Prenylated phenolics as promising candidates for combination antibacterial therapy: Morusin and kuwanon G.

Combination of antibiotics with natural products is a promising strategy for potentiating antibiotic activity and overcoming antibiotic resistance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether morusin and kuwanon G, prenylated phenolics in species, have the ability to enhance antibiotic activity and reverse antibiotic resistance in and . Commonly used antibiotics (oxacillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, clindamycin) were selected for the combination studies.

Modelling the Host Immune Response to Mature and Immature Dengue Viruses.

Immature dengue virions contained in patient blood samples are essentially not infectious because the uncleaved surface protein prM renders them incompetent for membrane fusion. However, the immature virions regain full infectivity when they interact with anti-prM antibodies, and once opsonised virion fusion into Fc receptor-expressing cells is facilitated. We propose a within-host mathematical model for the immune response which takes into account the dichotomy between mature infectious and immature noninfectious dengue virions.

Chromium picolinate reduces morphine-dependence in rats, while increasing brain serotonin levels.

Unlabelled: Chromium is an essential trace element with anti-diabetic and anti-depressant effect; the latter is considered related to chromium properties of increasing brain serotonin. Cr salts were shown to improve some forced swimming-parameters and to induce rewarding effects, which are additive to those of morphine, but Cr effect on addictive processes has not been tested.

Aim: The present study aimed to assess chromium picolinate (CrPi) influence on morphine-dependence in rats.