Silver Nanoforms as a Therapeutic Agent for Killing Escherichia coli and Certain ESKAPE Pathogens.

The scope of this study included the preparation of silver nanoforms with high antimicrobial efficacy, low cost, and ease of application. The term 'silver nanoforms' refers to silver located on the amorphous or crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2). Silver nanoforms may be used as an alternative to antibiotics in killing bacteria. Pure and silver-incorporated titanium (used as a carrier) was prepared using the sol-gel-modified method. Physical and chemical properties of the samples were described, and the antibacterial activity was indicated using the following strains of bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESKAPE pathogens), and Escherichia coli. The results have shown that the antibacterial activity of silver nanoforms with amorphous TiO2 is much better than that in the samples based on anatase (crystalline TiO2). The sensitivity of the tested bacteria to silver nanoforms depends on physical and chemical properties of the nanoforms and individual characteristics of the bacteria. For the first time, significant participation of amorphous TiO2 in antibacterial compounds has been described through this study.

New photosensitive nanometric graphite oxide composites as antimicrobial material with prolonged action.

A new conjugate material based on partially reduced graphite oxide (rGO), silver nanoparticles (Ag), and bis(lysinato)zirconium(IV) phthalocyanine complex (ZrPc) was obtained. Its optical properties (absorption and photoluminescence) after dispersion in solvents were examined. The antimicrobial properties were tested to determine the effect of the composite on the following bacterial strains: Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli, which are responsible for many infections and are one of the pathogens the most difficult to treatment. The results obtained for rGO-ZrPc-Ag composite were compared with the properties of GO, GO-ZrPc, and rGO-Ag structures. The influence of the near-infrared irradiation on the antimicrobial activity of ZrPc- and Ag-doped materials against bacteria was observed for very low concentration (0.32mg/mL) of GO-ZrPc to stop the growth of P. aeruginosa in comparison to the nonirradiated sample (41mg/mL). The usefulness of this material in therapy, such as wound infection treatment or endodontic treatment, as antibacterial agent with sustained action was discussed.

Selection and electrophoretic characterization of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica biocide variants resistant to antibiotics.

The proposed research outlines a serious common concern of Salmonella resistance to antimicrobials following prolonged exposure to the disinfectants (biocides). These phenotypes of bacteria could potentially result in hard to treat infections. Typical for avian sources, biocide sensitive S. enterica subsp. enterica serovars: Typhimurium, Enteritidis, Virchow and Zanzibar and their isogenic biocide-tolerant variants were studied in order to investigate bacteriostatic effect of two commercially available biocide formulations: potassium peroxymonosulfate (P) and dodecylamine based structure (triamine, D). We found that cultivating of the bacteria in the medium supplemented with a blend containing P did not influence their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. In contrast, tolerance of bacteria to D compound resulted in resistance to co-trimoxazole, cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin of which two cefotaxime and ciprofloxacin are used commonly for the treatment of invasive Salmonella infections in humans. The dependency between OMP patterns and the level of Salmonella survival in media containing the biocides was observed merely in serovar Typhimurium. In conclusion, these results suggest that Salmonella strains challenged by prolonged treatment with the disinfectants become resistant to antibiotics, however it depends on Salmonella serovar and the chemical used. This paper also highlights the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) as a technique that offers great benefits to microbiological detecting of Salmonella species in the samples.

Subungual malignant melanoma with cartilaginous differentiation.

A case of subungual malignant melanoma with cartilaginous differentiation is presented and the phenomenon of sarcomatoid differentiation in malignant melanoma reviewed. Osseous and/or cartilaginous (osteocartilaginous) differentiation of malignant melanoma is rare. Only 14 cases have previously been reported. This small number of cases and the subject of this Case Report have several features in common, including acral (particularly subungual) location, high Breslow thickness, presence of a lentiginous radial growth phase component, and predominance of epithelioid melanocytes with amelanotic cytoplasm. Melanoma with osteocartilaginous differentiation may therefore represent a subgroup of melanoma with distinctive clinical and pathologic features. Further study is required to establish whether any unique molecular or genetic features are also present.

Attempted suicide by intravenous injection of mercury: a rare cause of cardiac granulomas. A case report.

We present the autopsy findings of a case of attempted suicide by self-administration of elemental mercury, resulting in mercury embolization to the heart and lungs. The person lived for 5 months afterward and subsequently died as a result of narcotic toxicity combined with loss of blood from an incised radial artery. A collection of metallic mercury droplets imbedded in a fibrous tissue granuloma was found in the apex of the right ventricular chamber, and metallic densities were seen on radiography of heart and lungs. The levels of mercury in various organs are shown, and the toxicology of elemental mercury is briefly discussed. The literature describing similar cases of metallic mercury emboli is reviewed. Owing to the apparent rarity of the phenomenon, many questions regarding the risk of death following intravenous injection of metallic mercury still remain unanswered.