Host immunomodulation strategies to combat pandemic-associated antimicrobial-resistant secondary bacterial infections.

The incidence of secondary bacterial infections has increased in recent decades owing to various viral pandemics. These infections further increase the morbidity and mortality rates associated with viral infections and remain a significant challenge in clinical practice. Intensive antibiotic therapy has mitigated the threat of such infections; however, overuse and misuse of antibiotics have resulted in poor outcomes, such as inducing the emergence of bacterial populations with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reducing the therapeutic options for this crisis.

Comprehensive Analysis of Bioactive Compounds in Wild Mushroom from Kerala, South India: Insights into Dietary Nutritional, Mineral, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Activities.

The present study focused on the mushroom Ganoderma, which has been used in Eastern countries for centuries as a food and medicinal source. Specifically, the fruiting bodies of from the Kerala Forest Research Institute in Thirussur, Kerala, India, were analyzed for their nutritional and medicinal properties. The methanolic extracts of were used to examine secondary metabolites and proximate profiles, revealing the presence of various phytochemicals such as terpenoids, phenolics, glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins.

Intracellular Dynamics-Resolved Label-Free Scattering Reveals Real-Time Metabolism of Single Bacteria.

Nanoscopic investigation of bacterial cells is essential to reveal their physiological status, impacting all cellular functions. Currently, this requires labeled probes or targeted staining procedures. Herein, we report a new bacterial feature, intracellular dynamics-resolved Rayleigh scattering (IDRS), that visualizes spatiotemporal cytoplasmic transitions in unlabeled bacteria and characterizes their real-time physiological status in 10 s.

Friends against the Foe: Synergistic Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy against Bacterial Infections.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are rapidly emerging, coupled with the failure of current antibiotic therapy; thus, new alternatives for effectively treating infections caused by MDR bacteria are required. Hyperthermia-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) have attracted extensive attention as antibacterial therapies owing to advantages such as low invasiveness, low toxicity, and low likelihood of causing bacterial resistance. However, both strategies have notable drawbacks, including the high temperature requirements of PTT and the weak ability of PDT-derived ROS to penetrate target cells.

Micrococcus luteus-derived extracellular vesicles attenuate neutrophilic asthma by regulating miRNAs in airway epithelial cells.

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to regulate various pulmonary diseases, but their functions in asthma remain uncertain. To demonstrate the clinical significance of Micrococcus luteus-derived EVs (MlEVs) in asthma, we enrolled 45 asthmatic patients (20 patients with neutrophilic asthma [NA], 25 patients with eosinophilic asthma [EA]) and 40 healthy controls (HCs). When the prevalence of IgG1 and IgG4 specific to MlEVs was evaluated in serum by ELISA, lower levels of MlEV-specific IgG4 (but not IgG1) were noted in asthmatic patients than in HCs.

A Review of Immunomodulatory Reprogramming by Probiotics in Combating Chronic and Acute Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs).

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are characterized by a lack of angiogenesis and distal limb diabetic neuropathy. This makes it possible for opportunistic pathogens to protect the biofilm-encased micro-communities, causing a delay in wound healing. The acute and chronic phases of DFU-associated infections are distinguished by the differential expression of innate proinflammatory cytokines and tumor necrosis factors (TNF-α and -β).

Membrane Vesicles Derived from Gut Microbiota and Probiotics: Cutting-Edge Therapeutic Approaches for Multidrug-Resistant Superbugs Linked to Neurological Anomalies.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) superbugs can breach the blood-brain barrier (BBB), leading to a continuous barrage of pro-inflammatory modulators and induction of severe infection-related pathologies, including meningitis and brain abscess. Both broad-spectrum or species-specific antibiotics (β-lactamase inhibitors, polymyxins, vancomycin, meropenem, plazomicin, and sarecycline) and biocompatible poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles have been used to treat these infections. However, new therapeutic platforms with a broad impact that do not exert off-target deleterious effects are needed.

Photo-Stimuli-Responsive CuS Nanomaterials as Cutting-Edge Platform Materials for Antibacterial Applications.

Photo-stimuli-responsive therapeutic nanomaterials have gained widespread attention as frontline materials for biomedical applications. The photoactivation strategies are classified as single-modality (based on either reactive oxygen species (ROS)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT), hyperthermia-based photothermal therapy (PTT)), or dual-modality (which combines PDT and PTT). Due to its minimal invasiveness, phototherapy has been extensively applied as an efficient therapeutic platform for many diseases, including skin cancers.

A Nanocomposite with Extracellular Vesicles from as a Bioinspired Nanoantibiotic Targeting .

