Bacteriophages and bacterial extracellular vesicles, threat or opportunity?

Emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria (AMR) is one of the health major problems worldwide. The scientists are looking for a novel method to treat infectious diseases. Phage therapy is considered a suitable approach for treating infectious diseases.

A simplified method of bacteriophage preparation for transmission electron microscope.

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria. Researchers use different methods to study the characteristics of bacteriophages. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) is considered the best method to analyze these characteristics.

Comparison of culture and PCR-DGGE methods to evaluate the airways of cystic fibrosis patients and determination of their antibiotic resistance profile.

Background And Objectives: Respiratory infections are the most serious condition in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients; therefore, a thorough comprehension of the diversity and dominant microbial species in CF airways has a crucial role in treatment. Our objective was to determine the antibiotic resistance profile of CF airways microbiota and compare culture methods and PCR-DGGE to evaluate bacterial diversity.

Materials And Methods: Pharyngeal swabs from 121 CF patients were collected.

Investigation on microbial deterioration of exquisite collection of old manuscripts in Iran.

Background And Objectives: The present study was to evaluate the microbial diversity inhabiting biodeteriorated precious manuscripts of the Holy Quran placed in one of the repositories of the Library of Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), and its relation to the air microbial diversity.

Materials And Methods: Three non-invasive sampling methods, culture-based techniques, and molecular identification were used to investigate the microorganisms involved in deterioration. To investigate the air microbial quality and its role in the destruction of the repository objects, air samples were taken from six different points inside the repository.

A new nanobiotic: synthesis and characterization of an albumin nanoparticle with intrinsic antibiotic activity.

Background And Objectives: With entering the "post-antibiotic era", antibiotic resistance is one of the most important problems in food security, health and medicine. Invention of nanoparticles with intrinsic antimicrobial activity has been provided a new tool to combat the problem, including some metal nanoparticles. But protein nanoparticles have been often used as nano-carrier for antibiotic drugs, not for their own antibiotic activity.

Interplay of valley polarized dark trion and dark exciton-polaron in monolayer WSe.

The interactions between charges and excitons involve complex many-body interactions at high densities. The exciton-polaron model has been adopted to understand the Fermi sea screening of charged excitons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides. The results provide good agreement with absorption measurements, which are dominated by dilute bright exciton responses.

Optimization and synthesis of a novel sorbent composite based on magnetic chitosan-amine-functionalized bimetallic MOF for the simultaneous dispersive solid-phase microextraction of four aflatoxins in real water, herbal distillate, and food samples.

Aflatoxins (AFs), an important category of pollutants, are formed in many foods and adversely affect human health. Therefore, their determination is critical to ensuring human food health. An efficient dispersive solid-phase microextraction technique was developed as a simple and straightforward sample preparation technique for determination of four aflatoxins using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fluorescence detector.

Chlamydia pneumonia infection and risk of multiple sclerosis: A meta-analysis.

Background: The role of infectious agents, including Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn), in the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), is still a matter of major contention.

Objective: This meta-analysis study aimed to assess the actual involvement of Cpn in MS development.

Methods: We undertook a search of international scientific databases to identify eligible studies.

Ofatumumab regimens in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a meta-analysis.

Ofatumumab's therapeutic impact on patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) has been the subject of increasing clinical research. However, in recent years, no studies have yet provided a pooled assessment of the treatment effect of ofatumumab vs. non-ofatumumab regimens.

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA Presence in Treated and Untreated Hospital Sewage.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a potential approach for determining the viral prevalence in a community. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have begun to pay close attention to the presence of SARS-COV-2 RNA in various wastewaters. The potential for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in hospital sewage could make it an invaluable resource for epidemiological studies.

Autophagy: A challengeable paradox in cancer treatment.

Objective: Autophagy is an intracellular degradation pathway conserved in all eukaryotes from yeast to humans. This process plays a quality-control role by destroying harmful cellular components under normal conditions, maintaining cell survival, and establishing cellular adaptation under stressful conditions. Hence, there are various studies indicating dysfunctional autophagy as a factor involved in the development and progression of various human diseases, including cancer.

Increased expression of androgen receptor and PSA genes in LNCaP (prostate cancer) cell line due to high concentrations of EGCG, an active ingredient in green tea.

Objectives: Androgen receptor (AR) play a key role in the onset and progression of prostate cancer. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is a polyphenolic compound and the active ingredient in green tea, which is involved in modulating gene expression through epigenetic alterations. Previous studies have shown that EGCG at low concentrations reduces the expression of AR and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the LNCaP cell line of prostate cancer.

Wound healing promotion by flaxseed extract-loaded polyvinyl alcohol/chitosan nanofibrous scaffolds.

Impaired wound healing is a severe complication of sufferers, related to prolonged wound closure, a high infection rate, and eventually disabilities of organs. To aid resolve this issue, we developed the electrospun polyvinyl alcohol and chitosan (PVA/CS) nanofibrous scaffold-loaded flaxseed extract. The scaffold containing 10 wt% of the extract indicated a three-dimensional cross-network with a nano-scale diameter (257 ± 37 nm) and smooth surface.

Determination of serum alkaline phosphatase reference in healthy children aged 1-18 years.

Background: The growth and development of children affect biochemical variables. This population-based study was designed to evaluate the reference interval for alkaline phosphatase (ALP) routinely measured in the clinical laboratory.

Methods: For this examination, 873 cases were selected among the healthy children and adolescents aged 1-18 years who referred to the endocrinology clinic of Amirkola Children's Hospital for growth evaluation.

Capsulectomy Shunt Revision versus Repeat Shunt Implantation Following Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Failure in Refractory Glaucoma.

