Protective Effect of Probiotics against Infection of Human Corneal Epithelial Cells.

Probiotic therapy needs consideration as an alternative strategy to prevent and possibly treat corneal infection. This study aimed to assess the preventive effect of and subsp. on reducing the infection of human corneal epithelial (HCE) cells caused by .

Supramolecular Assemblies of Fluorescent Nitric Oxide Photoreleasers with Ultrasmall Cyclodextrin Nanogels.

Developing biocompatible nitric oxide (NO) photoreleasing nanoconstucts is of great interest in view of the large variety of biological roles that NO plays and the unique advantage light offers in controlling NO release in space and time. In this contribution, we report the supramolecular assemblies of two NO photodonors (NOPDs), NBF-NO and RHD-NO, as water-dispersible nanogels, ca. 10 nm in diameter, based on γ-cyclodextrins (γ-CDng).

Functionalization of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-Based Bioplastic with Phloretin for Active Food Packaging: Characterization of Its Mechanical, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activities.

The formulation of eco-friendly biodegradable packaging has received great attention during the last decades as an alternative to traditional widespread petroleum-based food packaging. With this aim, we designed and tested the properties of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-based bioplastics functionalized with phloretin as far as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and morpho-mechanic features are concerned. Mechanical and hydrophilicity features investigations revealed a mild influence of phloretin on the novel materials as a function of the concentration utilized (5, 7.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus Strains and Effect of Phloretin on Biofilm Formation.

Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) are known to be responsible of various infections, including biofilm-associated diseases. The aim of this study was to analyze 19 strains of S.

Harnessing the power of PLA-PEG nanoparticles for Linezolid delivery against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

This study deals with the development of novel poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol) nanoparticles (PLA-PEG NPs) for the efficient and prolonged delivery of Linezolid (LNZ), a synthetic antibacterial agent used against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A two-step synthetic strategy based on carbodiimide coupling and copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition was first exploited for the conjugation of PLA with PEG. The encapsulation of LNZ into medium-molecular-weight PLA-PEG NPs was carried out by different methods including nanoprecipitation and dialysis.

Efficacy of Two Moroccan Species Extracts against Acne Vulgaris: Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Antimicrobial Activities.

Background: The genus L. (Cistaceae) includes several medicinal plants growing wild in the Moroccan area. Acne vulgaris (AV) is a chronic skin disorder treated with topical and systemic therapies that often lead to several side effects in addition to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Neuro-computational mechanisms and individual biases in action-outcome learning under moral conflict.

Learning to predict action outcomes in morally conflicting situations is essential for social decision-making but poorly understood. Here we tested which forms of Reinforcement Learning Theory capture how participants learn to choose between self-money and other-shocks, and how they adapt to changes in contingencies. We find choices were better described by a reinforcement learning model based on the current value of separately expected outcomes than by one based on the combined historical values of past outcomes.

Linezolid nanoAntiobiotics and SERS-nanoTags based on polymeric cyclodextrin bimetallic core-shell nanoarchitectures.

We describe a mild, ecofriendly, and straightforward two-step strategy for making core-shell Au@Ag bimetallic nanoparticles (BMNPs) for antibacterial nanomedicine and SERS imaging. The synthesis exploits the unique properties of the cationic polymeric cyclodextrin (PolyCD) as both reducing and stabilizing agent to obtain, monodispersed and stable Au@Ag BMNPs. PolyCD-driven protocol includes the synthesis of PolyCD-coated Au monometallic nanoparticles (MNPs) as a seed material for the subsequent growing of a silver shell.

Antibacterial Nanoassembled Calix[4]arene Exposing Choline Units Inhibits Biofilm and Motility of Gram Negative Bacteria.

The high incidence of antibiotic resistance and biofilm-associated infections is still a major cause of morbidity and mortality and triggers the need for new antimicrobial drugs and strategies. Nanotechnology is an emerging approach in the search for novel antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to investigate the inherent antibacterial effects of a self-assembling amphiphilic choline-calix[4]arene derivative () against Gram negative bacteria.

Virulence, Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilm Production of Isolates from Healthy Broiler Chickens in Western Algeria.

The aim of this study was to assess the virulence, antimicrobial resistance and biofilm production of strains isolated from healthy broiler chickens in Western Algeria. strains (n = 18) were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Susceptibility to 10 antibiotics was determined by standard methods.

Shedding Light on the Chemistry and the Properties of Münchnone Functionalized Graphene.

Münchnones are mesoionic oxazolium 5-oxides with azomethine ylide characteristics that provide pyrrole derivatives by a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (1,3-DC) reaction with acetylenic dipolarophiles. Their reactivity was widely exploited for the synthesis of small molecules, but it was not yet investigated for the functionalization of graphene-based materials. Herein, we report our results on the preparation of münchnone functionalized graphene via cycloaddition reactions, followed by the spontaneous loss of carbon dioxide and its further chemical modification to silver/nisin nanocomposites to confer biological properties.

Antibacterial activity of bacteria isolated from against multidrug-resistant human pathogens.

Rising number of multidrug-resistant human pathogens demands novel antibiotics: to this aim, unexplored natural sources are investigated to find new compounds. In this context, bacteria associated to medicinal plants, including , might represent an important source of antimicrobial compounds. In the present work, 21 bacterial endophytes isolated from roots were tested, by cross-streaking, for their inhibitory activity against 36 multidrug-resistant pathogens isolated from food, clinical patients and hospitals.

Flexible mats as promising antimicrobial systems via integration of (L.) essential oil into PLA.

To develop electrospun mats loaded with (L.) essential oil (EO) and to study their morpho-mechanical and antimicrobial properties. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) mats containing EO were prepared by electrospinning.