The utilization of biomimetic materials that merge functional nanoparticles (NPs) with a cell-derived nanosized membrane is a state-of-the-art approach to harnessing cellular properties for biomedical applications. However, the development of biocompatible and species-selective biomimetic agents against hazardous pathogens threatening human health is still in its early stages. Herein, we report the synthesis and functional analysis of a novel nanoplatform in which a PEGylated MoS-ZnO (MZ) nanocomposite was cloaked with a generally regarded as safe (GRAS)-grade -derived extracellular vesicle (LPEV) for MZ-LPEV nanocomposite and evaluated its activity against .

Bioconjugated Thymol-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite as a Selective and Biocompatible Antibacterial Agent against Species.

Owing to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among species, effective and low-risk alternatives to antibiotics are being actively searched. Thymol (THO), the most abundant component of the oil extracted from thyme, can be considered as a natural antibacterial alternative. However, the low antibacterial activity and non-selectivity of THO limit its usage as a universal anti- agent.

A MoS based silver-doped ZnO nanocomposite and its antibacterial activity against β-lactamase expressing .

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria including are increasingly resistant to current antibiotics. Among the strategies implemented to eradicate such MDR pathogens, approaches based on two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have received considerable attention. In particular, the excellent physicochemical properties of 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanosheets, including a high surface area, good conductivity, and good surface retention, are advantageous for their use as bactericidal agents.

Repurposing of Ciclopirox to Overcome the Limitations of Zidovudine (Azidothymidine) against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria are the top-priority pathogens to be eradicated. Drug repurposing (e.g.

Wash-Free Amperometric Detection via Rapid and Specific Proteolytic Cleavage by Its Outer Membrane OmpT.

Various methods have been developed for the detection of (); however, they are complex and time-consuming. OmpT─a cell membrane endopeptidase of ─strongly embedded in the outer membrane of only , exposed to external solutions, with high proteolytic activity, could be a suitable target molecule for the rapid and straightforward detection of . Herein, a wash-free, sensitive, and selective amperometric method for detection, based on rapid and specific proteolytic cleavage by OmpT, has been reported.

Wash-Free, Sandwich-Type Protein Detection Using Direct Electron Transfer and Catalytic Signal Amplification of Multiple Redox Labels.

Direct electron transfer (DET) between a redox label and an electrode has been used for sensitive and selective sandwich-type detection without a wash step. However, applying DET is still highly challenging in protein detection, and a single redox label per probe is insufficient to obtain a high electrochemical signal. Here, we report a wash-free, sandwich-type detection of thrombin using DET and catalytic signal amplification of multiple redox labels.

Bovine Serum Albumin-Immobilized Black Phosphorus-Based γ-FeO Nanocomposites: A Promising Biocompatible Nanoplatform.

The interactions between proteins and nanoparticles need to be fully characterized as the immobilization of proteins onto various nanoplatforms in the physiological system often results in the change of surface of the protein molecules to avoid any detrimental issues related to their biomedical applications. Hence, in this article, the successful low-temperature synthesis of a BP-based γ-FeO (IB) nanocomposite and its interactive behavior with bovine serum albumin (BSA)-a molecule with chemical similarity and high sequence identity to human serum albumin-are described. To confirm the formation of γ-FeO and the IB nanocomposite, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses of the materials were performed.

A New Surface Charge Neutralizing Nano-Adjuvant to Potentiate Polymyxins in Killing Mcr-1 Mediated Drug-Resistant .

Resistance to polymyxins when treating multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections limit therapeutic options. Here, we report the synthesis of a nickel (Ni) doped Zinc oxide (NZO) combined with black phosphorus (BP) (NZB) nanocomposite and its synergistic action with polymyxin B (PolB) against polymyxin-resistant harboring mobilized colistin resistance () gene. NZB and PolB combination therapy expressed a specific and strong synergy against Mcr-1 expressing cells.

Solid-phase recombinase polymerase amplification using an extremely low concentration of a solution primer for sensitive electrochemical detection of hepatitis B viral DNA.

Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is considered one of the best amplification methods for realizing a miniaturized diagnostic instrument; however, it is notably challenging to obtain low detection limits in solid-phase RPA. To overcome these difficulties, we combined solid-phase RPA with electrochemical detection and used a new concentration combination of three primers (surface-bound forward primer, solution reverse primer, and an extremely low concentration of solution forward primer). When solid-phase RPA was performed on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode modified with a surface-bound forward primer in a solution containing a biotin-terminated solution reverse primer, an extremely low concentration of a solution forward primer, and a template DNA or genomic DNA for a target gene of hepatitis B virus (HBV), amplification occurred mainly in solution until all the solution forward primers were consumed.