Pu’er raw tea, a representative tea with a positive correlation between quality and storage time, has a unique aging process. It can not only reduce the heavy astringent taste of newly produced tea, but also has a complex and fragrant aging aroma. However, the extremely slow natural aging process often takes years or even decades for quality transformation, along with the risk of termite infestation, odor absorption, etc. This study found that UV-C irradiation could significantly accelerate the aging process of tea. It enhanced the richness of the aroma, while reducing astringency and creating a smoother and mellower taste. The results of substances analysis revealed an increase in key aroma compounds such as alcohols, aldehydes and terpenes, and a decrease in catechin and caffeine with UV-C irradiation, which is consistent with the natural aging trend. An efficient and safe rapid aging technology of Pu’er raw tea has been successfully established.
ABSTRACT Surfactin, a lipopeptide antibiotic and quorum‐sensing (QS) mediator from Bacillus subtilis, has dual functions in microbial ecology and plant disease suppression. This study engineered B. subtilis R31 to overproduce comK and phrC, key regulators of surfactin biosynthesis, increasing surfactin yield by 45% compared to the WT strain. While elevated surfactin enhanced antimicrobial potential, comK‐mediated overproduction impaired biofilm formation and swarming motility, but rhizosphere colonisation was mostly unaffected. 16S rRNA sequencing of banana rhizospheres showed that surfactin selectively shaped the microbial community by enriching beneficial Bacillus species. Mechanistic studies confirmed surfactin's dual role as an antimicrobial and an intercellular signalling molecule for coordinated development in Bacillus populations. These results reveal the molecular mechanisms of R31‐mediated suppression of banana Fusarium wilt and offer a strategy for engineering synthetic microbial consortia by manipulating metabolic signalling pathways.
Archna Dhasmana, Ayushi Santhanam, Khushi Dhasmana
et al.
Cancer is still a major health concern worldwide, requiring ongoing improvements in methods of diagnosis and treatment. During the past decade, smart biosensors have become essential instruments in cancer theranostics, improving diagnosis accuracy, tracking treatment efficacy, and customizing patient care. This review thoroughly investigates how smart biosensors have revolutionized the field of cancer. The potential of major technical advancements, such as wearable technology, microfluidic platforms, and sensors based on nanomaterials to identify cancer biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity is investigated. A detailed discussion is held regarding clinical applications that include early diagnosis, real-time monitoring of therapy responses, and support for personalized medicine techniques. Future directions targeted at optimizing the therapeutic utility of smart biosensors in oncology are also examined, along with issues pertaining to regulatory routes and clinical translation hurdles. This study highlights the potential of smart biosensors to transform cancer treatment, bringing in a new era of precision medicine and better patient outcomes by combining insights from multiple viewpoints.
Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Sylwia Stępniewska, Agnieszka Salamon, Grażyna Cacak-Pietrzak
et al.
This study aimed to evaluate the use of oyster mushroom (<i>Pleurotus ostreatus</i>) powder (OMP) for producing rye bread. The raw materials were low-extract rye flour and OMP, which were analyzed in terms of their nutritional and health-promoting qualities. Mixtures of rye flour with OMP were prepared, replacing 5, 7.5, and 10% rye flour with OMP. The baking quality of the tested flour samples was assessed based on their water absorption, falling number, and amylograph and swelling curve tests. The laboratory baking test was carried out using the sourdough method, prepared based on LV2 starter cultures, and the bread samples were assessed in terms of their technological, sensory, and nutritional characteristics, as well as the antioxidant potential. The OMP was characterized by a high content of basic nutrition components and a higher antioxidant potential. The addition of OMP increased the nutritional value of the rye flour and its water absorption, significantly prolonged the starch gelatinization time, and increased the xylolytic activity of the flour. The OMP enhanced the bread’s dietary fiber, minerals, protein, and phenolic compounds, and boosted its antioxidant potential. Also, the starch present in the bread with OMP was characterized by a higher pro-health value due to a higher share of slowly digestible starch. Incorporating 7.5% OMP into the rye bread formula positively affected the bread’s sensory profile in contrast to the bread with a 10% addition of OMP.
