Search results for "APP"
showing 10 items of 28370 documents
Improvement of osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells on composite poly l-lactic acid/nano-hydroxyapatite scaffolds for bone defe…
2020
Tissue engineering offers new approaches to repair bone defects, which cannot be repaired physiologically, developing scaffolds that mimic bone tissue architecture. Furthermore, biomechanical stimulation induced by bioreactor, provides biomechanical cues that regulate a wide range of cellular events especially required for cellular differentiation and function. The improvement of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) colonization in poly-L-lactic-acid (PLLA)/nano- hydroxyapatite (nHA) composite scaffold was evaluated in terms of cell proliferation (dsDNA content), bone differen- tiation (gene expression and protein synthesis) and ultrastructural analysis by comparing static (s3D) and dynamic…
Effects of water stress on emission of volatile organic compounds by Vicia faba, and consequences for attraction of the egg parasitoid Trissolcus bas…
2017
When plants are damaged by herbivorous insects, blends of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are induced and released and can also be used by parasitoids to locate hosts. The aim was to determine whether VOCs induced by water stress affect the plant-herbivore-para- sitoid system represented by broad bean (Vicia faba; Fabales: Fabaceae) stink bug (Nezara viridula; Hetero- ptera: Pentatomidae) egg parasitoid (Trissolcus basalis; Hymenoptera: Platygastridae). The effects of water stress (expressed as the percentage fraction of transpirable soil water [FTSW] supplied) alone and in combination with N. viridula damage (feeding plus oviposition) were deter- mined according to: (1) the behavioural r…
Floral scent in a sexually deceptive Ophrys orchid: from headspace collections to solvent extractions
2018
Sexually deceptive orchid flowers use visual, tactile and olfactory cues of female insects in order to attract males of one or a few closely related species as pollinators. Ophrys L. is the most species-rich genus of sexually deceptive orchids in the Mediterranean Basin. Despite Ophrys pollinated by Andrena male bees use alkanes and mainly alkenes with specific double-bond positions as key signals that trigger pseudocopulatory behavior, some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with low molecular weight were found as long-range attractants non-eliciting copulatory behavior. Since floral scents in Ophrys have been extensively studied by solvent extractions here we aimed to understand which flor…
Medicinal mushrooms: Valuable biological resources of high exploitation potential
2017
Higher Basidiomycetes and Ascomycetes mushrooms possess various immunological and anticancer properties. They also offer important health benefits and exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, cytotoxic, immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, antiallergic, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, antidiabetic, digestive, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, osteoprotective, and hypotensive activities. This minireview summarizes the perspectives, recent advances, and major challenges of medicinal mushrooms with reference to their nutraceutical properties and dietary value, the production of mushroom biomass …
Effect of addition of Opuntia ficus-indica mucilage on the biological leavening, physical, nutritional, antioxidant and sensory aspects of bread
2019
The addition of active compounds to enhance the functional properties of foods is a quite common practice. Recently, bread became one of the target foods to incorporate functional ingredients such as those deriving from Opuntia spp. So far, only Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes in powder has been tested. The addition of fresh O. ficus-indica mucilage (in substitution to water) did not influence the biological leavening of the doughs. The resulting breads showed a biological role of the cactus mucilage, because their antioxidant activity was higher than that of control wheat bread. The sensory analysis indicated a general appreciation of the breads enriched with O. ficus-indica mucilage by the …
A Metabarcoding Survey on the Fungal Microbiota Associated to the Olive Fruit Fly.
2017
The occurrence of interaction between insects and fungi is interesting from an ecological point of view, particularly when these interactions involve insect pests and plant pathogens within an agroecosystem. In this study, we aimed to perform an accurate analysis on the fungal microbiota associated to Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) through a metabarcoding approach based on 454 pyrosequencing. From this analysis, we retrieved 43,549 reads that clustered into 128 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), of which 29 resulted in the “core” associate fungi of B. oleae. This fungal community was mainly represented by sooty mould fungi, such as Cladosporium spp., Alternaria spp. and Aureobasidium spp., by pl…
Novel biocatalysts for glycerol conversion into 2,3-butanediol
2016
Abstract Bioconversion of biodiesel-derived waste glycerol into high-value products is proposed as a solution to improve economic viability of biorefineries. Several microorganisms are able to metabolize glycerol into 2,3-butanediol (2,3-BD), a promising bulk chemical with wide applications: solvent, fuel additive, and feedstock for synthetic rubber production, among them. In the present work, a wide screening of microorganisms present both into the waste water treatment system in a biodiesel industry and in culture collections was carried out in order to evaluate their potential as new 2,3-BD producer biocatalysts. Two microorganisms for 2,3-BD production from glycerol as sole carbon sourc…
Anhydrobiosis in yeasts: Glutathione synthesis by yeast Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha cells after their dehydration-rehydration.
2019
The possibility of using active dry microbial preparations in biotechnological processes is essential for the development of new modern industrial technologies. In this study, we show the possibility of obtaining such preparations of the genetically engineered yeast strain Ogataea (Hansenula) polymorpha with glutathione overproduction. Special pre-treatment involving the gradual rehydration of dry cells in water vapour led to the restoration/reactivation of almost 100% of dehydrated cells. Furthermore, dry cells do not lose their viability during storage at room temperatures. Application of dry cells as the inoculum provides the same levels of glutathione synthesis as that of a native yeast…
Characterization of the Copper Transporters from Lotus spp. and Their Involvement under Flooding Conditions
2019
Forage legumes are an important livestock nutritional resource, which includes essential metals, such as copper. Particularly, the high prevalence of hypocuprosis causes important economic losses to Argentinian cattle agrosystems. Copper deficiency in cattle is partially due to its low content in forage produced by natural grassland, and is exacerbated by flooding conditions. Previous results indicated that incorporation of Lotus spp. into natural grassland increases forage nutritional quality, including higher copper levels. However, the biological processes and molecular mechanisms involved in copper uptake by Lotus spp. remain poorly understood. Here, we identify four genes that encode p…
Specific binding of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ea toxin, and Cry1Ac and Cry1Fa competition analyses in Anticarsia gemmatalis and Chrysodeixis include…
2019
AbstractAnticarsia gemmatalis (velvetbean caterpillar) and Chrysodeixis includens (soybean looper) are two important defoliation pests of soybeans. In the present study, we have investigated the susceptibility and brush border membrane-binding properties of both species to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ea toxin. Bioassays performed in first-instar larvae demonstrated potent activity against both soybean pests in terms of mortality or practical mortality. Competition-binding studies carried out with 125Iodine-labelled Cry1Ea, demonstrated the presence of specific binding sites on the midgut brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of both insect species. Heterologous competition-binding experiment…