In vitro anti-clostridial action and potential of the spice herbs essential oils to prevent biofilm formation of hypervirulent Clostridioides difficile strains isolated from hospitalized patients with CDI.

BACKGROUND: Clostridioides difficile is the most common causative agent of antibiotic-acquired diarrhea in hospitalized patients associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The global epidemic of CDI (Clostridioides difficile infection) began in the early 20th century with the emergence of the hypervirulent and resistant ribotype 027 strains, and requires an urgent search for new therapeutic agents. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the antibacterial activity of the three essential oils isolated from spice herbs (wild oregano, garlic and black pepper) against C. difficile clinical isolates belonging to 6 different PCR ribotypes and their potential inhibitory effect on the biofilm production in in vitro conditions. RESULTS: Wild oregano essential oil showed strong inhibitory activity in concentrations 0.02-1.25 mg/mL and bactericidal activity in concentrations from 0.08 to 10 mg/mL. Garlic essential oil was effective in the concentration range of 0.02-40 mg/mL, and 0.16 - > 40 mg/mL. MIC and MBC for black pepper oil ranged from 0.04 to 40 mg/mL, and 0.08 - > 40 mg/mL, respectively. All the tested oils reduced in vitro biofilm production, with the best activity of oregano oil. CONCLUSION: Essential oils of wild oregano, black pepper and garlic are candidates for adjunctive therapeutics in the treatment of CDI. Oregano oil should certainly be preferred due to the lack of selectivity of action in relation to the ribotype, the strength of the produced biofilm and/or antibiotic-susceptibility patterns.

Antioxidant Activity of Hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) Seed Oil in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae under Non-Stress and H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress Conditions.

The oil extracted from hemp seeds has significant nutritional and biological properties due to the unique composition of polyunsaturated fatty acids and various antioxidant compounds. The potential of this oil for the prevention of oxidative stress and for the treatment of oxidative-stress-induced ailments is of increasing interest. Most studies of hemp seed oil were conducted in-vitro, meaning we lack information about effects and activity in vivo. In the present study, we evaluated the hypothesis that hemp seed oil at different concentrations improves the oxidative state of D. melanogaster, under non-stress as well as hydrogen-peroxide-induced stress. We analyzed the effects of hemp seed oil on oxidative stress markers and on the life cycle of D.melanogaster under non-stress and hydrogen-peroxide-induced stress conditions. D.melanogaster larvae were exposed to hemp seed oil concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 125 µL/mL. The results revealed that under non-stress conditions, oil concentrations up to 62.5 µL/mL did not induce negative effects on the life cycle of D. melanogaster and maintained the redox status of the larval cells at similar levels to the control level. Under oxidative stress conditions, biochemical parameters were significantly affected and only two oil concentrations, 18.7 and 31.2 µL/mL, provided protection against hydrogen peroxide stress effects. A higher oil concentration (125 µL/mL) exerted negative effects on the oxidative status and increased larval mortality. The tested oil was characterized chemically by NMR, transesterification, and silylation, followed by GC-MS analyses, and was shown to contain polyunsaturated fatty acid triglycerides and low levels of tocopherols. The high levels of linoleic and linolenic acids in the oil are suggested to be responsible for the observed in vivo antioxidant effects. Taken together, the results show that hemp seed oil is effective for reducing oxidative stress at the cellular level, thus supporting the hypothesis. The obtained results point to the potential of hemp seed oil for the prevention and treatment of conditions caused by the action of reactive oxygen species.

Human microbiome and homeostasis: insights into the key role of prebiotics, probiotics, and symbiotics.

The interest in the study of the gut microbiome has grown exponentially. Indeed, its impact on health and disease has been increasingly reported, and the importance of keeping gut microbiome homeostasis clearly highlighted. However, and despite many advances, there are still some gaps, as well as the real discernment on the contribution of some species falls far short of what is needed. Anyway, it is already more than a solid fact of its importance in maintaining health and preventing disease, as well as in the treatment of some pathologies. In this sense, and given the existence of some ambiguous opinions, the present review aims to discuss the importance of gut microbiome in homeostasis maintenance, and even the role of probiotics, prebiotics, and symbiotics in both health promotion and disease prevention.

Probiotics: Versatile Bioactive Components in Promoting Human Health.

The positive impact of probiotic strains on human health has become more evident than ever before. Often delivered through food, dietary products, supplements, and drugs, different legislations for safety and efficacy issues have been prepared. Furthermore, regulatory agencies have addressed various approaches toward these products, whether they authorize claims mentioning a disease's diagnosis, prevention, or treatment. Due to the diversity of bacteria and yeast strains, strict approaches have been designed to assess for side effects and post-market surveillance. One of the most essential delivery systems of probiotics is within food, due to the great beneficial health effects of this system compared to pharmaceutical products and also due to the increasing importance of food and nutrition. Modern lifestyle or various diseases lead to an imbalance of the intestinal flora. Nonetheless, as the amount of probiotic use needs accurate calculations, different factors should also be taken into consideration. One of the novelties of this review is the presentation of the beneficial effects of the administration of probiotics as a potential adjuvant therapy in COVID-19. Thus, this paper provides an integrative overview of different aspects of probiotics, from human health care applications to safety, quality, and control.

