Titanium coating with mussel inspired polymer and bio-orthogonal chemistry enhances antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

Implant-associated infections present severe and difficult-to-treat complications after surgery, related to implant biofilm colonization. Systemic administration of antibiotics cannot reach sufficient concentrations at the infected site and may be toxic. Here we describe how mussel-inspired dendritic material coated on a titanium surface can locally activate a prodrug of daptomycin (pro-dapto) to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Release of different amphotericin B formulations from PMMA bone cements and their activity against Candida biofilm.

Amphotericin B is used for local delivery from polymethylmethacrylate to treat fungal prosthetic joint infections. The optimal amphotericin B formulation and the influence of different poragens in the bone cements are unknown. To investigate the necessary amount of amphotericin B in the bone cement to prevent Candida biofilm several amphotericin B formulations were studied: non-liposomal and liposomal with or without poragen gentamicin.

Bio-Orthogonal Chemistry and Reloadable Biomaterial Enable Local Activation of Antibiotic Prodrugs and Enhance Treatments against Infections.

Systemic administration of antibiotics can cause severe side-effects such as liver and kidney toxicity, destruction of healthy gut bacteria, as well as multidrug resistance. Here, we present a bio-orthogonal chemistry-based strategy toward local prodrug concentration and activation. The strategy is based on the inverse electron-demand Diels-Alder chemistry between -cyclooctene and tetrazine and involves a biomaterial that can concentrate and activate multiple doses of systemic antibiotic therapy prodrugs at a local site.

Real-Time Antimicrobial Susceptibility Assay of Planktonic and Biofilm Bacteria by Isothermal Microcalorimetry.

Most antimicrobials currently used in the clinical practice are tested as growth inhibitors against free-floating microorganisms in a liquid suspension, rather than against sessile cells constituting biofilms. Hence, reliable, fast, and reproducible methods for assessing biofilm susceptibility to antimicrobials are strongly needed. Isothermal microcalorimetry (IMC) is a nondestructive sensitive technique that allows for the real-time monitoring of microbial viability in the presence or absence of antimicrobial compounds.

Electro-responsive graphene oxide hydrogels for skin bandages: The outcome of gelatin and trypsin immobilization.

A free radical polymerization method was adopted for the fabrication of hybrid hydrogel films based on acrylamide and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate as plasticizing and crosslinking agents, respectively, to be employed as smart skin bandages. Electro-sensitivity, biocompatibility and proteolytic properties were conferred to the final polymer networks by introducing graphene oxide (0.5% w/w), gelatin or trypsin (10% w/w) in the polymerization feed.

Pre-diagnostic copper and zinc biomarkers and colorectal cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition cohort.

Adequate intake of copper and zinc, two essential micronutrients, are important for antioxidant functions. Their imbalance may have implications for development of diseases like colorectal cancer (CRC), where oxidative stress is thought to be etiologically involved. As evidence from prospective epidemiologic studies is lacking, we conducted a case-control study nested within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort to investigate the association between circulating levels of copper and zinc, and their calculated ratio, with risk of CRC development.

Selenium status is associated with colorectal cancer risk in the European prospective investigation of cancer and nutrition cohort.

Suboptimal intakes of the micronutrient selenium (Se) are found in many parts of Europe. Low Se status may contribute to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. We assessed Se status by measuring serum levels of Se and Selenoprotein P (SePP) and examined the association with CRC risk in a nested case-control design (966 CRC cases; 966 matched controls) within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.