Draft genome sequence of a GES-5-producing Serratia marcescens isolated in southern Brazil

Abstract Serratia marcescens is a Gram-negative rod intrinsically resistant to polymyxins and usually associated with wound, respiratory and urinary tract infections. The whole genome of the first GES-5-producing S. marcescens isolated from a Brazilian patient was sequenced using Ion Torrent PGM System. Besides blaGES-5, we were able to identify genes encoding for other β-lactamases, for aminoglycoside modifying enzymes and for an efflux pump to tetracyclines.

Beneficial effects of a polar fraction of garlic (Allium sativum Linn) oil in rats fed with two different high fat diets.

Feeding a diet containing 20% of sesame oil (SO) or coconut oil (CNO) along with 2% cholesterol to rats for two months showed differences in their serum and tissue lipid profile and certain enzyme activities. Hyperlipidemia and related oxidative effects were more pronounced in coconut oil fed rats than those fed sesame oil. Feeding a combination of the oils (10% CNO +10% SO) lowered significantly the hyperlipidemia and certain other deleterious effects of CNO. Feeding a polar fraction of garlic oil (PFGO) prepared in the same way as for ajoene and administered at a dosage of 100 mg/kg along with each of the above oil containing diets counteracted significantly the hyperlipidemic, oxidant and also most of the other deleterious effects of the oils like raised lipid levels in serum and tissues, raised serum levels of AST and tissue levels of HMGCoA reductase and the lowered serum and tissue levels of glutathione reductase. The results support the claims that ajoene, the major polar compound of garlic oil, has very good biological action, which warrants further study.

Sialoproteínas en la interación blastocisto-endometrio en rata / Sialyproteins in blastocyst-endometrium interaction in rats

El homogenizado de rata, en la etapa de preimplatanción, es capaz de transferir residuos sialil desde citidina monofosfato-3H-siálico (CMP-[3H]-siálico) hacia substratos aceptores endógenos y exógenos (desialo fetuína). La transferencia parece ser debida a la actividad de la enzima N-acetil-neuraminil transferasa E.C. 2.4.99; esta actividad es mayor en el endometrio receptivo para el blastocisto (ER) 0.75 ñ 0.15 nmoles/h/mg de proteína, que en el endometrio no receptivo (ENR)0.40 ñ 0.14 nmoles/h/mg de proteína. La incorporación de [3H]-siálico hacia desialo fetuína es un poco mayor del 60%. Los productos de la reacción enzimática fueron sometidos a condiciones reductoras y analizadas por electroforesis en un gradiente lineal de poliacrilamida, 5 a 22% y cuantificada la radiactividad a lo alrgo del gel. La mayor radiactividad entre ER y ENR es cualitativamente semejante. Los productos de reacción tratados con neuraminidasa liberan casi el 60% del [3H]-siálico incorporado

Biochemical studies on Mycobacterium leprae.

Very little information is available on the basic biology of Mycobacterium leprae. It is not known why the organism fails to grow in bacteriological media or in cell cultures and why it has an unusual predilection for certain tissues in the human host where cells derived from the neural crest occur (e.g. skin, peripheral nerves adrenal medulla). Biochemical studies have revealed that M. Leprae contains an unusual form of the enzyme diphenoloxidase which has not been detected in other mycobacteria. The presence of a specific glutamic acid decarboxylase in the organism has been demonstrated. Although a few enzymes of glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle have been investigated, nothing characteristic of the bacterium has been discovered, and how M. leprae derives energy for its survival and proliferation still remains obscure.