Lactams Exhibit Potent Antifungal Activity Against Monospecies and Multispecies Interkingdom Biofilms on a Novel Hydrogel Skin Model.

Infections of intact and damaged skin barriers and keratin are frequently associated with complex biofilm communities containing bacteria and fungi, yet there are limited options for successful management. This study intended to focus on the utility of some novel proprietary lactam molecules, quorum sensing (QS)-derived halogenated furanones, which act to block the QS pathway, against key fungal pathogens of the skin (Candida albicans, Malassezia furfur and Microsporum gypseum). Moreover, we aimed to assess how these actives performed against complex interkingdom biofilms in a clinically relevant model.

Teaching of magnification in the undergraduate curriculum: A position statement from the British Endodontic Society Teachers of Endodontology Group.

This position statement on undergraduate teaching on the use of magnification in endodontics represents the consensus of the British Endodontic Society Teachers of Endodontology Group. Current clinical and scientific evidence, as well as the expertise of the committee, has been used to develop this statement. The contributors to this position statement consider, as a minimum requirement, the use of dental loupes in non-surgical endodontics at undergraduate level.

The Effect of Chitosan Incorporation on Physico-Mechanical and Biological Characteristics of a Calcium Silicate Filling Material.

Objectives: A tricalcium silicate-based cement, Biodentine™, has displayed antibiofilm activity when mixed with chitosan powder. This study aimed to assess the effect of chitosan incorporation on the physico-mechanical and biological properties of Biodentine™.

Methods: In this study, medium molecular weight chitosan powder was incorporated into Biodentine™ in varying proportions (2.

Serum Prestin After Ototoxin Exposure Is Not Dependent on Outer Hair Cell Loss.

Hypothesis: Cyclodextrin (CDX)-induced serum prestin burst is not dependent on outer hair cell (OHC) loss.

Background: Serum prestin has been proposed as a biomarker for ototoxicity. We recently used an automated Western approach to quantify serum prestin changes in a newly introduced model of CDX ototoxicity.

Automated Western Blot Analysis of Ototoxin-Induced Prestin Burst in the Blood after Cyclodextrin Exposure.

Hypothesis: Ototoxin cyclodextrin (CDX) will induce a burst in serum prestin when quantified with automated Western blot analysis.

Background: In the clinical realm, we primarily rely on audiological measures for diagnosis and surveillance of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and have limited therapeutic options. We have proposed a blood-based biomarker approach to overcome this challenge by measuring the outer hair cell's (OHC) electromotile protein, prestin, in the blood.