Probiotic disruption of quorum sensing reduces virulence and increases cefoxitin sensitivity in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Therapies which target quorum sensing (QS) systems that regulate virulence in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are a promising alternative to antibiotics. QS systems play a crucial in the regulation of MRSA antibiotic resistance, exotoxin production, antioxidant protection and immune cell evasion, and are therefore attractive therapeutic targets to reduce the virulence of a pathogen. In the present work the the effects of bioactive peptides isolated from two strains of lactic acid bacteria were tested against antibiotic resistance, carotenoid production, resistance to oxidative killing and biofilm structure in two clinical MRSA isolates.

Multi-responsive on-demand drug delivery PMMA--PDEAEMA platform based on CO, electric potential, and pH switchable nanofibrous membranes.

This study investigated the release characteristics of curcumin (CUR)-loaded switchable poly(methyl methacrylate)--poly(N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (PMMA--PDEAEMA) membranes following the application of various stimuli, as well as the platform's applicability in wound dressing and tissue engineering applications. The free-radical polymerization method was used to synthesize the PMMA--PDEAEMA copolymer. The drug-loaded nanofibrous membrane with electric potential (EP)-, CO-, and pH-responsive properties was developed by the electrospinning of PMMA--PDEAEMA and CUR.

Assessment of microbial viability in municipal sludge following ultrasound and microwave pretreatments and resulting impacts on the efficiency of anaerobic sludge digestion.

A range of ultrasonication (US) and microwave irradiation (MW) sludge pretreatments were compared to determine the extent of cellular destruction in micro-organisms within secondary sludge and how this cellular destruction translated to anaerobic digestion (AD). Cellular lysis/inactivation was measured using two microbial viability assays, (1) Syto 16® Green and Sytox® Orange counter-assay to discern the integrity of cellular membranes and (2) a fluorescein diacetate assay to understand relative enzymatic activity. A range of MW intensities (2.

Cloning, functional characterization and genomic organization of 1,8-cineole synthases from Lavandula.

Several members of the genus Lavandula produce valuable essential oils (EOs) that are primarily constituted of the low molecular weight isoprenoids, particularly monoterpenes. We isolated over 8,000 ESTs from the glandular trichomes of L. x intermedia flowers (where bulk of the EO is synthesized) to facilitate the discovery of genes that control the biosynthesis of EO constituents.