Impeding microbial biofilm formation and Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes using biologically synthesized silver Carthamus nanoparticles.

Long-term antibiotic treatment results in the increasing resistance of bacteria to antimicrobials drugs, so it is necessary to search for effective alternatives to prevent and treat pathogens that cause diseases. This study is aimed for biological synthesis of silver Carthamus nanoparticles (Ag-Carth-NPs) to combat microbial biofilm formation and Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes. Ag-Carth-NPs are synthesized using Carthamus tenuis aqueous extract as environmentally friendly method has no harmful effect on environment. General factorial design is used to optimize Ag-Carth-NPs synthesis using three variables in three levels are Carthamus extract concentration, silver nitrate concentration and gamma radiation doses. Analysis of response data indicates gamma radiation has a significant effect on Ag-Carth-NPs production. Ag-Carth-NPs have sharp peak at λ max 425 nm, small and spherical particles with size 20.0 ± 1.22 nm, high stability up to 240 day with zeta potential around - 43 ± 0.12 mV, face centered cubic crystalline structure and FT-IR spectroscopy shows peak around 620 cm-1 that corresponding to AgNPs that stabilized by C. tenuis extract functional moiety. The antibacterial activity of Ag-Carth-NPs against pathogenic bacteria and fungi was determined using well diffusion method. The MIC values of Ag-Carth-NPs were (6.25, 6.25, 3.126, 25, 12.5, 12.5, 25 and 12.5 µg/ml), MBC values were (12.5, 12.5, 6.25, 50, 25, 25, 50 and 25 µg/ml) and biofilm inhibition% were (62.12, 68.25, 90.12, 69.51, 70.61, 71.12, 75.51 and 77.71%) against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Candida tropicalis and Candida albicans respectively. Ag-Carth-NPs has bactericidal efficacy and significantly reduced the swarming, swimming motility, pyocyanin and protease production of P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, P. aeruginosa ToxA gene expression was significantly down regulated by 81.5%, while exoU reduced by 78.1%, where lasR gene expression reduction was 68%, while the reduction in exoU was 66% and 60.1% decrease in lasB gene expression after treatment with Ag-Carth-NPs. This activity is attributed to effect of Ag-Carth-NPs on cell membrane integrity, down regulation of virulence gene expression, and induction of general and oxidative stress in P. aeruginosa. Ag-Carth-NPs have no significant cytotoxic effects on normal human cell (Hfb4) but have IC50 at 5.6µg/mL against of HepG-2 cells. Limitations of the study include studies with low risks of silver nanoparticles for in vitro antimicrobial effects and its toxicity.

Novel nanoconjugates of metal oxides and natural red pigment from the endophyte Monascus ruber using solid-state fermentation.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a major global health threat, necessitating the urgent development of new antimicrobials through innovative methods to combat the rising prevalence of resistant microbes. With this view, we developed three novel nanoconjugates using microbial natural pigment for effective application against certain pathogenic microbes. RESULTS: A natural red pigment (RP) extracted from the endophyte Monascus ruber and gamma rays were applied to synthesize RP-ZnO, RP-CuO, and RP-MgO nanoconjugates. The synthesized nanoconjugates were characterized by different techniques to study their properties. The antimicrobial potential of these nanoconjugates was evaluated. Moreover, the antibiofilm, protein leakage, growth curve, and UV light irradiation effect of the synthesized nanoconjugates were also studied. Our results confirmed the nano-size, shape, and stability of the prepared conjugates. RP-ZnO, RP-CuO, and RP-MgO nanoconjugates showed broad antimicrobial potential against the tested bacterial and fungal pathogens. Furthermore, the RP-ZnO nanoconjugate possessed the highest activity, followed by the RP-CuO against the tested microbes. The highest % inhibition of biofilm formation by the RP-ZnO nanoconjugate. Membrane leakage of E. coli and S. aureus by RP-ZnO nanoconjugate was more effective than RP-MgO and RP-CuO nanoconjugates. Finally, UV light irradiation intensified the antibiotic action of the three nanoconjugates and RP-ZnO potential was greater than that of the RP-MgO, and RP-CuO nanoconjugates. CONCLUSION: These findings pave the way for exploiting the synthesized nanoconjugates as potential materials in biomedical applications, promoting natural, green, and eco-friendly approaches.

