Speciation continuum in non-model organisms: Revisiting the species-pair concept in lichens.

Evolutionary biologists have long pursued understanding the continuum in which populations flow, interact, and evolve, which can ultimately lead to divergence into distinct species. Lichens, which are often defined as intricate ecosystems, exhibit remarkable evolutionary mechanisms that challenge conventional definitions of speciation. A particularly notable phenomenon in lichens is the species-pair concept, in which closely related taxa only differ in their reproductive strategies - one reproducing sexually, the other asexually.

First Report in the Americas of Var. Enteritidis Carrying in a Putatively New Sub-Lineage of IncC2 Plasmids.

Background: Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales have steadily multiplied over time, becoming a major threat to healthcare systems due to limited therapeutic options and high case-fatality rates.

Case Report: We studied a patient who, after being discharged from an ICU, developed salmonellosis caused by an antibiotic-susceptible . After undergoing treatment with ciprofloxacin, the patient presented an episode of asymptomatic bacteriuria originated by a carbapenem and ciprofloxacin-resistant .

Chemoradiotherapy and Local Excision vs Total Mesorectal Excision in T2-T3ab, N0, M0 Rectal Cancer: The TAUTEM Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: According to international guidelines, the standard treatment for stage T2-T3ab, N0, M0 rectal cancer is total mesorectal excision (TME), but it is associated with high morbidity and quality of life disorders.

Objective: To analyze locoregional recurrence (LR) after a follow-up of 2 years, applying a 1-sided noninferiority margin of 10%, and to assess distant recurrence (DR), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a multicenter, prospective, open-label, noninferiority, phase 3 randomized clinical trial comparing TME (TME group) with chemoradiotherapy followed by local excision with transanal endoscopic microsurgery (CRT-TEM group).

Phytosynthesis and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles from : Assessment of Antibacterial and Cytotoxic Properties.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) show promises as antimicrobial biomaterials with use for combating multidrug-resistant microorganisms, and they are widely used in healthcare, medicine, and food industries. However, traditional physicochemical synthesis methods often require harsh conditions and toxic reagents, generating harmful waste. The synthesis of AgNPs using plant-derived bioactive compounds offers an eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods.

Regulatory effects on virulence and phage susceptibility revealed by mutation in .

Introduction: The World Health Organization has identified multi-drug resistant strains as the highest priority in 2024. Understanding the regulatory routes of virulence features is crucial for the development of novel anti-virulence strategies. SdiA, a LuxR-like quorum sensing (QS) receptor that responds to acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs), is involved in the regulation of virulence traits in some Gram-negative bacteria.

Combining antibacterial and wound healing features: Xanthan gum/guar gum 3D-printed scaffold tuned with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin/thymol and Zn.

Biofilm formation on biological and material surfaces represents a heavy health and economic burden for both patient and society. To contrast this phenomenon, medical devices combining antibacterial and pro-wound healing abilities are a promising strategy. In the present work, Xanthan gum/Guar gum (XG/GG)-based scaffolds were tuned with thymol and Zn to obtain wound dressings that combine antibacterial and antibiofilm properties and favour the healing process.

New insights on the degradation of polystyrene and polypropylene by larvae of the superworm Zophobas atratus and gut bacterial consortium enrichments obtained under different culture conditions.

This study aims to deepen knowledge of the biodegradation of plastics, focusing on polypropylene (PP) fabric from surgical masks and polystyrene (PS) by larvae of Zophobas atratus as well as of specialized bacterial consortia from their gut, which were obtained in different enrichment conditions (aerobic, anaerobic, presence or absence of combined nitrogen). Plastics ingested by larvae obtained in Spain did not show any signs of oxidation but only limited depolymerization, preferably from the lowest molecular weight chains. Gut microbiota composition changed as an effect of plastic feeding.

Do Concurrent Peri-Implantitis and Periodontitis Share Their Microbiotas? A Pilot Study.

The microbial compositions from concurrent peri-implant and periodontal lesions were compared, since the results reported in the literature on the etiological relationship between these oral pathologies are contradictory. Microbial compositions from nine patients were evaluated using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons and Principal Components Analysis. Comparisons between the use of curettes or paper points as collection methods and between bacterial composition in both pathologies were performed.

Outcome of incidental versus preoperatively diagnosed colorectal cancer during total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for inflammatory bowel disease.

Aim: Total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the treatment of choice for colorectal cancer (CRC) in inflammatory bowel disease. CRC may also be discovered incidentally at IPAA for other indications. We sought to determine whether incidentally found CRC at IPAA was associated with worse outcomes.

Draft genome sequence of KLEB-33: a convergent biofilm hyperforming multiresistant strain belonging to the emerging ST16 lineage harboring multiple hypervirulence genes.

The emergence of convergent strains showing multiresistance, characteristic of nosocomial pathotypes and hypervirulent traits typical of community-acquired isolates, makes them important models for studying pathogenesis. Here, we describe the convergent, multidrug-resistant KLEB-33 strain harboring several hypervirulence genes and make its genome available to the scientific community.

Comparative analysis of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains of food and human origin reveals overlapping populations.

Given the increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, it is of great interest to investigate the risk of transmission associated with the prevalence of this pathogen. Some studies have described fresh raw poultry meat as a reservoir of MDR K. pneumoniae, including clinically relevant sequence types (ST) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) strains, indicating possible consumer exposure.

Incidental Dysplasia During Total Proctocolectomy With Ileoanal Pouch: Is It Associated With Worse Outcomes?

Background: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at increased risk of colorectal cancer. In cases of invisible or nonendoscopically resectable dysplasia found at colonoscopy, total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis can be offered with good long-term outcomes; however, little is known regarding cancer-related outcomes when dysplasia is found incidentally after surgery on final pathology.

