Search results for: Viral Infections HBV
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Molecular detection of Candida krusei
PublicationThe species identification of fungi belonging to genus Candida is an important issue as this genus becomes the emerging problem of nosocomial infections. As Candida krusei presents intrinsicresistance to the fluconazole that is the drug of the first choice in case of invasive candidiasis the PCR identifying the DNA of C. krusei was elaborated. The analytical sensitivity of the assay on spiked blood samples was estimated at 3-5...
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Tuftsin-Properties and Analogs
PublicationImmunomodulation is one of the significant therapeutic strategies. It includes both stimulation or suppression of the immune system by a variety of substances called immunomodulators, designed to regulate the immune response of the organism to infections of varying etiology. An example of such a substance is tuftsin (TKPA) 3 (Fig. (1)). Tuftsin is an endogenous immunomodulator of a wide spectrum of biological activity. Tetrapeptide...
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pH-dependent composite coatings for controlled drug delivery system - Review
PublicationNowadays in case of long-term implants, the most common postoperative complications are bacterial infections, which in consequence may provoke loos- ening of the implants in the primary phase of stabilization. Bacterial infections are currently the most frequent cause of revision surgery of the implants such as hip joint endoprosthesis, knee joint endoprosthesis and dental implants. In order to provide the local and long-term antibacterial...
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Do online reviews reveal mobile application usability and user experience? The case of WhatsApp
PublicationThe variety of hardware devices and the diversity of their users imposes new requirements and expectations on designers and developers of mobile applications (apps). While the Internet has enabled new forms of communication platform, online stores provide the ability to review apps. These informal online app reviews have become a viral form of electronic wordof-mouth (eWOM), covering a plethora of issues. In our study, we set ourselves...
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Low-volume label-free SARS-CoV-2 detection with the microcavity-based optical fiber sensor
PublicationAccurate and fast detection of viruses is crucial for controlling outbreaks of many diseases; therefore, to date, numerous sensing systems for their detection have been studied. On top of the performance of these sensing systems, the availability of biorecognition elements specific to especially the new etiological agents is an additional fundamental challenge. Therefore, besides high sensitivity and selectivity, such advantages...
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Recurrent bowel-blood translocations of Escherichia coli with the unique virulence characteristics over three-year period in the patient with acute myeloid leukaemia – case report
PublicationIn patients with haematological malignancies, the bowel remains the main source of Escherichia coli bloodstream infections. We present the clinical example of recurrent bowel-blood translocations of E. coli with the unique virulence characteristics in a 55-year-old male with the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukaemia. The virulent factors profile of examined strains confirmed that the co-existence of genes papC, sfa, usp and cnf1,...
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Optical method supported by machine learning for urinary tract infection detection and urosepsis risk assessment
PublicationThe study presents an optical method supported by machine learning for discriminating urinary tract infections from an infection capable of causing urosepsis. The method comprises spectra of spectroscopy measurement of artificial urine samples with bacteria from solid cultures of clinical E. coli strains. To provide a reliable classification of results assistance of 27 algorithms was tested. We proved that is possible to obtain...
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Czynniki kształtujące środowisko pacjenta w szpitalu
PublicationSzpital jest miejscem szczególnym – z założenia przebywają w nim osoby, znajdujące się w sytuacji niekomfortowej. Możliwości adaptacji w nowym środowisku u osób chorych, osłabionych lub osób z niepełnosprawnościami są znacząco obniżone, a przecież szpital należy do budynków o najbardziej skomplikowanej strukturze funkcjonalno-przestrzennej. Stan emocjonalny pacjenta w środowisku szpitalnym jest uzależniony od relacji z lekarzami...
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Mechanisms of azole resistance among clinical isolates of Candida glabrata in Poland
PublicationCandida glabrata is currently ranked as the second most frequently isolated aetiological agent of human fungal infections, next only to Candida albicans. In comparison with C. albicans, C. glabrata shows lower susceptibility to azoles, the most common agents used in treatment of fungal infections. Interestingly, the mechanisms of resistance to azole agents in C. albicans have been much better investigated than those in C. glabrata....
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Novel Nystatin A1 derivatives exhibiting low host cell toxicity and antifungal activity in an in vitro model of oral candidosis
PublicationOpportunistic oral infections caused by Candida albicans are frequent problems in immunocompromised patients. Management of such infections is limited due to the low number of antifungal drugs available, their relatively high toxicity and the emergence of antifungal resistance. Given these issues, our investigations have focused on novel derivatives of the antifungal antibiotic Nystatin A1, generated by modifications at the amino...
