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One of the most effective methods for increasing the antimicrobial activity of a substance is to combine it with one or more other antimicrobial agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of buforin I and nisin alone and investigate the synergistic action of these compounds against the most important food spoilage microorganisms, including Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Listeria innocua, Escherichia coli, Salmonella serovar Enteritidis, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhodotorula glutinis, and Geotrichum candidum. The results of MIC and MBC or minimum fungicidal concentration examinations showed that buforin I had higher antimicrobial activity than nisin on all microbial strains used in this study (P 0.5). E. coli was the most resistant to both antimicrobial agents, whereas L. innocua and S. epidermidis were the most sensitive to nisin and buforin I, respectively. The results of synergistic interaction between buforin I and nisin indicated that the combination of buforin I and nisin on B. subtilis, S. epidermidis, and A. oryzae showed a synergistic effect, whereas it had no effect on Salmonella serovar Enteritidis and G. candidum. The combination of buforin I and nisin showed a partial synergistic effect on L. innocua, E. coli, and R. glutinis. Assessment of viability of the microorganisms under the antimicrobial agents alone and in combination with each other at MICs and fraction inhibitory concentrations indicated that use of these antimicrobial agents in combination enhances antimicrobial activity at lower concentrations of both agents. The present study investigated the antimicrobial properties of buforin I against food spoilage microorganisms for the first time and suggests that its use alone or with nisin may provide a clear horizon for the application of antimicrobial peptides as natural preservatives. Thus, the combination of antimicrobial peptides and traditional antimicrobial food preservatives could be a promising option for the prevention of contamination, spoilage, and infestation of food and beverage products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of polysaccharides derived from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be a valuable alternative to current polysaccharides. In this study, eight samples of Kishk (traditional dairy product) were collected in sterile conditions and directly cultured on MRS agar medium. Following purification and examination of microscopic, macroscopic characteristics and doing biochemical tests, 143 isolates were selected, and the production of exopolysaccharide (EPS) was investigated by the ruthenium red and disc methods. The EPS production of 79 isolates was confirmed. Total carbohydrate of EPS was determined by the phenol sulfuric acid method. Finally, Enterococcus durans K48, Enterococcus faecium R114, and Enterococcus faecium T52 strains were selected as the best EPS producers. The optimization of EPS production was then performed using Central Composite Design (CCD) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) approaches. Optimization plots showed the highest EPS yield for E. durans K48, E. faecium R114, and E. faecium T52 occurred at 38.4, 37.4 and 36.7 °C and pH of 5.9, 5.6 and 5.8, respectively, cultured in a Sucrose-MRS medium. Under optimal conditions, the maximum predicted and actual production of EPSs for the examined isolates were 3.18, 3.21, 2.99 and 3.02, 3.15, 3.15, g L−1, respectively. As determined by Gel Permeation Chromatography, the EPSs molecular weights were in the range of 2.93 × 105 to 3.52 × 105 Da. Analysis of the component monosaccharides by HPLC showed that all three tested EPSs were heteropolysaccharides. After appropriate evaluation, the EPSs produced by native species of LAB isolated from Iranian Kishk could be of interest for industrial applications or as functional food ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• To date, a few methylated single gene blood biomarkers have been developed for cancer detection including colorectal cancer (CRC) such as methylated SEPT9 gene. • Our results indicate that the AKR1B1/SEPT9 methylation panel detects CRC with a higher performance than SEPT9 methylation, which is a commercial diagnostic test for CRC. • The creation of a clinically valuable diagnostic test for CRC derived from these studies requires performance evaluation in liquid biopsies. One of the most promising ways to diagnose cancer especially colorectal cancer (CRC) is to trace its epigenetic events. In this article, a discovery step for detection of methylated DNA markers (MDMs) was performed using SureSelectXT Methyl-Seq in CRC case and control groups in addition to several methylation profiling datasets (GSE48684, GSE53051, GSE77718, GSE101764, and GSE42752). In silico validation of MDMs in colorectal and other cancers was conducted by Lnc2met. MethyLight