Purpose: To investigate the efficacy of capsulectomy shunt revision (CSR) compared with the implantation of a second Ahmed glaucoma valve (re-AGV) in glaucoma patients with failed shunts.

Design: Quasi-experimental study.

Subjects: Forty-six eyes with failed Ahmed glaucoma valves (AGVs) were included in the study; 25 underwent CSR, whereas 21 underwent re-AGV.

Targeting endothelial cell metabolism in cancerous microenvironment: a new approach for anti-angiogenic therapy.

Anti-angiogenic therapy is a practical approach to managing diseases with increased angiogenesis, such as cancer, maculopathies, and retinopathies. Considering the fundamental gaps in the knowledge of the vital pathways involved in angiogenesis and its inhibition and the insufficient efficiency of existing angiogenesis inhibitors, there is an increasing focus on the emergence of new therapeutic strategies aimed at inhibiting pathological angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is forming a new vascular network from existing vessels; endothelial cells (ECs), vascular lining cells, are the main actors of angiogenesis in physiological or pathological conditions.

Superficial Retinal Microvasculature and Choriocapillaris Alterations after Photodynamic Therapy in Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: To compare superficial retinal vascular, choriocapillaris (CC), and choroidal thickness changes in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients after half-dose photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Method: In this prospective interventional case series study, fifteen eyes of 14 patients with chronic CSCR undergoing half-dose PDT treatment were enrolled. All patients underwent enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography angiography (EDI-OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) at baseline and 3 months after treatment.

Insights from cyanobacterial genomic and transcriptomic analyses into adaptation strategies in terrestrial environments.

Phylogenomic analysis of Nostocsp. MG11, a terrestrial cyanobacterium, and some terrestrial and freshwater Nostoc strains showed that the terrestrial strains grouped together in a distinctive clade, which reveals the effect of habitat on shaping Nostoc genomes. Terrestrial strains showed larger genomes and had higher predicted CDS contents than freshwater strains.

Characterization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in Persian walnut associated with drought stress tolerance.

There is a lack of information on the rhizosphere of nut-bearing trees where microbial populations can benefit roots and tree growth. The current research aimed at discovering plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in the rhizosphere of soil samples from around the root zone of six walnut trees, each of which was considered as a genotype, i.e.

The interplay of aryl hydrocarbon receptor/WNT/CTNNB1/Notch signaling pathways regulate amyloid beta precursor mRNA/protein expression and effected the learning and memory of mice.

The amyloid beta precursor protein (APP) plays a pathophysiological role in the development of Alzheimer's disease as well as a physiological role in neuronal growth and synaptogenesis. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)/WNT/Catenin Beta 1 (CTNNB1)/Notch signaling pathways stamp in many functions, including development and growth of neurons. However, the regulatory role of AhR-/WNT-/CTNNB1-/Notch-induced APP expression and its influence on hippocampal-dependent learning and memory deficits is not clear.

Developments of Microextraction (Extraction) Procedures for Sample Preparation of Antidepressants in Biological and Water Samples, a Review.

Antidepressants are an important class of drugs to treat various types of depression. The determination of antidepressants is crucial in biological samples to control adverse effects in humans and study pharmacokinetics and bioavailability. Direct measurement of antidepressants in biological and water samples is a considerable challenge for analysts due to their low concentration, the high matrix effects of real samples, and the presence of metabolites of these drugs in biological samples.

Simultaneous determination of organophosphorus pesticides residues in vegetable, fruit juice, and milk samples with magnetic dispersive micro solid-phase extraction and chromatographic method; recruitment of simplex lattice mixture design for optimization of novel sorbent composites.

Dispersive micro solid-phase extraction procedure using a novel and selective sorbent prepared from four components was developed as a sample preparation strategy for extracting five organophosphorus pesticides, including fenitrothion, malathion, ethion, and chlorpyrifos, and diazinon in several vegetables, fruit juices, and cow's milk samples. Due to the high importance of the sorbent in the microextraction process, the percentages of sorbent components, including metal-organic framework (ZIF-67), chitosan, magnetic FeO nanoparticles, and silica nanoparticles, were optimized by a simplex lattice mixture design. After optimizing the sorbent composite, effective parameters on the extraction of organophosphorus pesticides were optimized using a definitive screening design and Box-Behnken design, respectively.

Biotransformation and removal of arsenic oxyanions by Alishewanella agri PMS5 in biofilm and planktonic states.

Arsenic oxyanions are toxic chemicals that impose a high risk to humans and other living organisms in the environment. The present study investigated indigenous heterotrophic bacteria in the tailings dam effluent (TDE) of a gold mining factory. Thirty-seven arsenic resistant bacteria were cultured on Reasoner's 2A agar supplemented with arsenic salts through filtration.

Sustained oxidative stress instigates differentiation of cancer stem cells into tumor endothelial cells: Pentose phosphate pathway, reactive oxygen species and autophagy crosstalk.

Tumor angiogenesis plays a vital role in tumor growth and metastasis. It is proven that in tumor vasculature, endothelial cells (ECs) originate from a small population of cancer cells introduced as cancer stem cells (CSCs). Autophagy has a vital role in ECs differentiation from CSCs and tumor angiogenesis.

Green synthesis of AgCl/AgPO nanoparticle using cyanobacteria and assessment of its antibacterial, colorimetric detection of heavy metals and antioxidant properties.

In this study, the extract of two strains of cyanobacteria was used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (NPs). UV-vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analyses were carried out to characterise the NPs. The antioxidant activity and heavy metal detection properties were investigated; moreover, their minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration against the multi-drug resistant bacteria were determined.