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Enzymes of the lysine biosynthetic pathway as targets for antifungals ?
PublicationSystemic infections caused by human pathogenic fungi in immunocompromized patients continue to be one of the important clinical problems. Limited availability of safe and efficacious antifungal chemotherapeutics and emerging resistance to existing drugs stimulates search for novel molecular targets for antifungals. The α-aminoadipate pathway (AAP) of L-lysine biosynthesis is unique in fungi and thus has been so far considered...
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Comparative analysis of mRNA transcripts of HT-29 cell line expressed in identical quantities for pathogenic E. coli strains UM146 and UM147 with control Escherichia coli Nissle 1917
PublicationAim of study was comparative analysis of mRNA transcripts of HT-29 cell line, expressed in identical quantities for the combination of pathogenic and non-pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. HT-29 confluent monolayers infection with two pathogenic E. coli strains UM146 and UM147 resulted in two sets of mRNA transcripts that were identical with RNA transcripts obtained for non-pathogenic one strain E. coli Nissle 1917. In this study...
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Mechanism of reaction of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase from SARS-CoV-2
PublicationWe combine molecular dynamics, statistical mechanics, and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations to describe mechanistically the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Our study analyzes the binding mode of both natural triphosphate substrates as well as remdesivir triphosphate (the active form of drug), which is bound preferentially over ATP by RdRp while...
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Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Kidney Transplant Recipients—A Narrative Review
PublicationUrinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most prevalent complications in kidney transplant (KTx) recipients. The most frequent finding in this group of patients is asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). Here, we provide an overview of the available evidence regarding ASB in KTx recipients, including its etiopathology, clinical impact and management. There is a growing body of evidence from clinical trials that screening for and treating...
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Warstwowa ocena epidemiologiczna architektury zakładów opiekuńczo-leczniczych i zakładów gieriatycznych = Layer based epidemiological quality assessment of architecture of care security and geriatric wards
PublicationW artykule opisano możliwość wykorzystania autorskiej metody warstwowej oceny epidemiologicznej (WOE) do oceny potencjalnego ryzyka zakażeń w obiektach przeznaczonych dla osób starszych. Materiał i metody: W celu weryfikacji możliwości użycia metody WOE do oceny zagrożeń w zakresie bezpieczeństwa epidemiologicznego środowiska zbudowanego poddano analizie dostępne źródła literatury związane z obowiązującymi w Polsce wymaganiami...
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New Peptide Based Fluconazole Conjugates with Expanded Molecular Targets
PublicationInfections of Candida spp. etiology are frequently treated with azole drugs. Among azoles, the most widely used in the clinical scenario remains fluconazole (FLC). Promising results in treatment of dangerous, systemic Candida infections demonstrate the advantages of combined therapies carried out with combinations of at least two different antifungal agents. Here, we report five conjugates composed of covalently linked FLC and...
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Genetic Background and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of K. pneumoniae NDM-1 Strains Isolated from UTI, ABU, and the GI Tract, from One Hospital in Poland, in Relation to Strains Nationally and Worldwide
PublicationIn recent years, there has been an observed increase in infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumonia (Kp) strains. The aim of this study was the phenotypic and genotypic analysis of eight K. pneumoniae NDM (Kp NDM) isolates, recovered in Poland during the years 2016 and 2018 from seven patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs), asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU), or colonization of the gut. PCR melting profile...
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Facilitating free travel in the Schengen area—A position paper by the European Association for Biometrics
PublicationDue to migration, terror-threats and the viral pandemic, various EU member states have re-established internal border control or even closed their borders. European Association for Biometrics (EAB), a non-profit organisation, solicited the views of its members on ways which biometric technologies and services may be used to help with re-establishing open borders within the Schengen area while at the same time mitigating any adverse...
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Rapid Assays for Specific Detection of Fungi of Scopulariopsis and Microascus Genera and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis Species
PublicationPurpose Fungi of Scopulariopsis and Microascus genera cause a wide range of infections, with S. brevicaulis being the most prevalent aetiological agent of mould onychomycosis. Proper identification of these pathogens requires sporulating culture, which considerably delays the diagnosis. So far, sequencing of rDNA regions of clinical isolates has produced ambiguous results due to the lack of reference sequences in publicly available...
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Electrophoretically Deposited Chitosan/Eudragit E 100/AgNPs Composite Coatings on Titanium Substrate as a Silver Release System
PublicationDue to the possibility of bacterial infections occurring around peri-implant tissues, it is necessary to provide implant coatings that release antibacterial substances. The scientific goal of this paper was to produce by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) a smart, chitosan/Eudragit E 100/silver nanoparticles (chit/EE100/AgNPs) composite coating on the surface of titanium grade 2 using different deposition parameters, such as the...
