Studies Regarding Antimicrobial Properties of Some Microbial Polyketides Derived from Strains.

Finding new molecules to prevent the growth of antimicrobial resistance is a hot topic for scientists worldwide. It has been reported that some raw bioproducts containing polyketides have antimicrobial activities, but extensive studies on this effect have not been conducted. In this context, our studies aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial properties of six raw bioproducts containing three classes of microbial polyketides biosynthesized by three strains through solid-state biosynthesis.

Impact of National Centralized Drug Procurement policy on chemical pharmaceutical enterprises' R&D investment: a difference-in-differences analysis in China.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the National Centralized Drug Procurement (NCDP) policy on chemical pharmaceutical enterprises' R&D investment and provide references for improving NCDP policy design and encouraging innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

Methods: Using the panel data of 102 Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed enterprises from 2016 to 2022 under the chemical pharmaceutical classification of Shenwan in Wind database as the research sample, this study developed difference-in-differences (DID) models on bid-winning and bid-non-winning enterprises, respectively, to evaluate the impact of NCDP policy on their R&D investment. In addition, this study tested the heterogeneity of bid-winning enterprises based on the bid success rate, the decline of drug price, and enterprise size.

Metal Ions Trigger the Gelation of Cysteine-Containing Peptide-Appended Coordination Cages.

We report a series of coordination cages that incorporate peptide chains at their vertices, prepared through subcomponent self-assembly. Three distinct heterochiral tripeptide subcomponents were incorporated, each exhibiting an L-D-L stereoconfiguration. Through this approach, we prepared and characterized three tetrahedral metal-peptide cages that incorporate thiol and methylthio groups.

Anti-Proliferative Potential of Cynaroside and Orientin-In Silico (DYRK2) and In Vitro (U87 and Caco-2) Studies.

Luteolin derivates are plant compounds with multiple benefits for human health. Stability to heat and acid hydrolysis and high resistance to (auto)oxidation are other arguments for the laden interest in luteolin derivates today. The present study was designed to compare the in silico and in vitro anti-proliferative potential of two luteolin derivates, luteolin-7--glucoside/cynaroside (7-Lut) and luteolin-8--glucoside/orientin (8-Lut).

New N-acyl Thiourea Derivatives: Synthesis, Standardized Quantification Method and In Vitro Evaluation of Potential Biological Activities.

New N-acyl thiourea derivatives with heterocyclic rings have been synthesized by first obtaining isothiocyanate, which further reacted with a heterocyclic amine, characterized by (FT-IR, NMR spectroscopy and FT-ICR) and tested for their in vitro antimicrobial, anti-biofilm and antioxidant activities to obtain a drug candidate in a lead-optimization process. From the tested compounds, those bearing benzothiazole () and 6-methylpyridine () moieties revealed anti-biofilm activity against ATCC 25922 at MBIC values of 625 µg/mL. Compound exhibited the highest antioxidant capacity (~43%) in the in vitro assay using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH).

Potential Antitumor Effect of Functional Yogurts Formulated with Prebiotics from Cereals and a Consortium of Probiotic Bacteria.

Various types of functional yogurts were obtained from normalized milk (with normalized lipid content) and a standardized probiotic consortium of probiotic bacteria named ABY3. All the types of yogurts obtained contained prebiotics from black or red rice; malt of barley, rye, wheat; or wheat bran. The physico-chemical analyses of all the functionalized products obtained showed that all of them met the quality standard for yogurt products.

Studies Regarding the Antimicrobial Behavior of Clotrimazole and Limonene.

The paper presents the results of the studies performed to establish the effect of the mixtures between limonene and clotrimazole against microbial pathogens involved in dermatological diseases, such as , , and . Preliminary data obtained from the studies performed in microplates revealed a possible synergism between the mixture of clotrimazole and limonene for . Studies performed "in silico" with programs such as CLC Drug Discovery Workbench and MOLEGRO Virtual Docker, gave favorable scores for docking each compound on a specific binding site for each microorganism.

Studies Regarding the Pharmaceutical Potential of Derivative Products from .

In this study, three types of extracts isolated from leaves of Plantain () were tested for their chemical content and biological activities. The three bioproducts are combinations of polysaccharides and polyphenols (flavonoids and iridoidic compounds), and they were tested for antioxidant, antifungal, antitumor, and prebiotic activity (particularly for polysaccharides fraction). Briefly, the iridoid-enriched fraction has revealed a pro-oxidant activity, while the flavonoid-enriched fraction had a high antioxidant potency; the polysaccharide fraction also indicated a pro-oxidant activity, explained by the co-presence of iridoid glycosides.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) as Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering: Production, Isolation, Characterization.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers. These biomaterials have grown in importance in the fields of tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction for structural applications where tissue morphology is critical, such as bone, cartilage, blood vessels, and skin, among others. Furthermore, they can be used to accelerate the regeneration in combination with drugs, as drug delivery systems, thus reducing microbial infections.

