Antimicrobial peptide glatiramer acetate targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharides to breach membranes without altering lipopolysaccharide modification.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are key components of innate immunity across all domains of life. Natural and synthetic AMPs are receiving renewed attention in efforts to combat the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis and the loss of antibiotic efficacy. The gram-negative pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most concerning infecting bacteria in AMR, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) where respiratory infections are difficult to eradicate and associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Diversity and prevalence of type VI secretion system effectors in clinical isolates.

is an opportunistic pathogen and a major driver of morbidity and mortality in people with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a molecular nanomachine that translocates effectors across the bacterial membrane into target cells or the extracellular environment enabling intermicrobial interaction. encodes three T6SS clusters, the H1-, H2- and H3-T6SS, and numerous orphan islands.

Effect of a brief dietary counselling intervention on emergency department cardiac chest pain presentations.

Introduction: 15% of all presentations to our emergency department last year were chest pain related. This presented an opportunity to evaluate the impact of a brief physician counselling intervention on patient-reported changes in cardio-protective foodstuff intake.

Methods: This is a prospective non-randomised before and after comparison study without controls, conducted between an emergency department presentation and a scheduled follow-up visit at a cardiac diagnostics department.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung.

Cystic fibrosis is a common genetically inherited, multisystem disorder caused by loss of function of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, an apically situated anion channel. In the lung, lack of CFTR leads to airway surface dehydration, mucociliary clearance failure and an acidic pH in which innate defence molecules are rendered ineffective. Infection occurs early in life, with P.

Synergistic Activity of Repurposed Peptide Drug Glatiramer Acetate with Tobramycin against Cystic Fibrosis Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common pathogen infecting the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF), causing both acute and chronic infections. Intrinsic and acquired antibiotic resistance, coupled with the physical barriers resulting from desiccated CF sputum, allow P. aeruginosa to colonize and persist in spite of antibiotic treatment.

A dry immersion model of microgravity modulates platelet phenotype, miRNA signature, and circulating plasma protein biomarker profile.

Ground based research modalities of microgravity have been proposed as innovative methods to investigate the aetiology of chronic age-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Dry Immersion (DI), has been effectively used to interrogate the sequelae of physical inactivity (PI) and microgravity on multiple physiological systems. Herein we look at the causa et effectus of 3-day DI on platelet phenotype, and correlate with both miRomic and circulating biomarker expression.

Colistin kills bacteria by targeting lipopolysaccharide in the cytoplasmic membrane.

Colistin is an antibiotic of last resort, but has poor efficacy and resistance is a growing problem. Whilst it is well established that colistin disrupts the bacterial outer membrane (OM) by selectively targeting lipopolysaccharide (LPS), it was unclear how this led to bacterial killing. We discovered that MCR-1 mediated colistin resistance in is due to modified LPS at the cytoplasmic rather than OM.

Maximal oxygen consumption and oxygen uptake efficiency in adolescent males.

Background/objective: Measures of oxygen uptake efficiency (OUE) have been used to evaluate cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adolescents unable to perform maximal exercise. The oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) and oxygen uptake efficiency plateau (OUEP) have been proposed as surrogates for maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O). We assessed the validity of the OUES and OUEP as predictors of V̇O in healthy male adolescents.

Elucidating the Biological Activity of Fish-Derived Collagen and Gelatine Hydrolysates using Animal Cell Culture - A Review.

A large percentage of a fish's weight is generally discarded during fish processing. Reducing the waste products of marine origin is a subject of great interest within the scientific community. Pelagic byproducts, such as the structural protein collagen, which can be generated during the processing of fish, have been proposed as an alternative to terrestrial, mammalian sources due to advantages including high availability and low risk of zoonotic disease transmission.

Vascular and Microvascular Dysfunction Induced by Microgravity and Its Analogs in Humans: Mechanisms and Countermeasures.