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PCR-RFLP assays for species-specific identification of fungi belonging to Scopulariopsis and related genera
PublicationFungi of the Scopulariopsis genus, commonly found in the environment, are opportunistic pathogens that can cause various types of human infections. So far, no efficient molecular method has been developed for species differentiation among Scopulariopsis and related genera. In order to advance this field, we have evaluated performance of polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assays, based...
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Genotyping Techniques for Determining the Diversity of Microorganisms
PublicationTyping of microbial pathogens, or identifying bacteria at the strain level, is particularly important for diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiological surveillance of bacterial infections. This is especially the case for bacteria exhibiting high levels of antibiotic resistance or virulence, and those involved in nosocomial or pandemic infections. Strain typing also has applications in studying bacterial population dynamics. The part...
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Cuticular lipids of insects as potential biofungicides
PublicationThe term ''lipids'' refers to fatty acids, their derivatives and substances related with them biochemically or by the functions in the body. Lipids include compounds with different chemical structure. There are lipids with structures based on long-chain carboxylic acids and their direct derivatives, namely: fatty acids, alkanes, some alkenes, aldehydes and long chain alcohols and their derivatives (esters). The variety of lipid...
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Review on Current Status of Echinocandins Use
PublicationFungal infections are rising all over the world every year. There are only five medical compound classes for treatment: triazoles, echinocandins, polyenes, flucytosine and allylamine. Currently, echinocandins are the most important compounds, because of their wide activity spectrum and much lower sides effects that may occur during therapy with other drugs. Echinocandins are secondary metabolites of fungi, which can inhibit the...
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Extracting functional groups of ALLINI to design derivatives of FDA‐approved drugs: Inhibition of HIV‐1 integrase
PublicationHIV‐1 integrase (IN) is crucial for integration of viral DNA into the host genome and a promising target in development of antiretroviral inhibitors. In this work, six new compounds were designed by linking the structures of two different class of HIV‐1 IN inhibitors (active site binders and allosteric IN inhibitors (ALLINIs)). Among newly designed compounds, INRAT10b was found most potent HIV‐1 IN inhibitor considering different...
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Organic solvents aggregating and shaping structural folding of protein, a case study of the protease enzyme
PublicationLow solubility of reactants or products in aqueous solutions can result in the enzymatic catalytic reactions that can occur in non-aqueous solutions. In current study we investigated aqueous solutions containing different organic solvents / deep eutectic solvents (DESs) that can influence the protease enzyme's activity, structural, and thermal stabilities. Retroviral aspartic protease enzyme is responsible for the cleavage of the...
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Virulence of Clinical Candida Isolates
PublicationThe factors enablingCandidaspp. infections are secretion of hydrolytic enzymes, adher-ence to surfaces, biofilm formation or morphological transition, and fitness attributes. The aim of thisstudy was to investigate the correlation between known extracellular virulence factors and survivalofGalleria mellonellalarvae infected with clinicalCandida. The 25 isolates were tested and the activityof proteinases among 24/24, phospholipases...
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Ciprofloxacin-modified degradable hybrid polyurethane-polylactide porous scaffolds developed for potential use as an antibacterial scaffold for regeneration of skin
PublicationThe aim of the performed study was to fabricate an antibacterial and degradable scaffold that may be used in the field of skin regeneration. To reach the degradation criterion for the biocompatible polyurethane (PUR), obtained by using amorphous α,ω-dihydroxy(ethylene-butylene adipate) macrodiol (PEBA), was used and processed with so-called “fast-degradable” polymer polylactide (PLA) (5 or 10 wt %). To meet the antibacterial requirement...
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Virulence, antifungal susceptibility and molecular mechanisms of echinocandin resistance among Candida isolates recovered from clinical specimens
PublicationFungi of the genus Candida belong to the natural microflora of healthy individuals. However, they can also be a cause of opportunistic infections especially among patients with an impaired immune system. The first line therapy of Candida infections is based on triazoles. However, in recent years there an increase of azole resistant Candida spp., in particular C. glabrata and C. krusei, has been observed. For this reason, echinocandin...
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Biofilm formation and its regulation in Staphylococcus aureus
PublicationInfections caused by the major human and animal pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus are becoming an important problem due to its emerging resistance mechanisms and variety of virulence factors. Biofilm formation is considered to be one of the most important factor attributed to high pathogenicity of S. aureus. Described in the literature methods used in identification of biofilm forming abilities of bacteria consist of phenotypic and...