Background: Numerous natural substances with various pharmacological properties can be discovered in medicinal plants. Pithecellobium dulce (Roxb.) Benth is a traditional medicinal plant, belonging to the family Leguminosae. The various parts of the P. dulce plant are traditionally used to treat a wide range of health disorders in numerous countries. Purpose: The aim of this investigation is to demonstrate the phytochemical profiling of methanol and acetonitrile leaf extracts of P. dulce and evaluate their antioxidant activity and antibacterial potential against pathogenic bacteria. Materials and methods: The methanol and acetonitrile extracts of P. dulce leaf were extracted and characterized by using GCMS– and FTIR. Further evaluation was done for an understanding of the biomedical uses of P. dulce. The antibacterial activity of the extracts was monitored against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus. The antioxidant activity of extracts was conducted by using DPPH and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity, and total antioxidant activity was performed by phosphomolybdenum assay. Results: A total of twenty-three compounds were tentatively identified through GC–MS; five of these were associated with the methanolic extracts, while eighteen were with the acetonitrile extract. The tentatively identified compounds present in acetonitrile leaf extract were 2-nonynoic acid; pentane, 2,4-dimethyl-; lupeo; phytol; propiolic acid; bicyclo(2.2.1), and heptane-5-(ethyl-1-amine). Propanamide; N-methyl-2-amino-; ethane, 1‑chloro-1-fluoro; nitrous oxide; oxirane, (ethoxymethyl)- and 2,5-cyclooctadien-1-ol were the compounds found in methanol extract. FTIR analysis identified various functional groups in the leaf extracts, indicating the presence of alcohols, phenols, unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons, amines, flavonoids, and halogenated compounds. Acetonitrile and methanolic P. dulce leaf extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Methanolic and acetonitrile leaf extracts exhibited the highest zone of inhibition against E. coli (21 ± 1.1 mm) and B. subtilis (20.6 ± 0.5 mm). Conclusion: This study highlighted the presence of different phytochemicals that showed anti-bacterial and antioxidant activities. Therefore, P. dulce leaf extracts may play a significant role in inhibiting human infections.
Audre Preena Maria Sundar Raj, Gayathri Selvakumar, James Clement
et al.
Abstract Aging, a complex biological process, entails sequential changes in organisms that elevate the risk of frailty, disease, and mortality, affecting individuals at the level of cellular, organ, and organism. This process is influenced by genetic diversity, socioeconomic status, healthcare infrastructure, lifestyle choices, and cultural practices. Gerontology delves into the factors shaping longevity, aging processes, and aging from both evolutionary and individual perspectives. Centenarians and supercentenarians serve as models for studying exceptional longevity, offering insights into the aging process and resistance to age-related diseases. This research investigates common genetic variations (SNPs) shared among 3 centenarians and 18 supercentenarians, individuals aged 110 years or older. 754,520 SNPs were found to be common among all the 21 samples. Utilizing SNPnexus, a genetic variant annotation tool, we annotated coding variants and assessed potential disease susceptibilities associated with these variants. Ensembl was used as an annotation system, we annotated 1,607,122 variants, and found 11,348 coding variants. Among them, 4980 had non-synonymous variants, and 110 variants were observed to have deleterious effects. These deleterious SNPs were linked with 79 genes among them 16 novel variants were identified in 9 genes. The population frequency comparison using the 1000 Genomes Project and gnomAD revealed that a subset of these common, non-synonymous SNPs and deleterious SNPs had minor allele frequencies (MAF) below 1% or were absent entirely, suggesting potential rare variants specific to this cohort. In addition, we also found statistically significant (p < 0.05) 148 enriched pathways, among them the top enriched pathways such as extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, signal transduction, disease-associated pathways, sensory processing and metabolism of proteins and RNA. These preliminary findings may help prioritize candidate variants and genes for future studies on larger cohorts with appropriate controls can help in understanding the genetic basis of exceptional longevity.
Obaidullah Mohiuddin, Adam P. Harvey, Maria Teresa Orta Ledesma
et al.