Impacts of Covid-19 on peer-to-peer accommodation platforms: Host perceptions and responses.

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought international tourism at a standstill. Peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation, in particular, has been greatly affected with platforms being heavily criticised for lacking a strategic response to users' needs. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with P2P accommodation hosts, this study aims to explore: a) their perceptions of the short-term impacts of the pandemic on their hosting practice, b) their responses to the pandemic and c) their perceptions of the long-term impacts of the pandemic on the P2P accommodation sector. The study offers a continuum of host pandemic responses which illustrates different types of hosts in relation to their market perspective and intention to continue hosting on P2P platforms. The continuum carries theoretical implications as it offers insights to academics exploring crisis impacts on P2P accommodation. It is also of practical value to platforms and practitioners as it may lead to improved crisis management strategies.

Factors affecting severity of positive and negative symptoms of psychosis in a polysubstance using population with psychostimulant dependence.

Approximately half of psychostimulant users experience psychotic symptoms, which include both positive and negative symptoms. Prior reports have exclusively used positive symptoms to characterize psychostimulant associated psychosis. Symptoms vary dramatically in severity, though most investigations categorize psychosis as a dichotomous occurrence. To explore the association between different substances of abuse and the severity of psychotic symptoms, we investigated 171 individuals meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for psychostimulant (cocaine or methamphetamine) dependence in an observational cross-sectional study. Participants were predominantly male (72.5%), recruited from a socially disadvantaged neighborhood in Vancouver, Canada, with a mean age of 45.5(±8.8) years. Of the total sample, 85% were dependent on cocaine, and 28.1% were dependent on methamphetamine. Participants had a median total PANSS score of 63, ranging from 37 to 111. Demographic information, current substance use and early substance exposure were used to predict positive and negative psychotic symptom severity in linear regression models. Increased severity of positive psychotic symptoms was significantly related to greater methamphetamine and marijuana use in the past 28 days, and methadone-abstinence. Negative symptom severity was related to increased opioid use in the past 28 days. There was no overlap between predictors of positive and negative symptom severity.

A Tetra-Primer Amplification Refractory System Technique for the Cost-Effective and Novel Genotyping of Eight Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of the Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Gene.

AIMS: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme involved in the degradation of catecholamine neurotransmitters. Due to its role in neurotransmitter flux, multiple COMT variants have been associated with the development of psychiatric disorders. Notably, select single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the COMT gene have been implicated in schizophrenia risk, severity, and treatment response. In recognition of the value of a streamlined genotyping method for COMT SNP detection, this study was designed to develop a simple and economical tetra-primer amplification refractory mutation system (T-ARMS) assay for the concurrent detection of eight COMT SNPs: rs4680, rs737865, rs165599, rs2075507, rs4633, rs4818, rs6269, and rs165774. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T-ARMS is a genotyping method that uses polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify a multiplex reaction consisting of two primer pairs. T-ARMS primers are customized to each SNP and designed to generate different-sized allele-specific amplicons. This assay was applied to a total of 39 genomic DNA samples. Genotypic designations across the panel of SNPs were subsequently validated by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: T-ARMS reliably and unambiguously detected all three genotypes (homozygous wild type, heterozygous, and homozygous mutant) for each of the eight COMT SNPs. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to traditional low-throughput methods that require post-PCR modification or high-throughput technologies that require sophisticated equipment, T-ARMS is a cost-effective and efficient assay that can be easily adapted by any standard molecular diagnostics laboratory. This T-ARMS assay provides a practical and robust method for COMT SNP detection.

White matter deficits assessed by diffusion tensor imaging and cognitive dysfunction in psychostimulant users with comorbid human immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Psychostimulant drug use is commonly associated with drug-related infection, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Both psychostimulant use and HIV infection are known to damage brain white matter and impair cognition. To date, no study has examined white matter integrity using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in chronic psychostimulant users with comorbid HIV infection, and determined the relationship of white matter integrity to cognitive function. METHODS: Twenty-one subjects (mean age 37.5 ± 9.0 years) with a history of heavy psychostimulant use and HIV infection (8.7 ± 4.3 years) and 22 matched controls were scanned on a 3T MRI. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were calculated with DTI software. Four regions of interest were manually segmented, including the genu of the corpus callosum, left and right anterior limbs of the internal capsule, and the anterior commissure. Subjects also completed a neurocognitive battery and questionnaires about physical and mental health. RESULTS: The psychostimulant using, HIV positive group displayed decreased white matter integrity, with significantly lower FA values for all white matter tracts (p < 0.05). This group also exhibited decreased cognitive performance on tasks that assessed cognitive set-shifting, fine motor speed and verbal memory. FA values for the white matter tracts correlated with cognitive performance on many of the neurocognitive tests. CONCLUSIONS: White matter integrity was thus impaired in subjects with psychostimulant use and comorbid HIV infection, which predicted worsened cognitive performance on a range of tests. Further study on this medical comorbidity is required.