Weightlessness and physical inactivity have deleterious cardiovascular effects. The space environment and its ground-based models offer conditions to study the cardiovascular effects of physical inactivity in the absence of other vascular risk factors, particularly at the macro- and microcirculatory levels. However, the mechanisms involved in vascular dysfunction and remodeling are not sufficiently studied in the context of weightlessness and its analogs including models of physical inactivity.

Brain structure changes over time in normal and mildly impaired aged persons.

Structural brain changes in aging are known to occur even in the absence of dementia, but the magnitudes and regions involved vary between studies. To further characterize these changes, we analyzed paired MRI images acquired with identical protocols and scanner over a median 5.8-year interval.

Development of dynamic cell and organotypic skin models, for the investigation of a novel visco-elastic burns treatment using molecular and cellular approaches.

Background: Burn injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite advances in therapeutic strategies for the management of patients with severe burns, the sequelae are pathophysiologically profound, up to the systemic and metabolic levels. Management of patients with a severe burn injury is a long-term, complex process, with treatment dependent on the degree and location of the burn and total body surface area (TBSA) affected.

DI-5-CUFFS: Venoconstrictive Thigh Cuffs Limit Body Fluid Changes but Not Orthostatic Intolerance Induced by a 5-Day Dry Immersion.

Venoconstrictive thigh cuffs are used by cosmonauts to ameliorate symptoms associated with cephalad fluid shift. A ground simulation of microgravity, using the dry immersion (DI) model, was performed to assess the effects of thigh cuffs on body fluid changes and dynamics, as well as on cardiovascular deconditioning. Eighteen healthy men (25-43 years), randomly divided into two groups, (1) control group or (2) group with thigh cuffs worn 10 h/day, underwent 5-day DI.

Communicable diseases in humanitarian operations and disasters.

Military organisations have battled communicable disease for millennia. They have pioneered disease prevention from the Crusades to the World Wars and continue to do so today. Predeployment vaccinations and chemoprophylaxis are effective in preventing communicable disease, as is reliable vector destruction and bite prevention, especially in the era of multidrug resistant organisms.

Circulating angiogenic cell response to sprint interval and continuous exercise.

Introduction: Although commonly understood as immune cells, certain T lymphocyte and monocyte subsets have angiogenic potential, contributing to blood vessel growth and repair. These cells are highly exercise responsive and may contribute to the cardiovascular benefits seen with exercise.

Purpose: To compare the effects of a single bout of continuous (CONTEX) and sprint interval exercise (SPRINT) on circulating angiogenic cells (CAC) in healthy recreationally active adults.

Distinct White Matter Changes Associated with Cerebrospinal Fluid Amyloid-β1-42 and Hypertension.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology and hypertension (HTN) are risk factors for development of white matter (WM) alterations and might be independently associated with these alterations in older adults.

Objective: To evaluate the independent and synergistic effects of HTN and AD pathology on WM alterations.

Methods: Clinical measures of cerebrovascular disease risk were collected from 62 participants in University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Center studies who also had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling and MRI brain scans.

Global Cerebral Atrophy Detected by Routine Imaging: Relationship with Age, Hippocampal Atrophy, and White Matter Hyperintensities.

Background And Purpose: Interpreting the clinical significance of moderate-to-severe global cerebral atrophy (GCA) is a conundrum for many clinicians, who visually interpret brain imaging studies in routine clinical practice. GCA may be attributed to normal aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD), or cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Understanding the relationships of GCA with aging, AD, and CVD is important for accurate diagnosis and treatment decisions for cognitive complaints.

The role of epigenetics in cardiovascular health and ageing: A focus on physical activity and nutrition.

The cardiovascular system is responsible for transport of blood and nutrients to tissues, and is pivotal to the physiological health and longevity. Epigenetic modification is a natural, age-associated process resulting in highly contextualised gene expression with clear implications for cell differentiation and disease onset. Biological/epigenetic age is independent of chronological age, constituting a highly reflective snapshot of an individual's overall health.