Over the past two decades, interest in pollutant removal by yeasts has grown substantially. Yeasts can remove high amounts of pollutants at low production costs under non-sterile conditions. This work presents a compilation of the studies carried out regarding the potential application of yeasts in the treatment of wastewater. For example, a summary is presented on data about various yeast strains that are used to treat wastewater. The study will help the decision-making process for the selection of yeast for a type of wastewater and support research efforts by acquiring an overview of advancements in this area. Yeast treatment is versatile and has outstanding adaptability to varying treatment conditions. The effectiveness of yeast in treating wastewater is influenced by multiple factors. Yeast technology could potentially be retrofitted to existing activated sludge processes or be used instead of bacteria. Within its characteristics, we can observe tolerance to low pH (3.0–5.0), high salinity, high organic loads, antibiotics, and survive in up to 12% v/v alcohol mixtures. In fact, using low pH for yeast cultivation reduces bacterial contamination and supports yeast domination under non-sterile conditions. Laboratory-scale trials for yeast wastewater treatment have shown improvement over the past two decades; however, efficiencies differ according to the type of wastewater. In general, yeast offers several benefits compared to traditional microbial treatment methods, especially in its capacity to effectively process diverse organic carbon sources. However, it still must be proven to be an effective technology at an industrial scale.How to cite: Mohiuddin O, Harvey A, Orta Ledesma MT, et al. Bioremediation of waste by yeast strains. Electron J Biotechnol 2024;69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2024.01.005.
Sekip Sadiye Yasar, Osman Komut, Mehmet Yasar
et al.
This study aimed to determine the risk level of noise, which is an important physical risk, in small and medium-sized furniture industry enterprises. The noise levels of the circular sawing machines, edge banding machines, and mitre cutting machines, which are among the main processing machines of the sector, were measured. The study was carried out in 32 furniture businesses. The possible risks of noise on the operators of the machines in question and other employees were evaluated. Noise level measurements were made with the help of TESTO 815 measuring device. Dunnett’s T3 test was used to detect differences in noise levels for machine operators and other employees. It was determined that the edge banding machine does not pose an occupational health and safety risk in terms of noise risk factors. However, the mitre cutting machine and the circular sawing machine pose a risk for the machine operator in active production by creating noise above the established exposure limit value. The mitre cutting machine carries the same risk for the machine operator when it is in operation but in passive production. The results revealed the need for personal protective equipment for machine operators for mitre cutting and circular sawing machine.
Farhan Kursheed, Asraar Tabassum, Umme Farwa
et al.
Background and Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a significant global health threat. Infections caused by Multi Drug-Resistant (MDR) bacteria pose formidable challenges in terms of treatment options and patient outcomes. Pus cultures serve as crucial diagnostic tools in identifying the agents responsible for various infections, and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns which help in establishment of empirical therapy guidelines. This study was conducted to determine the pathogen and its susceptibility pattern from pus cultures and to generate antibiogram in our tertiary care setting.
Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, conducted for a period of six months, from July 2022 to December 2022, in the Pathology Department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Results: Out of total 2507 samples received, 1242 (49.5%) showed positive culture. Among the 1242 positive samples, 364 were Gram positive cocci (GPCs) and 878 were Gram negative rods (GNRs). Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the most common isolate (23%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (22.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.9%), Enterobacter spp. (15.5%) and Escherichia coli (14.2%). Vancomycin was found to be highly effective (100%) against MRSA. GPCs were highly susceptible to linezolid (98%) while GNRs showed high level of sensitivity to colistin (96%) and tigecycline (92%).
Conclusion: The generation of a local antibiogram specific to the hospital setting is essential to effectively manage infections empirically and preserve the efficacy of existing antibiotics. By implementing antimicrobial stewardship practices based on a better understanding of antibiotic susceptibility patterns, we can contribute to the mitigation of antibiotic resistance and improve patient outcomes.
