Design of novel urogenital pharmabiotic formulations containing lactobacilli,salivaricin CRL 1328 and non-microbial compounds with different functionalities

Context: The administration of pharmabiotics is a promising alternative to antimicrobial drugs for the treatment and/or prevention of female urogenital infections.

Objective: To design pharmabiotic formulations including bioactive ingredients of microbial origin combined with non-microbial substances and then to evaluate the stability of the combinations during freeze-drying and storage.

Materials and methods: Different formulations including Lactobacillus gasseri CRL 1263, Lactobacillus salivarius CRL 1328, salivaricin CRL 1328 (a bacteriocin) and non-microbial compounds (lactose, inulin and ascorbic acid) were assayed, and the ingredients were freeze-dried together or separately. The formulations were stored in gelatin capsules at 4?°C for 360?d.

Results: The viability of lactobacilli was affected to different extents depending on the strains and on the formulations assayed. L. salivarius and ascorbic acid were successfully combined only after the freeze-drying process. Salivaricin activity was not detected in formulations containing L. gasseri. However, when combined with ascorbic acid, lactose, inulin or L. salivarius, the bacteriocin maintained its activity for 360?d. The selected microorganisms proved to be compatible for their inclusion in multi-strain formulations together with lactose, inulin and ascorbic acid. Salivaricin could be included only in a L. salivarius CRL 1328 single-strain formulation together with non-microbial substances.

Conclusions: This study provides new insights into the design of urogenital pharmabiotics combining beneficial lactobacilli, salivaricin CRL 1328 and compounds with different functionalities.     

Mitochondrial Bioenergetic,Photobiomodulation and Trigeminal Branches Nerve Damage,What’s the Connection? A Review

Background: Injury of the trigeminal nerve in oral and maxillofacial surgery can occur. Schwann cell mitochondria are regulators in the development, maintenance and regeneration of peripheral nerve axons. Evidence shows that after the nerve injury, mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction occurs and is associated with pain, neuropathy and nerve regeneration deficit. A challenge for research is to individuate new therapies able to normalise mitochondrial and energetic metabolism to aid nerve recovery after damage. Photobiomodulation therapy can be an interesting candidate, because it is a technique involving cell manipulation through the photonic energy of a non-ionising light source (visible and NIR light), which produces a nonthermal therapeutic effect on the stressed tissue. Methods: The review was based on the following questions: (1) Can photo-biomodulation by red and NIR light affect mitochondrial bioenergetics? (2) Can photobiomodulation support damage to the trigeminal nerve branches? (preclinical and clinical studies), and, if yes, (3) What is the best photobiomodulatory therapy for the recovery of the trigeminal nerve branches? The papers were searched using the PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases. This review followed the ARRIVE-2.0, PRISMA and Cochrane RoB-2 guidelines. Results and conclusions: The reliability of photobiomodulatory event strongly bases on biological and physical-chemical evidence. Its principal player is the mitochondrion, whether its cytochromes are directly involved as a photoacceptor or indirectly through a vibrational and energetic variation of bound water: water as the photoacceptor. The 808-nm and 100 J/cm² (0.07 W; 2.5 W/cm²; pulsed 50 Hz; 27 J per point; 80 s) on rats and 800-nm and 0.2 W/cm² (0.2 W; 12 J/cm²; 12 J per point; 60 s, CW) on humans resulted as trustworthy therapies, which could be supported by extensive studies.     

Interaction of triton X-100 on silica: A relationship between surface characteristics and adsorption isotherms

Adsorption of Triton X-100 on various silica substrates has been investigated. A number of solids, including a natural quartz, this quartz washed with HCl acid and subsequently heated at 1273 K; two aerosils and one Kieselgel silicas were studied. These solids exhibit surface areas in the range of 5 to 430 m² g^?1. All the Triton adsorption isotherms display an S-shape at the adsorption temperatures studied (298 and 308 K). It has been found that the pretreatments of natural quartz (by water washing, impurities removed by acid and/or high temperature calcination) affect considerably the amounts of TX-100 adsorbed. Measurements of surface composition have been made by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with particular emphasis on the presence of impurities and on the number of OH groups at the surface of the samples. The nature of the surface hydroxyl has also been studied by infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, the specific number of hydroxyl groups on the surface of the silica samples has been determined by thermogravimetric analysis. Finally an attempt to correlate solid surface characteristics with adsorption isotherms has been developed.     

Time Decay of the Activity of the Reduction Reaction of NO by CO on a Pd/Al2O3 Catalyst

An experimental study is made of the time decay of activity of the CO–NO reaction on a Pd/Al₂O₃ looking at the effect on reaction order and apparent activation energy. The optimum kinetics parameters fitting the steady state data at moderate pressures are determined. The time decay curves are analyzed through various catalyst deactivation models.     

Membrane-bound calmodulin in Xenopus laevis oocytes as a novel binding site for melatonin

Melatonin has been suggested as a physiological antagonist of calmodulin. In this work, we have characterized melatonin binding sites in Xenopus laevis oocyte membranes. Binding of [125I]melatonin by X. laevis oocyte membranes fulfills all criteria for binding to a receptor site. Binding was dependent on time, temperature, and membrane concentration and was stable, reversible, saturable, and specific. The binding site was also pharmacologically characterized. Stoichiometric studies showed a high-affinity binding site with a Kd of 1.18 nM. These data are in close agreement with data obtained from kinetic studies (Kd=0.12 nM). In competition studies, we observed a low-affinity binding site (Kd=63.41 microM). Moreover, the binding site was characterized as calmodulin. Thus, binding was dependent on calcium and blocked by anti-CaM antibodies in a concentration-dependent manner. Calmodulin inhibitor chlorpromazine also inhibited binding of the tracer. From these results, it is suggested that membrane-bound calmodulin acts as a melatonin binding site in Xenopus laevis oocytes, where it might couple cellular activities to rhythmic circulating levels of melatonin. This hypothesis correlates with the previous findings describing melatonin as a physiological antagonist of calmodulin.     