assay was run on 40 and 47 case and control formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, respectively and the performance of selected genes were classified by support vector machine (SVM). As a result, 180 regions were identified among all common genes. In addition to SEPT9 and SFRP2 , the best three MDM regions were selected from SLC30A10, AKR1B1 and GALNT14. Based on all assays, the best performance was accomplished by SEPT9 / AKR1B1 with 98% sensitivity, 99% specificity, 125 positive likelihood ratio, 0.02 negative likelihood ratio and 5074 diagnostic odds ratio. Our results indicate that the AKR1B1 / SEPT9 methylation panel detects CRC with a higher performance than SEPT9 methylation, which is a commercial diagnostic test for CRC. However, the creation of a clinically valuable test derived from this study requires performance evaluation in liquid biopsies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 540 Japanese quail eggs were assigned to 9 treatments of 4 replicates to investigate the effect of in ovo injection of threonine (THR) on mucin2 (MUC2) mRNA expression and digestive enzyme activity. Treatments were (non-injected) eggs and those in ovo injected with saline (0.05 or 0.1 ml) with or without THR (5 mg/ml) in two sites (in or under the air sac). On hatch day, 0.05 ml in ovo injected (under the air sac: TUAS) hatchlings were divided into three groups based on NRC recommendations for THR, while all 0.1 ml in ovo injected chicks were removed due to low hatchability. The remaining treatments received the NRC recommended diet until day 10 post-hatch. Treatments had no effect on protease and amylase activities, while TUAS increased MUC2 gene expression. In conclusion, the in ovo injection of THR increased MUC2 gene expression but had no effect on enzyme activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The identification of animal species used in industrial meat products is very important in respect to economic considerations because European Union, which has implemented a set of very strict procedures to correctly label food. In this paper we present conserved region from mitochondrial 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes are powerful region for evaluate the presence of fraudulently added meat in compound food by multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay for the identification of most species (ruminant, poultry and porcine). For each food sources (ground meat, sausages and cold cut) 10 samples were collected and DNA extracted successfully. The results demonstrated that none of the samples were contaminated with porcine residuals, but 40% of sausages samples and 30% of cold cut samples were contaminated with poultry residuals. Also the ground meat samples were not contaminated with poultry residuals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Clostridium perfringens -induced necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease of broiler chickens. The present study evaluated the effect of C. perfringens on the intestinal histomorphometry, enteric microbial colonization, and host immune responses using 3 experimental NE reproduction methods. The experimental groups consisted of 1) unchallenged Control diet (corn-soybean meal), 2) Control diet + Eimera inoculation at d 11 followed by C. perfringens challenge at d 15 (ECp), 3) Wheat-based diet + C. perfringens challenge (WCp), and 4) Wheat-based diet + Eimeria inoculation followed by C. perfringens challenge (WECp). The results showed that chickens receiving ECp and WECp had reduced (P < 0.05) bird performance coupled with enteric gross lesions and epithelial damage at d 17 and 24 of age compared to unchallenged control birds. These ECp and WECp administered birds also had increased (P < 0.05) ileal colonization by clostridia and E. coli at d 17 and 24, while the resident Lactobacillus counts were reduced (P < 0.05) at d 24 of age. Furthermore, at d 24, jejunal transcription of IL-6, IL-10, annexin-A1 and IL-2 genes was upregulated (P < 0.05) in the ECp group, whereas the transcription of TNF receptor associated factor (TRAF)-3 gene was increased (P < 0.05) in WECp treated birds when compared to unchallenged control group. Additionally, stimulation of chicken splenocytes and cecal tonsilocytes with virulent C. perfringens bacilli or their secretory proteins resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) frequency of T cells and their upregulation of MHC-II molecule, as determined by flow cytometry. These findings suggest that C. perfringens , while inducing epithelial damage and changes in microbiota, can also trigger host immune responses. Furthermore, NE reproduction methods using coccidia with or without the wheat-based dietary predisposition seem to facilitate an optimal NE reproduction in broiler chickens and thus, may provide better avenues for future C. perfringens research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]