Extracts from Four Species of Xylotrophic Basidiomycetes Growing in the Middle Urals (Russia) Revealed Cytotoxic Effects on Model Object Drosophila melanogaster.

In our study, four species of wood-decaying fungi with perennial fruiting bodies were used as the source of biologically active compounds (BACs) - Inonotus obliquus (chaga), Fomitopsis pinicola, Fomes fomentarius, and Ganoderma applanatum. Fungi have a wide range of secondary metabolites but are used much less frequently than plants in both folk and official medicine. Fungotherapy could be considered a promising trend in the development of modern natural therapy.

Repression of and by Strain AG10 in In Vivo Model.

Probiotic bacteria exhibiting antagonistic activities against pathogenic bacteria are widely considered as potential options for the prevention and treatment of various infectious diseases and represent potential substitutes of antibiotics. Here we show that the AG10 strain represses the growth of and in vitro and diminishes their negative effects in vivo in a model of survival on embryonic (larvae) and pupa stages. In an agar drop diffusion test, AG10 exhibited antagonistic properties against , , and , and repressed the growth of and during milk fermentation.

Consideration of childhood psychological factors at dental appointment.

Objective: Introduction: Paediatric dentistry is a special field of dental practice. The scope of professional activities within this field covers not only high level of expertise and technical skills tailored to the needs of young patients, but requires searching and creating positive psychological environment and communicative management of each child in order to improve daily service methods. The aim of this study is to identify and describe the main psychological characteristics of the age developmental periods of child's personality that dental professionals should regard dealing with the paediatric patients.

Nutrient media optimization for simultaneous enhancement of the laccase and peroxidases production by coculture of Dichomitus squalens and Ceriporiopsis subvermispora.

Coculturing of two white-rot fungi, Dichomitus squalens and Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, was explored for the optimization of cultivation media for simultaneous augmentation of laccase and peroxidase activities by response surface methodology (RSM). Nutrient parameters chosen from our previous studies with the monocultures of D. squalens and C.

Impact of silver-containing wound dressings on bacterial biofilm viability and susceptibility to antibiotics during prolonged treatment.

The long-term antimicrobial efficacy of silver dressings against bacterial biofilms was investigated in a 7-day treatment in vitro model where the protein-rich medium was refreshed daily in order to mimic the conditions found in a wound bed. The use of plate-to-plate transfer assays demonstrated measurable differences in the effectiveness of several silver dressings on the viability of biofilm bacteria and their susceptibility to antibiotics. Whereas after the first day of treatment, all dressings used resulted in a significant reduction in the number of viable cells in the biofilms and disruption of the biofilm colonies, during prolonged treatment, the efficacy of dressings with hydrophilic base materials diminished with daily transfers, and bacterial populations recovered.

Relation between the activity of anaerobic microbial populations in oil sands tailings ponds and the sedimentation of tailings.

Oil sands tailings ponds contain a variety of anaerobic microbes, including methanogens, sulfate- and nitrate-reducing bacteria. Methanogenic activity in samples from a tailings pond and its input streams was higher with trimethylamine (TMA) than with acetate. Methanogens closely affiliated to Methanomethylovorans hollandica were found in the TMA enrichments.

Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and tolerance to antibiotics in response to oscillatory shear stresses of physiological levels.

Bacterial infections in the blood system are usually associated with blood flow oscillation generated by some cardiovascular pathologies and insertion of indwelling devices. The influence of hydrodynamically induced shear stress fluctuations on the Staphylococcus aureus biofilm morphology and tolerance to antibiotics was investigated. Fluctuating shear stresses of physiologically relevant levels were generated in wells of a six-well microdish agitated by an orbital shaker.

Increased tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus to vancomycin in viscous media.

The increased viscosity observed in biofilms, adherent communities of bacterial cells embedded in a polymeric matrix, was hypothesized to induce increased tolerance of bacteria to antibiotics. To test this concept, planktonic Staphylococcus aureus cells were grown and exposed to vancomycin in media brought to specific viscosities in order to mimic the biofilm extracellular polymeric matrix. A viscous environment was observed to decrease the vancomycin susceptibility of planktonic S.