β-Ketophosphonates with Pentalenofuran Scaffolds Linked to the Ketone Group for the Synthesis of Prostaglandin Analogs.

β-Ketophosphonates with pentalenofurane fragments linked to the keto group were synthesized. The bulky pentalenofurane skeleton is expected to introduce more hindrance in the prostaglandin analogues of type , greater than that obtained with the bicyclo[3.3.

The effect of liver donors' age, gender and metabolic state on pancreatic lineage activation.

Autologous cells replacement therapy by liver to pancreas transdifferentiation (TD) allows diabetic patients to be also the donors of their own therapeutic tissue. To analyze whether the efficiency of the process is affected by liver donors' heterogeneity with regard to age, gender and the metabolic state.  TD of liver cells derived from nondiabetic and diabetic donors at different ages was characterized at molecular and cellular levels, .

Low Molecular Weight and Polymeric Modifiers as Toughening Agents in Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Films.

The inherent brittleness of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) prevents its use as a substitute of petroleum-based polymers. Low molecular weight plasticizers, such as tributyl 2-acetyl citrate (TAC), cannot properly solve this issue. Herein, PHB films were obtained using a biosynthesized poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) and a commercially available TAC as toughening agents.

COVID-19 and diabetes mellitus: Unraveling the hypotheses that worsen the prognosis (Review).

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the caused disease - coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has affected so far >6,000,000 people worldwide, with variable grades of severity, and has already inflicted >350,000 deaths. SARS-CoV-2 infection seems severely affected by background diseases such as diabetes mellitus and its related complications, that seem to be favoring the most severe manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 and, therefore, require special attention in clinical care units. The present literature review focus on addressing several hypotheses explaining why diabetic patients could develop multi-organ failure in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infections.

CD36 and CD97 in Pancreatic Cancer versus Other Malignancies.

Starting from the recent identification of CD36 and CD97 as a novel marker combination of fibroblast quiescence in lung during fibrosis, we aimed to survey the literature in search for facts about the separate (or concomitant) expression of clusters of differentiation CD36 and CD97 in either tumor- or pancreatic-cancer-associated cells. Here, we provide an account of the current knowledge on the diversity of the cellular functions of CD36 and CD97 and explore their potential (common) contributions to key cellular events in oncogenesis or metastasis development. Emphasis is placed on quiescence as an underexplored mechanism and/or potential target in therapy.

Beneficial effects of food supplements based on hydrolyzed collagen for skin care (Review).

Ageing is a complex, multi-step process which involves, among others loss of collagen and elastin. Collagen is found in large amounts in the body, especially in the dermis layer. These fibers provide the skin's normal strength, hydration and mechanical properties.

Haemostatic activity of butanolic extracts of Lamium album and Lamium purpureum aerial parts.

Lamium album and Lamium purpureum are species belonging to the genus Lamium. Aerial parts of the two species and roots of Lamium album have applications in human and veterinary traditional medicine. Haemostatic properties of butanolic extracts of Lamium species were investigated by two experimental models in Wistar rats: haemostatic test by tail bleeding time determination and acenocoumarolcarrageenan test.

Multiplex assay for multiomics advances in personalized-precision medicine.

Building the future of precision medicine is the main focus in cancer domain. Clinical trials are moving toward an array of studies that are more adapted to precision medicine. In this domain, there is an enhanced need for biomarkers, monitoring devices, and data-analysis methods.

Human papillomaviruses' proteins with clinical utility.

Cervical cancer, the fourth leading cause of cancer-associated deaths among women worldwide, is associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Despite the prophylactic HPV vaccination and the implementation of cervical and HPV-based screening programs, a significant increase in cervical cancer incidence is estimated by the year 2020. Thus, further development of diagnostic tools that allow detection and risk assesment in genital HPV infection is necessary.

Caveolin-1-Knockout Mouse as a Model of Inflammatory Diseases.

Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is the scaffold protein of caveolae, which are minute invaginations of the cell membrane that are involved in endocytosis, cell signaling, and endothelial-mediated inflammation. CAV1 has also been reported to have a dual role as either a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter, depending on the type of cancer. Inflammation is an important player in tumor progression, but the role of caveolin-1 in generating an inflammatory milieu remains poorly characterized.

Current methods for tumor-associated macrophages investigation.

Oncoimmunology is a rapidly growing field, focusing both on studying of the interaction of immune factors with tumor cells and also on the development of new therapies. In this regard, immunotherapy is increasingly used clinically. Although tumorigenesis is generally seen as an autonomous process involving genetically transformed cancer cells, it is increasingly recognized that tumor environment is an essential factor that modulates both tumor progression and resistance to therapy.