Wheat straw was submitted to a pre-treatment by the basidiomycetous fungi Euc-1 and Irpex lacteus, aiming to improve the accessibility of cellulose towards enzymatic hydrolysis via previous selective ...bio-delignification. This allowed the increase of substrate saccharification nearly four and three times while applying the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively. The cellulose/lignin ratio increased from 2.7 in the untreated wheat straw to 5.9 and 4.6 after the bio-treatment by the basidiomycetes Euc-1 and I. lacteus, respectively, thus evidencing the highly selective lignin biodegradation. The enzymatic profile of both fungi upon bio-treatment of wheat straw have been assessed including laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, carboxymethylcellulase, xylanase, avicelase and feruloyl esterase activities. The difference in efficiency and selectivity of delignification within the two fungi treatments was interpreted in terms of specific lignolytic enzyme profiles and moderate xylanase and cellulolytic activities.
The potential of crude enzyme extracts, obtained from solid state cultivation of four white-rot fungi (
Trametes versicolor,
Bjerkandera adusta,
Ganoderma applanatum and
Phlebia rufa), was exploited ...to modify wheat straw cell wall. At different fermentation times, manganese-dependent peroxidase (MnP), lignin peroxidase (LiP), laccase, carboxymethylcellulase (CMCase), avicelase, xylanase and feruloyl esterase activities were screened and the content of lignin as well as hydroxycinnamic acids in fermented straw were determined. All fungi secreted feruloyl esterase while LiP was only detected in crude extracts from
B. adusta. Since no significant differences (
P
>
0.05) were observed in remaining lignin content of fermented straw, LiP activity was not a limiting factor of enzymatic lignin removal process. The levels of esterified hydroxycinnamic acids degradation were considerably higher than previous reports with lignocellulosic biomass. The data show that
P. rufa, may be considered for more specific studies as higher ferulic and
p-coumaric acids degradation was observed for earlier incubation times.
The
species has diverse ecological functions ranging from saprophytes, endophytes, and animal and plant pathogens. Occasionally, they are isolated from dead and alive insects. However, research on ...fusaria-insect associations is very limited as fusaria are generalized as opportunistic insect-pathogens. Additionally, their phytopathogenicity raises concerns in their use as commercial biopesticides. Insect biocontrol potential of
is favored by their excellent soil survivability as saprophytes, and sometimes, insect-pathogenic strains do not exhibit phytopathogenicity. In addition, a small group of fusaria, those belonging to the
species complex, act as insect mutualists assisting in host growth and fecundity. In this review, we summarize mutualism and pathogenicity among fusaria and insects. Furthermore, we assert on
entomopathogenicity by analyzing previous studies clearly demonstrating their natural insect-pathogenicity in fields, and their presence in soils. We also review the presence and/or production of a well-known insecticidal metabolite beauvericin by different
species. Lastly, some proof-of-concept studies are also summarized, which demonstrate the histological as well as immunological changes that a larva undergoes during
pathogenesis. These reports highlight the insecticidal properties of some
spp., and emphasize the need of robust techniques, which can distinguish phytopathogenic, mutualistic and entomopathogenic fusaria.
Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are the natural enemies of insect-pests. However, EPF recoveries can be influenced by the soil habitat-type(s) incorporated and/or the bait-insect(s) used.
...Galleriamellonella
(GM) as bait-insect, i.e. ‘
Galleria
-bait’, is arguably the most common methodology, which is sometimes used solely, to isolate EPF from soils. Insect baiting using
Tenebriomolitor
(TM) has also been employed occasionally. Here 183 soils were used to estimate the functional diversity of EPF in Portuguese Douro vineyards (cultivated habitat) and adjacent hedgerows (semi-natural habitat), using the TM bait method. Moreover, to study the effect of insect baiting on EPF recovery, 81 of these 183 soil samples were also tested for EPF occurrences using the GM bait method. Twelve species were found in 44.26% ± 3.67% of the total of 183 soils. Clonostachysroseaf.rosea was found in maximum soils (30.05% ± 3.38%), followed by
Beauveriabassiana
(12.57% ± 2.37%),
Purpureocilliumlilacinum
(9.29% ± 2.14%) and
Metarhiziumrobertsii
(6.01% ± 1.75%).
Beauveriapseudobassiana
(
P
< 0.001), C.roseaf.rosea (
P
= 0.006) and
Cordycepscicadae
(
P
=0.023) were isolated significantly more from hedgerows, highlighting their sensitivities towards agricultural disturbances.
Beauveriabassiana
(
P
= 0.038) and
M.robertsii
(
P
= 0.003) were isolated significantly more using GM and TM, respectively. Principal component analysis revealed that
M.robertsii
was associated both with TM baiting and cultivated habitats, however,
B.bassiana
was slightly linked with GM baiting only. Ecological profiles of
B.bassiana
and
P.lilacinum
were quite similar while
M.robertsii
and C.roseaf.rosea were relatively distant and distinct. To us, this is the first report on (a)
C.cicadae
isolation from Mediterranean soils, (b)
Purpureocilliumlavendulum
as an EPF worldwide; and (c) significant recoveries of
M.robertsii
using TM over GM. Overall, a ‘
Galleria
-
Tenebrio
-bait method’ is advocated to study the functional diversity of EPF in agroecosystems.