Gum Arabic assisted the biomass synthesis of bimetallic silver copper oxide nanoparticles using gamma-rays for improving bacterial and viral wound healing: Promising antimicrobial activity against foot and mouth disease.

In this work, gamma irradiation was used to create bimetallic silver­copper oxide nanoparticles (Ag-CuO NPs) in an ecologically acceptable way using gum Arabic (GA) polymer as a capping and reducing agent. Bimetallic Ag-CuO NPs were investigated through UV-Vis. spectroscopy, HR-TEM, SEM, DLS, and XRD examinations. The potency of antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities against a few bacterial isolates and Candida sp. had been investigated. Clinical investigations of 30 cows and 20 buffaloes from different sites in Egypt's Sharkia governorate found ulcerative lesions on the mouth and interdigital region. The cytotoxic assay of the generated NPs on BHK-21 was examined. The bimetallic Ag-CuO NPs had an average diameter of 25.58 nm, and the HR-TEM results showed that they were spherical. According to our results, Ag-CuO NPs exhibited the highest antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus (26.5 mm ZOI), K. pneumoniae (26.0 mm ZOI), and C. albicans (28.5 mm ZOI). The growth of biofilms was also successfully inhibited through the application of Ag-CuO NPs by 88.12 % against S. aureus, 87.08 % against C. albicans, and 74.0 % against B. subtilis. The ulcers on the mouth and foot of diseased animals healed in 4-5 days and 1 week, respectively, following topical application of bimetallic Ag-CuO NPs. The results examined the potential protective effects of a dosage of 3.57 µg/mL on cells before viral infection (cell control). According to our research, bimetallic Ag-CuO NPs limit the development of the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The reduction of a specific FMD virus's cytopathic impact (CPE) on cell development represented the inhibitory effect when compared to identical circumstances without pretreatment with bimetallic Ag-CuO NPs. Their remarkable antibacterial properties at low concentration and continued-phase stability suggest that they may find widespread use in a variety of pharmacological and biological applications, especially in the wound-healing process.

Green Synthesis and Characteristics of Cellulose Nanocrystal/Poly Acrylic Acid Nanocomposite Thin Film for Organic Dye Adsorption during Water Treatment.

Nanocellulose shows potential as an effective natural adsorbent for removing harmful contaminants from wastewater. This paper describes the development of innovative nanocellulose thin films made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), polyacrylic acid (PAA), and active carbon (AC) as adsorbent materials for absorbing azo dyes from wastewater. The CNCs were recovered from sugarcane bagasse using alkali treatment and acid hydrolysis. The composition and processing parameters of the thin films were optimized, and their adsorption capacity was determined using thermodynamic isotherms and adsorption kinetics. Adsorption characteristics such as the methylene blue (MB) dye concentration, contact time, temperature, and pH were investigated to determine how they affected adsorption. The results show that the adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics. At an adsorbent mass of 50 mg, dye concentration of 50 ppm in 50 mL, and contact period of 120 min at 25 °C, the thin film comprising 64 wt% CNC, 16 wt% PAA, and 20 wt% AC showed high dye removal efficiency (86.3%) and adsorption capacity (43.15 mg/g). The MB removal efficiency increased to 95.56% and the adsorption capacity to 47.78 mg/g when the medium's pH was gradually increased from neutral to alkaline. The nontoxicity, low production cost, water stability, easy recovery, and high adsorption capacity of these membranes make them suitable for water treatment systems.

