Azithromycin (AZM), an antibacterial considered one of the most consumed drugs, especially during the period against the Covid 19 pandemic, and it is one of the persistent contaminants that can be released into aquatic ecosystems. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy of a Fenton-like process (chlorine/iron) for the degradation of AZM in an aqueous medium by determining the impact of several factors (the initial concentration of (FeSO, NaClO, pollutant), and the initial pH) on the degradation rate. The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Wilson design as well as the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modeling combined with a genetic algorithm (GA) approaches were used to determine the optimal levels of the selected variables and the optimal rate of degradation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman gut microbiota is a protective agent of intestinal and systemic health, and its modulation is of great interest for human wellbeing. In the world of biotics, besides probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, also appears the denomination of "postbiotics" and "psychobiotics". Fermented dairy products are, traditionally, the major source of probiotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Infectious diseases produced by antimicrobial resistant microorganisms are a major threat to human, and animal health worldwide. This problem is increased by the virulence and spread of these bacteria. Surface motility has been regarded as a pathogenicity element because it is essential for many biological functions, but also for disease spreading; hence, investigations on the motility behaviour of bacteria are crucial to understand chemotaxis, biofilm formation and virulence in general.
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