Whilst the potential impact on beach users from microorganisms in water has received considerable attention, there has been relatively little investigation into microbial contaminants in sand. 33 beaches across Portugal were analyzed during a five year period (2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010) to determine the presence of yeasts, pathogenic fungi, dermatophytes, total coliforms, E. coli and intestinal enterococci in sand.Our results showed that 60.4% of the samples were positive for fungi and that 25.2% were positive for the bacterial parameters. The most frequent fungal species found were Candida sp.and Aspergillus sp., whereas intestinal enterococci were the most frequently isolated bacteria.Positive associations were detected among analyzed parameters and country-regions but none among those parameters and sampling period.Regarding threshold values, we propose 15 cfu/g for yeasts, 17 cfu/g for potential pathogenic fungi, 8 cfu/g for dermatophytes. 84 cfu/g for coliforms, 250 cfu/g for E. coli, and 100 cfu/g for intestinal enterococciHighlights:x 60.4% of the analyzed marine beach sand samples were positive for the studied fungi x Candida sp. and Aspergillus sp. were the most frequent fungal species found x 25.2% of the analyzed marine beach sand samples were positive to the studied bacteria
The primary resistance rate of H. pylori strains isolated from Portuguese children to the commonly used anti-H. pylori antibiotics used is high. Additionally, the increasing trend of ciprofloxacin-resistant and double-resistant strains may compromise H. pylori eradication in a high-prevalence population.
These findings demonstrate the need for urgent action in Portugal and provide policy-makers with comprehensive and detailed information to assist with this.
Ceruloplasmin (CP) is a multicopper oxidase involved in the acute phase reaction to stress. Although the physiological role of CP is uncertain, its role in iron (Fe) homeostasis and protection against free radical-initiated cell injury has been widely documented. Previous studies showed the existence of two molecular isoforms of CP: secreted CP (sCP) and a membrane glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored form of CP (GPI-CP). sCP is produced mainly by the liver and is abundant in human serum whereas GPI-CP is expressed in mammalian astrocytes, rat leptomeningeal cells, and Sertolli cells. Herein, we show using RT-PCR that human peripheral blood lymphocytes (huPBL) constitutively express the transcripts for both CP molecular isoforms previously reported. Also, expression of CP in huPBL is demonstrated by immunofluorescence with confocal microscopy and flow cytometry analysis using cells isolated from healthy blood donors with normal Fe status. Importantly, the results obtained show that natural killer cells have a significantly higher CP expression compared to all other major lymphocyte subsets. In this context, the involvement of lymphocyte-derived CP on host defense processes via its anti/prooxidant properties is proposed, giving further support for a close functional interaction between the immune system and the Fe metabolism.
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