Nanomedicine and infectious diseases.

The First International Conference on Infectious Diseases and Nanomedicine congress facilitated the mixing of researchers in various fields of nanomedicine and infectious diseases, bringing together researchers from the fields of physics and chemistry, on the production of nanoparticles and researchers from various fields of microbiology where these nanoparticles have practical applications. The manufacture and applications of nanoparticles was one of the main themes of the congress, with much emphasis on the use of nanoparticles for the treatment of cancer. The ever increasing problems and concerns around antibiotic resistance also featured prominently in the congress. Various interesting presentations on human viruses were also presented during this congress.

Yeast sensors for novel drugs: chloroquine and others revealed.

In this study the mitochondrion is regarded as a target to reveal compounds that may be used to combat various diseases. Consequently, the sexual structures of yeasts (with high mitochondrial activity) were identified as sensors to screen for various anti-mitochondrial drugs that may be toxic to humans and that are directed, amongst others, against fungal diseases and cancer. Strikingly, these sensors indicated that chloroquine is a potent pro-mitochondrial drug which stimulated yeast sexual reproduction. In addition, these sensors also showed that some Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), anti-malarial drugs, antifungal and anticancer drugs are anti-mitochondrial. These yeast sensor bio-assays may fast track studies aimed at discovering new drugs as well as their mechanisms and should now be further evaluated for selectivity towards anti-/ pro-mitochondrials, fertility drugs and contraceptives, using in vitro, in vivo, in silico and omics research.

The presence of 3-hydroxy oxylipins in pathogenic microbes.

There is a sufficient body of work documenting the distribution of 3-hydroxy oxylipins in microbes. However, there is limited information on the role of these compounds in microbial pathogenesis. When derived from mammalian cells, these compounds regulate patho-biological processes, thus an understanding of 3-hydroxy oxylipin function and metabolism could prove important in shedding light on how these compounds mediate cellular pathology and physiology. This could present 3-hydroxy oxylipin biosynthetic pathways as targets for drug development. In this minireview, we interrogate the relevant yeast and bacterial 3-hydroxy oxylipin literature in order to appreciate how these compounds may influence the inflammatory response leading to disease development.