Background: Natural propolis has been used since decades owing to its broad-spectrum activities. Burn injuries are a global health problem with negative impacts on communities. Bacterial infections usually accompany burns, which demand implementation of antibiotics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibody-based point-of-care diagnostics have become indispensable for modern medicine. In-depth analysis of antibody recognition mechanisms is the key to tailoring the accuracy and precision of test results, which themselves are crucial for targeted and personalized therapy. A rapid and robust method is desired by which binding strengths between antigens and antibodies of concern can be fine-mapped with amino acid residue resolution to examine the assumedly serious effects of single amino acid polymorphisms on insufficiencies of antibody-based detection capabilities of, e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to demonstrate the antimicrobial effects of natural essential oils (EO) and determine their preservative action. Eight natural essential oils were tested against , and representing gram positive, gram negative, and fungi, respectively. The plant materials were used in this study viz.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrong biofilm-forming Enterococcus feacalis urinary tract pathogens (n = 35) were used to determine the lytic spectrum of six bacteriophages isolated from sewage samples. Only 17 Enterococcus feacalis isolates gave lytic zones with the tested bacteriophages from which five isolates were susceptible to all of them. The isolated enterococcal phages are characterized by wide range of thermal (30-90 °C) and pH (3-10) stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicinal plant extracts are increasingly considered a major source of innovative medications and healthcare products. This study focused on preparing a polyphenol enriched water extract of Egyptian celery " L., Apiaceae" aerial parts (TAE) in an endeavor to accentuate its antioxidant capacity as well as its antimicrobial activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsing an immunoassay in combination with surface plasmon fluorescence spectroscopy (SPFS), we report the rapid detection of troponin I, a valuable biomarker for diagnosis of myocardial infarction. We discuss the implementation of (i) direct, (ii) sandwich, and (iii) competitive assay formats, based on surface plasmon resonance and SPFS. To elucidate the results, we relate the experiments to orientation-dependent interaction of troponin I epitopes with respective immunoglobulin G antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpitope mapping, which is the identification of antigenic determinants, is essential for the design of novel antibody-based therapeutics and diagnostic tools. ITEM-THREE is a mass spectrometry-based epitope mapping method that can identify epitopes on antigens upon generating an immune complex in electrospray-compatible solutions by adding an antibody of interest to a mixture of peptides from which at least one holds the antibody's epitope. This mixture is nano-electrosprayed without purification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Immunoassay Immunochem
October 2018
Cardiac troponin-I is a promising diagnostic marker for cardiovascular diseases. Troponin-I immunoassays rely on monoclonal antibodies, while polyclonal antibodies, cheaper to manufacture, are uncommonly used. The current study established an immuno-analytical assay using a polyclonal antibody capable of mapping troponin-I antigenic determinant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThermoresponsive gels containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were prepared using Pluronic®127 alone (F1) and with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (F2) at ratios of 15% w/w and 15:1% w/w, respectively. AuNPs were evaluated for particle size, zeta-potential, polydispersity index (PDI), morphology and XRD pattern. AuNP-containing thermoresponsive gels were investigated for their gelation temperature, gel strength, bio-adhesive force, viscosity, drug content, in vitro release and ex-vivo permeation, in addition to in vitro antibacterial activity against bacteria found in burn infections, Staphylococcus aureus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Mass Spectrom (Chichester)
December 2017
Proteins are essential for almost all physiological processes of life. They serve a myriad of functions which are as varied as their unique amino acid sequences and their corresponding three-dimensional structures. To fulfill their tasks, most proteins depend on stable physical associations, in the form of protein complexes that evolved between themselves and other proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng
February 2018
Co-precipitation method was used for preparation of two types of iron oxide nanoparticles coated by titanium dioxide according to divalent salts used. The average size of iron oxide nanoparticles coated by titanium dioxide measured by particle size analyzer, ranged approximately between 20 nm and 100 nm with mean particle size of 60 nm. Characterization of the prepared nanoparticles was done by X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscope indicating the sole existence of inverse cubic spinel phase of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHoney was used to treat wounds since ancient times till nowadays. The present study aimed at preparing a honey-based hydrogel and assay its antimicrobial properties and wound healing activity; in-vitro and in-vivo. Topical honey hydrogel formulations were prepared using three honey concentrations with gelling agents; chitosan and carbopol 934.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMass spectrometric epitope mapping has become a versatile method to precisely determine a soluble antigen's partial structure that directly interacts with an antibody in solution. Typical lengths of investigated antigens have increased up to several 100 amino acids while experimentally determined epitope peptides have decreased in length to on average 10-15 amino acids. Since the early 1990s more and more sophisticated methods have been developed and have forwarded a bouquet of suitable approaches for epitope mapping with immobilized, temporarily immobilized, and free-floating antibodies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development and application of a miniaturized affinity system for the preparation and release of intact immune complexes are demonstrated. Antibodies were reversibly affinity-adsorbed on pipette tips containing protein G´ and protein A, respectively. Antigen proteins were digested with proteases and peptide mixtures were exposed to attached antibodies; forming antibody-epitope complexes, that is, immune complexes.
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