Age differences in predicting working memory performance from network-based functional connectivity.

Deterioration in working memory capacity (WMC) has been associated with normal aging, but it remains unknown how age affects the relationship between WMC and connectivity within functional brain networks. We therefore examined the predictability of WMC from fMRI-based resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) within eight meta-analytically defined functional brain networks and the connectome in young and old adults using relevance vector machine in a robust cross-validation scheme. Particular brain networks have been associated with mental functions linked to WMC to a varying degree and are associated with age-related differences in performance.

A thermoresponsive gel photoreleasing nitric oxide for potential ocular applications.

We report herein the design, preparation, characterization and biological evaluation of a thermoresponsive gel based on binary mixtures of Pluronic® co-polymers F127 and P123, the latter being covalently functionalized with a nitric oxide (NO) photodonor (NOPD). The weight ratio between the two polymeric components is optimized in order to observe gelation of their saline water solution in the range of 32-35 °C, in order to exploit the therapeutic properties of NO for potential ocular applications. Rheological measurements were performed to evaluate the gelation temperature and, hence, to select a co-polymer mixture specifically appropriate for the reference application.

Application of goal-directed therapy for the use of concentrated antithrombin for heparin resistance during cardiac surgery.

The maintenance of anticoagulation in adult patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass is dependent upon a number of factors, including heparin concentration and adequate antithrombin activity. Inadequate anticoagulation increases the risk of thrombosis and jeopardizes both vascular and extracorporeal circuit integrity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a goal-directed approach for the use of antithrombin in patients who were resistant to heparin.

The Cultivable Bacterial Microbiota Associated to the Medicinal Plant L.: From Antibiotic Resistance to Growth-Inhibitory Properties.

The insurgence of antibiotic resistance and emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens prioritize research to discover new antimicrobials. In this context, medicinal plants produce bioactive compounds of pharmacological interest: some extracts have antimicrobial properties that can contrast different pathogens. For such a purpose, L.

Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of the hydrolate of Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Reichenb. fil. (Lamiaceae) alone and in combination with antimicrobial agents.

Background: Hydrolates, complex mixtures containing traces of essential oils (EOs), are inexpensive, easy to make and less toxic than their corresponding EOs. The antibacterial and antifungal activity of the hydrolate of Coridothymus capitatus (L.) Reichenb.

Poly(lactic acid)/carvacrol-based materials: preparation, physicochemical properties, and antimicrobial activity.

The current demand for new antimicrobial systems has stimulated research for the development of poly(lactic acid)/carvacrol (PLA/CAR)-based materials able to hinder the growth and spread of microorganisms. The eco-friendly characteristics of PLA and cytocompatibility make it very promising in the perspective of green chemistry applications as material for food and biomedical employments. The broad-spectrum biological and pharmacological properties of CAR, including antimicrobial activity, make it an interesting bioactive molecule that can be easily compounded with PLA by adopting the same techniques as those commonly used for PLA manufacturing.

The Effect of Standardizing Autologous Prime Techniques in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery with Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

Autologous priming (AP) of the extracorporeal circuit has been used as a technique to reduce iatrogenic anemia in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The purpose of this study was to review the results of standardizing AP techniques to reduce variation among clinicians and its effect on clinical outcomes. Standardized goal-directed protocols for AP were established by the cardiac team and applied to all adult cardiac surgical patients where CPB was used.

Visible light-activatable multicargo microemulsions with bimodal photobactericidal action and dual colour fluorescence.

In this contribution we report the design, preparation, and physico-chemical, photophysical and photochemical characterization of photoactivatable microemulsions (MEs) based on Labrasol®, isopropanol and Lauroglycol® FCC as a surfactant, co-surfactant and oily phase, respectively. The MEs co-incorporate, in their oil phase, two lipophilic guests such as a red emitting singlet oxygen (O) photosensitizer (PS) and a tailored green emitting nitric oxide (NO) photodonor (NOPD). These two chromofluorogenic units absorb in different spectral windows of the visible range, and their individual photophysical and photochemical properties are well-conserved when co-entrapped in the microemulsions.

Contact Lenses Delivering Nitric Oxide under Daylight for Reduction of Bacterial Contamination.

Ocular infection due to microbial contamination is one of the main risks associated with the wearing of contact lens, which demands novel straightforward strategies to find reliable solutions. This contribution reports the preparation, characterization and biological evaluation of soft contact lenses (CL) releasing nitric oxide (NO), as an unconventional antibacterial agent, under daylight exposure. A tailored NO photodonor (NOPD) was embedded into commercial CL leading to doped CL with an excellent optical transparency (transmittance = 100%) at λ ≥ 450 nm.

Marine Bacterial Exopolymers-Mediated Green Synthesis of Noble Metal Nanoparticles with Antimicrobial Properties.

A straightforward and green method for the synthesis of gold, silver, and silver chloride nanoparticles (Au NPs and Ag/AgCl NPs) was developed using three different microbial exopolymers (EP) as reducing and stabilizing agents. The exopolysaccharides and and the poly--glutamic acid were produced by thermophilic bacteria isolated from shallow hydrothermal vents off the Eolian Islands (Italy) in the Mediterranean Sea. The production of metal NPs was monitored by UV-Vis measurements by the typical plasmon resonance absorption peak and their antimicrobial activity towards Gram-positive and Gram- negative bacteria ( and ), as well as fungi () was investigated.

Efficacy of carvacrol against resistant rapidly growing mycobacteria in the planktonic and biofilm growth mode.

Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) are environmental bacteria found worldwide with a propensity to produce skin and soft-tissue infections. Among them, the most clinically relevant species is Mycobacterium abscessus. Multiple resistance to antibiotics and the ability to form biofilm contributes considerably to the treatment failure.