Thermal Stability and Non-Isothermal Kinetic Analysis of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Rubber Composite.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the thermal stability and the decomposition kinetics of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) composite samples loaded with and without lead powder (50, 100, and 200 phr lead) using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TGA was carried out at different heating rates (5, 10, 20, and 30 °C/min) under inert conditions in the temperature range of 50-650 °C. Lead addition did not significantly change the onset temperature or peak position corresponding to the maximum decomposition rate of the first derivative of the TGA curve (DTGA) (onset at about 455 °C and Tm at about 475 °C). Peak separation for the DTGA curves indicated that the main decomposition region for EPDM, the host rubber, overlapped the main decomposition region for volatile components. The decomposition activation energy (Ea) and pre-exponent factor (A) were estimated using the Friedman (FM), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS), and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO) iso-conversional methods. Average activation energy values of around 231, 230, and 223 kJ/mol were obtained for the EPDM host composite using the FM, FWO, and KAS methods, respectively. For a sample loaded with 100 phr lead, the average activation energy values obtained via the same three methods were 150, 159, and 155 kJ/mole, respectively. The results obtained from the three methods were compared with results obtained using the Kissinger and Augis-Bennett/Boswell methods, and strong convergence was found among the results of the five methods. A significant change in the entropy of the sample was detected with the addition of lead powder. For the KAS method, the change in entropy, ΔS, was -3.7 for EPDM host rubber and -90 for a sample loaded with 100 phr lead, α = 0.5.

Boosting the Anticancer Activity of Aspergillus flavus "endophyte of Jojoba" Taxol via Conjugation with Gold Nanoparticles Mediated by γ-Irradiation.

Taxol production by fungi is one of the promising alternative approaches, regarding to the natural and semisynthetic sources; however, the lower yield and rapid loss of Taxol productivity by fungi are the major challenges that halt their further industrial implementation. Thus, searching for fungal isolates with affordable Taxol-production stability, in addition to enhance its anticancer activity via conjugation with gold nanoparticles, is the main objectives of this study. Twenty-four endophytic fungal isolates were recovered from the barks, twigs, and leaves of jojoba plant, among these fungi, Aspergillus flavus MW485934.1 was the most potent Taxol producer (88.6 µg/l). The chemical identity of the extracted Taxol of A. flavus was verified by the TLC, HPLC, HNMR, and FTIR analyses. The yield of Taxol produced by A. flavus was optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM) using Plackett-Burman (PBD) and faced central composite designs (FCCD). The yield of Taxol by A. flavus was increased by about 3.2 folds comparing to the control cultures (from 96.5 into 302.7 µg/l). The highest Taxol yield by was obtained growing A. flavus on a modified malt extract medium (g/l) (malt extract 20.0, peptone 2.0, sucrose 20.0, soytone 2.0, cysteine 0.5, glutamine 0.5, and beef extract 1.0 adjusted to pH 6.0) and incubated at 30 °C for 16 days. From the FCCD design, the significant variables affecting Taxol production by A. flavus were cysteine, pH, and incubation time. Upon A. flavus γ-irradiation at 1.0 kGy, the Taxol yield was increased by about 1.25 fold (375.9 µg/l). To boost its anticancer activity, the purified Taxol was conjugated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) mediated by γ-rays irradiation (0.5 kGy), and the physicochemical properties of Taxol-AuNPs composite were evaluated by UV-Vis, DLS, XRD, and TEM analyses. The IC50 values of the native-Taxol and Taxol-AuNPs conjugates towards HEPG-2 cells were 4.06 and 2.1 µg/ml, while the IC50 values against MCF-7 were 6.07 and 3.3 µg/ml, respectively. Thus, the anticancer activity of Taxol-AuNPs composite was increased by 2 folds comparing to the native Taxol towards HEPG-2 and MCF-7 cell lines. Also, the antimicrobial activity of Taxol against the multidrug resistant bacteria was dramatically increased upon conjugation with AuNPs comparing to authentic AuNPs and Taxol, ensuring the higher solubility, targetability, and efficiency of Taxol upon AuNPs conjugation.

Serum nuclear factor E-2-related factor 2 in female pattern hair loss.

BACKGROUND: Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) is a common dermatological complaint with multifactorial etiology. Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a transcription factor that has a major role in protection from ROS-induced apoptosis. AIM: To investigate the relationship between Nrf2 and systemic oxidative stress in FPHL patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This case-control study included 30 patients with FPHL and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers as a control group. Serum NRF2, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and total oxidant capacity (TOC) were measured by ELISA, and oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. RESULTS: The serum level of TOC and OSI was found to be significantly higher (p ≤ 0.001 for both) while serum level of NRF2 and TAC was found to be significantly lower in cases than controls (p < 0.001 for both). There were a significant negative correlation between TAC and BMI (p = 0.03, r = -0.391) and a significant positive correlation between OSI and BMI (p = 0.04, r = 0.365). There were a significant positive correlation between serum level of NRF2 and TAC (p = 0.003, r = 0.532) and a significant negative correlation between serum the level of NRF2 and TOC (p = 0.02, r = -0.418) and OSI (p = 0.003, r = -0.395). CONCLUSION: Systemic oxidative stress in FPHL may be, at least in part, due to NRF2 deficiency. NRF2 activators may help in treatment of this disease. NRF2 deficiency has no role in disease severity. Healthy diet and body weight reduction may help in improving oxidative stress and subsequently improving FPHL.

