Reversal of visceral hypersensitivity in rat by Menthacarin®, a proprietary combination of essential oils from peppermint and caraway, coincides with mycobiome modulation

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder associated with altered gastrointestinal microflora and increased nociception to colonic distension. This visceral hypersensitivity can be reversed in our rat maternal separation model by fungicides. Menthacarin® is a proprietary combination of essential oils from...

Establishment of oxidative D-xylose metabolism in Pseudomonas putida S12

The oxidative D-xylose catabolic pathway of Caulobacter crescentus, encoded by the xylXABCD operon, was expressed in the gram-negative bacterium Pseudomonas putida S12. This engineered transformant strain was able to grow on D-xylose as a sole carbon source with a biomass yield of 53% (based on g [dry weight] g D-xylose-1) and a maximum growth...

Transcriptome analysis of sorbic acid-stressed Bacillus subtilis reveals a nutrient limitation response and indicates plasma membrane remodeling

The weak organic acid sorbic acid is a commonly used food preservative, as it inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and molds. We have used genome-wide transcriptional profiling of Bacillus subtilis cells during mild sorbic acid stress to reveal the growth-inhibitory activity of this preservative and to identify potential resistance...

Active and intelligent packaging for food: Is it the future?

This paper gives an overview of the legal consequences of a new EU framework regulation on food contact materials which includes controls on active and intelligent packaging. Recent developments in active and intelligent packaging systems are described, two examples of which aim at achieving improvements in quality and safety of food products....

Rescuing drug discovery: In vivo systems pathology and systems pharmacology

The pharmaceutical industry is currently beleaguered by close scrutiny from the financial community, regulators and the general public. Productivity, in terms of new drug approvals, has generally been falling for almost a decade and the safety of a number of highly successful drugs has recently been brought into question. Here, we discuss...

Catch-up growth in Malawian babies, a longitudinal study of normal and low birthweight babies born in a malarious endemic area

Introduction: Infant growth has not been studied in developing countries in relation to maternal factors related to malaria in pregnancy and maternal illiteracy. Objective: To describe growth patterns in infants with low and normal birthweight and determine maternal risk factors for infant undernutrition. Methods: Babies born in a rural district...

The role of cyclooxygenase in n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid mediated effects on cell proliferation, PGE2 synthesis and cytotoxicity in human colorectal carcinoma cell lines

This study was conducted to investigate the role of the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) and its prostaglandin product PGE2 in n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-mediated effects on cellular proliferation of two human colorectal carcinoma cell lines. The long chain PUFAs eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4n...

Relevance of microbial interactions to predictive microbiology

Microbial interaction can be ignored in predictive microbiology under most conditions. We show that interactions are only important at high population densities, using published data on inhibition of growth of Listeria monocytogenes in broth. Our analysis using growth models from predictive microbiology indicated that interactions only occur at...

The Effect of Various Inulins and Clostridium difficile on the Metabolic Activity of the Human Colonic Microbiota in vitro

The influence of inulins with different average degree of polymerization (ranging from 3 to 25) on the metabolic activity of the human colonic microbiota with or without the addition of Clostridium difficile was investigated in vitro. The in vitro system used was a dynamic, computer-controlled model that simulates the conditions of the proximal...

Effect of cisplatin exposure on platinum accumulation and growth inhibition in human neoplastic and normal squamous epithelial cells of the mucosa of the upper-aerodigestive tract

The aim of the present study was to investigate how normal head and neck epithelial cells (NHNEC) respond to cisplatin compared to their neoplastic counterparts with respect to intracellular platinum (Pt) levels and growth inhibition. A colorimetric assay was used to assess growth inhibition after exposure to cisplatin for 72 h. Growth...

The formation and repair of cisplatin-DNA adducts in wild-type and cisplatin-resistant L1210 cells: Comparison of immunocytochemical determination with detection in isolated DNA

We have studied the formation and repair of cisplatin-DNA adducts in wild-type mouse leukemia L1210/0 cells and in the sublines L1210/2 and L1210/5, which differ in cisplatin sensitivity. In a colony-formation assay these sublines were 9- and 22-fold more resistant compared to L1210/0, respectively. Cisplatin-induced DNA modification was studied...

Effects of nutrient trace metal speciation on algal growth in the presence of the chelator [S,S]-EDDS

This study tests the hypothesis that the apparent toxicity of strong chelators in standard algal growth inhibition tests (e.g. method OECD 201, EC C.3., ISO 8692) is related to essential trace metal bioavailability. This hypothesis was investigated for the chelator [S,S]-ethylene diamine disuccinate ([S,S]-EDDS) and the green alga Chlorella...

Repeated exposure to acrolein vapour: Subacute studies in hamsters, rats and rabbits

The subacute inhalation toxicity of acrolein was examined in 4 groups of 20 hamsters, 12 rats and 4 rabbits each, exposed repeatedly to acrolein vapour at concentrations of 0, 0.4, 1.4 and 4.9 ppm (6 hr/day, 5 days/week) for a 13-week period. The most important effects found at the highest level included mortality in rats, ocular and nasal...