Background. Hordeum bulbosum L. is the only wild species of the genus Hordeum, the gene pool of which is successfully used in introgressive hybridization to increase the genetic diversity of H. vulgare L. When creating introgression forms based on hybrids of H. vulgare with H. bulbosum, it is necessary to take into consideration the ploidy of the parent species, and their genetic features that determine the intensity of the process of H. bulbosum chromosomes elimination in embryogenesis. The purpose of our investigation was to study the features associated with the elimination of bulbous barley chromosomes in embryos obtained in various combinations of crosses involving the tetraploid hybrid H. bulbosum with H. vulgare for its effective use in obtaining introgression lines of H. vulgare. Material and methods. The analysis was performed on 9-15 days old embryos obtained in crosses of the tetraploid hybrid F2 (H. bulbosum A17 (4x) × H. vulgare ‘Borwina’ (4x)) (HbHbHvHv) with ‘Igri’ (2x) and ‘Borwina’ (2x) barley varieties, with H. bulbosum A17 (4x), as well as during its self-pollination. The chromosomal composition of embryos of different ages was analyzed on squashed embryo slides using genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). Results. Among the 11-15 days old embryos obtained from self-pollination of the hybrid, approximately half of the studied ones were mixoploids, while in other embryos the majority of cells contained only the genomic material of H. vulgare. The elimination process was very intensive in crosses of the hybrid with the barley varieties ‘Igri’ (2x) and ‘Borwina’ (2x), and by day 10-11 after pollination cells containing only the genomic material of H. vulgare predominated in all embryos, regardless of the direction of crossing and the variety used. Hybrid embryos with a stable chromosomal composition resulted from a cross of a tetraploid hybrid with H. bulbosum A17 (4x). Embryos with recombinant H. vulgare chromosomes carrying alien genetic material of bulbous barley were identified in all types of crosses. Conclusion. The most efficient way for the mass production of introgression lines of cultivated barley varieties based on the partially fertile hybrid F2 (H. bulbosum A17 (4x) × H. vulgare ‘Borwina’ (4x)), is the crossing with varieties of H. vulgare (2x). The progeny from such crosses will contain only cultivated barley plants, among which it is possible to identify forms with the introgression of H. bulbosum and use already the first generation from their self-pollination for selecting H. vulgare lines carrying the genetic material of bulbous barley in both homologs.
Jungin Kwon, Yu-Sheng Yeh, Satoko Kawarasaki
et al.
Summary: The high thermogenic activity of brown adipose tissue (BAT) has received considerable attention. Here, we demonstrated the role of the mevalonate (MVA) biosynthesis pathway in the regulation of brown adipocyte development and survival. The inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the MVA pathway and the molecular target of statins, suppressed brown adipocyte differentiation by suppressing protein geranylgeranylation-mediated mitotic clonal expansion. The development of BAT in neonatal mice exposed to statins during the fetal period was severely impaired. Moreover, statin-induced geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) deficiency led to the apoptosis of mature brown adipocytes. Brown adipocyte-specific Hmgcr knockout induced BAT atrophy and disrupted thermogenesis. Importantly, both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of HMGCR in adult mice induced morphological changes in BAT accompanied by an increase in apoptosis, and statin-treated diabetic mice showed worsened hyperglycemia. These findings revealed that MVA pathway-generated GGPP is indispensable for BAT development and survival.
Ehab M. Abdalla, Ahlam I. Al-Sulami, Samar A. Aly
et al.
Three new Co (II), Ag (I), and Cd (II) ion complexes were created from the ligand, 2-(phenylglycyl)-N-(p-tolyl)hydrazine-1-carbothioamide (H2LB). The structural makeup of the new compounds was clarified using analytical and spectroscopic techniques. Then, using the Gaussian09 software, geometry optimization was done for each synthesis. Furthermore, the compound's antibacterial and anticancer properties were evaluated against different types of bacteria and the HepG2 cell line using non-irradiated and irradiated complexes, where the complex (A1) is higher than them. It was proposed that only an intercalation or replacement technique was used when the ligand and complexes [Co(H2L)(NO3)2]H2O (B1, A1) interacted with CT-DNA. Calculations were made for the intrinsic binding constant Kb. According to a molecular docking study, the ligands and complexes revealed fascinating interactions with the amino acids in the ribosyltransferase active site. (Code: 3GEY).