Publications by authors named "Dorota Wojnicz"

Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a significant challenge in the treatment of bacterial infections, often leading to therapeutic failures. This issue underlines the need to develop strategies that improve the efficacy of conventional antibiotic therapies. In this study, we aimed to assess whether a plant-derived compound, α-mangostin, and photodynamic therapy (PDT) could enhance the antibacterial activity of ciprofloxacin against uropathogenic strains of and .

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European Union (EU) countries strive to improve the quality and safety of food of animal origin. Food production depends on a good microbiological quality of fodder. However, feed can be a reservoir or vector of pathogenic microorganisms, including or bacteria.

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Multispecies bacterial biofilms are the often cause of chronic recurrent urinary tract infections within the human population. Eradicating such a complex bacterial consortium with standard pharmacotherapy is often unsuccessful. Therefore, plant-derived compounds are currently being researched as an alternative strategy to antibiotic therapy for preventing bacterial biofilm formation and facilitating its eradication.

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Due to the ever-increasing number of multidrug-resistant bacteria, research concerning plant-derived compounds with antimicrobial mechanisms of action has been conducted. Pentacyclic triterpenes, which have a broad spectrum of medicinal properties, are one of such groups. Asiatic acid (AA) and ursolic acid (UA), which belong to this group, exhibit diverse biological activities that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, and immunostimulatory.

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The aim of this study was to assess the beneficial inhibitory effect of silver nanoparticles immobilized on SiO or TiO on biofilm formation by -one of the most dangerous pathogens isolated from urine and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of patients hospitalized in intensive care units. Pure and silver doped nanoparticles of SiO and TiO were prepared using a novel modified sol-gel method. Ten clinical strains of and the reference PAO1 strain were used.

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Antibiotic therapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) are commonly used to treat bacterial infections. Unfortunately, these methods are often ineffective. Therefore, agents that could effectively support antibiotic therapy and PDT in the inactivation of pathogens are being sought.

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Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a serious health problem in the human population due to their chronic and recurrent nature. Bacteria causing UTIs form multispecies biofilms being resistant to the activity of the conventionally used antibiotics. Therefore, compounds of plant origin are currently being searched for, which could constitute an alternative strategy to antibiotic therapy.

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The role of purified natural products in the prevention and treatment of countless diseases of bacterial, fungal, and viral origin cannot be overestimated. New antiviral drugs have been obtained from natural sources and transformed into preparations for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. Flavonoids, polyphenols, saponins, proanthocyanins, polysaccharides, organic acids, proteins, polypeptides, and essential oils derived from plants, animals, or microorganisms can control and combat foodborne viral infections, including hepatitis A.

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Human noroviruses, which belong to the enterovirus family, are one of the most common etiological agents of food-borne diseases. In recent years, intensive research has been carried out regarding the antiviral activity of plant metabolites that could be used for the preservation of fresh food, because they are safer for consumption when compared to synthetic chemicals. Plant preparations with proven antimicrobial activity differ in their chemical compositions, which significantly affects their biological activity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lour. is a perennial herb native to Indonesia and cultivated in various regions, with significant phytochemicals including rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, and abietane diterpenoids.
  • A study comparing plants from Indonesia and Poland showed that Indonesian plants had higher crude protein and ADF contents, while Polish plants had more polyphenols and antioxidant potential.
  • While Lour. can grow in colder climates like Poland, its nutritional properties and bioactivity vary significantly based on the cultivation location.
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European goldenrod ( L.) has long been applied in traditional medicine and recommended in the prophylaxis of urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, research describing the antibacterial properties of goldenrod is very limited.

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Background: Extracts from the Rosaceae family fruits are rich in natural, biologically active polyphenols, but their antibacterial properties are still poorly understood. Therefore, we focused our research on their activity against uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains. This research also concerned the proof of their ability to reduce oxidative stress and modulate the activity of lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1).

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Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proven to kill different microbial cells. However, to our knowledge, none of the available reports describes the modulatory effect of this therapy on the antibacterial activity of antibiotics against Escherichia coli rods being the main causative agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Therefore, the aim of our study was to verify if the PDT can enhance the antibacterial activity of antibiotics recommended in the treatment of UTIs.

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Background: Asiatic (AA) and ursolic (UA) acids are widely studied phytochemicals, but their antimicrobial properties are still poorly understood. Therefore our research has focused on their activity against uropathogenic Enterococcus faecalis strains.

Objectives: The aim of this research was to determine the influence of AA and UA on the growth, cell morphology, virulence factors and biofilm formation by E.

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Drinking of cranberry fruit juice and application of commercial preparations containing the cranberry extracts are recommended in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in women with recurrent UTIs. Many studies focus on the activity of cranberries against uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains.

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Background & Objectives: Ciprofloxacin is commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections caused by Escherichia coli. However, very often these recurrent infections are due to a failure in a complete eradication of the microorganisms colonizing the urinary tract, especially in catheterized patients. To enhance the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin against biofilm-forming uropathogenic E.

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In this study we focused on the chemical composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of methanol and water extracts of fruits of six species grown in south-west Poland: blackberry, blackcurrant, chokeberry, cherry, gooseberry and raspberry. No general correlation could be drawn between extract chemical properties (i.e.

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The aim of this study was to determine the effect of subinhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of ciprofloxacin, amikacin and colistin on biofilm formation, motility, curli fimbriae formation by planktonic and biofilm cells of E. coli strains isolated from the urine of patients with various urinary system infections. Quantification of biofilm formation was carried out using a microtiter plate assay and a spectrophotometric method.

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Adhesion of bacteria to epithelial tissue is an essential step in the progression of the urinary tract infections. Reduction of virulence factors responsible for microbial attachment may help to decrease or inhibit colonization of the host organism by pathogens. In the age of increasing bacterial antibiotic resistance, more and more attention is being paid to the use of plants and/or their bioactive components in the prevention and treatment of human infections.

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Medicinal plants are an important source for the therapeutic remedies of various diseases including urinary tract infections. This prompted us to perform research in this area. We decided to focus on medicinal plants species used in urinary tract infections prevention.

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Consumption of cranberries is known to exert positive health effects, especially against urinary tract infections. For this reason, presumably, they are widely used in folk medicine. Different aspects of cranberry phenolics activity were studied in individual papers but complex study in this matter is missing.

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Anthocyanins are particularly abundant in different fruits, especially in berries. The beneficial effects of these compounds for human health have been known from at least the 16th century. Despite the great number of papers devoted to the different biological effects exerted by anthocyanins only a limited number of studies is focused on the antimicrobial activity of these compounds.

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The effect of subinhibitory concentrations of amikacin and ciprofloxacin on the susceptibility of Escherichia coli strains to the bactericidal action of normal human serum, outer membrane protein (OMP) expression and cell morphology was investigated. Sub-minimal inhibitory concentrations (sub-MICs) of both antibiotics were found to alter the expression of some OMPs of serum-resistant E. coli rods, the morphology of their cells and made them sensitive to the bactericidal activity of normal human serum.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of isolation and antimicrobial resistance testing of non-fermentative rods isolated from clinical specimens from patients hospitalized in Korczak Pediatric Center of Lower Silesia in Wrocław. The susceptibility of bacteria to selected antibiotics was determined. The commonest pathogens were Pseudomonas rods (81.

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Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains are the prominent nosocomial pathogens, especially dangerous for patients hospitalized in intensive care units. The cell surface hydrophobicity of P. aeruginosa rods and resistance to the bactericidal action of serum are considered as important factors of their virulence.

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