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Toxoplasma gondii recombinant antigens as tools for serodiagnosis of human toxoplasmosis: current status of studies
PublicationToxoplasma gondii is a parasitic protozoan which is the cause of toxoplasmosis. Although human toxoplasmosis in healthy adults is usually asymptomatic, serious disease can occur in the case of congenital infections and immunocompromised individuals. Furthermore, despite the exact recognition of its etiology, it still presents a diagnostic problem. Diagnosis of toxoplasmosis is mainly based on the results of serological tests detecting...
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Self-Association of Amphotericin B: Spontaneous Formation of Molecular Structures Responsible for the Toxic Side Effects of the Antibiotic
PublicationAmphotericin B (AmB) is a lifesaving antibiotic used to treat deep-seated mycotic infections. Both the pharmaceutical activity and highly toxic side effects of the drug rely on its interaction with biomembranes, which is governed by the molecular organization of AmB. In the present work we present detailed analysis of self-assembly of AmB molecules in different environments, interesting from the physiological standpoint, based...
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Antimicrobial molecular nanocarrier–drug conjugates
PublicationMany antimicrobial drugs are poorly active against pathogenic microbes causing intracellular infections, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Plasmodium falciparum. On the other hand, several known antimicrobial agents are not effective enough because of their limited cellular penetration. A common feature of both challenges is the inability of an active agent to cross the biological membrane(s). One of the possible approaches...
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The impact of training and neurotrophins on functional recovery after spinal cord transection: cellular and molecular mechanisms contributing to motor improvement
PublicationBeneficial effects of locomotor training on the functional recovery after complete transection of the spinal cord indicate that in chronic spinal animals spontaneous recovery processes are enhanced and shaped by the training. The mechanisms of that use-dependent improvement are still not fully understood. This review tackles three aspects of this issue: (1) neurochemical attributes of functional improvement...
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The development of an indirect ELISA for the detection of goose parvovirus antibodies using specific VP3 subunits as the coating antigen
PublicationIn Poland, the leader in goose production in Europe, goose parovirus infection, or Derzsy’s disease (DD), must be reported to the veterinary administration due to the serious economic and epizootic threat to waterfowl production. Prophylactic treatment for DD includes attenuated live or inactivated vaccines. Moreover, the control of DD includes the monitoring of maternal derived antibody (MDA) levels in the offspring and antibody...
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Targeting Spike‐ACE2 Interface of SARS‐CoV‐2 and its Omicron Variant: A Comparative Screening of Potential Inhibitors for Existing and Anticipating Variants Using Molecular Modelling Approach
PublicationThe recent COVID pandemic has shown major impact on public health and economic crisis. Despite the development of many vaccines and drugs against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2, the pandemic still persists. The continued spread of the virus is largely driven by the emergence of viral variants such as α, β, γ, delta, epsilon spike, omicron and its subvariants (BA.1,2,3) which can evade the current vaccines...
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Successive cytotoxicity control by evolutionary surface decorated electronic push-pull green ZnCr-LDH nanostructures: Drug delivery enlargement for targeted breast cancer chemotherapy
PublicationThe reason for the increasing bioavailability and biocompatibility of the porous nanomaterials in the presence of different (bio)molecules is still unknown. The role of difference functional groups and their interactions with the potential bioavailability and biocompatibility is of great importance. To investigate the potential contribution of the electronic effects (especially on the surface of the porous nanomaterials) on their...
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Photoinactivation of Staphylococcus aureus using protoporphyrin IX: the role of haem-regulated transporter HrtA
PublicationLight- and photosensitiser-based antimicrobial photodynamic therapy is a very promising approach to the control of microbial infections. How the phenotypic features of a microorganism affect its response to photosensitiser-based photokilling represents an area of substantial research interest. To understand the mechanisms governing the phenomenon of a strain-dependent response to photodynamic inactivation (PDI), we analysed the...
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Drug-resistant and hospital-associated Enterococcus faecium from wastewater, riverine estuary and anthropogenically impacted marine catchment basin.
PublicationEnterococci, ubiquitous colonizers of humans and other animals, play an increasingly important role in health-care associated infections (HAIs). Acquisition of resistance determinants not only seriously limits available therapeutic options but also increases available gene pool for other species. It is believed that the recent evolution of two clinically relevant species, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium occurred...
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Antimicrobal and ostheointegration activity of bone cement contains nanometals
PublicationPurpose: One of the major problems in bone surgery are infections – especially thoseoccurring in the course of the operating on the patients with lowered immunity system,because they carry the danger of complications. In the Mechanical Department of TechnicalUniversity of Gdansk, there has been carried the research with the use of bone cement andmetal nanoparticles.Design/methodology/approach: The bone cement was used without supplement...
