Project description:Background: Cyanobacteria are ecologically significant prokaryotes that can be found in heavy metals contaminated environments. As their photosynthetic machinery imposes high demands for metals, homeostasis of these micronutrients has been extensively considered in cyanobacteria. Recently, most studies have been focused on different habitats using microalgae leads to a remarkable reduction of an array of organic and inorganic nutrients, but what takes place in the extracellular environment when cells are exposed to external supplementation with heavy metals remains largely unknown. Methods: Here, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production in strains Nostoc sp. N27P72 and Nostoc sp. FB71 was isolated from different habitats and thenthe results were compared and reported . Result: Cultures of both strains, supplemented separately with either glucose, sucrose, lactose, or maltose showed that production of EPS and cell dry weight were boosted by maltose supplementation. The production of EPS (9.1 ± 0.05 μg/ml) and increase in cell dry weight (1.01 ± 0.06 g/l) were comparatively high in Nostoc sp. N27P72 which was isolated from lime stones.The cultures were evaluated for their ability to remove Cu (II), Cr (III), and Ni (II) in culture media with and without maltose. The crude EPS showed metal adsorption capacity assuming the order Ni (II)> Cu (II)> Cr (III) from the metal-binding experiments .Nickel was preferentially biosorbed with a maximal uptake of 188.8 ± 0.14 mg (g cell dry wt) -1 crude EPS. We found that using maltose as a carbon source can increase the production of EPS, protein, and carbohydrates content and it could be a significant reason for the high ability of metal absorbance. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that the treatment with Ni can change the functional groups and glycoside linkages in both strains. Results of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) were used to determine the biochemical composition of Nostoc sp. N27P72, showed that strong Ni (II) removal capability could be associated with the high silicon containing heterocyclic compound and aromatic diacid compounds content. Conclusion: The results of this studyindicatede that strains Nostoc sp. N27P72 can be a good candidate for the commercial production of EPS and might be utilized in bioremediation field as an alternative to synthetic and abiotic flocculants.
Project description:Background: Cyanobacteria are ecologically significant prokaryotes that can be found in heavy metals contaminated environments. As their photosynthetic machinery imposes high demands for metals, homeostasis of these micronutrients has been extensively considered in cyanobacteria. Recently, most studies have been focused on different habitats using microalgae leads to a remarkable reduction of an array of organic and inorganic nutrients, but what takes place in the extracellular environment when cells are exposed to external supplementation with heavy metals remains largely unknown. Methods: Here, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production in strains Nostoc sp. N27P72 and Nostoc sp. FB71 was isolated from different habitats and thenthe results were compared and reported . Result: Cultures of both strains, supplemented separately with either glucose, sucrose, lactose, or maltose showed that production of EPS and cell dry weight were boosted by maltose supplementation. The production of EPS (9.1 ± 0.05 μg/ml) and increase in cell dry weight (1.01 ± 0.06 g/l) were comparatively high in Nostoc sp. N27P72 which was isolated from lime stones.The cultures were evaluated for their ability to remove Cu (II), Cr (III), and Ni (II) in culture media with and without maltose. The crude EPS showed metal adsorption capacity assuming the order Ni (II)> Cu (II)> Cr (III) from the metal-binding experiments .Nickel was preferentially biosorbed with a maximal uptake of 188.8 ± 0.14 mg (g cell dry wt) -1 crude EPS. We found that using maltose as a carbon source can increase the production of EPS, protein, and carbohydrates content and it could be a significant reason for the high ability of metal absorbance. FT-IR spectroscopy revealed that the treatment with Ni can change the functional groups and glycoside linkages in both strains. Results of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) were used to determine the biochemical composition of Nostoc sp. N27P72, showed that strong Ni (II) removal capability could be associated with the high silicon containing heterocyclic compound and aromatic diacid compounds content.
Project description:Impaired growth and nutrition after preterm birth is associated with morbidities and poor neurodevelopmental outcome, but it is not clear whether this reflects causal relationships. To improve growth, human milk is often fortified with protein, energy and minerals, providing small, but significant, fortification-induced gains in body weight, length and/or head circumference. the effect of Bovine Colostrum fortification on AAs and proteins in plasma, and how fortification-induced AA changes during the first two weeks of fortification associated with changes in anthropometric measures, gestational age (GA) at birth, birth weight, key morbidities (BPD, ROP, LOS) and IGF-1 levels. Collectively, the analyses shed light on the complex interplay between fortification-induced changes to plasma AA/protein levels and the growth and morbidities in very preterm infants fed fortified human milk.