Production, bioprocess optimization and γ-irradiation of Penicillium polonicum, as a new Taxol producing endophyte from Ginko biloba.

Twenty-eight fungal endophytes were recovered from the different parts of Ginkgo biloba and screened for their Taxol producing potency. Among these isolates, Penicillium polonicum AUMC14487 was reported as the potent Taxol producer (90.53 µg/l). The chemical identity of the extracted Taxol was verified from the TLC, HPLC, NMR, EDX, and FTIR analyses. The extracted Taxol displayed a strong antiproliferative activity against HEPG2 (IC50 4.06 µM) and MCF7 (IC50 6.07 µM). The yield of Taxol by P. polonicum was optimized by nutritional optimization with the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using Plackett-Burman and Central Composite Designs. In addition to nutritional optimization, the effect of γ-irradiation of the spores of P. polonicum on its Taxol producing potency was evaluated. The yield of Taxol by P. polonicum was increased via nutritional optimization by response surface methodology with Plackett-Burman and FCCD designs, and γ-irradiation by about 4.5 folds, comparing to the control culture. The yield of Taxol was increased by about 1.2 folds (401.2 µg/l) by γ -irradiation of the isolates at 0.5-0.75 kGy, comparing to the control cultures (332.2 µg/l). The highest Taxol yield was obtained by growing P. polonicum on modified Czapek's- Dox medium (sucrose 40.0 g/l, malt extract 20.0 g/l, peptone 2.0 g/l, K2PO4 2.0 g/l, KCl 1.0 g/l, NaNO3 2.0 g/l, MgSO4. 5H2O 1.0 g/l) of pH 7.0 at 30.0 °C for 7.0 days. From the FCCD design, sucrose, malt extract and incubation time being the highest significant variables medium components affecting the Taxol production by P. polonicum.

Identification of effector candidate genes of Rhizoctonia solani AG-1 IA expressed during infection in Brachypodium distachyon.

Rhizoctonia solani is a necrotrophic phytopathogen belonging to basidiomycetes. It causes rice sheath blight which inflicts serious damage in rice production. The infection strategy of this pathogen remains unclear. We previously demonstrated that salicylic acid-induced immunity could block R. solani AG-1 IA infection in both rice and Brachypodium distachyon. R. solani may undergo biotrophic process using effector proteins to suppress host immunity before necrotrophic stage. To identify pathogen genes expressed at the early infection process, here we developed an inoculation method using B. distachyon which enables to sample an increased amount of semi-synchronous infection hyphae. Sixty-one R. solani secretory effector-like protein genes (RsSEPGs) were identified using in silico approach with the publicly available gene annotation of R. solani AG-1 IA genome and our RNA-sequencing results obtained from hyphae grown on agar medium. Expression of RsSEPGs was analyzed at 6, 10, 16, 24, and 32 h after inoculation by a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and 52 genes could be detected at least on a single time point tested. Their expressions showed phase-specific patterns which were classified into 6 clusters. The 23 RsSEPGs in the cluster 1-3 and 29 RsSEPGs in the cluster 4-6 are expected to be involved in biotrophic and necrotrophic interactions, respectively.

BdWRKY38 is required for the incompatible interaction of Brachypodium distachyon with the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia solani.