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Can the Pandemic Be a Catalyst of Spatial Changes Leading Towards the Smart City?
PublicationThe worldwide spread of Covid‐19 infections has had a pervasive influence on cities and the lives of their residents. The current crisis has highlighted many urban problems, including those related to the functionality of urban structures, which directly affect the quality of life. Concurrently, the notion of “smart cities” is becoming a dominant trend in the discourse on urban development. At the intersection of these two phenomena,...
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Targeting DNA Topoisomerase II in Antifungal Chemotherapy.
PublicationTopoisomerase inhibitors have been in use clinically for the treatment of several diseases for decades. Although those enzymes are significant molecular targets in antibacterial and anticancer chemotherapy very little is known about the possibilities to target fungal topoisomerase II (topo II). Raising concern for the fungal infections, lack of effective drugs and a phenomenon of multidrug resistance underlie a strong need to expand...
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Real-Time PCR: molecular technique of many applications
PublicationReal-Time PCR is a sensitive DNA amplification technique initially applied in genetics and molecular biology. It enables in vivo copying of the selected DNA fragment (flanked by two primers) by the thermostable polymerase (in the presence of magnesium ions and deoxynucleotide triphosphates) and simultaneous measurement of the fluorescence. For one or more specific sequences in a DNA sample, real-time PCR enables both detection...
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Lipidomics of Staphylococcus aureus – a new insight into the antibiotic resistant phenotype
PublicationStaphylococcus aureus is an aggressive pathogen responsible for a variety of diseases, in cluding life-threatening sepsis. Many strains of these bacteria are resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics, which is a substantial clinical problem in the treatment of S. aureus infections. We developed a comprehensive untargeted lipidomic workflow, including sample preparation, liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry...
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Comparative Assessment of Bacteriophage and Antibiotic Activity against Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Biofilms
PublicationProblems connected with biofilm-related infections and antibiotic resistance necessitate the investigation and development of novel treatment strategies. Given their unique characteristics, one of the most promising alternatives to conventional antibiotics are bacteriophages. In the in vitro and in vivo larva model study, we demonstrate that phages vB_SauM-A, vB_SauM-C, and vB_SauM-D are effective antibiofilm agents. The exposure...
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Highly Conserved Homotrimer Cavity Formed by the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein: A Novel Binding Site
PublicationAn important stage in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) life cycle is the binding of the spike (S) protein to the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) host cell receptor. Therefore, to explore conserved features in spike protein dynamics and to identify potentially novel regions for drugging, we measured spike protein variability derived from 791 viral genomes and studied its properties by molecular...
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Specific detection of Alternaria alternata by PCR and real-time PCR
PublicationFungi of Alternaria genus are cosmopolitan organisms, which spores can be found in the air, soil, water, clothing and food. They commonly occur as saprotrophs on the plant remains, contributing to the decomposition of organic matter. Additionally, they are components of the normal human and animal skin flora. Alternaria spp. are also known human allergens, causing hay fever and allergic reactions that can lead to the development...
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Biomechanical testing of bioactive bone cements – a comparison of the impact of modifiers: antibiotics and nanometals
PublicationApart from its bone filler and fracture stabilizing function, bone cement can be used as a carrier of bioactive substances, and such modified bone cement can protect the implant against microorganisms, treat local infections and combat bacteria introduced during the surgical procedure. In this paper, the effects of modifying antibiotics and nanosilver on the biomechanical properties of bone cement were examined. The following tests...
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Synergistic Effects of Propolis Combined with 2-Phenoxyethanol and Antipyretics on the Growth of Staphylococcus aureus
PublicationThe present investigation aimed to assess the combinational effect of commonly usedantipyretics and antiseptics with ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEPs) on the growth inhibition ofStaphylococcus aureus. The broth microdilution checkerboard assay revealed synergistic interactionsbetween all investigated antipyretics, namely acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen,with EEPs samples. The values of the fractional inhibitory...
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Antibacterial Activity and Cytocompatibility of Bone Cement Enriched with Antibiotic, Nanosilver, and Nanocopper for Bone Regeneration
PublicationBacterial infections due to bone replacement surgeries require modifications of bone cement with antibacterial components. This study aimed to investigate whether the incorporation of gentamicin or nanometals into bone cement may reduce and to what extent bacterial growth without the loss of overall cytocompatibility and adverse effects in vitro. The bone cement Cemex was used as the base material, modified either with gentamicin...