Bioconjugation of Serratiopeptidase with Titanium Oxide Nanoparticles: Improving Stability and Antibacterial Properties.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, necessitating the development of novel antibacterial strategies. Serratiopeptidase (SP), a metalloprotease produced by bacteria such as , has gained attention not only for its anti-inflammatory properties but also for its potential antibacterial activity. However, its protein nature makes it susceptible to pH changes and self-proteolysis, limiting its effectiveness.

The -Butanol Extract Obtained from the Inner Bark of (Bertol.) DC, Specioside, and Catalposide Induce Leukemia Cell Apoptosis in the Presence of Apicidin.

The cell signaling pathways involved in the antiproliferative activities of inner bark remain unexplored. This study evaluated the apoptotic effects of two iridoids from the inner bark of and apicidin on THP-1 cells. The cytotoxic effects of the extract and the pure compounds on THP-1 and Jurkat cells were also evaluated using the MTT assay.

Scale-Up of the Fermentation Process for the Production and Purification of Serratiopeptidase Using Silkworm Pupae as a Substrate.

Serratiopeptidase, a bacterial metalloprotease known for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties, can be produced through fermentation with . This study aimed to identify key factors related to nutrient composition and physicochemical conditions for production in Erlenmeyer flasks and to scale up the mixture to a bioreactor to obtain the maximum proteolytic activity. A Plackett-Burman design was used to determine whether the presence of silkworm pupae (at 1.

In Vitro Anti- Activity of Extracts Obtained from and : The Role of β-Amyrin.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan that is highly prevalent worldwide. Although the infection is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, it severely affects immunocompromised individuals, causing conditions such as encephalitis, myocarditis, or pneumonitis. The limited therapeutic efficacy of drugs currently used to treat toxoplasmosis has prompted the search for new therapeutic alternatives.

Antimicrobial, toxicological, and antigenic characteristics of three scorpion venoms from Colombia: Centruroides margaritatus, Tityus pachyurus and Tityus n. sp. aff. metuendus.

The venom fractions of three buthid scorpion species from Colombia, C. margaritatus, T. pachyurus and T.

CD8+ T-cell Exhaustion Phenotype in Human Asymptomatic and Ocular Toxoplasmosis.

This work analyzed exhaustion markers in CD8+ T-cell subpopulations in 21 samples of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with ocular toxoplasmosis ( = 9), chronic asymptomatic toxoplasmosis ( = 7), and non-infected people ( = 5) by using RT-qPCR and flow cytometry techniques. The study found that gene expression of PD-1 and CD244, but not LAG-3, was higher in individuals with ocular toxoplasmosis versus individuals with asymptomatic infection or uninfected. Expression of PD1 in CD8+ central memory (CM) cells was higher in nine individuals with toxoplasmosis versus five uninfected individuals ( = .

Performance of Colombian Silk Fibroin Hydrogels for Hyaline Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

The development and evaluation of scaffolds play a crucial role in the engineering of hyaline cartilage tissue. This work aims to evaluate the performance of silk fibroin hydrogels fabricated from the cocoons of the Colombian hybrid in the in vitro regeneration of hyaline cartilage. The scaffolds were physicochemically characterized, and their performance was evaluated in a cellular model.

Activation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway by specioside and the -butanol extract from the inner bark of (Bertol) DC.

A large number of chemical compounds exert their antioxidant effects by activation of key transcriptional regulatory mechanisms, such as the transcription factor Nrf2. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activation of the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway by both the -butanol extract obtained from the inner bark of (Bertol) DC and specioside isolated from this extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract and specioside isolated from the inner bark of were evaluated using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) techniques, whereas their effects on the viability of HepG2 cells was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method.

Serotyping, host genes and cytokines response in human ocular toxoplasmosis.

In human ocular toxoplasmosis, serotype is related with greater severity. We analyzed Toxoplasma GRA6 serotype in 23 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis (13 confirmed, two co-infections- and eight unconfirmed cases) and 20 individuals chronically infected with Toxoplasma but without ocular involvement. In patients with ocular toxoplasmosis, we also studied host gene polymorphisms related to immune response (IL-1β; IL-1α; IL-10; IFN-γ; TNF-α, IL-12), IL-17R, TLR-9, and P2RX7.

Nrf2-Mediated Antioxidant Activity of the inner bark extracts obtained from (Bertol) DC and (JACQ) G. Nicholson.

Several ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological studies have shown the therapeutic potential of plants from the genus , which have long been used in traditional medicine in rural areas of South America, for the treatment of several human diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the Nrf2-mediated antioxidant activity of the inner bark extracts obtained from and . The antioxidant activity of extracts obtained from the inner bark of and was evaluated using the Oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) technique.

Coinfections and differential diagnosis in immunocompetent patients with uveitis of infectious origin.

Background: Making a definite diagnosis of infectious uveitis is a challenging task because many other infectious, and non-infectious uveitis, may have similar non-specific symptoms and overlapping clinical appearances. Co-infections in immunocompetent patients are not frequently proved with traditional serologic-diagnostic tools.

Methods: Descriptive transversal study, in a Uveitis Service of an Ophthalmology Reference Center, in Bogotá, Colombia, from July 2014 to February 2016.

Diagnosis and outcomes of pregnant women with Zika virus infection in two municipalities of Risaralda, Colombia: Second report of the ZIKERNCOL study.

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has emerged as a significant threat for pregnant women and newborns in populations living in or visiting Latin America. We previously reported a preliminary analysis in Sucre, Colombia, as the first group of pregnant women with RT-PCR-confirmed ZIKV (ZIKa enEmbarazadas yReciénNacidos enCOLombia, ZIKERNCOL).

Methods: In this second report, findings of the first 86 pregnant women from La Virginia and Dosquebradas (municipalities), Risaralda, Colombia, with RT-PCR-confirmed ZIKV infection are reported.

Purple urine bag syndrome in an elderly patient from Colombia.

A 71-year-old woman in a nursing home, with indwelling urinary catheter, bedridden, presented with a purple urine collector bag. The purple urine bag syndrome is a rare condition associated with the metabolism of tryptophan by overgrowth of intestinal bacteria. The purple color is formed by a combination of indigo and indirubin produced as a result of phosphatase and sulfatase enzymatic activity of bacteria on indoxyl sulfate, under alkaline pH of the urine.

Th1 and Th2 immune response to P30 and ROP18 peptides in human toxoplasmosis.

We determined the specific lymphocyte proliferative response and cytokine profile production regarding Toxoplasma P30 (2017 from virulent and non-virulent strain) and ROP18 protein-derived peptides (from clonal lineages I, II and III) in 19 patients having ocular toxoplasmosis, five suffering chronic asymptomatic infection, nine with congenital toxoplasmosis and eight Toxoplasma negative people. A Beckman Coulter FC500 flow cytometer was used for determining antigen-specific T cells (CD3+ CD4+ or CD3+ CD8+ cells) in peripheral blood culture. IFN γ and IL10 levels were determined in culture supernatants.