Enhancing the Therapeutic Potential of Peptide Antibiotics Using Bacteriophage Mimicry Strategies.

The rise of antibiotic resistance, coupled with a dwindling antibiotic pipeline, presents a significant threat to public health. Consequently, there is an urgent need for novel therapeutics targeting antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Nisin, a promising peptide antibiotic, exhibits potent bactericidal activity through a mechanism distinct from that of clinically used antibiotics.

Engineered Hybrid Lantibiotic that Selectively Combats Infections Caused by .

The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of presents a substantial challenge to global public health, underscoring the urgent need for novel antibiotics with diverse mechanisms of action. In this study, we conducted mutagenesis on the -terminal region of the lantibiotic ripcin C to enhance its antimicrobial efficacy against . The resulting optimized variant, ripcin C, demonstrated potent and selective antimicrobial activity, with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 2-4 mg/L against .

Guiding antibiotics towards their target using bacteriophage proteins.

Novel therapeutic strategies against difficult-to-treat bacterial infections are desperately needed, and the faster and cheaper way to get them might be by repurposing existing antibiotics. Nanodelivery systems enhance the efficacy of antibiotics by guiding them to their targets, increasing the local concentration at the site of infection. While recently described nanodelivery systems are promising, they are generally not easy to adapt to different targets, and lack biocompatibility or specificity.

Oncogene SCARNA12 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignant tumors of the digestive system, and represents a severe threat to the life and health of individuals. Increasing evidence supports the role of small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) as critical regulatory gene in cancer development. Small Cajal body-specific RNAs (scaRNAs), a subtype of snoRNAs, are named for their subcellular localization within Cajal bodies.

The incorporation of Mg ions into aragonite during biomineralization: Implications for the dolomitization of aragonite.

Bacteria can facilitate the increase of Mg content in biotic aragonite, but the molecular mechanisms of the incorporation of Mg ion into aragonite facilitated by bacteria are still unclear and the dolomitization of aragonite grains is rarely reported. In our laboratory experiments, the content of Mg ions in biotic aragonite is higher than that in inorganically-precipitated aragonite and we hypothesize that the higher Mg content may enhance the subsequent dolomitization of aragonite. In this study, biotic aragonite was induced by Y at different Mg/Ca molar ratios.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among patients with hand, foot and mouth disease in Henan, China: a hospital-based study.

Background: The prevalence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) in humans has been increasing in China due to the growing number of cats in the country. Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious public health issue in China and still one of the leading causes of child mortality.