Biological potential, chemical profiling, and molecular docking study of Morus alba L. extracts.

Morus alba L. is a plant with a long history of dietary and medicinal uses. We hypothesized that M. alba possesses a significant biological potential. In that sense, we aimed to generate the chemical, antimicrobial, toxicological, and molecular profile of M. alba leaf and fruit extracts. Our results showed that extracts were rich in vitamin C, phenols, and flavonoids, with quercetin and pterostilbene concentrated in the leaf, while fisetin, hesperidin, resveratrol, and luteolin were detected in fruit. Extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. The widest inhibition zones were in Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 33591. The values of the minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 15.62 µg/ml in Enterococcus faecalis to 500 µg/ml in several bacteria. Minimum bactericidal concentration ranged from 31.25 µg/ml to 1000 µg/ml. Extracts impacted the biofilm formation in a concentration-dependent and species-specific manner. A significant difference in the frequency of nucleoplasmic bridges between the methanolic extract of fruit (0.5 µg/ml, 1 µg/ml, 2 µg/ml), as well as for the frequency of micronuclei between ethanolic extract of leaf (2 µg/ml) and the control group was observed. Molecular docking suggested that hesperidin possesses the highest binding affinity for multidrug efflux transporter AcrB and acyl-PBP2a from MRSA, as well as for the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. This study, by complementing previous research in this field, gives new insights that could be of great value in obtaining a more comprehensive picture of the Morus alba L. bioactive potential, chemical composition, antimicrobial and toxicological features, as well as molecular profile.

Atypical Viral Infections in Gastroenterology.

Enteric viruses are commonly found obligate parasites in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These viruses usually follow a fecal-oral route of transmission and are characterized by their extraordinary stability as well as resistance in high-stress environments. Most of them cause similar symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. In order to come in contract with mucosal surfaces, these viruses need to pass the three main lines of defense: mucus layer, innate immune defenses, and adaptive immune defenses. The following atypical gastrointestinal infections are discussed: SARS-CoV2, hantavirus, herpes simplex virus I, cytomegalovirus, and calicivirus. Dysbiosis represents any modification to the makeup of resident commensal communities from those found in healthy individuals and can cause a patient to become more susceptible to bacterial and viral infections. The interaction between bacteria, viruses, and host physiology is still not completely understood. However, with growing research on viral infections, dysbiosis, and new methods of detection, we are getting closer to understanding the nature of these viruses, their typical and atypical characteristics, long-term effects, and mechanisms of action in different organ systems.

Gastrointestinal Tract Microbiome Effect and Role in Disease Development.

In recent years, it has been shown that gastrointestinal microflora has a substantial impact on the development of a large number of chronic diseases. The imbalance in the number or type of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to diseases and conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, diabetes, and small bowel cancers. This can occur as a result of genetics, alcohol, tobacco, chemotherapeutics, cytostatics, as well as antibiotic overuse. Due to this, essential taxa can be lost, and the host's metabolism can be severely affected. A less known condition called small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can be seen in patients who suffer from hypochlorhydria and small intestine cancers. It is characterized as a state in which the bacterial population in the small intestine exceeds 105-106 organisms/mL. The latest examination methods such as double-balloon enteroscopy and wireless capsule endoscopy have the potential to increase the accuracy and precision of diagnosis and provide better patient care. This review paper aims to summarize the effect of the gastrointestinal environment on chronic disease severity and the development of cancers.

A novel flavivirus strain detected in phlebotomine sandflies in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Aim Phlebotominae sandflies are primary vectors of phleboviruses, causing the sandfly fever disease. The aim of this study was to detect and report the presence of flaviviruses in Phlebotominae sandflies captured in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Methods After a microscopic and morphometric analysis, the final identification of collected Phlebotomus specimens was confirmed by PCR, using a hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction on extracted and reversely transcribed RNA. Results We obtained a 155 nt long fragment of the viral non-structural protein 5 (NS5) gene (GenBank accession no. MN090154). The acquired nucleotide sequence, provisionally named as Dreznica, showed a maximum of 70-80% identity in 70-88% (110-137 nucleotides) of the query coverage with several Anopheles, Sabethes, Calbertado and Culex flaviviruses. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis showed that the new flavivirus Dreznica clusters together with the flavivirus isolated from Culiseta annulata mosquitos. Conclusion We report the presence of flavivirus in Phlebotominae sandflies, captured in Dreznica, Herzegovina for the first time. The next phase of research will be directed towards virus cultivation, obtaining a longer or complete virus sequence and clarifying the medical and epidemiological importance of the Dreznica virus.

Development of a novel biofilm classification tool and comparative analysis of result interpretation methodologies for the evaluation of biofilm forming capacity of bacteria using tissue culture plate method.

Aim To develop an online biofilm calculation tool (Biofilm Classifier), which calculates the optical density cut off value and accordingly determines the biofilm forming categories for the tested isolates by standardized formulas, as well as to compare the results obtained by Biofilm Classifier to manual calculations and the use of predefined values. Methods The biofilm forming capacity of tested strains was evaluated using tissue culture plate method in 96 well plates, and optical density (OD) value of the formed biofilm was measured on an ELISA Microplate reader at 595 nm on a total of 551 bacterial isolates from clinical specimen. Results Comparative analysis indicated that the manual calculation was 100% in accordance with results obtained by the designed software as opposed to the results obtained by use of predefined values for biofilm categorization. When using predefined values compared to manual biofilm categorization for the determination of biofilm positive and biofilm negative strains the specificity was 100%, sensitivity 97.81%, positive predictive value 100%, negative predictive value 96.04% and accuracy 98.57%. Conclusion Considering obtained results, the use of the designed online calculator would simplify the interpretation of biofilm forming capacity of bacteria using tissue culture plate method.