Wendita calysina (commonly known as burrito) is an indigenous Paraguayan medical plat, whose essential oil (EO) is characterized by some pharmaceutical properties. In particular, the main component is D-carvone, with anticancer action and antimicrobial properties against various microorganisms. In this work, supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) was used for the extraction of volatile compounds from this plant, selecting different operative conditions to optimize the extract yield and purity. Pressure was varied from 80 to 250 bar, and two CO2 flow rates (0.8 kg/h and 1.2 kg/h) were tested. The highest EO percentage in the extract was obtained operating at 100 bar and 40 °C, using ground Wendita calysina leaves of 250 µm. CO2 flow rate did not influence the extraction yield, indicating that an internal mass transfer resistance governs this process. The largely prevailing compound identified in the extract was D-carvone, with a mean percentage up to 90% w/w.

Liposomes are spherical vesicles made up of an aqueous core surrounded by phospholipids. These delivery systems (DS) are largely employed as drug carriers in several industrial fields, such as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields. The aim of this short review is to provide a fast overview on the main fundamentals of liposomes, thought as a compact guide for researchers and students that want to approach this topic for the first time. The mini-review will focus on the definitions, production methods and characterization protocols of the liposomes produced, making a critical comparison of the main conventional and supercritical based manufacturing methods available. The literature was analyzed deeply from the first works by Dr. Bangham in 1965 to the most recent supercritical fluid applications. The advantages and disadvantages of conventional and high-pressure processes will be described in terms of solvent elimination, production at the nanometric (50−300 nm) and micrometric level (... [more]

Several molds are able to colonize wood and many building products or solid wood causing losses for their valuable uses. Essential oils (EOs) from aromatic plants can be used as an ecofriendly biofungicide against the growth of several molds. EOs from Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Citrus aurantium, and C. sinensis have a broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. EOs from of E. camaldulensis air-dried aerial parts, C. aurantium leaf and C. sinensis peel, and their combinations (1:1 v/v) were evaluated for their antifungal activity against the growth of four common mold fungi (Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, A. terreus, and Fusarium culmorum). The chemical compositions of the EOs were analyzed with GC/MS. The main compounds in EO from E. camaldulensis were spathulenol (20.84%), eucalyptol (12.01%), and sabinene (9.73%); in C. aurantium were linalyl acetate (42.29%), and linalool (29.76%); and in C. sinensis were D-limonene (73.4%) and γ-terpinene (22.6%). At 50 µL/mL, C. sinensis EO showed the hi... [more]

Collagenofibrotic glomerulopathy, a collagen type III kidney disease, is associated with proteinuria and accumulation ofcollagen type III in the glomerulus specifically the mesangium and/or capillary walls. The puromcyin aminonucleoside (PAN) nephropathy model was evaluated to examine the relation between COL3A1 mRNA and proteinuria. In Wistar rats administered PAN, a robust increase in proteinuria was accompanied by glomerular hypertrophy and expansion of both the Bowman’s capsule and Bowman’s space. An ~4-fold increase in renal COL3A1 mRNA was observed in the PAN cohort with urine protein exhibiting a direct (r = 0.8) and significant correlation with kidney COL3A1 mRNA level. Both Picrosirius red polarized microscopy and immunohistochemical analysis showed localization of collagen type III to the glomerular mesangium. Gene ontology-driven transcriptomic analysis reveals a robust COL3A1 network in the glomerular compartment.

