Changes in the pharyngeal and nasal microbiota in pediatric patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.

Unlabelled: The present study aimed to investigate the pharyngeal and nasal microbiota composition in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (AH) and assess longitudinal alterations in both microbiota after a probiotic oral spray treatment. A cohort of 57 AH patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the probiotic and placebo groups for a 5-month treatment course. Pharyngeal and nasal swabs were collected before and after treatment and analyzed by 16S rRNA-based metataxonomics and axenic cultures for pathobiont identification.

Anti-Virulence Potential of a Chionodracine-Derived Peptide against Multidrug-Resistant Clinical Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

is an opportunistic pathogen causing several chronic infections resistant to currently available antibiotics. Its pathogenicity is related to the production of different virulence factors such as biofilm and protease secretion. communities can persist in biofilms that protect bacterial cells from antibiotics.

Serratiopeptidase Affects the Physiology of Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

is frequently involved in cystic fibrosis (CF) airway infections. Biofilm, motility, production of toxins and the invasion of host cells are different factors that increase virulence. The sessile phenotype offers protection to bacterial cells and resistance to antimicrobials and host immune attacks.

An inflammatory Signature of Glucose Impairment in Cystic Fibrosis.

Objective And Design: Cystic fibrosis-related diabetes (CFRD) is a severe complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Extensive inflammatory state in CF leads to pancreas damage and insulin resistance with consequent altered glucose tolerance and CFRD development. The aim of the present study was to identify circulating levels of inflammatory markers specifically associated with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and overt CFRD in a sample of young adults with CF.

spp. Adaptation in Cystic Fibrosis Infection and Candidate Biomarkers of Antimicrobial Resistance.

spp. can establish occasional or chronic lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Chronic colonization has been associated with worse prognosis highlighting the need to identify markers of bacterial persistence.

Essential Oils Biofilm Modulation Activity and Machine Learning Analysis on Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

The opportunistic pathogen is often involved in airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It persists in the hostile CF lung environment, inducing chronic infections due to the production of several virulence factors. In this regard, the ability to form a biofilm plays a pivotal role in CF airway colonization by .

The Fascinating History of Wound Healing Through Fine Arts.

Visual art images narrate the evolution of humankind including different and specific wound managing strategies. Through the observation of some notable art works we explore the empiric historical progress in wound healing and the main reasons they may have been represented. We briefly examine the cultural, symbolic, magical or religious beliefs that have conditioned the approach to a fundamental vital need of humanity: to heal a wound.

Activity of Antivirulence Drugs Targeting the or Quorum Sensing Against Cystic Fibrosis Isolates.

The chronic lung infection caused by is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Antivirulence drugs targeting quorum sensing (QS) systems are intensively studied as antibiotics substitutes or adjuvants. Previous studies, carried out in non-CF reference strains, showed that the old drugs niclosamide and clofoctol could be successfully repurposed as antivirulence drugs targeting the and QS systems, respectively.

A Shaving Proteomic Approach to Unveil Surface Proteins Modulation of Multi-Drug Resistant Strains Isolated From Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common rare disease caused by a mutation of the gene encoding a channel protein of the apical membrane of epithelial cells leading to alteration of Na and K transport, hence inducing accumulation of dense and sticky mucus and promoting recurrent airway infections. The most detected bacterium in CF patients is (PA) which causes chronic colonization, requiring stringent antibiotic therapies that, in turn induces multi-drug resistance. Despite eradication attempts at the first infection, the bacterium is able to utilize several adaptation mechanisms to survive in hostile environments such as the CF lung.

Hybrid Lipid/Polymer Nanoparticles to Tackle the Cystic Fibrosis Mucus Barrier in siRNA Delivery to the Lungs: Does PEGylation Make the Difference?

Inhaled siRNA therapy has a unique potential for treatment of severe lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Nevertheless, a drug delivery system tackling lung barriers is mandatory to enhance gene silencing efficacy in the airway epithelium. We recently demonstrated that lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (hNPs), comprising a poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) core and a lipid shell of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC), may assist the transport of the nucleic acid cargo through mucus-covered human airway epithelium.

Genetic Vaccination as a Flexible Tool to Overcome the Immunological Complexity of Invasive Fungal Infections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted genetic vaccination as a powerful and cost-effective tool to counteract infectious diseases. Invasive fungal infections (IFI) remain a major challenge among immune compromised patients, particularly those undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic bone marrow transplantation (HSCT) or solid organ transplant (SOT) both presenting high morbidity and mortality rates. Candidiasis and Aspergillosis are the major fungal infections among these patients and the failure of current antifungal therapies call for new therapeutic aids.

Anti-Virulence Properties of Essential Oil against Clinical Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for nosocomial infections, and is often involved in airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. virulence is related to its ability to form biofilm, trigger different types of motilities, and produce toxins (for example, bacterial pigments). In this scenario, essential oils (EOs) have gained notoriety for their role in phenotype modulation, including virulence modulation.

The Antimalarial Mefloquine Shows Activity against , Inhibiting Mycolic Acid Metabolism.