Project description:Larvae were reared on standard diet until early third instar, at which time they were washed and transferred to standard diet lacking yeast. The animals remained on this diet until four days after emergence, when one group of adults was switched back to standard diet containing yeast (group Y) while another remained on the diet lacking yeast (group NY). Flies from both groups were killed every hour for the next twelve hours, creating 24 samples across the two treatments. In addition, four samples of flies were killed just before the start of the time course and used as baseline replicates for the no yeast (NY) and yeast (Y) treatments. Baseline replicates were temporally ordered as noted for change-point analysis. No yeast (NY) treatment samples at hours four and eight did not yield microarray data due to insufficient RNA. Total RNA was extracted from whole animals using Trizol (Invitrogen). Sample processing and microarray hybridization/scanning were performed at the Brown University Center for Genetics and Genomics according to Affymetrix protocol. Change-point Analysis Results Table: Results of running change-point analysis on dChip normalized data. Normalized data was transformed into yeast (Y):no yeast (NY) signal ratios, and change-point analysis was performed by GeneTrace on these ratios (see publication for more information on change-point analysis). Raw Data, Not Normalized Table: Raw data (not normalized). Image files were analyzed by Affymetrix Microarray Suite (MAS) 5.0 with no normalization and no scaling. Signal abundance measurements, present [P], marginal [M], or absent [A] calls, and detection p-values reported were all produced by MAS 5.0. Note that there is no data for no yeast (NY) treatment samples at hours 4 and 8 due to insufficient RNA yield. Keywords = insulin, diet, nutrition Keywords: other
Project description:Early childhood caries is a persistent worldwide problem. The etiologic contribution of feeding practices has been less frequently investigated in prospective studies of young children. The Porto Alegre Early Life Nutrition and Health Study has followed a birth cohort of 715 mother-child pairs, recruited from municipal health centers, originally involved in a cluster-randomized controlled trial of healthcare worker training. The birth cohort links prospectively collected socio-demographic, infant feeding, and general and oral health information. To date, oral health data, including caries status and oral health-related quality of life, have been collected for 458 children at the age of 2-3 years. Studies are underway to investigate possible determinants and consequences of oral health among these children.
Project description:BackgroundObesity is growing at an alarming rate in Latin America. Lifestyle behaviours such as physical activity and dietary intake have been largely associated with obesity in many countries; however studies that combine nutrition and physical activity assessment in representative samples of Latin American countries are lacking. The aim of this study is to present the design rationale of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health/Estudio Latinoamericano de Nutrición y Salud (ELANS) with a particular focus on its quality control procedures and recruitment processes.Methods/designThe ELANS is a multicenter cross-sectional nutrition and health surveillance study of a nationally representative sample of urban populations from eight Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Perú and Venezuela). A standard study protocol was designed to evaluate the nutritional intakes, physical activity levels, and anthropometric measurements of 9000 enrolled participants. The study was based on a complex, multistage sample design and the sample was stratified by gender, age (15 to 65 years old) and socioeconomic level. A small-scale pilot study was performed in each country to test the procedures and tools.DiscussionThis study will provide valuable information and a unique dataset regarding Latin America that will enable cross-country comparisons of nutritional statuses that focus on energy and macro- and micronutrient intakes, food patterns, and energy expenditure.Trial registrationClinical Trials NCT02226627.
Project description:Diet and nutrition may be important modifiable risk factors for the development, progression and management of obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This review examines the relationship between dietary patterns, nutrient intake and weight status in obstructive lung diseases, at different life stages, from in-utero influences through childhood and into adulthood. In vitro and animal studies suggest important roles for various nutrients, some of which are supported by epidemiological studies. However, few well-designed human intervention trials are available to definitively assess the efficacy of different approaches to nutritional management of respiratory diseases. Evidence for the impact of higher intakes of fruit and vegetables is amongst the strongest, yet other dietary nutrients and dietary patterns require evidence from human clinical studies before conclusions can be made about their effectiveness.
Project description:Towards Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: an evaluation of biocontrol effects, nutritional value, and ecological impact of bacterial inoculants