The study monitored the effect of tetracycline on bacterial biofilm formation and compared biofilm formation by resistant bacterial strains in different phases of the wastewater treatment process in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The crystal violet staining method was used to evaluate the biofilm formation. Biofilm-related bacterial properties were characterized by hydrophobicity, autoaggregation and motility tests. The relative abundance of tetracycline resistance genes (tetW, tetM, tetO, tetA and tetB) in wastewaters were subsequently quantified using qPCR. The results show that the isolates from the nitrification tank produce biofilm with up to 10 times greater intensity relative to the isolates from the sedimentation tank. In isolates of Aeromonas sp. from the nitrification tank, increased biofilm production in the occurrence of tetracycline from a concentration of 0.03125 µg/mL was observed. The tetW gene showed the highest relative abundance out of all the tested genes. From... [more]

According to reports published, the aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of 19−25 nucleotide-long small non-coding RNAs, is responsible for human cancers, including nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). The dysregulation of miRNAs that act either as a tumor suppressor or oncogene, leading to a wide range of NPC pathogenesis pathways, includes the proliferation, invasion, migration as well as the metastasis of NPC cells. This article reviews and highlights recent advances in the studies of miRNAs in NPC, with a specific demonstration of the functions of miRNA, especially circulating miRNAs, in the pathway of NPC pathogenesis. Additionally, the possible use of miRNAs as early screening and prognostic biomarkers and for therapeutic molecular monitoring has been extensively studied.

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a promising renewable energy option, which enables the effective and sustainable harvesting of electrical power due to bacterial activity and, at the same time, can also treat wastewater and utilise organic wastes or renewable biomass. However, the practical implementation of MFCs is limited and, therefore, it is important to improve their performance before they can be scaled up. The surface modification of anode material is one way to improve MFC performance by enhancing bacterial cell adhesion, cell viability and extracellular electron transfer. The modification of graphite felt (GF), used as an anode in MFCs, by electrochemical oxidation followed by the treatment with ethylenediamine or p-phenylenediamine in one-step short duration reactions with the aim of introducing amino groups on the surface of GF led to the enhancement of the overall performance characteristics of MFCs. The MFC with the anode from GF modified with p-phenylenediamine provided app... [more]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). To date, there have been more than 10 million reported cases, more than 517,000 deaths in 215 countries, areas or territories. There is no effective antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-19. Natural products and traditional medicine products with known safety profiles are a promising source for the discovery of new drug leads. There is increasing number of publications reporting the effect of natural products and traditional medicine products on COVID-19. In our review, we provide an overview of natural products and their derivatives or mimics, as well as traditional medicine products, which were reported to exhibit potential to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro, and to manage COVID-19 in vivo, or in clinical reports or trials. These natural products and traditional medicine products are categorized in several classes: (1) anti-malaria drugs including chloroquine an... [more]

Lung cancer, as the leading cause of death in oncology is one of the most challenging diseases nowadays. Even after the implementation of checkpoint inhibitors and targeted therapy as a standard of therapy for metastatic disease, the chemotherapy backbone remains essential in the treatment of these patients. This study aimed to evaluate how administration particularities in chemotherapy and toxicity management can influence the outcome. We conducted a retrospective single-institution study, at Elias University Emergency Hospital, Bucharest, Romania, between 2014 and 2018, in a heterogeneous patient population with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that received combination chemotherapy. The inclusion criteria for this trial were—histological proof of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), stage IV disease, ECOG (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status of a maximum of two, treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy for at least four courses (patients with fewer courses were e... [more]

Although cell-based therapies show potential antiarrhythmic effects that could be mediated by their paracrine action, the mechanisms and the extent of these effects were not deeply explored. We investigated the antiarrhythmic mechanisms of extracellular vesicles secreted by cardiosphere-derived cell extracellular vesicles (CDC-EVs) on the electrophysiological properties and gene expression profile of HL1 cardiomyocytes. HL-1 cultures were primed with CDC-EVs or serum-free medium alone for 48 h, followed by optical mapping and gene expression analysis. In optical mapping recordings, CDC-EVs reduced the activation complexity of the cardiomyocytes by 40%, increased rotor meandering, and reduced rotor curvature, as well as induced an 80% increase in conduction velocity. HL-1 cells primed with CDC-EVs presented higher expression of SCN5A, CACNA1C, and GJA1, coding for proteins involved in INa, ICaL, and Cx43, respectively. Our results suggest that CDC-EVs reduce activation complexity by inc... [more]

