Search results for "bacteria"

Cyano-Phycocyanin: Mechanisms of Action on Human Skin and Future Perspectives in Medicine

2022

Cyano-phycocyanin is one of the active pigments of the blue-green algae and is usually isolated from the filamentous cyanobacteria Arthrospira platensis Gomont (Spirulina). Due to its multiple physiological functions and non-toxicity, cyano-phycocyanin may be a potential substance for the topical treatment of various skin diseases. Considering that the conventional medicine faces drug resistance, insufficient efficacy and side effects, the plant origin compounds can act as an alternative option. Thus, the aim of this paper was to review the wound healing, antimicrobial, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antimelanogenic and anticancer properties and mechanisms of cyano-phycocyanin topical ac…

Biodegradation of organophosphorus pesticides by soil bacteria.

2009

A number of studies in the 1980s and 1990s showed that crop-protection products, applied to drained fields, could move downwards through the soil profile and to the groundwater. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) are used all over the world for crop protection, for other agricultural practices such as sheep dipping and, in aquaculture, for the control of sea lice. Ops besides showing a specific neurotoxicity and have also been related to various modern diseases, including Creutzfeldt–Jakob (CJD) and the Gulf War syndrome. Although OPs are less persistent than Organoclorine pesticides (OCs), they still constitute an environmental risks thus increasing the social concern about their levels i…

Nitrogen-fixing cushion Astragalus siculus modulates soil fertility, microclimate, plant facilitation, bacterial and fungal microbiota along an eleva…

2023

Question: Cushion-forming vascular plants are adapted to alpine environments and act as ecosystem engineers by moderating microclimate and creating a fertility island under their canopy. Most of the available studies on cushion ecology have been devoted to plant facilitation, but none used a holistic approach that considers the response of co-existing plant species with other key ecosystem players. Here, we quantified the biogenic effect and facilitation capacity of Astragalus siculus, a spiny nitrogen-fixing cushion plant, and test the hypothesis that the facilitation effect would increase with elevation as stress gradient.Location: Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in the Mediterrane…

bbFISH-ing in the sonication fluid

2019

Abstract By 2030, the annual number of combined total hip and knee arthroplasty is estimated to reach 3.5 to 4 million in the US alone. In the context of a constant increase of the number of primary and revision total hip and knee arthroplasty, an increased risk of complication is expected. Prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) represent major cause of healthcare expenditure and morbidity. PJI still remain the most common and feared arthroplasty complication. A rapid and correct diagnosis of infection is decisive for a correct therapeutical management. In this setting, the Academic Emergency Hospital Sibiu adopted and implemented, with the beginning of September 2016, a new strategy for the di…

The evolution of temperature tolerance and invasiveness in a fluctuating thermal environment

2016

The consequences of the climate change on species are still uncertain, despite of intensive research. Currently, rising temperature is not the only concern, since the climate change scenarios also predict increases in the amount of disturbances, such as storms, floods, and thermal fluctuations. Disturbances have also been shown to affect species’ evolution, for example by selecting for traits that are advantageous in fluctuating environments but are also facilitating invasiveness. In this thesis, I study the consequences of evolving in a fluctuating thermal environment by utilizing bacterial microcosms. First I tested the effects of fluctuating vs. constant temperature on the evolution of t…

Discovery of a new class of sortase a transpeptidase inhibitors to tackle gram-positive pathogens: 2-(2-phenylhydrazinylidene)alkanoic acids and rela…

2016

A FRET-based random screening assay was used to generate hit compounds as sortase A inhibitors that allowed us to identify ethyl 3-oxo-2-(2-phenylhydrazinylidene)butanoate as an example of a new class of sortase A inhibitors. Other analogues were generated by changing the ethoxycarbonyl function for a carboxy, cyano or amide group, or introducing substituents in the phenyl ring of the ester and acid derivatives. The most active derivative found was 3-oxo-2-(2-(3,4dichlorophenyl)hydrazinylidene)butanoic acid (2b), showing an IC50 value of 50 µM. For a preliminary assessment of their antivirulence properties the new derivatives were tested for their antibiofilm activity. The most active compo…

Preliminary Investigation of Biogenic Amines in Type I Sourdoughs Produced at Home and Bakery Level

2022

During a survey for isolating sourdough lactic acid bacteria (LAB), 20 dough samples produced at the bakery level (BL) or home-made (HM) were collected. An enzyme-based colorimetric method revealed a total biogenic amines (BAs) concentration in the range 41.4–251.8 ppm for six (three BL and three HM) sourdoughs characterised by unpleasant odours. Eight BAs generally investigated in foods were identified and quantified from these six samples by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). Only one HM sample contained almost all analysed BAs. Tryptamine was exclusively detected in HM sourdoughs (0.71–24.1 ppm). Putrescine, tryptamine, …

Approccio multiplo per l’indagine del microbiota dominante negli impasti acidi tradizionali siciliani

2011

Microbial resources and sparkling wine differentiation : state of the arts

2022

Consumers’ increasing interest in sparkling wine has enhanced the global market’s demand. The pro-technological yeasts strains selected for the formulation of microbial starter cultures are a fundamental parameter for exalting the quality and safety of the final product. Nowadays, the management of the employed microbial resource is highly requested by stakeholders, because of the increasing economic importance of this oenological sector. Here, we report an overview of the production processes of sparkling wine and the main characterisation criteria to select Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces strains appropriate for the preparation of commercial starter cultures dedicated to the primary a…

Actividad antifúngica y antitoxigénica in vitro y en alimentos de bacterias ácido lácticas

2020

El desarrollo de hongos en materias primas, alimentos y piensos puede ser responsable de pérdidas económicas considerables por disminuir la calidad y reducir la vida media de todos ellos. Además, algunos hongos pueden producir compuestos potencialmente tóxicos, lo que supone un problema de seguridad alimentaria para los consumidores. La bioconservación es un concepto que se refiere al empleo de microorganismos o sus productos metabólicos en los alimentos, para inhibir el crecimiento o destruir microorganismos no deseados, con el objetivo de mejorar la seguridad, conservar la calidad y extender la vida útil de los productos alimenticios. La presente Tesis Doctoral tiene por objeto el estudio…