Quorum sensing inhibition evaluation method: An experiment-based microbiology laboratory course.

Bacteria have developed a cell-to-cell communication system called quorum sensing (QS), allowing them to regulate group behavior and synchronize the expression of virulence factors, responsible for increasing their infection capacity and resistance to antimicrobials. Although the control of microbial infections through the inhibition of microbial growth has traditionally been the basis of antimicrobial chemotherapy, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance has led to the search for new microbial control strategies, namely through the inhibition of QS. Among the agents studied to inhibit this bacterial communication are essential oils (EO), which are considered very effective QS inhibitors.

Insights into macrolide resistance in Arcobacter butzleri: potential resistance mechanisms and impact on bacterial fitness and virulence.

Background: Macrolides are recommended for treating the emerging enteropathogen Arcobacter butzleri; nonetheless, this bacterium often exhibits highly variable resistance rates, and the mechanisms behind this resistance phenotype remain largely unexplored.

Objectives: To understand the phenotypic and genotypic consequences associated with the acquisition of erythromycin resistance in A. butzleri, as well as the effects on the fitness of this species.

Linalool Reduces Virulence and Tolerance to Adverse Conditions of .

, a foodborne pathogen causing listeriosis, poses substantial societal, economic, and public health challenges due to its resistance, persistence, and biofilm formation in the food industry. Exploring subinhibitory concentrations of compounds to target virulence inhibition and increase susceptibility to adverse conditions presents a promising strategy to mitigate its impact of and unveils new potential applications. Thus, this study aims to explore the effect of linalool on virulence factors of and potential use in the reduction in its tolerance to stressful conditions.

Action of Curcumin on Glioblastoma Growth: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis of Animal Model Studies.

Gliomas are aggressive brain tumors with poor prognosis even after surgical removal and radio-chemotherapy, stressing the urgency to find alternative therapies. Several preclinical studies evaluating the anticancer effect of curcumin in animal models of glioma are reported, but a systematic review with meta-analysis of these studies, considering the different experimental conditions used, has not been made up to this date. A search in different databases (Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO) following the PRISMA statement was conducted during November 2023 to systematically identify articles assessing the effect of curcumin in murine xenograft models of glioma and identified 15 articles, which were subdivided into 24 studies.

Evaluation of Bile Salts on the Survival and Modulation of Virulence of .

is a Gram-negative bacterium associated with infections of the gastrointestinal tract and widely distributed in various environments. For successful infection, should be able to tolerate various stresses during gastrointestinal passage, such as bile. Bile represents an antimicrobial host barrier that acts against external noxious agents and consists of a variety of bile salts.

Optimization of Whey Protein-Based Films Incorporating Mill. Essential Oil.

Petroleum-based plastics used in food packaging are not biodegradable. They accumulate in the environment in large amounts, causing a decrease in soil fertility, jeopardizing marine habitats, and causing serious problems to human health. Whey protein has been studied for applications in food packaging, either because of its abundant availability or because it confers transparency, flexibility, and good barrier properties to packaging materials.

Putative Role of an ABC Efflux System in Resistance and Virulence.

is considered a ubiquitous microorganism and emergent pathogen, for which increasing rates of multidrug resistance have been described. In line with this, the present work aimed to evaluate for the first time the contribution of an ABC efflux system, the YbhFSR, in the resistance and virulence of this bacterium. Following the in silico characterization of the YbhFSR transporter, a mutant strain was constructed by inactivating the gene responsible for ATP-binding.

Effect of Atmospheric Conditions on Pathogenic Phenotypes of .

is an emergent gram-negative enteropathogenic bacterium widespread in different environments and hosts. During the colonization of the gastrointestinal tract, bacteria face a variety of environmental conditions to successfully establish infection in a new host. One of these challenges is the fluctuation of oxygen concentrations encountered not only throughout the host gastrointestinal tract and defences but also in the food industry.

The Prevalence of in Aquatic Environments: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Members of the family are distributed widely in aquatic environments, and some of its species have been associated with human and animal illness. However, information about the diversity and distribution of in different water bodies is still limited. In order to better characterize the health risk posed by members in the family , a systematic review and meta-analysis-based method was used to investigate the prevalence of species in aquatic environments based on available data published worldwide.

EXPRESSION OF E-CADHERIN AND CLAUDIN-3 IN THE COLONIC EPITHELIUM AFTER THE INFLIXIMAB THERAPY: EXPERIMENTAL MODEL OF DISUSE COLITIS.

Aim: The etiopathogenesis of disuse colitis (DC) has not yet been fully elucidated. The main theories consider that the disease may be related to an increase in anaerobic bacteria, the lack of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) supply, and immunological disorders that develop in the colorectal segments devoid of fecal transit. The aim of this study was to verify whether the application of infliximab modifies the tissue content of E-cadherin and claudin-3 proteins in colonic epithelium of rats devoid of intestinal transit.

Effect of soft tissue noise on trabecular bone score in postmenopausal women with diabetes: A cross sectional study.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with increased fracture risk, despite similar or greater BMD compared to nondiabetics. TBS predicts fracture risk in T2D and nondiabetics. However, increased abdominal thickness, a common feature in T2D, may reduce TBS values.

Development of Phenothiazine Hybrids with Potential Medicinal Interest: A Review.

