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- Bioprospecting fungi in mediterranean fermentations: functional insights and antibacterial potentialPublication . Bertan, David Willian; Kamimura, Eliana Setsuko; Quintas, CéliaTable olives, particularly traditionally fermented cracked-style green olives, rely on natural microbial activity without chemical debittering, with fungi playing key roles; in contrast, arbutus berry fermentation remains less characterized in terms of microbial functionality. This study investigated the enzymatic and antibacterial potential of fungal isolates from both systems. A total of 84 isolates belonging to Aureobasidium, Candida, Cryptococcus, Saccharomyces, Pichia, Issatchenkia, Torulaspora, and Sporobolomyces were screened for hydrolytic enzymes (pectinases, amylases, cellulases, xylanases, lipases, proteases, tannases, and β-glucosidases) using selective media, and for antibacterial activity against major foodborne pathogens. Isolates from arbutus fermentation showed no relevant enzymatic or antibacterial ability. In contrast, several isolates from olive fermentation exhibited significant functional traits. Aureobasidium pullulans demonstrated broad enzymatic capacity, producing amylases, esterases, and tannases, along with lipid hydrolysis, but also expressed cellulase, pectinase, and protease abilities. Cryptococcus spp. displayed interesting profiles, with low cellulolytic and pectinolytic capacity and higher phenolase, esterase, and lipase capacities. Antibacterial activity was observed exclusively against Gram-positive bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, mainly among Candida membranifaciens, Cryptococcus spp., and A. pullulans. Overall, table olive fermentation isolates showed promising biotechnological potential for food preservation and quality enhancement, whereas arbutus isolates appeared to have limited functional relevance.
- Autistic vs. control differences in MRI scan quality across ABIDE-II sitesPublication . Pinheiro, João; Afonso, Beatriz; Seiça, Emanuel Cortesão de; Gonçalves, Rita; Ribeiro, Luís; Reis, JoanaBackground: Head motion and variability in scan quality remain major methodological challenges in autism neuroimaging. Large multi-site datasets such as ABIDE-II provide a unique opportunity to systematically quantify diagnostic differences in MRI data quality and assess the influence of site-level heterogeneity. Methods: Functional MRI Quality Assessment Protocol (QAP) metrics were combined with phenotypic data from ABIDE-II. Participants were classified as autistic (ASD) or typically developing (TD). Key quality metrics—including mean framewise displacement (mFD), proportion of volumes exceeding 0.20 mm (FD > 0.20), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and entropy focus criterion (EFC)—were analyzed alongside age, sex, IQ, and site. Group differences were evaluated using non parametric tests and linear mixed-effects models with site as a random factor. Additional analyses examined site-level heterogeneity and the impact of quality-control (QC) thresh olds on sample composition. Results: The final sample included 1277 participants (579 ASD; 698 TD) across 14 sites. ASD participants exhibited significantly greater head motion (median mFD = 0.101 vs. 0.081 mm; p < 1 × 10−10) and modest reductions in signal quality (lower SNR, higher EFC). Elevated motion in ASD was observed in 12 of 14 sites, although effect sizes varied substantially. Mixed-effects models confirmed that diagnosis remained a significant predictor of motion after adjusting for covariates. In contrast, signal-quality differences were small and largely explained by site effects. Simulated QC procedures disproportionately excluded ASD participants, with exclusion rates up to 31% compared to 18% in TD. Conclusions: ASD participants show consistently higher head motion, while signal-quality differences are minimal and largely site-driven. Standard QC procedures disproportionately exclude ASD individuals, highlighting the need for improved motion handling and more balanced quality-control strategies in multi-site studies.
- Detection of paralytic shellfish toxins and tetrodotoxins in shellfish using a single-cell biosensor based on patch clamp technologyPublication . Reverté, Jaume; Turner, Andrew D.; Dhanji-Rapkova, Monika; Klijnstra, Mirjam D.; Gerssen, Arjen; Lage, Sandra; Tudó, Àngels; Diogène, Jorge; Sureda, Francesc X.; Campàs, MònicaParalytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a well-known group of potent neurotoxins that may accumulate in shellfish, posing a significant risk to food safety and public health. To protect consumers, shellfish production areas are subject to regulatory monitoring programs targeting PST contamination. However, tetrodotoxins (TTXs), another group of potent neurotoxins that may also accumulate in shellfish and co-occur with PSTs, are not currently included in regulations and routine monitoring schemes in most EU countries. This is of particular concern because PSTs and TTXs share the same biological target and mechanism of action and therefore pose a comparable neurotoxic risk. In this work, we present an automated patch clamp (APC) single-cell biosensing device as a toxicological bioanalytical solution addressing the need for tools capable of simultaneously detecting these two hazardous toxin groups. The biosensor was able to detect not only saxitoxin (STX) and TTX, but also their toxic analogues. The method achieved a limit of detection of 37 µg STX equivalents (equiv.) kg⁻¹, well below the current regulatory limit of 800 µg STX equiv. kg⁻¹. After the analysis of more than 70 samples exhibiting diverse toxin profiles, the results and correlations with reference methods demonstrate that APC single-cell biosensing provides a robust and integrative tool for the simultaneous monitoring of PSTs and TTXs.
- Investigating medicinal resource combinations in the Bornean orangutan dietPublication . Allen, G.; Freymann, E.; d´Oliveira Coelho, João; Shagara, H.; Shinyo, I.; Panda, A.; Jaya, A.; Hockings, K. J.; Morrogh-Bernard, H. C.Self-medication occurs across diverse taxa, but identifying novel behaviours and medicinal resources remains challenging due to the need for long-term observation, intensive health monitoring, and costly pharmacological analyses. Recent advances in analytical methods have enabled the development of the self-medicative resource combination hypothesis (SMRCH), which proposes that non-human animals may deliberately combine therapeutic resources when ill. This framework has previously been applied to identify non-random dietary combinations in wild chimpanzees. Here, we extend this approach to another great ape by examining dietary combinations in wild Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), a species with emerging evidence of medicative feeding behaviour, thereby enabling broader comparative insight into medicative feeding across great apes. Using longterm feeding data from a Sebangau peat-swamp forest Central Kalimantan, we analysed patterns of plant use and evaluated their potential medicinal relevance. Our analyses revealed non-random dietary combinations involving plant species with documented ethnomedicinal and pharmacological properties. These findings are consistent with the SMRCH, supporting its utility as a framework for identifying non-random dietary associations that may represent candidate self-medicative behaviours in orangutans and other great apes. This research highlights the importance of preserving Indigenous knowledge for biodiversity conservation and global health research.