3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM): A Potential Therapeutic Agent against Cariogenic Biofilm.

Indole, a metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan, has been proven to act as a signal molecule in bacteria, acting in different aspects of biofilm formation. The oral biofilm is a type of biofilm that has consequences for human health. It is a complex, three-dimensional structure that develops on the surface of teeth via the attachment of primary microbial colonizers.

Conversations in the Gut: The Role of Quorum Sensing in Normobiosis.

An imbalance in gut microbiota, termed dysbiosis, has been shown to affect host health. Several factors, including dietary changes, have been reported to cause dysbiosis with its associated pathologies that include inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, obesity, depression, and autism. We recently demonstrated the inhibitory effects of artificial sweeteners on bacterial quorum sensing (QS) and proposed that QS inhibition may be one mechanism behind such dysbiosis.

Anti-Virulence Activity of 3,3'-Diindolylmethane (DIM): A Bioactive Cruciferous Phytochemical with Accelerated Wound Healing Benefits.

Antimicrobial resistance is among the top global health problems with antibacterial resistance currently representing the major threat both in terms of occurrence and complexity. One reason current treatments of bacterial diseases are ineffective is the occurrence of protective and resistant biofilm structures. Phytochemicals are currently being reviewed for newer anti-virulence agents.

Inhibitory Effects of Artificial Sweeteners on Bacterial Quorum Sensing.

Despite having been tagged as safe and beneficial, recent evidence remains inconclusive regarding the status of artificial sweeteners and their putative effects on gut microbiota. Gut microorganisms are essential for the normal metabolic functions of their host. These microorganisms communicate within their community and regulate group behaviors via a molecular system termed quorum sensing (QS).

Assessing the Molecular Targets and Mode of Action of Furanone C-30 on Quorum Sensing.

Quorum sensing (QS), a sophisticated system of bacterial communication that depends on population density, is employed by many pathogenic bacteria to regulate virulence. In view of the current reality of antibiotic resistance, it is expected that interfering with QS can address bacterial pathogenicity without stimulating the incidence of resistance. Thus, harnessing QS inhibitors has been considered a promising approach to overriding bacterial infections and combating antibiotic resistance that has become a major threat to public healthcare around the globe.

Anti-Quorum Sensing Activity of Stevia Extract, Stevioside, Rebaudioside A and Their Aglycon Steviol.

Governments are creating regulations for consumers to reduce their sugar intake, prompting companies to increase the ratio of artificial sweeteners in their products. However, there is evidence of some deleterious effects ascribed to the aforementioned synthetic agents and therefore consumers and food manufacturers have turned their attention to natural dietary sweeteners, such as stevia, to meet their sweetening needs. Stevia is generally considered safe; however, emerging scientific evidence has implicated the agent in gut microbial imbalance.

Functional marine metagenomic screening for anti-quorum sensing and anti-biofilm activity.

Quorum sensing (QS), a cell-to-cell communication process, entails the production of signaling molecules that enable synchronized gene expression in microbial communities to regulate myriad microbial functions, including biofilm formation. QS disruption may constitute an innovative approach to the design of novel antifouling and anti-biofilm agents. To identify novel quorum sensing inhibitors (QSI), 2,500 environmental bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) from uncultured marine planktonic bacteria were screened for QSI activity using soft agar overlaid with wild type Chromobacterium violaceum as an indicator.

Functional Improvement Following Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Repair in an Active Duty Navy Female.

Return to physical activity following childbirth can be a difficult process complicated by structural changes during pregnancy. A common problem is the development of a diastasis of the rectus abdominus (DRA), defined as a horizontal separation of the abdominus muscles at the linea alba. Recent data indicate that the greater the distance of separation of the muscle, the worse the functional ability.

Coral-associated bacteria, quorum sensing disrupters, and the regulation of biofouling.

Marine biofouling, the settlement of microorganisms and macroorganisms on structures submerged in seawater, although economically detrimental, is a successful strategy for survival in hostile environments, where coordinated bacterial communities establish biofilms via the regulation of quorum sensing (QS) communication systems. The inhibition of QS activity among bacteria isolated from different coral species was investigated to gain further insight into its potency in the attenuation, or even the prevention, of undesirable biofouling on marine organisms. It is hypothesized that coral mucus/microorganism interactions are competitive, suggesting that the dominant communities secrete QS disruptive compounds.

Characterization of quorum sensing signals in coral-associated bacteria.

Marine environment habitats, such as the coral mucus layer, are abundant in nutrients and rich with diverse populations of microorganisms. Since interactions among microorganisms found in coral mucus can be either mutualistic or competitive, understanding quorum sensing-based acyl homoserine lactone (AHL) language may shed light on the interaction between coral-associated microbial communities in the native host. More than 100 bacterial isolates obtained from different coral species were screened for their ability to produce AHL.

Two-color, 30 second microwave-accelerated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence DNA assays: a new Rapid Catch and Signal (RCS) technology.

For analyses of DNA fragment sequences in solution we introduce a 2-color DNA assay, utilizing a combination of the Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) effect and microwave-accelerated DNA hybridization. The assay is based on a new "Catch and Signal" technology, i.e.

Radioimmunoscintigraphy in patients with breast adenocarcinoma using technetium-99m labelled monoclonal antibody 170H.82: report of a phase II study.

Fifty-three women with clinical evidence of adenocarcinoma of the breast were studied with technetium-99m labelled monoclonal antibody (MAb) 170H.82 at protein doses of 1, 2 and 4 mg. An overall per lesion efficacy of 83.

A single photon emission computed tomography scan study of striatal dopamine D2 receptor binding with 123I-epidepride in patients with schizophrenia and controls.

The usefulness of 123I-epidepride as a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scan D2 receptor ligand was examined in vivo in 13 medicated patients with schizophrenia and age- and sex-matched normal controls. To establish the effect of endogenous dopamine on 123I-epidepride binding, 4 of the 13 controls also received 20 mg D-amphetamine. The results showed that 123I-epidepride had high specific binding to the striatum in both patients with schizophrenia and normal controls.

A pharmacokinetic comparison of murine and chimeric forms of the 99mTc-labelled 174H.64 monoclonal antibody.

The monoclonal antibody (MoAb) 174H.64 (Truscint SQ, Biomira Inc.) is a murine-derived MoAb reacting with an extracellular surface component of the cytoskeletal matrix ectopically expressed on squamous-cell carcinoma cell-surface membranes.