Some nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are considered opportunistic pathogens. Nevertheless, NTM infections are increasing worldwide, becoming a major public health threat. Furthermore, there is no current specific drugs to treat these infections, and the recommended regimens generally lack efficacy, emphasizing the need for novel antibacterial compounds.

Anti-Virulence Activity of the Cell-Free Supernatant of the Antarctic Bacterium sp. TAE2020 against Clinical Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

is an opportunistic pathogen often involved in airway infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Its pathogenicity is related to several virulence factors, such as biofilm formation, motility and production of toxins and proteases. The expression of these virulence factors is controlled by quorum sensing (QS).

In Vitro Newly Isolated Environmental Phage Activity against Biofilms Preformed by from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.

As disease worsens in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), (PA) colonizes the lungs, causing pulmonary failure and mortality. Progressively, PA forms typical biofilms, and antibiotic treatments determine multidrug-resistant (MDR) PA strains. To advance new therapies against MDR PA, research has reappraised bacteriophages (phages), viruses naturally infecting bacteria.

Environmental Microbial Contamination during Cystic Fibrosis Group-Based Psychotherapy.

Living with cystic fibrosis (CF) exposes patients to the risk of developing anxiety and depression, with therapeutic compliance reduction, hospitalization increase, and quality of life and health outcomes deterioration. As pulmonary infections represent the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with CF, environmental contamination due to droplet dispersion and the potential transmission from environment to such patients should be prevented. Therefore, in-person contact, including group-based psychotherapy, are strongly discouraged.

The positive outcome of educating HIV-infected children about beauty in an African village.

We report the interesting experience of the African Village of Hope (Dodoma, Tanzania) where HIV-positive orphan children have been hosted, cured, and educated in the last 15 years. The particular attention to beauty in the education of the children amazed us when we were in the village working as doctors. The project and the effort to create such a model of social and medical assistance were born from the idea of the founders, Sister Maria Rosaria Gargiulo and Don Vincenzo Boselli.

Biofilm Formation among Isolates Has Clinical Relevance: The ANSELM Prospective Multicenter Study.

The ability to form biofilms is a recognized trait of , but the extent of its clinical relevance is still unclear. The present multicenter prospective study (ANSELM) aims at investigating the association between biofilm formation and clinical outcomes of infections. One hundred and nine isolates were collected from various geographical origins and stratified according to their clinical relevance.

Essential Oils Biofilm Modulation Activity, Chemical and Machine Learning Analysis. Application on Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

Bacterial biofilm plays a pivotal role in chronic () infection and its inhibition may represent an important strategy to develop novel therapeutic agents. The scientific community is continuously searching for natural and "green alternatives" to chemotherapeutic drugs, including essential oils (EOs), assuming the latter not able to select resistant strains, likely due to their multicomponent nature and, hence, multitarget action. Here it is reported the biofilm production modulation exerted by 61 EOs, also investigated for their antibacterial activity on strains, including reference and cystic fibrosis patients' isolated strains.

Untargeted Metagenomic Investigation of the Airway Microbiome of Cystic Fibrosis Patients with Moderate-Severe Lung Disease.

Although the cystic fibrosis (CF) lung microbiota has been characterized in several studies, little is still known about the temporal changes occurring at the whole microbiome level using untargeted metagenomic analysis. The aim of this study was to investigate the taxonomic and functional temporal dynamics of the lower airway microbiome in a cohort of CF patients. Multiple sputum samples were collected over 15 months from 22 patients with advanced lung disease regularly attending three Italian CF Centers, given a total of 79 samples.

Identification of FDA-approved antivirulence drugs targeting the quorum sensing effector protein PqsE.

The ability of the bacterial pathogen to cause both chronic and acute infections mainly relies on its capacity to finely modulate the expression of virulence factors through a complex network of regulatory circuits, including the quorum sensing (QS) system. While in most QS systems the signal molecule/receptor complexes act as global regulators that modulate the expression of QS-controlled genes, the main effector protein of the system is PqsE. This protein is involved in the synthesis of the QS signal molecules 2-alkyl-4(1)-quinolones (AQs), but it also modulates the expression of genes involved in virulence factors production and biofilm formation AQ-independent pathway(s).

Clonal Diversity, Biofilm Formation, and Antimicrobial Resistance among Strains from Cystic Fibrosis and Non-Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

The intrinsic antibiotic resistance of , along with its ability to form biofilm both on abiotic surfaces and host tissues, dramatically affects the efficacy of the antibiotic therapy. In this work, 85 strains isolated in several hospital of central Italy and from several clinical settings were evaluated for their genetic relatedness (by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, PFGE), biofilm formation (by microtiter plate assay), and planktonic antibiotic resistance (by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique). The population showed a high genetic heterogeneity: 64 different PFGE types were identified, equally distributed in cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF strains, and some consisted of multiple strains.

A cystic fibrosis child with lung function decline.

Respiratory infections are a major threat to cystic fibrosis patients. Besides bacteria, many fungi colonize the cystic fibrosis respiratory tract where an important fungal biota has been described. We report here the case of a 7-year-old cystic fibrosis child with pulmonary exacerbation and Arthrographis kalrae isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.