Monitoring of Bactericidal Effects of Silver Nanoparticles Based on Protein Signatures and VOC Emissions from and Selected Salivary Bacteria.

and salivary and were subjected to different concentrations of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), namely: 12.5, 50, and 100 µg mL. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) spectra were acquired after specified periods: 0, 1, 4, and 12 h.

An Optimistic Vision of Future: Diagnosis of Bacterial Infections by Sensing Their Associated Volatile Organic Compounds.

Simple tests using sniff analysis that have the ability of diagnosing and rapidly distinguishing between infections due to different bacteria are urgently required by medical community worldwide. Professionals interested in this topic wish for these tests to be simultaneously cheap, fast, easily applicable, non-invasive, robust, reliable, and sensitive. Current analytical instrumentation has already the ability for performing real time (minutes or a few dozens of minutes) analysis of volatile bacterial biomarkers (the VOCs emitted by bacteria).

Temporal influence of different antibiotics onto the inhibition of Escherichia coli bacterium grown in different media.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a Gram-negative bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms, including humans. Although the majority of the strains are considerably harmless, some serotypes are pathogenic, frequently causing diarrhea and other illnesses outside the intestinal tract.

VOC Profiles of Saliva in Assessment of Halitosis and Submandibular Abscesses Using HS-SPME-GC/MS Technique.

Halitosis and submandibular abscesses are examples of mouth-related diseases with the possible bacterial origin. Salivary volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are potential biomarkers of them, once they can be addressed as metabolites of bacterial activity. Healthy patients (n = 15), subjects with submandibular abscesses located in fascial deep space (n = 10), and subjects with halitosis (n = 5) were enrolled in the study.

Profiling of VOCs released from different salivary bacteria treated with non-lethal concentrations of silver nitrate.

Considering the shortcomings related to antibiotics usage, the introduction of other bacteriostatic and bactericidal agents that present synergetic effects or standalone properties is urgently needed. AgNO is an important bactericidal agent, which imparts various functions on bacteria dependent on its concentration. Therefore, an understanding of its mechanisms of action in infinitesimal concentrations plays an important role which can ultimately lead to AgNO involvement in the pharmaceutical industry.

Investigation of bacterial viability from incubated saliva by application of flow cytometry and hyphenated separation techniques.

The aim of the study was determination of bacterial viability in saliva samples and finding a correlation between microbiological and volatile profiles of saliva depending on incubation time. Bacteria colonizing healthy oral cavities were also identified. Twelve healthy adults donated unstimulated saliva samples.

Biosorption of silver cations onto Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei isolated from dairy products.

The current work deals with the phenomenon of silver cations uptake by two kinds of bacteria isolated from dairy products. The mechanism of sorption of silver cations by Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei bacteria was investigated. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used for determination of silver concentration sorbed by bacteria.

Saliva - Volatile Biomarkers and Profiles.

Saliva is an aqueous fluid found in the oral cavity playing fundamental role in the preservation and maintenance of oral health. Apart from higher molecular-weight constituents, it contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may origin from such sources such as blood or be a result of bacterial metabolism. They can also reach the oral fluid through dissolving of volatiles from breath and consumed foods.

Silver-Lactoferrin Nanocomplexes as a Potent Antimicrobial Agent.

The process of silver immobilization onto and/or into bovine lactoferrin (LTF), the physicochemical properties of bovine lactoferrin and obtained silver-lactoferrin complexes, as well as antibacterial activity of silver-lactoferrin complexes were investigated in this work. Kinetic study of the silver immobilization into lactoferrin was carried out using batch sorption techniques. Spectrometric (MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS, ICP-MS), spectroscopic (FTIR, SERS), electron microscopic (TEM) and electrophoretic (I-DE) techniques, as well as zeta potential measurements, were applied for characterization of LTF and binding nature of silver in Ag-LTF complexes.

A simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the measurement of pyridoxal-5-phosphate and 4-pyridoxic acid in human plasma.

Background: Low concentration of plasma pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP) is associated with hyperhomocysteinemia and inflammation. Most methods for the measurement of plasma PLP require large specimen volume and involve the use of toxic reagents.

Methods: We have developed a HPLC method for the measurement of PLP and 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA) in plasma, which requires small specimen volume.

Effect of glucocorticoid receptor gene polymorphisms on asthma phenotypes.

The clinical presentation of asthma results from complex gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. The natural variability of the DNA sequence within the NR3C1 gene affects the activity of glucocorticoid receptors (GCRs). The NR3C1 gene is localized on chromosome 5q31-q32.