The use of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds has been increasing because it is a good alternative to the conventional extraction methods. UAE was used to maximize total ...polyphenol content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging capacity, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) of the mushroom
using response surface methodology (RSM). Firstly, the effect of 40% (
/
) ethanol and 80% (
/
) methanol on the TPC, DPPH scavenging capacity, and FRAP was evaluated. The ethanolic extracts showed a significantly higher (
< 0.0001) TPC, DPPH scavenging capacity, and FRAP than the methanolic extracts. The best condition to produce an extract with the higher TPC and antioxidant activity was achieved when using 40% (
/
) ethanol, a ratio of 75 mL/g, and an extraction time of 20 min. The chromatographic profile of the extract obtained in the optimized condition revealed that hispidin is the main polyphenol present in the extracts of
, representing, together with hispidin-like compounds, the majority of the phenolic compounds (159.56 µg/g DW out of 219.01 µg/g DW). The model allowed us to optimize the conditions to maximize the extraction of phenolic compounds with antioxidant activity from
, demonstrating its potential as a source of antioxidant compounds, with possible industrial, pharmaceutical, and food applications.
Severe malaria Barros Pinto, Marco P.; Marques, Guilhermina
Infection,
02/2020, Letnik:
48, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Malaria represents a medical emergency. Without rapid diagnosis and treatment, it can progress and lead to severe complications and, eventually, death. Severe malaria is almost always caused by
...Plasmodium falciparum
. Here, we present an image showing a set of hematological findings associated with severe malaria, highlighting the importance of a correct morphological diagnosis.
Multidrug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens (
, and
) has become the most recurrent global cause of skin and soft-tissue infections, belonging to the WHO priority pathogens list. Successful therapy remains ...challenging and entails the assessment of novel and successful antibiotics. In this study, mushrooms are considered a valuable and unique source of natural antimicrobial compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of
(
) and
(
) aqueous and methanolic extracts against ESKAPE isolates from clinical wound infections. Disk diffusion and microdilution methods were used to assess the antimicrobial activity. Phytochemical characterization was achieved by analysis of total phenols, orthodiphenols content, and antioxidant activity as well as by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Human foreskin fibroblasts-1 (HFF-1) cell viability was performed by the MTT assay. Aqueous and methanolic extracts of
and
showed antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties against multidrug-resistant bacteria, although with different efficacy rates. The results showed that there is a convincing relation between the content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity suggesting that the presence of phenolic compounds may explain the biological effects. HPLC analysis revealed high levels of protocatechuic acid, homogentisic acid, pyrogallol, gallic acid, p-catechin, and dihydroxybenzoic acid in the aqueous extract of
, explaining the highest antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties. Importantly, the mushrooms extracts were non-cytotoxic at all the tested concentrations. Overall, the tested mushrooms extracts are good candidates to further explore its use in the prevention of wound infection, particularly by multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Macrofungi have been previously studied for their nutritional value and medicinal properties. However, despite wild mushrooms being a great source of beneficial bioactive compounds, the literature ...exploring their biotechnological application as nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics is scarce. In this work, the species Butyriboletus regius, Ganoderma lucidum, Inonotus hispidus, Lanmaoa fragrans, Pisolithus tinctorius, Suillellus luridus, Suillellus mendax and Xerocomus subtomentosus were characterized according to their phenolic composition, antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activity and cosmeceutical potential. For that purpose, dried and ground mushrooms were extracted with ethanol (40% v/v) using ultrasound-assisted extraction. Of the eight mushrooms analyzed, I. hispidus and P. tinctorius stood out for their high content of phenolic compounds, high antioxidant capacity and anti-hyaluronidase activity. Regarding antimicrobial activity, both mushrooms showed good inhibition of bacterial growth and bactericidal activity, especially on Gram-positive bacteria; however, L. fragans obtained the best results. Cream formulations with I. hispidus and P. tinctorius extracts in their composition improved their antioxidant activity. These results indicate that I. hispidus and P. tinctorius can be proposed as a new potential source of natural compounds with application in the cosmetic industry.
Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide and is a major public health concern once children with obesity are at higher risk for several diseases and are often stigmatized. Children with obesity are ...more likely to become adults with obesity with greater needs of healthcare. Determinants of childhood obesity might be grouped in five levels according to the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM): individual, interpersonal, institutional, community and policies. This scoping review emerged from the need to identify which determinants of childhood obesity have been more frequently studied (and how) and which require more investigation. The main objectives were to quantify studies on the determinants of childhood obesity by SEM level addressed, to identify gaps in the literature regarding the studied SEM level(s), to describe the studies' characteristics and to provide guidance for SEM levels that need further investigation. This scoping review follows the five-stage protocol methodology proposed by Arksey and O'Malley in 2005. PubMed database was systematically searched, and hand-searches also took place. The search yielded 975 results from which 552 were excluded after title and abstract reading. The remaining 423 results were fully read and information about methodologic aspects, namely study design, sample size, sample constitution (children, dyads or/and parents) and children's age as well as the SEM level determinants addressed was retrieved. Despite the consensus about the appropriateness of SEM as a framework to comprehensively examine childhood obesity determinants, studies addressing all SEM levels determinants jointly or the policies level determinants alone were not found. Other gaps shown were: the small number of studies that included the policies level determinants alongside determinants from other levels (N = 10) and studies using cohorts study design (ranging from 2 to 28 per SEM level). These gaps should be considered when planning future research.
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