Search results for "VUS"
showing 10 items of 422 documents
Aflatoxins and A. flavus Reduction in Loaf Bread through the Use of Natural Ingredients
2018
In this study, the antifungal activity of yellow mustard (YMF) and oriental mustard (OMF) meal extracts against 14 strains of fungi was tested on a solid medium. The results obtained with the YMF were next confirmed in liquid medium determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum fungicide concentration (MFC). Finally, the use of YMF as a natural preservative to extend the useful life of bread was evaluated. Breads with different concentrations of YMF (2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg) were prepared and contaminated with Aspergillus flavus ISPA 8111 and Penicillium nordicum CECT 2320. For 10 days the formation of mycelium was observed, and after that the fungal growth and the mycot…
Chemical host detection and differential attraction in a parasitic pea crab infecting two echinoids
2011
Mechanisms of host detection and host choice are important for mobile parasites or symbionts that frequently move among host individuals. The parasitic pea crab Dissodactylus primitivus is an ectoparasite exploiting asymmetrically two spatangoid echinoid hosts, Meoma ventricosa and Plagiobrissus grandis. The entire life cycle takes place on M. ventricosa, while only adults colonize P. grandis, the host where female's fecundity is the greatest. Dissodactylus primitivus frequently exhibits host-switching, a behaviour that raises the question of host detection. To test if adult crabs are able to detect potential hosts and are attracted to the host where their fitness is greater, crab olfactory…
Antifungal activity of peracetic acid against toxigenic fungal contaminants of maize and barley at the postharvest stage
2021
Abstract Contamination of maize and barley grain during storage by the toxigenic fungi Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) and Penicillium Verrucosum (P. verrucosum) is both an economic and a public health problem, especially in less industrialized countries. Peracetic acid (PA) is a compound used for the disinfection of food and food contact surfaces. Unlike other disinfectants, it leaves no toxic residues and its decomposition products (CH3COOH, O2 and H2O) are environmentally friendly. In order to apply PA to preserve maize and barley grain during storage, first, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) against both fungi were determined in a 96-we…
Biopreservation of tomatoes using fermented media by lactic acid bacteria
2020
Abstract Post-harvest spoilage fungi in tomatoes represent an economic loss for industry and consumers. There is currently an increasing demand for novel applications of bio-preservatives as replacers of chemical additives and pesticides in food. In this study, nine lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from tomato and sourdough were screened for antifungal activity in vitro against 33 fungal strains and used as bio-preservatives of tomato inoculated with Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus flavus. The identification of the compounds potentially responsible for the antifungal activity, such as organic acids, phenolic acids and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), were identified and quantifi…
Crocus sativus L. Ecotypes from Mediterranean Countries: Phenological, Morpho-Productive, Qualitative and Genetic Traits
2021
The characterization of C. sativus ecotypes is of great interest for preserving them from a possible genetic erosion due to the decrease of European cultivation surface. In this study, we evaluated four ecotypes from Italy (Sardinia and Abruzzo), Spain (Castilla-La Mancha), and Greece (Kozani) in order to detect the existence of variability and promote the biodiversity of this crop. Thirty-one traits related to saffron flowering, flower morphology, production of spice and daughter corms, vegetative development (leaf and corm traits), and spice quality, were evaluated. In addition, a genetic analysis through three PCR-based approaches, SSRs, RAPD, and SRAP was assessed. Results highlighted a…
The Amount of Melanin Influences p16 Loss in Spitzoid Melanocytic Lesions: Correlation With CDKN2A Status by FISH and MLPA.
2019
AIMS The risk assessment of spitzoid lesions is one of the most difficult challenges in dermatopathology practice. In this regard, the loss of p16 expression and the homozygous deletion of CDKN2A, have been pointed in the literature as reliable indicators of high risk. However, these findings are poorly reproducible, and the molecular bases underlying the loss of p16 expression remain unclear. We aimed to identify the underlying events causing loss of CDKN2A/p16 in spitzoid tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS We evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of p16, and the presence of CDKN2A genetic alterations detected through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and multiplex ligation-depen…
Assessment of azole fungicides as a tool to control growth of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 and B2 production in maize
2017
ABSTRACTAspergillus flavus is a highly aflatoxin (AF)-producing species infecting maize and other crops. It is dominant in tropical regions, but it is also considered an emerging problem associated with climate change in Europe. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of azole fungicides (prochloraz, tebuconazole and a 2:1 (w/w) mixture of prochloraz plus tebuconazole) to control the growth of A. flavus and AF production in yeast-extract–sucrose (YES) agar and in maize kernels under different water activities (aw) and temperatures. Aflatoxins B1 and B2 were determined by LC with fluorescence detection and post-column derivatisation of AFB1. In YES medium and maize grains inoculated…
Reduction of the aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 in Italian piadina by isothiocyanates
2016
Abstract Aflatoxins (AFs) are mycotoxins produced mainly by the molds Aspergillus flavus , Aspergillus parasiticus and A . nomius . These mycotoxins are contaminants of cereals. AFB 1 , the most abundant and toxic metabolite, is known to cause several toxic responses, such as hepatotoxicity, teratogenicity and mutagenicity. Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are natural compounds produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates (GLs), which have shown potent antimicrobial activity in food applications. In this study, ITCs derived from oriental and yellow mustard (0.1, 0.5 and 1 g of flour) were used to avoid the production of AFs in piadina (a typical Italian flatbread) contaminated with A . para…
An Algorithm Combining Patient Performance Status, Second Hit Analysis, PROVEAN and Dann Prediction Tools Could Foretell Sensitization to PARP Inhibi…
2021
Simple Summary PARP inhibitors, a family of targeted cancer therapeutics, have been shown to be efficient in patients with some deficiencies in the homologous recombination machinery. However, a quick and reliable identification of patients who would benefit from such therapies remains a challenge. In particular, patients with tumors carrying variants of unknown significance (VUS) in homologous recombination genes do not currently benefit from PARP inhibitor treatments. In this study, we present an algorithm that may allow classification of these variants with regard to their impact on tumor responsiveness to PARP inhibitors. If validated on a larger patient sample, our algorithm would allo…
Monitoring of wheat lactic acid bacteria from the field until the first step of dough fermentation.
2017
The present work was carried out to retrieve the origin of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in sourdough. To this purpose, wheat LAB were monitored from ear harvest until the first step of fermentation for sourdough development. The influence of the geographical area and variety on LAB species/strain composition was also determined. The ears of four Triticum durum varieties (Duilio, Iride, Saragolla and Simeto) were collected from several fields located within the Palermo province (Sicily, Italy) and microbiologically investigated. In order to trace the transfer of LAB during the consecutive steps of manipulation, ears were transformed aseptically and, after threshing, milling and fermentation, s…