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Plasma-Treated Water: Role of Superoxide in Antimicrobial Activity
No full textAntimicrobial resistance is a growing global concern, affecting human health, veterinary settings, and food industry. In some regions, the overuse and uncontrolled dispensing of antibiotics have exacerbated this issue, leading to treatment complications and increased resistance rates. Listeria monocytogenes and Enterococcus faecalis are particularly problematic due to their resistance to environmental stresses and antibiotics (Border SO, et al., 2024). While conventional thermal treatments compromise product quality, alternative methods such as bacteriophages, essential oils, and non-thermal technologies offer promising solutions, however, most of them require combination strategies to achieve optimal efficacy. In this study, we investigate four variants of plasma treated water (PTW) generated using a bubbling method with four different airflow rates (PTW-60, PTW-80, PTW-100, PTW-120). Given PTW's well-documented antimicrobial properties, its effectiveness against L. monocytogenes and E. faecalis was evaluated. Additionally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) combined with spin-trapping and scavenger assays were performed to identify the reactive oxygen and nitrogen species present in each PTW sample. HPLC analysis revealed that higher airflow during PTW generation resulted in lower concentrations of the reactive species detected (OH•, NO• and NO2•). The intensity of DMPO radical adducts in the EPR spectra for both solvents, PTW and DMSO:PTW (9:1) was correlated with the airflow rates used when generating the PTW (PTW-60 < PTW-80 < PTW-100 < PTW-120). Although DMPO primarily formed DMPO-OH, experiments in 90% DMSO confirmed the presence of a stabilized superoxidederived adduct. EPR analysis performed with added superoxide scavenger SOD showed that the adduct signal was nearly absent, supporting the hypothesis that superoxide plays a key role in PTW's antimicrobial activity. Microbiological assays further confirmed this finding, as increasing SOD concentrations led to a significant reduction in bacterial inactivation (Hu X, et al., 2023). These results underscore the crucial role of superoxide radical in PTW-mediated bacterial inactivation and highlight the importance of reactive species characterization for optimizing PTW-based antimicrobial strategies
Exact Separation of Purely Short-Period Effects and Mean Variations in the Main Problem of Artificial Satellite Theory †
Get PDFEficacia de una intervención basada en modelos anatómicos de papel para el aprendizaje de neuroanatomía
No full textEs frecuente que el estudiantado presente dificultades para generar imágenes mentales precisas de las estructuras cerebrales, debido a la complejidad de sus relaciones espaciales. Tanto el uso de atlas anatómicos como la realización de disecciones cadavéricas requieren de unas buenas habilidades visoespaciales para construir un modelo mental tridimensional. En este contexto, se considera que la utilización de modelos anatómicos elaborados en papel puede constituir una herramienta didáctica eficaz para superar dichas dificultades.Así, el objeto general de este trabajo fue comparar la eficacia de una intervención basada en la creación de un modelo anatómico en papel con una metodología tradicional centrada en el uso de láminas anatómicas.El grupo control, compuesto por 129 participantes estudiantes de psicología (Medad = 20,23; DTedad = 5,41), recibió una lección magistral basada en la utilización de láminas anatómicas. El grupo experimental, integrado por 76 participantes (Medad = 20,20; DTedad = 6,03), llevó a cabo la construcción de un modelo anatómico en papel de la corteza cerebral. Antes y después de la intervención, todos los participantes completaron un cuestionario para evaluar sus conocimientos sobre la anatomía cortical. Se realizó un análisis de varianza (ANOVA) de dos factores para examinar los efectos de cada intervención.Ambos grupos mostraron una mejora en sus conocimientos sobre neuroanatomía. No obstante, la intervención basada en la construcción del modelo en papel fue significativamente más eficaz. El análisis de varianza reveló una interacción significativa con un tamaño del efecto grande entre el tipo de intervención y el grado de conocimiento alcanzado sobre la materia (F(1,202)=132,62; p=.000; η 2= .396).Conclusión: La manipulación activa de un modelo físico de la corteza cerebral facilita la elaboración de representaciones mentales más precisas de su anatomía
New Bayesian Posterior Approaches for Cytogenetic Partial Body Irradiation Inference
Get PDFThe number of chromosomal aberrations induced by a whole-body uniform exposure to ionizing radiation is typically assumed to follow a Poisson distribution. If this exposure is partial, the zero-inflated Poisson model is appropriate to describe the yield of chromosomal aberrations. In this work, two different Bayesian posterior approaches (numerical integration and Laplace’s approximation) for zero-inflated Poisson responses are studied for cytogenetic biodosimetry dose estimation purposes. They are evaluated using two experiments from the literature, both of which include data for dose–response calibration and the simulation of partial-body exposure. Laplace’s approximation demonstrates strong performance, delivering rapid results with a loss of precision that may not significantly impact clinical measurements compared to those obtained through the more computationally intensive numerical integration approach
