Due to the increasing emergence of resistance of bacterial pathogens to current antibiotics, we have examined the marine fungi present in sea sediments obtained 200 m offshore to discover new antibacterial compounds active against multidrug-resistant bacteria. One strain, identified as Emericellopsis minima, was isolated from sediments of Talcahuano Bay (Chile). From the liquid culture of E. minima, we isolated Emerimicin IV, a unique fungal peptaibol that exhibited antibacterial activity. The structure of this compound was assigned by interpretation of H NMR and HR-LCMS data. Emerimicin IV showed bacteriostatic activity against clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis with MIC values ranging between 100 and 12.5 μg/mL.
Latest research in the field of applied linguists suggests that giving children a participatory and active role in the development of their foreign language skills could help teachers reveal overlooked aspects of language learning. Furthermore, challenging the role given to children in language learning research could provide useful insights about the learning processes. In this regard, little is known in the field of primary English language teaching in Latin America. In the case of Chile, the Curriculum Framework for primary English language teaching considers the relevance of children’s experiences as part of their learning process; however, reference to their active involvement in this process is still scarce. This article aims at identifying the perspectives about the English lesson of a group of fourth graders from state-funded schools in Chile. Through an exploratory study of qualitative nature, the viewpoints of 16 children are collected through semi-structured group interviews. The data from the four group interviews are interpreted by content analysis resulting into two categories, and five subcategories related to likes, dislikes, perceived value of learning English, hands-on activities and feedback. The findings suggest that given the chance, children are able to consistently reflect on their learning process and experiences. These learners pointed out preferences for hands-on activities and the relevance of opportunities for obtaining feedback as contributing experiences for successful language learning. Similarly, these results illustrate that, by considering perspectives from outside applied linguistics, researchers could uncover factors present in the language learning process.
Maytenus disticha (Hook F.), belonging to the Celastraceae family, is an evergreen shrub, native of the central southern mountains of Chile. Previous studies demonstrated that the total extract of M. disticha (MD) has an acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity along with growth regulatory and insecticidal activities. β-Dihydroagarofurans sesquiterpenes are the most active components in the plant. However, its activity in cancer has not been analyzed yet. Here, we demonstrate that MD has a cytotoxic activity on breast (MCF-7), lung (PC9), and prostate (C4-2B) human cancer cells with an IC50 (µg/mL) of 40, 4.7, and 5 µg/mL, respectively, an increasing Bax/Bcl2 ratio, and inducing a mitochondrial membrane depolarization. The β-dihydroagarofuran-type sesquiterpene (MD-6), dihydromyricetin (MD-9), and dihydromyricetin-3-O-β-glucoside (MD-10) were isolated as the major compounds from MD extracts. From these compounds, only MD-6 showed cytotoxic activity on MCF-7, PC9, and C4-2B with an IC50 of 31.02, 17.58, and 42.19 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the MD-6 increases cell ROS generation, and MD and MD-6 induce a mitochondrial superoxide generation and apoptosis on MCF-7, PC9, and C4-2B, which suggests that the cytotoxic effect of MD is mediated in part by the β-dihydroagarofuran-type that induces apoptosis by a mitochondrial dysfunction.
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