Human Defensins: Structure, Function, and Potential as Therapeutic Antimicrobial Agents with Highlights Against SARS CoV-2.

The human defensins are a group of cationic antimicrobial peptides that range in size from 2 to 5 kDa and share a common structural motif of six disulphide-linked cysteines. Several naturally occurring human α- and β-defensins have been identified over the past two decades. They have a wide variety of antimicrobial effects, and their potential to avoid the development of resistance to antimicrobial treatment makes them attractive as therapeutic agents.

Can Australian plantation forest carbon offset methods increase carbon storage and timber supply? A case study from the Green Triangle plantation forestry region in Australia.

The plantation forestry estate in Australia has been in decline for a decade or more. Previous studies attribute observed investment inertia to factors including the long-term nature of forestry investments, high up front establishment cost and more recently water resource constraints. The introduction of plantation forestry methods as part of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme in 2017 has generated renewed interest in plantation forestry as a carbon abatement option.

Acanthamoebae as a protective reservoir for Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a clinical environment.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a growing concern in healthcare-associated infections and poses significant risk to those with serious underlying health conditions. The antimicrobial resistance traits of the pathogen and ability to form biofilms make effective mitigation and disinfection strategies difficult. Added to this challenge is the role that free-living amoebae such as Acanthamoeba play in the detection, disinfection and transmission of P.

Transfer of micro-organisms from dry surface biofilms and the influence of long survival under conditions of poor nutrition and moisture on the virulence of Staphylococcusaureus.

Background: Biofilms on dry hospital surfaces can enhance the persistence of micro-organisms on dry harsh clinical surfaces and can potentially act as reservoirs of infectious agents on contaminated surfaces.

Aim: This study was conducted to quantify the transfer of viable Staphylococcus aureus cells from dry biofilms through touching and to investigate the impact of nutrient and moisture deprivation on virulence levels in S. aureus.