Phenotypic and genomic comparison of three human outbreak and one cattle-associated Shiga toxin-producing O157:H7.

Unlabelled: O157:H7-adulterated food products are associated with disease outbreaks in humans. Although cattle feces are a source for O157:H7 contamination, it is unclear if human-associated outbreak isolates differentially colonize and shed in the feces of cattle from that of non-outbreak isolates. It is also unclear if phenotypes, such as biofilm formation, cell attachment, or toxin production, differentiate environmental O157:H7 isolates from those associated with human illness.

Next-generation nanovaccine induces durable immunity and protects against SARS-CoV-2.

While first generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines were effective in slowing the spread and severity of disease during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need for vaccines capable of inducing durable and broad immunity against emerging variants of concern. Nanoparticle-based vaccines (i.e.

Data analytics-guided rational design of antimicrobial nanomedicines against opportunistic, resistant pathogens.

Nanoparticle carriers can improve antibiotic efficacy by altering drug biodistribution. However, traditional screening is impracticable due to a massive dataspace. A hybrid informatics approach was developed to identify polymer, antibiotic, and particle determinants of antimicrobial nanomedicine activity against Burkholderia cepacia, and to model nanomedicine performance.

Effective antiviral coatings for deactivating SARS-CoV-2 virus on N95 respirator masks or filters.

The application of antiviral coatings to masks and respirators is a potential mitigating step toward reducing viral transmission during the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic. The use of appropriate masks, social distancing, and vaccines is the immediate solution for limiting the viral spread and protecting people from this virus. N95 respirator masks are effective in filtering the virus particles, but they cannot kill or deactivate the virus.

Gut Organoid as a New Platform to Study Alginate and Chitosan Mediated PLGA Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery.

Intestinal organoids can be used as an ex vivo epithelial model to study different drug delivery effects on epithelial cells' luminal surface. In this study, the impact of surface charge on the delivery of 5-ASA loaded PLGA nanoparticles into the lumen of organoids was investigated. Alginate and chitosan were used to coat the nanoparticles and provide negative and positive charges on the particles, respectively.

Single-dose combination nanovaccine induces both rapid and long-lived protection against pneumonic plague.

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of pneumonic plague, induces a highly lethal infection if left untreated. Currently, there is no FDA-approved vaccine against this pathogen; however, USAMRIID has developed a recombinant fusion protein, F1-V, that has been shown to induce protection against pneumonic plague. Many F1-V-based vaccine formulations require prime-boost immunization to achieve protective immunity, and there are limited reports of rapid induction of protective immunity (≤ 14 days post-immunization (DPI)).

Vitamin C and B as new biomaterials to alter intestinal stem cells.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin B (niacin) have been extensively studied since the 20th century. In the area of stem cell biology, vitamin C has shown its direct impact toward homeostasis and epigenetic changes (D'Aniello et al., Stem Cells International, 2017, 1-16).

Data Analytics Approach for Rational Design of Nanomedicines with Programmable Drug Release.

Drug delivery vehicles can improve the functional efficacy of existing antimicrobial therapies by improving biodistribution and targeting. A critical property of such nanomedicine formulations is their ability to control the release kinetics of their payloads. The combination of (and interactions among) polymer, drug, and nanoparticle properties gives rise to nonlinear behavioral relationships and large data space.

Nanotherapeutic provides dose sparing and improved antimicrobial activity against Brucella melitensis infections.

New therapies are needed to treat chronic bacterial diseases and intracellular pathogens, in particular, are very difficult to manage. The use of nanotherapeutics represents an approach to exploit size and charge of biological membranes to overcome barriers for treatment of intracellular pathogens including Brucella melitensis. In this work, polyanhydride nanoparticles comprised of copolymers of sebacic acid, 1,6-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)hexane, and 1,8-bis(p-carboxyphenoxy)-3,6-dioxaoctane were synthesized to encapsulate antimicrobial compounds doxycycline and rifampicin.

Antiparasitic Activity of Auranofin against Pathogenic Naegleria fowleri.

We report that the gold containing antirheumatoid drug auranofin is amoebicidal against human pathogenic Naegleria fowleri. Treatment of N. fowleri cultures at biologically relevant concentrations of 0.

Study of Telluride Nanowires in Minigut.

Compound semiconductor nanomaterials, such as telluride nanowires, nanorods, and nanoparticles, have many unique properties for wide range of potential applications. The interaction between organoids (a biological system) and telluride nanowires is a crucial research area for human health in terms of its safety concerns. In this study, we demonstrated a case study on Bi2Te3 nanowires.

Intestinal organoids containing poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) causes inflammation to the gastrointestinal tract. Local administration of anti-inflammatory drugs such as 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) can alleviate the symptoms of IBD. The application of nanoparticles for IBD treatment in direct rectal administration showed high drug availability and treatment efficacy.