Development of a Matrix Tool for the Prediction of Vibrio Species in Oysters Harvested from North Carolina

ABSTRACT The United States has federal regulations in place to reduce the risk of seafood-related infection caused by the estuarine bacteria Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus . However, data to support the development of regulations have been generated in a very few specific regions of the nation. More regionally specific data are needed to further understand the dynamics of human infection relating to shellfish-harvesting conditions in other areas. In this study, oysters and water were collected from four oyster harvest sites in North Carolina over an 11-month period. Samples were analyzed for the abundances of total Vibrio spp., V. vulnificus , and V. parahaemolyticus ; environmental parameters, including salinity, water temperature, wind velocity, and precipitation, were also measured simultaneously. By utilizing these data, preliminary predictive management tools for estimating the abundance of V. vulnificus bacteria in shellfish were developed. This work highlights the need for further research to elucidate the full suite of factors that drive V. parahaemolyticus abundance

Циркулирующая в крови опухолевая ДНК как маркер резидуальной болезни при раке толстой кишки

Colon cancer is the 3rd most common malignant neoplasm and the 4th leading cause of mortality from them. The majority of patients are diagnosed at stages II–IV, which indicates the need for markers that can predict disease progression, especially after surgical treatment. Recently, there has been a growing interest in exploring circulating tumor DNA as a marker of residual tumor in colon cancer. In 2018, the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology together with the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine under the coordination of the Center for Strategic Planning and Management of Biomedical Health Risks initiated a research project entitled “Development of an assay for the diagnosis of various malignant tumors and treatment efficacy monitoring based on the analysis of circulating tumor DNA from patient blood”. This article provides a theoretical background for the project and a report on its progress made so far.На рак толстой кишки приходится 3-е место по заболеваемости злокачественными новообразованиями в мире и 4-е место по смертности от них. При этом в большинстве случаях опухоль диагностируется на II–IV стадиях заболевания, что говорит о необходимости изучения маркеров прогрессирования, особенно после радикального лечения. В связи с этим в последние годы появился интерес к изучению в качестве маркера резидуальной опухоли при раке толстой кишки циркулирующей в крови опухолевой ДНК. В 2018 г. ФГБУ «Национальный медицинский исследовательский центр онкологии им. Н. Н. Блохина» совместно с ФГБУН «Институт химической биологии и фундаментальной медицины Сибирского отделения РАН» при координации ФГБУ «Центр стратегического планирования и управления медико-биологическими рисками здоровью» в рамках экспериментального государственного задания Минздрава России инициировали научно-исследовательскую работу «Разработка тест-системы для диагностики и мониторинга эффективности проводимого лечения злокачественных новообразований различной локализации на основе анализа циркулирующей в крови пациентов опухолевой ДНК». В настоящей статье описываются теоретические предпосылки к инициации данного исследования и сообщается, на каком этапе находится выполнение работы

Antibacterial Properties of Fucoidans from the Brown Algae <i>Fucus vesiculosus</i> L. of the Barents Sea

Fucoidans, sulfated polysaccharides found in cell walls of brown algae, are considered as a promising antimicrobial component for various applications in medicine and the food industry. In this study, we compare the antibacterial properties of two fractions of fucoidan from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus gathered in the littoral of the Barents Sea and sampled at different stages of purification. The crude fraction of fucoidan was isolated from algae by extraction with aqueous ethanol and sonication. The purified fraction was obtained by additional treatment of the crude fraction with a solution of calcium chloride. The structural features of both fractions were characterized in detail and their antibacterial effects against several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were compared by photometry, acridine orange staining assay, and atomic force microscopy. Fucoidan inhibited growth in all of the above microorganisms, showing a bacteriostatic effect with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) in the range between 4 and 6 mg/mL, with E. coli being the most sensitive to both fractions. Changes in the chemical composition after treatment of the crude fraction with a solution of calcium chloride led to a decrease in the content of sulfates and uronic acids and diminished antibacterial activity