Novel Synthetic Peptide Agelaia-12 Has Improved Activity Against Complex.

Fast-growing mycobacteria cause difficult-to-treat infections due to their high intrinsic resistance to antibiotics as well as disinfectant agents. complex (MAC) is the main cause of nontuberculous mycobacteria diseases. In this work, we evaluated the activity of the novel synthetic antimicrobial peptide, Agelaia-12, against and .

New antibacterial candidates against Acinetobacter baumannii discovered by in silico-driven chemogenomics repurposing.

Acinetobacter baumannii is a worldwide Gram-negative bacterium with a high resistance rate, responsible for a broad spectrum of hospital-acquired infections. A computational chemogenomics framework was applied to investigate the repurposing of approved drugs to target A. baumannii.

Promising New Targets for the Treatment of Infections Caused by : A Review.

is a globally disseminated Gram-negative bacterium that causes several types of serious nosocomial infections, the most worrisome being ventilator-associated pneumonia and bacteremia related to using venous catheters. Due to its great ability to form biofilms, combined with its survival for prolonged periods on abiotic surfaces and its potential to acquire and control the genes that determine antibiotic resistance, is at the top of the World Health Organization's priority list of pathogens in urgent need of new therapies. In this sense, this review aimed to present and discuss new molecular targets present in A.

Decreased Expression of CD314 by NK Cells Correlates with Their Ability to Respond by Producing IFN-γ after BCG Moscow Vaccination and Is Associated with Distinct Early Immune Responses.

The immune response to vaccines is complex and results in various outcomes. BCG vaccination induces innate and specific responses that can lead to protection against tuberculosis, and cross-protection against other infections. NK cells have been associated with BCG-induced protection.

Statistical inference on representational geometries.

Neuroscience has recently made much progress, expanding the complexity of both neural activity measurements and brain-computational models. However, we lack robust methods for connecting theory and experiment by evaluating our new big models with our new big data. Here, we introduce new inference methods enabling researchers to evaluate and compare models based on the accuracy of their predictions of representational geometries: A good model should accurately predict the distances among the neural population representations (e.

Repurposing miconazole and tamoxifen for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus complex infections through in silico chemogenomics approach.

Drug repositioning is an alternative to overcome the complexity of the drug discovery and approval procedures for the treatment of Mycobacterium abscessus Complex (MABSC) infections that are increasing globally due to the emergency of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Here, an in silico chemogenomics approach was performed to compare the sequences from 4942 M. abscessus subsp.

Ferritin from Mycobacterium abscessus is involved in resistance to antibiotics and oxidative stress.

Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense (Mycma) is a rapidly growing Mycobacterium belonging to the M. abscessus complex that is often associated with lung and soft tissue infection outbreaks.

Combined antibodies against internalins A and B proteins have potential application in immunoassay for detection of .

Unlabelled: is a food-borne bacterium that causes listeriosis upon the ingestion of contaminated food. Traditional methods to detect require pre-enrichment broths to increase its concentration. To improve the screening of contaminated food and prevent listeriosis outbreaks, rapid, specific and sensitive assays are needed to detect This study developed a prototype lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA) employing antibodies against Internalin A (InlA) and Internalin B (InlB) proteins, that are involved in non-phagocytic cell invasion.

Precise atom manipulation through deep reinforcement learning.

Atomic-scale manipulation in scanning tunneling microscopy has enabled the creation of quantum states of matter based on artificial structures and extreme miniaturization of computational circuitry based on individual atoms. The ability to autonomously arrange atomic structures with precision will enable the scaling up of nanoscale fabrication and expand the range of artificial structures hosting exotic quantum states. However, the a priori unknown manipulation parameters, the possibility of spontaneous tip apex changes, and the difficulty of modeling tip-atom interactions make it challenging to select manipulation parameters that can achieve atomic precision throughout extended operations.

PknG R242P Mutation Results in Structural Changes with Enhanced Virulence in the Mouse Model of Infection.

is the causative agent of tuberculosis in domestic and wild animal species and sometimes in humans, presenting variable degrees of pathogenicity. It is known that PknG is involved in the first steps of macrophage infection and immune evasion. We questioned whether genes were conserved among mycobacteria and if natural genetic modifications would affect its virulence.

Efficacy and Safety of BCG Revaccination With BCG Moscow to Prevent COVID-19 Infection in Health Care Workers: A Randomized Phase II Clinical Trial.

The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is widely used to protect children against tuberculosis, can also improve immune response against viral infections. This unicentric, randomized-controlled clinical trial assessed the efficacy and safety of revaccination with BCG Moscow in reducing the positivity and symptoms of COVID-19 in health care workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. HCWs who had negative COVID-19 IgM and IgG and who dedicated at least eight hours per week in facilities that attended to individuals suspected of having COVID-19 were included in the study and were followed for 7, 15, 30, 60, and 180 days by telemedicine.

Protease-Based Subunit Vaccine in Mice Boosts BCG Protection against .

The significant number of people with latent and active tuberculosis infection requires further efforts to develop new vaccines or improve the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), which is the only approved vaccine against this disease. In this study, we developed a recombinant fusion protein (PEPf) containing high-density immunodominant epitope sequences from Rv0125, Rv2467, and Rv2672 (Mtb) proteases that proved immunogenic and used it to develop a recombinant BCG vaccine expressing the fusion protein. After challenging using Mtb, a specific immune response was recalled, resulting in a reduced lung bacterial load with similar protective capabilities to BCG.