Rhizoctonia solani is a soil-borne necrotrophic fungus that causes sheath blight in grasses. The basal resistance of compatible interactions between R. solani and rice is known to be modulated by some WRKY transcription factors (TFs). However, genes and defense responses involved in incompatible interaction with R. solani remain unexplored, because no such interactions are known in any host plants. Recently, we demonstrated that Bd3-1, an accession of the model grass Brachypodium distachyon, is resistant to R. solani and, upon inoculation with the fungus, undergoes rapid induction of genes responsive to the phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) that encode the WRKY TFs BdWRKY38 and BdWRKY44. Here, we show that endogenous SA and these WRKY TFs positively regulate this accession-specific R. solani resistance. In contrast to a susceptible accession (Bd21), the infection process in the resistant accessions Bd3-1 and Tek-3 was suppressed at early stages before the development of fungal biomass and infection machinery. A comparative transcriptome analysis during pathogen infection revealed that putative WRKY-dependent defense genes were induced faster in the resistant accessions than in Bd21. A gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis based on the transcriptome dataset demonstrated that BdWRKY38 was a GRN hub connected to many target genes specifically in resistant accessions, whereas BdWRKY44 was shared in the GRNs of all three accessions. Moreover, overexpression of BdWRKY38 increased R. solani resistance in Bd21. Our findings demonstrate that these resistant accessions can activate an incompatible host response to R. solani, and BdWRKY38 regulates this response by mediating SA signaling.

Maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity associated with tuberculosis during pregnancy and the postpartum period: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is a dearth of data on the clinical features and outcomes of active tuberculosis (TB) in pregnancy. Studies have shown varied results and the relationship between TB and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate pregnancy outcomes associated with TB. SEARCH STRATEGY: Major databases were searched from inception until December 2015 without restrictions using the terms: 'TB', 'pregnancy', 'maternal morbidity', 'mortality' and 'perinatal morbidity', 'mortality'. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included studies that compared the outcomes of pregnant women with and without active TB. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We computed odds ratios for maternal and perinatal complications, and pooled them using a random effects model. We assessed for heterogeneity using chi-squared tests and evaluated its magnitude using the I2 statistic. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for quality assessment. MAIN RESULTS: Thirteen studies, including 3384 pregnancies with active TB and 119 448 without TB were included. Compared with pregnant women without TB, pregnant women with active TB was associated with increased odds of maternal morbidity [odds ratio (OR) 2.8, 95% CI 1.7-4.6; I2  = 60.3%], anaemia (OR 3.9, 95% CI 2.2-6.7; I2  = 29.8%), caesarean delivery (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.8; I2  = 61.1%), preterm birth (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4; I2  = 66.5%), low birth weight (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.2-2.4; I2  = 53.7%), birth asphyxia (OR 4.6, 95% CI 2.4-8.6; I2  = 46.3), and perinatal death (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.5-11.8; I2  = 57.2%). AUTHOR'S CONCLUSION: Active TB in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Early diagnosis of TB is important to prevent significant maternal and perinatal complications. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Active tuberculosis in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes.

Assessment and upgrading of Alexandria University nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about genetic counseling.

The aim of this study was to study the effect of a teaching unit on upgrading university-nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about genetic counseling. The study used pre- test, posttest with no control group design. All nursing students (100) who accepted to participate in the study and enrolled in the Maternity and Gynecological-nursing course, during the second semester of the third academic year 1999-2000, at the Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, were involved in the study. A self-administered questionnaire sheet was used to assess nursing students' knowledge about genetic counseling, while a 3-point Likert-like scale was used to assess their attitudes towards it. The content of six-hours' teaching unit -about genetic counseling was taught to students by the researchers based on their needs. The study revealed a general lack of knowledge among nursing students regarding basic information about genetic counseling, where poor total score of knowledge was obtained by all of them in the pre-test. In addition, the pre-test revealed that negative attitude was found in about half of the nursing students. The teaching unit had an obvious effect on the nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding genetic counseling, as the total score of their knowledge and attitudes had improved after implementation of the teaching unit. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards genetic counseling before and after implementation of the teaching unit. Therefore, a negative attitude was found with poor total score of knowledge in the pre-test and positive attitude was found with good total score of knowledge in the post-test. So, there is a need to improve knowledge and change attitude of nursing students about genetic counseling. As well as genetic counseling should be included in the university-nursing curriculum and should be reviewed periodically to accommodate the relevant fast change in the science and technology of genetics. Moreover, nursing students must be informed about the different community resources, which offer the genetic counseling services.