Recently, modelling and simulation have been used and applied to understand biological systems better. Therefore, the development of precise computational models of a biological system is essential. This model is a mathematical expression derived from a series of parameters of the system. The measurement of parameter values through experimentation is often expensive and time-consuming. However, if a simulation is used, the manipulation of computational parameters is easy, and thus the behaviour of a biological system model can be altered for a better understanding. The complexity and nonlinearity of a biological system make parameter estimation the most challenging task in modelling. Therefore, this paper proposes a hybrid of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Harmony Search (HS), also known as PSOHS, designated to determine the kinetic parameter values of essential amino acids, mainly aspartate metabolism, in Arabidopsis thaliana. Three performance measurements are used in this pap... [more]

Oxidative stress is considered one of the factors that cause dysfunction and damage of neurons, causing diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD).Recently, natural antioxidant sources have emerged as one of the main research areas for the discovery of potential neuroprotectants that can be used to treat neurological diseases. In this research, we assessed the neuroprotective effect of a 70% ethanol Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix (SMR) extract and five of its constituent compounds (tanshinone IIA, caffeic acid, salvianolic acid B, rosmarinic acid, and salvianic acid A) in HT-22 hippocampal cells. The experimental data showed that most samples were effective in attenuating the cytotoxicity caused by glutamate in HT-22 cells, except for rosmarinic acid and salvianolic acid B. Of the compounds tested, tanshinone IIA (TS-IIA) exerted the strongest effect in protecting HT-22 cells against glutamate neurotoxin. Treatment with 400 n... [more]

The present study focused on the development of a new method to determine the lag phase of Lactobacillus in breast milk which was attained during the 1st, 3rd, and 6th month (M1, M3, and M6). The colonies’ phylogenetic analysis, derived from the 16S rRNA gene sequences, was evaluated with genus Lactobacillus pentosus and achieved a similarity value of 99%. Raman spectroscopy in optical densities of 600 nm (OD600) were used for six consecutive days to observe the changes of the cell growth rate. The values of OD600 were well fitted with the regression model. From this work, M1 was found to be the longest lag phase in 18 h, and it was 17% to 27% longer compared to M3 and M6, respectively. However, the samples of M3 and M6 showed the shortest duration in reaching 0.5 of OD600 nm (16 h) which was enhanced by 80% and 96% compared to M1, respectively. These studies will be of significance when applied in determining the bacteria growth curve and in assessing the growth behavior for the strai... [more]

Mercury is a toxic element that harms organisms and disturbs biogeochemical cycles. Mercury bioremediation is based on the reduction of Hg (II) to Hg (0) by mercury-resistant bacteria. Cupriavidus metallidurans MSR33 possesses a broad-spectrum mercury resistance. This study aims to establish the effects of mercury on growth, oxygen uptake, and mercury removal parameters by C. metallidurans MSR33 in aqueous solution during aerobic and anaerobic mercury bioremediation. A new culture medium (GBC) was designed. The effects of mercury (II) (20 ppm) on growth parameters, oxygen uptake, and mercury removal were evaluated in GBC medium in a bioreactor (3 L) under aerobiosis. The anaerobic kinetics of mercury removal was evaluated by nitrogen replacement during mercury bioremediation in a bioreactor. Strain MSR33 reached a growth rate of µ = 0.43 h−1 in the bioreactor. Mercury inhibited oxygen uptake and bacterial growth; however, this inhibition was reversed after 5 h. Strain MSR33 was able to... [more]

Mathematical modelling of bioprocesses has a long and notable history, with eminent contributions from fields including microbiology, ecology, biophysics, chemistry, statistics, control theory and mathematical theory. This richness of ideas and breadth of concepts provide great motivation for inquisitive engineers and intrepid scientists to try their hand at modelling, and this collaboration of disciplines has also delivered significant milestones in the quality and application of models for both theoretical and practical interrogation of engineered biological systems. The focus of this review is the anaerobic digestion process, which, as a technology that has come in and out of fashion, remains a fundamental process for addressing the global climate emergency. Whether with conventional anaerobic digestion systems, biorefineries, or other anaerobic technologies, mathematical models are important tools that are used to design, monitor, control and optimise the process. Both highly struc... [more]

