CCL28 modulates neutrophil responses during infection with mucosal pathogens.

The chemokine CCL28 is highly expressed in mucosal tissues, but its role during infection is not well understood. Here, we show that CCL28 promotes neutrophil accumulation in the gut of mice infected with and in the lung of mice infected with . Neutrophils isolated from the infected mucosa expressed the CCL28 receptors CCR3 and, to a lesser extent, CCR10, on their surface.

Bordetella bronchiseptica Diguanylate Cyclase BdcA Regulates Motility and Is Important for the Establishment of Respiratory Infection in Mice.

Bacteria can be motile and planktonic or, alternatively, sessile and participating in the biofilm mode of growth. The transition between these lifestyles can be regulated by a second messenger, cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP). High intracellular c-di-GMP concentration correlates with biofilm formation and motility inhibition in most bacteria, including , which causes respiratory tract infections in mammals and forms biofilms in infected mice.

Applications of Nanodiamonds in the Detection and Therapy of Infectious Diseases.

We are constantly exposed to infectious diseases, and they cause millions of deaths per year. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that antibiotic resistance could cause 10 million deaths per year by 2050. Multidrug-resistant bacteria are the cause of infection in at least one in three people suffering from septicemia.

Nanocoatings for Chronic Wound Repair-Modulation of Microbial Colonization and Biofilm Formation.

Wound healing involves a complex interaction between immunity and other natural host processes, and to succeed it requires a well-defined cascade of events. Chronic wound infections can be mono- or polymicrobial but their major characteristic is their ability to develop a biofilm. A biofilm reduces the effectiveness of treatment and increases resistance.

High Prevalence of CTX-M-1-Like Enzymes in Urinary Isolates of Escherichia coli in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Escherichia coli is one of the major causes of urinary tract infections in primary healthcare, and treatment is more complicated due to the increase in antibiotic resistance. Extended-spectrum β-lactamases are the most common mechanism of resistance against third-generation cephalosporin, and CTX-M-like are among the most prevalent. The aim of our work is to investigate the prevalence of bla in isolates of E.

Early detection and control of an Acinetobacter baumannii multi-resistant outbreak in a hospital in Quito, Ecuador.

Introduction: Acinetobacter baumannii (ABA) is an important opportunistic pathogen associated with high mortality rates in intensive care units (ICUs). An outbreak in the ICU of a secondary-level hospital in Quito, Ecuador, occurred during April and May 2015 and was successfully controlled.

Methodology: Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (ERIC-PCR) and repetitive element palindromic (REP)-PCR was conducted on all isolates recovered from patients, as well as environmental samples, to confirm the presence of an outbreak.

Methods of Synthesis, Properties and Biomedical Applications of CuO Nanoparticles.

This study aims to provide an updated survey of the main synthesis methods of copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles in order to obtain tailored nanosystems for various biomedical applications. The synthesis approach significantly impacts the properties of such nanoparticles and these properties in turn have a significant impact on their biomedical applications. Although not widely investigated as an efficient drug delivery system, CuO nanoparticles have great biological properties including effective antimicrobial action against a wide range of pathogens and also drug resistant bacteria.

Advanced Nanobiomaterials: Vaccines, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.

The use of nanoparticles has contributed to many advances due to their important properties such as, size, shape or biocompatibility. The use of nanotechnology in medicine has great potential, especially in medical microbiology. Promising data show the possibility of shaping immune responses and fighting severe infections using synthetic materials.

Control of biofilm-associated infections by signaling molecules and nanoparticles.

As the severe infections caused by resistant pathogens and biofilm embedded bacteria continue to emerge, alternative antimicrobial strategies could represent a solution. Recent studies support the development of molecular approaches (through signaling molecules) aiming to fight infections by modulating the virulence, behavior and formation of resistance structures such as biofilms. The utilization of such formulations would offer the advantage of reducing the selection of resistant isolates, since most of the proposed molecules do not interfere with the population fitness if utilized in low amounts.

Epidemiology of Tropical Neglected Diseases in Ecuador in the Last 20 Years.

Background: Tropical and zoonotic diseases are major problems in developing countries like Ecuador. Poorly designed houses, the high proportion of isolated indigenous population and under developed infrastructure represent a fertile environment for vectors to proliferate. Control campaigns in Ecuador over the years have had varying success, depending on the disease and vectors targeted.

Biocompatible Fe3O4 increases the efficacy of amoxicillin delivery against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.

This paper reports the synthesis and characterization of amoxicillin- functionalized magnetite nanostructures (Fe3O4@AMO), revealing and discussing several biomedical applications of these nanomaterials. Our results proved that 10 nm Fe3O4@AMO nanoparticles does not alter the normal cell cycle progression of cultured diploid cells, and an in vivo murine model confirms that the nanostructures disperse through the host body and tend to localize in particular sites and organs. The nanoparticles were found clustered especially in the lungs, kidneys and spleen, next to the blood vessels at this level, while being totally absent in the brain and liver, suggesting that they are circulated through the blood flow and have low toxicity.

New molecular strategies for reducing implantable medical devices associated infections.

Due to the great prevalence of persistent and recurrent implanted device associated-infections novel and alternative therapeutic approaches are intensely investigated. For reducing complications and antibiotic resistance development, one major strategy is using natural or synthetic modulators for targeting microbial molecular pathways which are not related with cell multiplication and death, as Quorum Sensing, virulence and biofilm formation. The purpose of this review paper is to discuss the most recent in vitro approaches, investigating the efficiency of some novel antimicrobial products and the nano-technologic progress performed in order to increase their effect and stability.