Publications by authors named "Jeremy B Alverson"

Outer ear infections (OE) affect millions of people annually with significant associated healthcare costs. Incorrect administration or non-compliance with the treatment regimen can lead to infection persistence, recurrence, antibiotic resistance, and in severe cases aggravation to malignant otitis externa. Such issues are particularly pertinent for military personnel, patients in nursing homes, the geriatric population, for patients with head or hand tremors and for those with limited or no access to proper healthcare.

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Cytochrome binds cardiolipin on the concave surface of the inner mitochondrial membrane, before oxidizing the lipid and initiating the apoptotic pathway. This interaction has been studied , where mimicking the membrane curvature of the binding environment is difficult. Here we report binding to concave, cardiolipin-containing, membrane surfaces and compare findings to convex binding under the same conditions.

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The spread of plasmid borne resistance enzymes in clinical isolates is rendering trimethoprim and iclaprim, both inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), ineffective. Continued exploitation of these targets will require compounds that can broadly inhibit these resistance-conferring isoforms. Using a structure-based approach, we have developed a novel class of ionized nonclassical antifolates (INCAs) that capture the molecular interactions that have been exclusive to classical antifolates.

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Ear infections are a commonly-occurring problem that can affect people of all ages. Treatment of these pathologies usually includes the administration of topical or systemic antibiotics, depending on the location of the infection. In this context, we sought to address the feasibility of a single-application slow-releasing therapeutic formulation of an antibiotic for the treatment of otitis externa.

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A carefully timed coculture fermentation of Penicillium fuscum and P. camembertii/clavigerum yielded eight new 16-membered-ring macrolides, berkeleylactones A-H (1, 4, 6-9, 12, 13), as well as the known antibiotic macrolide A26771B (5), patulin, and citrinin. There was no evidence of the production of the berkeleylactones or A26771B (5) by either fungus when grown as axenic cultures.

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Antimicrobial resistance to current antibiotics is a significant public health problem and the need for new antibiotics is a compelling one. We have been developing a new series of antibiotics, propargyl-linked diaminopyrimidines, based on the structure of trimethoprim. To date we have discovered compounds that are effective inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase (the target of trimethoprim), that are potent antibiotics in vitro against a range of Gram-positive pathogens including methicillin-resistant S.

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Although classical, negatively charged antifolates such as methotrexate possess high affinity for the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) enzyme, they are unable to penetrate the bacterial cell wall, rendering them poor antibacterial agents. Herein, we report a new class of charged propargyl-linked antifolates that capture some of the key contacts common to the classical antifolates while maintaining the ability to passively diffuse across the bacterial cell wall. Eight synthesized compounds exhibit extraordinary potency against Gram-positive S.

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Natural product-like macrocycles were designed as potential antibacterial compounds. The macrocycles featured a D-glucose unit fused into a 12- or 13-member macrolactone. The rings are connected via the C6' and anomeric (C1') positions of the monosaccharide.

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Species of Candida, primarily C. albicans and with increasing prevalence, C. glabrata, are responsible for the majority of fungal bloodstream infections that cause morbidity, especially among immune compromised patients.

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Hospital- and community-acquired, complicated skin and soft tissue infections, often attributed to Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes, present a significant health burden that is associated with increased health care costs and mortality. As these two species are difficult to discern on diagnosis and are associated with differential profiles of drug resistance, the development of an efficacious antibacterial agent that targets both organisms is a high priority. Herein we describe a structure-based drug development effort that has produced highly potent inhibitors of dihydrofolate reductase from both species.

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