Immobilization process improves the enzyme properties, like stability, activity, selectivity or specificity. In the study, a novel cysteine-functionalized MxOy (ZrO2, SiO2) material was used as a support for the immobilization of laccase from Trametes versicolor. The proposed matrix was prepared using a simple sol-gel method. The cysteine was introduced during the synthesis of a sample. Additionally, the obtained supports were modified with glutaraldehyde. The basic properties of the prepared cysteine functionalized ZrO2 and SiO2 were determined using spectroscopic, thermal, porous, electrostatic and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the obtained biocatalytic systems were used as catalysts in the oxidation of sulfonic acid. Catalytic and kinetic parameters were determined based on the proposed model reaction. Next, laccase immobilized on ZrO2- and SiO2-based materials were, for the first time, utilized in the decolorization of Alizarin Red S. In that process, the influence of duration,... [more]

Bioremediation of contaminated sites is usually limited due to the inadequate availability of nutrients and microorganisms. This study was conducted to assess the impact of bioaugmentation (BA) and biostimulation (BS) on petroleum hydrocarbon degradation efficiency. In addition, treatment performance and kinetics of different remediation processes were investigated. For this purpose, four tanks containing oil-contaminated soils were tested. Tank 1 was operated as the natural attenuation process. Then, a microbial inoculum and nutrients were added to tank 2 to promote BA and BS. In tank 3, only the BA process was adopted, whereas in tank 4, only the BS process was adopted. After 63 days of operation, the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in tank 2 was reduced from 1674 to 430 mg/kg, with 74% reduction. Tank 1, tank 3, and tank 4 indicated TPH reductions of 35%, 41%, and 66%, respectively. Microbiological analysis of the inoculum indicated that Alcanivorax was the dominant bacterium. The... [more]

A novel nanobiosensor was constructed with graphene oxide (GO) sheets coupled to pear extract-based green-synthesised silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) to which cytochrome P450-2D6 (CYP2D6) enzyme was attached. The biosensor was applied in the electrochemical detection of the tuberculosis (TB) treatment drugs, ethambutol (EMB) and pyrazinamide (PZA). The surface morphology of the green-synthesised nanocomposites was studied by performing High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) and High-Resolution Scanning Electron Microscopy (HR-SEM). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman Spectroscopy were used for structural analysis, while Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis) Spectroscopy was used in the optical characterisation of the nanocomposite material. Electrochemical studies on glassy carbon electrode (GCE), which were done by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), showed that the GO|Ag-NPs||GCE electrode was highly conductive, and thereby indicating its suitability as a platform f... [more]

Mixing operations in biological processes is of utmost importance due to its effect on scaling-up and heat and mass transfer. This paper presents the characterization of a bench-top bioreactor with different impeller configurations, agitation and oxygen transfer rates, using CFD simulations and experimental procedures. Here, it is demonstrated that factors such as the type of impeller and the flow regime can drastically vary the operation as in the preparation of cultures. It was observed that the bioreactor equipped with a Rushton generates a k L a of 0.0056 s−1 for an agitation velocity and airflow rate of 250 RPM and 5 L/min, respectively. It is suitable result for the dissolved oxygen (DO) but requires a considerable amount of power consumption. It is here where the importance of the agitator’s diameter can be observed, since, in the case of the two propeller types studied, lower energy consumption can be achieved with a smaller diameter, as well as a much smaller shear c... [more]