Biofilm induction by glucose and/or sodium chloride in S. aureus isolates from the airways of Spanish people with cystic fibrosis
Get PDFBackground: In the cystic fibrosis (CF) airways, S. aureus adapts and persists by the emergence of small-colony-variants (SCV) or mucoid phenotypes (PT) with increased biofilm-formation. Mucoid-PTs have shown to be associated with mutations in the intercellular-adhesin (ica) operon. The aim was the assessment of the SCV and/or mucoid-PTs, and the biofilm formation of a collection of S. aureus isolates from Spanish people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Methods: Sixty-nine S. aureus positive-samples were collected from 11 pwCF over time from a Spanish hospital. All samples were grown on Columbia-blood-agar and Congo-Red-agar (CRA). Isolates were studied by spatyping and selected ones by MultiLocus-Sequence-Typing. All isolates were examined for biofilm-formation by the microtiter-plate-assay. Glucose and/or sodium chloride were tested as possible inductors of biofilm formation. In biofilm producer isolates, a detachment assay was performed to differentiate the biofilm nature. In addition, Sanger sequencing of parts of the ica operon (icaR and the intergenic region, IGR) was performed on selected isolates. Results: By growth on CRA, some initial strains consisted of a mixture of isolates. Therefore, 99 different isolates were analyzed from the initial 69 S. aureus positive-samples. Ten isolates from 4 patients (P) were SCVs (CC398t571/t108, CC121-t1994) and 5 isolates from 2 P (MSSA-CC398-t108 and MSSA-CC5-t306) showed the mucoid-PT. In P1 (MRSA-CC1-t127), P5 (MSSA-CC8-t008; MSSA CC15-t084) and P8 (MSSA-C121-t1994; MSSA-CC7-t796) biofilm formation was induced by glucose and NaCl. As determined by the detachment assay, these biofilms were polysaccharide-dependant with only silent mutations in icaR and the IGR. In P3 (MRSA-CC398-t011), P9 (MSSA-CC398-t571) and P10 (MSSA-CC398-t108), biofilm was only induced by glucose. Remarkably, 4 mucoid isolates were detected in P10. The nature of these biofilms will be determined in further analysis. Conclusions: Since the presence of mucoid and SCV PTs in airways of pwCF are associated with more severe lung disease, the culture of these PTs should be improved in clinical microbiology laboratories. Further investigations will be carried out to determine the biofilm nature and the presence of possible mutations in the ica operon
Comparative study of different commercial enzymes on release of glycosylated volatile compounds in white grapes using SPE/GC–MS
Get PDFEncuentros y desencuentros: el mundo religioso femenino, los confesores y la confesión en la España Moderna
No full textLa presente tesis doctoral nace con el objetivo de analizar las formas que tomaron las relaciones que se establecieron entre confesores y monjas en la España moderna. Se trata de un tema que no ha recibido una atención monográfica en tanto que tal, lo que ha suscitado mucho desconocimiento sobre el tema. Por ello, pretendemos profundizar y ampliar el conocimiento que tenemos en este ámbito, ofreciendo una investigación sobre las implicaciones de la confesión en los claustros femeninos en la que abarcaremos todo el contexto español para los siglos XVI, XVII y XVIII.
En esta propuesta profundizaremos en el conocimiento del mundo religioso femenino y atenderemos a las relaciones que se desarrollaron en torno al sacramento de confesión, analizando sus dinámicas, que no solo afectaron a confesores y confesadas, sino que incluyeron una serie de actores más amplia de lo que se ha considerado. En esta misma línea, abordaremos los diferentes perfiles de perfección que se desarrollaron en torno a confesores y monjas, y en torno a la propia confesión, atendiendo a las formas que tomaron estas relaciones y que no siempre cumplieron con estos prototipos preestablecidos. La literatura y la tratadística moral de la época constituirá una fuente fundamental para poder comprender cuáles fueron estos modelos ejemplares y para aproximarnos a las relaciones que se establecieron en el seno de las relaciones espirituales.
Como veremos, las relaciones consideradas espirituales no se limitaron a la atención en aras de la salvación y al cuidado espiritual, sino que afectaron a todos los aspectos de la vida temporal y cotidiana de las religiosas, desbordaron los límites de esa espiritualidad original y afectaron también a los contextos no espirituales, tanto dentro como fuera del claustro. Así, con esta investigación buscamos completar y reformular las nociones que han imperado en torno a estas relaciones y plantear nuevos enfoques que nos hablen del interior de los conventos, del papel que los confesores tuvieron en ellos y del devenir que tomaron estas relaciones entre confesores y monjas desde una perspectiva femenina y no solo limitada a lo masculino e institucional.