The molecular hybridization approach has been used to develop compounds with improved efficacy by combining two or more pharmacophores of bioactive scaffolds. In this context, hybridization of various relevant pharmacophores with phenothiazine derivatives has resulted in pertinent compounds with diverse biological activities, interacting with specific or multiple targets. In fact, the development of new drugs or drug candidates based on phenothiazine system has been a promising approach due to the diverse activities associated with this tricyclic system, traditionally present in compounds with antipsychotic, antihistaminic and antimuscarinic effects.

Screening of the Potential Bioactivities of Pennyroyal ( L.) Essential Oil.

Increasing resistance of pathogens towards conventional antibiotics presents a major threat to public health because it reduces the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment. L., also known as pennyroyal, is an aromatic herb that belongs to the family Lamiaceae.

Natural Transformation as a Mechanism of Horizontal Gene Transfer in .

is an emergent enteropathogen, showing high genetic diversity, which likely contributes to its adaptive capacity to different environments. Whether natural transformation can be a mechanism that generates genetic diversity in is still unknown. In the present study, we aimed to establish if is naturally competent for transformation and to investigate the factors influencing this process.

RND Efflux Systems Contribute to Resistance and Virulence of .

is an emergent enteropathogen that can be found in a range of environments. This bacterium presents a vast repertoire of efflux pumps, such as the ones belonging to the resistance nodulation cell division family, which may be associated with bacterial resistance, as well as virulence. Thus, this work aimed to evaluate the contribution of three RND efflux systems, AreABC, AreDEF and AreGHI, in the resistance and virulence of .

Characterization of AreABC, an RND-Type Efflux System Involved in Antimicrobial Resistance of Aliarcobacter butzleri.

Aliarcobacter butzleri is an emergent enteropathogen for which resistance to several classes of antimicrobial agents has been described, although the underlying mechanisms have been poorly addressed. We aimed to evaluate the contribution of the resistance-nodulation-division-type (RND) efflux system, AreABC, to drug resistance in A. butzleri.

Tissue content of metalloproteinase-9 and collagen in the colon with and without fecal stream after intervention with infliximab in rats subjected to Hartmann's surgery.

Purpose: Quantify the tissue content of metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and collagen in colic mucosa with and without intestinal transit after infliximab administration in rats subjected to Hartmann's surgery.

Methods: Twenty-two rats underwent colon diversion by Hartmann's surgery. Animals were maintained with intestinal bypass for 12 weeks to induce development of diversion colitis (DC).

Pullulan-Apple Fiber Biocomposite Films: Optical, Mechanical, Barrier, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Properties.

More than 150 million tons of synthetic plastics are produced worldwide from petrochemical-based materials, many of these plastics being used to produce single-use consumer products like food packaging. The main goal of this work was to research the production and characterization of pullulan-apple fiber biocomposite films as a new food packaging material. The optical, mechanical, and barrier properties of the developed biocomposite films were evaluated.

Antimicrobial and antitumor activity of S-methyl dithiocarbazate Schiff base zinc(II) complexes.

Schiff bases (SB) obtained from S-methyl dithiocarbazate and aromatic aldehydes: salicylaldehyde (HL), o-vanillin (HL), pyridoxal (HL) and 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol (HL), and their corresponding Zn(II)-complexes (1-4), are synthesized. All compounds are characterized by elemental analyses, infrared, UV-Vis, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The structures of HL and [Zn(L)(HO)(DMF)] (1a) (DMF = dimethylformamide) are solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction.

Ayahuasca Beverages: Phytochemical Analysis and Biological Properties.

Ayahuasca is a psychoactive beverage, originally consumed by indigenous Amazon tribes, of which consumption has been increasing worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytochemical profile, as well as the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties of decoctions of four individual plants, a commercial mixture and four mixtures of two individual plants used in the Ayahuasca preparation. For this purpose, a phytochemical characterization was performed, determining the content of flavonoids, total phenolic compounds, and analyzing the phenolic profile.

Pullulan Films Containing Rockrose Essential Oil for Potential Food Packaging Applications.

Active packaging is designed to control the development of decay- and disease-causing microorganisms and is emerging as a promising technology for extending shelf-life, maintaining food safety, reducing waste, and minimizing the risks for foodborne diseases. The goal of this work was to develop and characterize bioactive pullulan-based films, containing rockrose () essential oil. Among other abundant compounds (camphene, bornyl acetate and -pinocarveol), α-pinene was identified as the major compound of rockrose essential oil (39.

Design and Characterization of Bioactive Bilayer Films: Release Kinetics of Isopropyl Palmitate.

Active packaging incorporating antioxidants and antimicrobials is creating a niche in the market and becoming increasingly important. The main goal of this work was the design of bioactive bilayer films (zein/pullulan) incorporating licorice essential oil. The bilayer films were fully characterized in terms of their chemical, physical, barrier, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties.

Virulence and antibiotic resistance plasticity of Arcobacter butzleri: Insights on the genomic diversity of an emerging human pathogen.

Arcobacter butzleri is a foodborne emerging human pathogen, frequently displaying a multidrug resistant character. Still, the lack of comprehensive genome-scale comparative analysis has limited our knowledge on A. butzleri diversification and pathogenicity.