Methods: Using our prospectively collected pouch registry, we identified patients who had preoperative colonic dysplasia or dysplasia found only after colectomy.

New Preventive Strategy against Oral Biofilm Formation in Caries-Active Children: An In Vitro Study.

Quorum quenching (QQ) is the inhibition of bacterial communication, i.e., quorum sensing (QS).

Genomics, biofilm formation and infection of bladder epithelial cells in potentially uropathogenic (UPEC) from animal sources and human urinary tract infections (UTIs) further support food-borne transmission.

is the main cause of urinary tract infections (UTI). While genomic comparison of specific clones recovered from animals, and human extraintestinal infections show high identity, studies demonstrating the uropathogenicity are lacking. In this study, comparative genomics combined with bladder-cell and biofilm formation assays, were performed for 31 of different origins: 7 from meat (poultry, beef, and pork); 2 from avian-farm environment; 12 from human uncomplicated UTI, uUTI; and 10 from human complicated UTI, cUTI.

Gram-negative quorum sensing signalling enhances biofilm formation and virulence traits in gram-positive pathogen .

Acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) are typical quorum-sensing molecules of gram-negative bacteria. Recent evidence suggests that AHLs may also affect gram-positives, although knowledge of these interactions remains scarce. Here, we assessed the effect of AHLs on biofilm formation and transcriptional regulations in the gram-positive .

The quorum quenching enzyme Aii20J modifies periodontal biofilm formation.

Introduction: Recent studies have revealed the presence of -acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) quorum sensing (QS) signals in the oral environment. Yet, their role in oral biofilm development remains scarcely investigated. The use of quorum quenching (QQ) strategies targeting AHLs has been described as efficient for the control of pathogenic biofilms.

Reference-Based RADseq Unravels the Evolutionary History of Polar Species in 'the Crux Lichenologorum' Genus (Parmeliaceae, Ascomycota).

Nearly 90% of fungal diversity, one of the most speciose branches in the tree of life, remains undescribed. Lichenized fungi as symbiotic associations are still a challenge for species delimitation, and current species diversity is vastly underestimated. The ongoing democratization of Next-Generation Sequencing is turning the tables.

Phosphorylcholine-Based Contact Lenses for Sustained Release of Resveratrol: Design, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Performances, and Behavior.

Design of advanced contact lenses (CLs) demands materials that are safe and comfortable for the wearers and that preserve the normal eye microbiota, avoiding chronic inflammation and biofilm development. This work aimed to combine the natural antibiofouling phosphorylcholine and the antioxidant and prebiotic resveratrol as integral components of CLs that may have the additional performance of preventing oxidative-stress related eye diseases. Different from previous uses of 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) as coating, we explored the feasibility of adding MPC at high proportions as a comonomer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-based hydrogels while still allowing for the loading of the hydrophobic resveratrol.

Perimeter and carvacrol-loading regulate angiogenesis and biofilm growth in 3D printed PLA scaffolds.

Carvacrol is a natural low-cost compound derived from oregano which presents anti-bacterial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In this work, carvacrol-loaded PLA scaffolds were fabricated by 3D printing as platforms to support bone tissue regeneration while preventing biofilm development. Scaffolds were printed with or without a perimeter (lateral wall) mimicking the cortical structure of bone tissue to further evaluate if the lateral interconnectivity could affect the biological or antimicrobial properties of the scaffolds.

Pluronic®/casein micelles for ophthalmic delivery of resveratrol: In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo tests.

Ocular health may strongly benefit from the supply of antioxidant agents that counteract free radicals and reactive oxygen species responsible for long-term eye diseases. Additionally, natural antioxidants like resveratrol can inhibit bacteria growth and restore natural microbiota. However, their use is hindered by limited solubility, fast degradation, and low ocular permeability.

A novel phenolic derivative inhibits AHL-dependent quorum sensing signaling in .

Increasing antibiotic resistance and the decline in the pharmaceutical industry's investments have amplified the need for novel treatments for multidrug-resistant bacteria. Quorum sensing (QS) inhibitors reduce pathogens' virulence without selective pressure on bacteria and provide an alternative to conventional antibiotic-based therapies. uses complex QS signaling to control virulence and biofilm formation.

A snapshot of progenitor-derivative speciation in Iberodes (Boraginaceae).

Traditional classification of speciation modes has focused on physical barriers to gene flow. Allopatric speciation with complete reproductive isolation is viewed as the most common mechanism of speciation. Parapatry and sympatry, by contrast, entail speciation in the face of ongoing gene flow, making them more difficult to detect.

Mushroom-shaped structures formed in Acinetobacter baumannii biofilms grown in a roller bioreactor are associated with quorum sensing-dependent Csu-pilus assembly.

There is currently a need to develop simple biofilm models that facilitate investigation of the architecture/biology of mature bacterial biofilms in a consistent/standardized manner given their environmental and clinical importance and the need for new anti-biofilm interventions. This study introduces a novel biofilm culture system termed the rolling biofilm bioreactor (RBB). This easily operated system allows adherent microbial cells to be repeatedly exposed to air/solid/liquid interfaces optimizing biofilm growth.

Diel biochemical and photosynthetic monitorization of Skeletonema costatum and Phaeodactylum tricornutum grown in outdoor pilot-scale flat panel photobioreactors.

Diatoms are currently considered valuable feedstocks for different biotechnological applications. To deepen the knowledge on the production of these microalgae, the diel pattern of batch growth, photosystem II performance, and accumulation of target metabolites of two commercially relevant diatoms, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Skeletonema costatum, were followed outdoors in 100-L flat panel photobioreactors. S.