En esta tesis también nos aproximamos al papel que los diferentes actores de las relaciones espirituales tuvieron en su configuración, atendiendo tanto a ellos como a ellas,
y a los diferentes recursos empleados por unos y otros para definir el discurrir de estas, para modificarlas de acuerdo con sus pretensiones y aspiraciones, maniobrando en los márgenes de la obediencia y la sumisión. Como veremos, las religiosas no se mantuvieron pasivas ante la orientación de su vida espiritual, sino que también participaron en ella y la moldearon de acuerdo con sus objetivos y en la medida que las circunstancias de cada caso particular lo permitieron, llegando a ejercer ellas mismas como guías y orientadoras, fuera de los canales oficiales de atención espiritual.
Además, en ocasiones, las diferentes perspectivas que se presentaron en estas relaciones dieron lugar a tensiones que llegaron a estallar y generar momentos de tensión que pudieron limitarse a las religiosas y a sus confesores o extenderse a la comunidad en su conjunto. Estos desencuentros, estas fricciones y roces, pero también los momentos de conflicto abierto, formaron parte de la cotidianeidad de las mismas, si bien debemos tener en cuenta que fueron precisamente estos picos de inestabilidad los que más vestigios documentales han dejado. Las relaciones afines, los momentos de encuentro entre confesores y monjas, también existieron y los veremos, pero para reconocerlos es necesario recurrir a otras fuentes, si bien es cierto que estas tampoco tuvieron porqué estar exentas de momentos de tensiones y conflictos puntuales. Como veremos, la diversidad será uno de los rasgos principales en el seno de estas dinámicas.
En definitiva, con esta propuesta esperamos profundizar en el conocimiento en torno a las relaciones entre monjas y confesores en el periodo moderno español y a su complejidad, que, tradicionalmente, se ha visto simplificada y limitada a los valores y enfoques trasmitidos desde el punto de vista institucional. Con ello atenderemos a unas dinámicas que, partiendo de la preocupación por la salvación del alma y lo espiritual, fueron mucho más allá y afectaron a aspectos muy variados de la vida temporal y cotidiana de estas religiosas.This thesis was born with the aim of analysing the forms taken by the relationships established between confessors and nuns in modern Spain. This is a subject that has not received monographic attention as such, which has given rise to a great deal of ignorance on the subject. For this reason, we intend to deepen and broaden the knowledge we have in this field, offering an investigation on the implications of confession in female cloisters in which we will cover the entire Spanish context for the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.
In this proposal we will deepen our knowledge of the female religious world, and we will look at the relationships that developed around the sacrament of confession, analysing its dynamics, which not only affected confessors and confessors, but also included a wider range of actors than has been considered. Along the same lines, we will address the different profiles of perfection that developed around confessors and nuns, and around confession itself, paying attention to the forms these relationships took, which did not always comply with these pre-established prototypes. The literature and moral treatises of the period will be a fundamental source for understanding what these exemplary models were and for approaching the relationships that were established in the heart of spiritual relationships.
As we shall see, the relationships considered spiritual were not limited to attention for the sake of salvation and spiritual care but affected all aspects of the temporal and daily life of the nuns, overflowed the limits of this original spirituality and affected non-spiritual contexts, both inside and outside the cloister. Thus, with this research we seek to complete and reformulate the notions that have prevailed around these relationships and to propose new approaches that tell us about the interior of the convents, the role that the confessors played in them and the evolution of these relationships between confessors and nuns from a female perspective and not only limited to the masculine and institutional.
In this thesis we also approach the role that the different actors in the spiritual relationships had in their configuration, paying attention to both men and women, and to the different resources used by both to define the course of these relationships, to modify them according to their pretensions and aspirations, manoeuvring on the margins of
obedience and submission. As we shall see, the nuns did not remain passive in the course and orientation of their spiritual life, but also participated in it and moulded it according to their objectives and to the extent that the circumstances of each case allowed, even acting as guides and orientators themselves, outside the official channels of spiritual care.
Moreover, at times, the different perspectives that arose in these relationships gave rise to tensions that came to explode and generate moments of tension that could be limited to the nuns and their confessors or extend to the whole community. These disagreements and frictions, but also moments of open conflict, were part of their daily life, although we must bear in mind that it was precisely these peaks of instability that have left the most documentary traces. Similar relationships, moments of encounter between confessors and nuns, also existed and we will see them, but to recognise them it is necessary to resort to other sources, although it is true that these were not necessarily exempt from moments of tension and occasional conflicts. As we shall see, diversity will be one of the main features at the heart of these dynamics.
In short, with this proposal we hope to deepen our knowledge of the relationships between nuns and confessors in the modern Spanish period and their complexity, which has traditionally been simplified and limited to the values and approaches transmitted from the institutional point of view. In doing so, we will look at dynamics that, starting from the concern for the salvation of the soul and the spiritual, went much further and affected many different aspects of the temporal and daily life of these nuns