Osteoarthritis (OA), being the most prominent degenerative joint disease is affecting millions of elderly people worldwide. Although Andrographis paniculata is an ethnic medicine with a long history of being used as analgesic agent, no study using a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) model has investigated its potential activities against OA. In this study, experimental OA was induced in rats with a knee injection of MIA, which represents the pathological characteristics of OA in humans. A. paniculata extract (APE) substantially reversed the loss of hind limb weight-bearing and the cartilage damage resulted from the OA induction in rats. Additionally, the levels of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α as well as the concentration of matrix metalloproteinases, including MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-8, and MMP-13 were decreased by APE administration. Acetic acid-induced writhing responses in mice which quantitatively measure pain were significantly reduced by APE. In vitro, AP... [more]

The molecular recognition capability of naturally occurring biomolecules is generally expressed against biomolecules in the biological milieu. Recently, it was demonstrated that the specific interactions of biomolecules such as short peptides were applicable to artificial materials. We have developed peptides with specific affinities for synthetic polymers toward functional biocomposite polymeric materials. In this study, we demonstrated the preparation of biocomposite nanoparticles composed of poly(propylene oxide) (PPO) and PPO-binding peptides. A simple injection of a concentrated PPO solution dissolved in an organic solvent into the peptide solution under sonication resulted in the formation of nanospherical structures. Morphological observation indicated characteristic softness and high applicability as a molecular carrier of the biocomposite nanoparticles. Structural characterization of PPO and the PPO-binding peptide revealed the structural conformability of these molecules to i... [more]

Two new anticancer-active 1,2,3-triazole-dipyridothiazine hybrids were evaluated for their lipophilicity using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and computational methods. The experimental lipophilicity was evaluated with mobile phases (mixtures of TRIS buffer and acetone), exploiting a linear correlation between the retention parameter (RM) and the volume of acetone. The relative lipophilicity parameter (RM0) was obtained by extrapolation to 0% acetone concentration. This parameter was intercorrelated with a specific hydrophobic surface area (b) revealing two congeneric subgroups: hybrids of 1,2,3-triazole-2,7-diazaphenothiazines and 1,2,3-triazole-3,6-diazaphenothiazines. The parameter RM0 was converted into the absolute lipophilicity parameter logPTLC using a calibration curve prepared on the basis of compounds of known logP values. Triazole−dipyridothiazine hybrids turned out to be medium lipophilic with logPTLC values of 1.232−2.979. The chromatographically established parameter log... [more]

Bioprocesses can be found in different areas such as the production of food, feed, energy, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals [...]

Anaerobic sludge stabilization is a commonly used technology. Most fermenters are operated at a mesophilic temperature regime. Modern trends in waste management aim to minimize waste generation. One of the strategies can be achieved by anaerobically stabilizing the sludge by raising the temperature. Higher temperatures will allow faster decomposition of organic matter, shortening the retention time, and increasing biogas production. This work is focused on the description of changes in the community of methanogenic microorganisms at different temperatures during the sludge stabilization. At higher temperatures, biogas contained a higher percentage of methane, however, there was an undesirable accumulation of ammonia in the fermenter. Representatives of the hydrogenotrophic genus Methanoliea were described at all temperatures tested. At temperatures up to 50 °C, a significant proportion of methanogens were also formed by acetoclastic representatives of Methanosaeta sp. and acetoclastic... [more]

Green analytical technologies for the determination of a bioactive compound diosmin (DIOM) in the real samples of pharmaceutical formulations and biological fluids are scarce in literature. Therefore, the present investigation was carried out to develop a novel, rapid, simple, and economical green “reversed phase high-performance thin-layer chromatography (RP-HPTLC)” method for the determination of DIOM in commercial tablets and in-house developed spray-dried microparticles (MPs). The quantification of DIOM was conducted via “RP-18 silica gel 60 F254S HPTLC plates”. The binary combination of green solvents, i.e., ethanol:water (5.5:4.5 v/v) was proposed as a green mobile phase. The analysis of DIOM was conducted in absorbance/reflectance mode of densitometry at λmax = 348 nm. The densitograms of DIOM from the commercial tablets and in-house developed spray-dried MPs were verified by recording their single band at Rf = 0.80 ± 0.02 compared to standard DIOM. Green RP-HPTLC method was obs... [more]