Degradation of wine industry wastewaters by photocatalytic advanced oxidation.

Wine industry wastewaters contain a high concentration of organic biodegradable compounds as well as a great amount of suspended solids. These waters are difficult to treat by conventional biological processes because they are seasonal and a great flow variation exists. Photocatalytic advanced oxidation is a promising technology for waters containing high amounts of organic matter. In this study we firstly investigated the application of H2O2 as oxidant combined with light (artificial or natural) in order to reduce the organic matter in samples from wine industry effluents. Secondly, we studied its combination with heterogeneous catalysts: titanium dioxide and clays containing iron minerals. The addition of photocatalysts to the system reduces the required H2O2 concentration. Although the H2O2/TiO2 system produces higher efficiencies, the H2O2/clays system requires a H2O2 dosage between three and six times lower.     

Metric analysis of the information visibility and diffusion about the European Higher Education Area on Spanish University websites

The purpose of the study proposed in this paper is to evaluate the Spanish public university websites dedicated to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). To do so, the quality of these resources has been analysed in the light of data provided by a series of indicators grouped in seven criteria, most of which were used to determine what information is made available and in what way. The criteria used in our analysis are: visibility, authority, updatedness, accesibility, correctness and completeness, quality assessment and navigability. All in all, the results allow us to carry out an overall diagnosis of the situation and also provide us with information about the situation at each university, thus revealing their main strengths, namely authority and navegability, and also their chief shortcomings: updatedness, accessibility and quality assessment. In this way it is possible to detect the best practices in each of the aspects evaluated so that they can serve as an example and guide for universities with greater deficiencies and thus help them to improve their EHEA websites.     

Immunoexpression of epidermal growth factor in odontogenesis of the offspring of alcoholic mice

Several forms of cell perturbation have been associated with ethanol ingestion. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) as well as diminished maxillofacial development and inhibition of cell regeneration in vitro and in vivo have been described. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates maxillofacial growth, DNA synthesis, and it is a potent mitogen for a number of various cell types. EGF exerts its effects on cells through binding to a specific cell surface receptor which leads to activation of a thyrosine kinase in the intracellular part of the receptor. The inhibitory effect of alcohol on EGF in the mouse dental follicle was studied in the offspring of alcoholic mothers using immunocytochemistry. Adult female mice were given 22% alcohol in their drinking water and fed a pelleted diet before and during pregnancy. Maternal blood alcohol levels were 262 +/- 1.3 mg/100 ml on gestation day 12.5. The offspring of the alcoholic and control mice were sacrificed on postnatal day 1.5, their mandibles were dissected, weighed and processed by routine immunocytochemistry with the following results. 1) Significant differences were found in mandible weight p < 0.01 after parturition. 2) The tooth germs in the offspring of ethanol treated mice were morphometrically smaller than those of control littermates. 3) Immunoexpression of EGF in the mandibular first molar of the control group was strong and homogeneous while in the experimental group the expression was light and heterogeneous. It is concluded that maternal alcoholism reduces EGF in the offspring.     

Bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

BACKGROUND: Fever is commonly observed in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease and frequently eludes diagnosis. The role of bone marrow biopsy in the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in patients infected with HIV remains controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred twenty-three consecutive patients with 137 episodes of fever lasting 10 or more days without diagnosis after 1 week of hospitalization were evaluated by bone marrow biopsy. RESULTS: Overall, a specific diagnosis was achieved in 52 episodes by means of culture and histopathological examination (diagnostic yield, 37.9%). Three types of disease were found: mycobacterial infections (n = 36, 69% of documented episodes), including 18 patients with disseminated tuberculosis and 14 with Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infections; non-Hodgkin lymphomas (n = 12, 23%); and visceral leishmaniasis (n = 4, 8%). Although bone marrow cultures were more sensitive than microscopic examination with special stains for the diagnosis of mycobacterial infections, the pathological examination of bone marrow led to a more rapid diagnosis of disease. In addition, the histopathological examination of bone marrow alone led to the diagnosis of a specific condition in 43 episodes (31.3% of all episodes). CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow biopsy is a useful procedure for the diagnosis of fever in patients with advanced HIV disease, particularly in areas where tuberculosis and leishmaniasis are prevalent. Involvement of the marrow may be the first indication of the existence of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex infection, blood cultures were more sensitive than bone marrow biopsy.     

Astaxanthin Extraction From Shrimp Waste by Lactic Fermentation and Enzymatic Hydrolysis of the Carotenoprotein Complex

ABSTRACT: Natural carotenoids are an alternative to synthetic orange-red pigments. They are present in crustaceans as a protein-pigment complex. In order to extract this highly unstable pigment, crustacean waste must be stabilized; lactic fermentation is a simple and environmentally friendly method to achieve this goal. Shrimp wastes were inoculated with Lactobacillus bacterial cultures. Carotenoids were then extracted with an organic solvent system. Protein-pigment splitting was carried out using a mixture of 4 commercial enzymes; and the protein was separated from the pigment by ultrafiltration. Electrophoretograms showed that the pigment was attached to a 265-kDa protein. Splitting the protein-pigment complex allows studies on pigment absorption, stability and application.