassem os efeitos para tratar a gripe, expectoração, pressão alta e diurético. Dois estudos revelaram que a planta possui uma substância que foi capaz de inibir o desenvolvimento do tumor de pele e o crescimento de células cancerígenas mostrando ser promissora para o desenvolvimento de medicamentos para o câncer

Removal of Paracetamol and Cu2+ from Water by Using Porous Carbons Derived from Agrowastes

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors.Dende and babassu coconuts are largely used in tropical countries, namely in Brazil, for the extraction of oils from kernels. The remaining biowastes are industrially processed to produce porous carbons (PCs). PCs derived from dende and babassu biowastes and produced at an industrial scale have been characterized by textural, chemical, and ecotoxicological parameters. A commercial activated carbon (CC) of mineral origin has been used as a benchmarking material. Although the CC sample presented a higher surface area (SBET = 1083 m2/g), the PCs derived from the biowastes were richer in micropores (Vmicro = 0.25–0.26 cm3/g), while the CC carbon presented wider pore size distribution with a higher mesopore volume (Vmeso = 0.41 cm3/g). All the adsorbents used in this work have shown a non-acute ecotoxic behavior for the bacterium Vibrio fischeri (EC50-30 min > 99% v/v). The adsorbents have been tested for paracetamol and Cu2+ adsorption in mono- and bicomponent solutions. The uptake capacities of paracetamol (qe, 98–123 mg g−1) and Cu2+ (qe, 15–18 mg g−1) from monocomponent solutions were similar to the ones obtained in the bicomponent solutions, indicating no competition or cooperative effects but a site-specific adsorption. This finding represents an advantage for the removal of these adsorbates when present in the same solution as they can be adsorbed under similar rates as in the single systems. Paracetamol adsorption was related to micropore filling, π-π interactions, and H-bonding, whereas Cu2+ removal was attributed to the cation exchange mechanism and complexation to the hydroxyl groups at the carbons’ surface.publishersversionpublishe

Production system of organic orange and its implications: Study in the SOS site Agroecological, Northeast of Pará

The organic production of produce in Brazil has been increasing very year due higher demand for more health food, and many farmers are migrating to these concept of food production. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand the philosophic concept, as well as doing a description and analyzing the implications of the production system of organic orange. The research was done at Sítio SOS Agroecológico, localized in the city of CapitãoPoço, northeast of Pará. The qualitative exploratory research was done with the owner of the area, who is also a producer of organic orange, through, mainly, visits, semi structured surveys, transect walks in the area, and photographic records. The production of the site is considered adequate; their main market are organic fairs and big supermarkets; however, price and logistic are the main obstacles, besides the certification, where in Brazil is still an onerous process. The production system of Sitio SOS shows certain similarities with the concept of biologic and natural agriculture since both systems goals are the reduction of the rural producer costs, the use of alternative products and/or natural available on the property

Prediction of postoperative facial swelling, pain and trismus following third molar surgery based on preoperative variables

Objective: This paper investigates the relationship between preoperative findings and short-term outcome in third molar surgery. Study design: A prospective study was carried out involving 80 patients who required 160 surgical extractions of impacted mandibular third molars between January 2009 and December 2010. All extractions were performed under local anesthesia by the same dental surgeon. Swelling and maximal inter-incisor distance were measured at 48 h and on the 7th day postoperatively. Mean visual analogue pain scores were determined at four different time periods. Results: One-hundred eight (67.5%) of the 160 extractions were performed on male subjects and 52 (32.5%) were performed on female subjects. Median age was 22.46 years. The amount of facial swelling varied depending on gender and operating time. Trismus varied depending on gender, operating time and tooth sectioning. The influence of age, gender and operating time varied depending on the pain evaluation period (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Short-term outcomes of third molar operations (swelling, trismus and pain) differ depending on the patients' characteristics (age, gender and body mass index). Moreover, surgery characteristics such as operating time and tooth sectioning were also associated with postoperative variables