Photodynamic antimicrobial therapy with Erythrosin B, Eosin Y, and Rose Bengal for the inhibition of fungal keratitis isolates: An in vitro study.

Introduction: Fungal keratitis is a leading cause of corneal blindness, with current antifungal treatments having limited efficacy. One promising treatment modality is Rose Bengal (RB) photodynamic antimicrobial therapy (PDAT) that has shown mixed success against fungal keratitis. Therefore, there is a need to explore the antimicrobial efficacy of other green-light activated photosensitizers that have deep penetration in the cornea to combat the deep fungal infections, such as Erythrosin B (EB) and Eosin Y (EY).

Peptide Toxins from Marine Snails with Activity on Potassium Channels and/or Currents.

Toxins from snails are peptides characterized by a great structural and functional diversity. They have a high affinity for a wide range of membrane proteins such as ion channels, neurotransmitter transporters, and G protein-coupled receptors. Potassium ion channels are integral proteins of cell membranes that play vital roles in physiological processes in muscle and neuron cells, among others, and reports in the literature indicate that perturbation in their function (by mutations or ectopic expression) may result in the development and progression of different ailments in humans.

Single-Molecule Electrical Conductance in Z-form DNA:RNA.

Nucleic acids have emerged as new materials with promising applications in nanotechnology, molecular electronics, and biosensing, but their electronic properties, especially at the single-molecule level, are largely underexplored. The Z-form is an exotic left-handed helical oligonucleotide conformation that may be involved in critical biological processes such as the regulation of gene expression and epigenetic processes. In this work, the electrical conductance of individual Guanine Cytosine (GC)-rich DNA:RNA molecules is measured in physiological buffer and 2,2,2-Trifluoroethanol (TFE) solvent, corresponding to the natural (right-handed helix) A-form typical in DNA:RNA hybrids and the (left-handed) Z-form conformations, respectively.

Design of tunable hyaluronic acid and O'-carboxymethyl chitosan formulations for the minimally invasive delivery of multifunctional therapies targeting rheumatoid arthritis.

The development of injectable, dual-component formulations based on natural-based polysaccharides is a promising strategy for the localized treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the present study, biomimetic formulations consisting of aldehyde-functionalized hyaluronic acid (AHA) and O-carboxymethyl chitosan (OCC) were developed, presenting rapid in situ gelation rates and finely tunable physicochemical properties. These two properties allowed for the controlled delivery of anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and pro-regenerative agents (i.