Search results for " SPECT"
showing 10 items of 11464 documents
Toxicity reduction of ochratoxin A by lactic acid bacteria.
2017
Abstract Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by the metabolism of fungus belonging to the genus Aspergillus and Penicillium. In this paper we report, the capacity of different cultures of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to degrade OTA present in MRS broth at both pH 3.5 and 6.5. A study of OTA reduction during gastrointestinal digestion carried out with the LAB was also performed. Taking into account the two reduction mechanisms of OTA studied in this work as the enzymatic one and the adsorption on the cell wall, as well as at pH 3.5 and 6.5 the reduction values of OTA were in a range of 30–99%, being the strains with greater reduction (97% and 95%) Lb. rhamnosus CECT 278T and Lb. plantar…
Standardized measurement of circulating vitamin D [25(OH)D] and its putative role as a serum biomarker in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease
2019
The current review provides an overview on the development of 25(OH)D measurement standardization tools over the last three decades and clarifies whether there is a role as a serum biomarker for vitamin D in neurological diseases. In the past, a lack of internationally recognized 25(OH)D reference measurement procedures and reference standard materials led to unstandardized serum total 25(OH)D results among research and clinical care laboratories. The vitamin D Standardization Program (VDSP) has been introduced in 2010 to address this problem, however, vitamin D External Quality Assessment Scheme (DEQAS) reports still show substantial sample- to- sample variability. Further, immunoassays, w…
Sympathetic, metabolic adaptations, and oxidative stress in autism spectrum disorders: How far from physiology?
2018
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a complex and multifaceted neurobehavioral syndrome with no specific cause still identified, despite the worldwide increasing (prevalence for 1,000 children from 6.7 to 14.6, between 2000 and 2012). Many biological and instrumental markers have been suggested as potential predictive factors for the precocious diagnosis during infancy and/or pediatric age. Many studies reported structural and functional abnormalities in the autonomic system in subjects with ASD. Sleep problems in ASD are a prominent feature, having an impact on the social interaction of the patient. Considering the role of orexins (A and B) in wake-sleep circadian rhythm, we could speculate…
Cestode parasites release extracellular vesicles with microRNAs and immunodiagnostic protein cargo.
2017
Intercellular communication is crucial in multiple aspects of cell biology. This interaction can be mediated by several mechanisms including extracellular vesicle (EV) transfer. EV secretion by parasites has been reported in protozoans, trematodes and nematodes. Here we report that this mechanism is present in three different species of cestodes, Taenia crassiceps, Mesocestoides corti and Echinococcus multilocularis. To confirm this we determined, in vitro, the presence of EVs in culture supernatants by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, while T. crassiceps and M. corti metacestodes secrete membranous structures into the culture media, similar vesicles were observed in the int…
A Comprehensive Spectroscopic Analysis of the Ibuprofen Binding with Human Serum Albumin, Part I
2020
Human serum albumin (HSA) plays a fundamental role in the human body. It takes part in the transport of exogenic and endogenic substances, especially drugs. Ibuprofen (IBU) is one of the most commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, used for pain relief, fever relief, and for anti-inflammatory purposes. The binding of ligands with HSA is a significant factor which determines the toxicity and the therapeutic dosages of these substances. The aim of this study was to compare the degree of ibuprofen binding with human serum albumin at various temperatures and protein solution pH values. In order to evaluate conformational changes in HSA caused by interaction with ibuprofen, spectrop…
Microcephaly/Trigonocephaly, Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Atypical Dysmorphic Features in a Boy with Xp22.31 Duplication
2019
The Xp22.31 segment of the short arm of the human X chromosome is a region of high instability with frequent rearrangement. The duplication of this region has been found in healthy people as well as in individuals with varying degrees of neurological impairment. The incidence has been reported in a range of 0.4-0.44% of the patients with neurological impairment. Moreover, there is evidence that Xp22.31 duplication may cause a common phenotype including developmental delay, intellectual disability, feeding difficulty, autistic spectrum disorders, hypotonia, seizures, and talipes. We report on a patient with microcephaly and trigonocephaly, moderate intellectual disability, speech and languag…
Chemical Composition of Herbal Macerates and Corresponding Commercial Essential Oils and Their Effect on Bacteria Escherichia coli
2017
This study addresses the chemical composition of some commercial essential oils (clove, juniper, oregano, and marjoram oils), as well as appropriate herbal extracts obtained in the process of cold maceration and their biological activity against selected Escherichia coli strains: E. coli ATTC 25922, E. coli ATTC 10536, and E. coli 127 isolated from poultry waste. On the basis of the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis, it was found that the commercial essential oils revealed considerable differences in terms of the composition and diversity of terpenes, terpenoids and sesquiterpenes as compared with the extracts obtained from plant material. The commercial clove, oregano, a…
Direct identification of microorganisms from thioglycolate broth by MALDI-TOF MS.
2017
We developed an easy MALDI-TOF MS-based assay to identify microorganisms directly from thioglycolate broth. A total of 101 positive thioglycolate broths inoculated with 15 different kinds of samples were evaluated. In 91 samples (90.1%), direct MALDI-TOF MS identifications were the same as those obtained after conventional laboratory procedures including subcultures. In 10 samples misidentified by direct processing, yeasts or mixed cultures grew in the thioglycolate subcultures, or high cellular debris hampered a correct analysis. This rapid method can provide a fast, clinically- relevant species-level identification without disturbing the daily workflow in clinical microbiology laboratorie…
Determination of melatonin in Acyrthosiphon pisum aphids by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
2015
Melatonin is a hormone mainly involved in the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Despite the identification of melatonin in many insects, its involvement in the insect seasonal response remains unclear. A liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method has been developed for melatonin analysis in aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) for the first time. After comparing two different procedures and five extraction solvents, a sample preparation procedure with a mixture of methanol/water (50:50) was selected for melatonin extraction. The method was validated by analyzing melatonin recovery at three spiked concentrations (5, 50 and 100 p…
Bistacrine derivatives as new potent antimalarials
2016
Linking two tacrine molecules results in a tremendous increase of activity against Plasmodia in comparison to the monomer. This finding prompted the synthesis of a library of monomeric and dimeric tacrine derivatives in order to derive structure-activity relationships. The most active compounds towards chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium strain 3D7 and chloroquine resistant strain Dd2 show IC50 values in the nanomolar range of concentration, low cytotoxicity and target the cysteine protease falcipain-2, which is essential for parasite growth.