Mycobacterium abscessus cell wall and plasma membrane characterization by EPR spectroscopy and effects of amphotericin B, miltefosine and nerolidol.

Spin label electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to characterize the components of the Mycobacterium abscessus massiliense cell envelope and their interactions with amphotericin B (AmB), miltefosine (MIL), and nerolidol (NER). Spin labels analogous to stearic acid and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were distributed on an envelope layer with fluidity comparable to other biological membranes, probably the mycobacterial cell wall, because after treatment with AmB a highly rigid spectral component was evident in the EPR spectra. Methyl stearate analogue spin labels found a much more fluid membrane and did not detect the presence of AmB, except for at very high drug concentrations.

Tuberculosis, BCG Vaccination, and COVID-19: Are They Connected?

Evidence from multiple scientific studies suggests that the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, widely used worldwide as a preventive measure against tuberculosis, also offers crossprotection against other pathogens. This review aimed to gather data from research that studied the mechanisms involved in the immunological protection induced by the BCG vaccine, which may be important in the control of viral infections, such as COVID-19. Through a literature review, we compiled information about the different BCG strains used worldwide, as well as the responses and protection elicited by them.

: review of pathogenesis and virulence determinants-targeted immunological assays.

is one of the most invasive foodborne pathogens and is responsible for numerous outbreaks worldwide. Most of the methods to detect this bacterium in food require selective enrichment using traditional bacterial culture techniques that can be time-consuming and labour-intensive. Moreover, molecular methods are expensive and need specific technical knowledge.

Correction to: BCG revaccination of health workers in Brazil to improve innate immune responses against COVID-19: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

BCG revaccination of health workers in Brazil to improve innate immune responses against COVID-19: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Objectives: The BCG vaccine, widely used in Brazil in new-borns, induces adjuvant protection for several diseases, including childhood virus infections. BCG activates monocytes and innate memory NK cells which are crucial for the antiviral immune response. Therefore, strategies to prevent COVID-19 in health workers (HW) should be carried out to prevent them becoming unwell so that they can continue to work during the pandemic.

Non-tuberculous mycobacterial lung disease: a brief review focusing on radiological findings.

The incidence and prevalence of lung disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM-LD) has increased worldwide and its diagnosis represents a complex challenge. This article aims to review the tomographic findings of NTM-LD in order to facilitate their definitive diagnosis. The search for publications on the subject was performed in PMC and Scielo using the keywords 'non-tuberculous mycobacteria', 'lung disease and computed tomography (CT)' and 'radiological findings'.

Live Vaccines Have Different NK Cells and Neutrophils Requirements for the Development of a Protective Immune Response Against Tuberculosis.

It has been shown that neutrophils drive NK cells to activate DCs while NK cells regulate neutrophils survival. In response to mycobacteria, NK cells proliferate and produces IFN-γ, that appears to regulate the neutrophilic inflammatory responses to both infection and BCG vaccination. Although the role of neutrophils in the immune response to tuberculosis is a matter of debate, neutrophils were shown to be crucial to induce specific response against mc-CMX vaccine.

Dps protein is related to resistance of Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense against stressful conditions.

Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense (Mycma) belongs to the Mycobacterium abscessus complex and is a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium. The chronic pulmonary, skin, and soft tissue infections that it causes may be difficult to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the commonly used antimicrobial drugs, making it a serious world public health problem.

Mycobacterium abscessus subsp. massiliense expressing bacterioferritin have improved resistance to stressful conditions.

Aims: The importance of bacterioferritin in the virulence and pathogenicity of the genus Mycobacterium is still unclear. The aim of this study was to analyse if the expression of a recombinant bacterioferritin from M. tuberculosis (Mtb) by Mycma could improve the capacity of this bacillus to resist the host defence mechanisms.

The Gene from subsp. is Related to Siderophore Synthesis.

Iron (Fe) homeostasis control is important for both pathogen and the host. During infection, the host reduces the access of microorganisms to iron, however, studies have shown that virulent pathogens are capable to sequester Fe from host proteins, and establish the infection. subsp.

Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Effects of Peptides from Venom of Social Wasp and Scorpion on Multidrug-Resistant .

Intravascular stent infection is a rare complication with a high morbidity and high mortality; bacteria from the hospital environment form biofilms and are often multidrug-resistant (MDR). Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been considered as alternatives to bacterial infection treatment. We analyzed the formation of the bacterial biofilm on the vascular stents and also tested the inhibition of this biofilm by AMPs to be used as treatment or coating.

Non-classical circulating monocytes in severe obesity and obesity with uncontrolled diabetes: A comparison with tuberculosis and healthy individuals.

Severe obesity and diabetes lead to a significant decrease in quality of life. Although controversial, population-wide studies have implicated obesity in the development of tuberculosis (TB). Non-classical monocytes have been described in obesity and TB, whereas in diabetes they have been associated with poorer clinical outcomes.

Communication through Playful Systems: Presenting Scientific Worlds the Way a Game Might Do.

More than ever, science is in the unenviable position of competing for the hearts and minds of the public against utterly false accounts of our world. These false accounts are often deeply spiritual, poetic, sublime-despite being false, they can leave a mark on the human imagination. It is difficult to convey scientific research in a way that leaves the audience with a comparable sense of awe or a personal connection to the subject matter.