Antimicrobial Properties of Chitosan-Modified Cotton Fabric Treated with Aldehydes and Zinc Oxide Particles.

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer with a proven ability to impart textile materials with antimicrobial properties when loaded onto them. The mechanism of its bacteriological activity depends on the contact between the positive and negative charges of the amino groups located on the surface of the microbes. Unfortunately, the type of microorganisms and pH influence this action-shortcomings that can be avoided by chitosan modification and by loading its film with substances possessing antimicrobial properties. In this study, chitosan was modified with benzaldehyde and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde to form a film on the surface of cotton fabric (CB). Also, another material was obtained by including zinc oxide particles (CBZ) synthesized in situ into the chitosan coating. The performed analyses (contact angle measurement, optical and scanning electron microscopy, FTIR, XRD, and thermal analysis) evidenced the modification of the cotton fabric and the alteration of the film properties after zinc oxide inclusion. A comparison of the antimicrobial properties of the new CB with materials prepared with chitosan without benzaldehyde from our previous study verified the influence of the hydrophobicity and surface roughness of the fabric surface on the enhancement of antimicrobial activity. The microbial growth inhibition increased in the following order: fungal strain Candida lipolytica >Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus cereus >Gram-negative bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The samples containing zinc oxide particles completely inhibited the growth of all three model strains. The virucidal activity of the CB was higher against human adenovirus serotype 5 (HAdV-5) than against human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV-S2) after 60 min of exposure. The CBZ displayed higher virucidal activity with a Δlog of 0.9 against both viruses.

Design of a Composite Based on Polyamide Fabric-Hydrogel-Zinc Oxide Particles to Act as Adsorbent and Photocatalyst.

Surface-initiated photopolymerization has been run to synthesize a hydrogel with ZnO particles distributed uniformly along its structure, which has been loaded onto a polyamide fabric. Three samples have been obtained at different concentrations of zinc nitrate (10% (sample PA10); 20% (sample PA20) and 30% (sample PA30) of the weight of the fabric, respectively)) and subjected to gravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of the adsorption parameters of the composite material on the removal Drimaren Rot K-7B dye from water has been studied. The Freundlich isotherm describes this process better than the Langmuir isotherm. As the results of the adsorption kinetics show, the process fits well with a pseudo-second-order equation and depends both on the boundary layer and on the structure of the adsorbent itself. The thermodynamic parameters have demonstrated that the process is endothermic and physical. When exposed to ultraviolet light, the discoloration of the dye solution accelerates due to the photocatalytic properties of the composite materials. The addition of H2O2 also speeds up further the process, while the reuse of the materials slows it down, gradually changing the kinetic parameters. The reaction has been attributed to first-order kinetic model, when the active centers of the materials and the number of oxidative radicals formed are numerous and to the second-order kinetic model at a lower reaction activity. Moreover, 52% decolorization of the dye solution (50 mg L-1) in the dark was achieved from composite material PA 30 (13.3 g L-1) in 120 min and 89% under UV light irradiation. The H2O2 addition (0.14 mmol L-1) enhanced it up to 98%. In the second and third use of the photocatalyst, the dye removal decreased to 80% and 60%. Composite material PA30 exhibits antibacterial activity against Gram-negative bacteria E. coli, being most effective at eliminating Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus.

Cotton Fabric Modified with a PAMAM Dendrimer with Encapsulated Copper Nanoparticles: Antimicrobial Activity.

A new methodology for modifying textile materials with dendrimers containing nanoparticles was developed. This involved a combination of eosin Y and N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) for reducing the copper ions in the dendrimer complex by enabling a photochemical reaction under visible light and ambient conditions. The conversion of copper ions into nanoparticles was monitored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and by performing colorimetric, fluorescence, and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies. Regardless of the concentration of the photoinitiator eosin Y, it discolored completely upon illumination. Three types of cotton fabrics were compared as antimicrobial materials against Bacillus cereus. One of the fabrics was dyed with a first-generation PAMAM dendrimer which had been functionalized with eight 1,8-naphthalimide fluorophores. Another fabric was dyed with a dendrimer-copper complex, and the third was treated by conversion of the complex into copper nanoparticles encapsulated into the dendrimer. An enhancement in the antimicrobial activity of the textiles was achieved at higher dendrimer concentrations, under illumination with visible light. The fabric modified with the copper nanoparticles encapsulated inside the dendrimer exhibited the best antibacterial activity because it had two photosensitizers (PS), as both 1,8-naphthalimide fluorophores and copper nanoparticles were contained in the dendrimer molecules. The presence of oxygen and suitable illumination activated the photosensitizers to generate the reactive oxygen species (singlet oxygen (1O2) and other oxygenated products, e.g., anion radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and hydrogen peroxide) responsible for destroying the bacteria.

Textile Materials Modified with Stimuli-Responsive Drug Carrier for Skin Topical and Transdermal Delivery.

Textile materials, as a suitable matrix for different active substances facilitating their gradual release, can have an important role in skin topical or transdermal therapy. Characterized by compositional and structural variety, those materials readily meet the requirements for applications in specific therapies. Aromatherapy, antimicrobial substances and painkillers, hormone therapy, psoriasis treatment, atopic dermatitis, melanoma, etc., are some of the areas where textiles can be used as carriers. There are versatile optional methods for loading the biologically active substances onto textile materials. The oldest ones are by exhaustion, spraying, and a pad-dry-cure method. Another widespread method is the microencapsulation. The modification of textile materials with stimuli-responsive polymers is a perspective route to obtaining new textiles of improved multifunctional properties and intelligent response. In recent years, research has focused on new structures such as dendrimers, polymer micelles, liposomes, polymer nanoparticles, and hydrogels. Numerous functional groups and the ability to encapsulate different substances define dendrimer molecules as promising carriers for drug delivery. Hydrogels are also high molecular hydrophilic structures that can be used to modify textile material. They absorb a large amount of water or biological fluids and can support the delivery of medicines. These characteristics correspond to one of the current trends in the development of materials used in transdermal therapy, namely production of intelligent materials, i.e., such that allow controlled concentration and time delivery of the active substance and simultaneous visualization of the process, which can only be achieved with appropriate and purposeful modification of the textile material.

Global genetic diversity, lineage distribution, and Wolbachia infection of the alfalfa weevil Hypera postica (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) is a well-known example of a worldwide-distributed pest with high genetic variation. Based on the mitochondrial genes, the alfalfa weevil clusters into two main mitochondrial lineages. However, there is no clear picture of the global diversity and distribution of these lineages; neither the drivers of its diversification are known. However, it appears likely that historic demographic events including founder effects played a role. In addition, Wolbachia, a widespread intracellular parasite/symbiont, likely played an important role in the evolution of the species. Wolbachia infection so far was only detected in the Western lineage of H. postica with no information on the infecting strain, its frequency, and its consequences on the genetic diversity of the host. We here used a combination of mitochondrial and nuclear sequences of the host and sequence information on Wolbachia to document the distribution of strains and the degree of infection. The Eastern lineage has a higher genetic diversity and is found in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and eastern America, whereas the less diverse Western lineage is found in Central Europe and the western America. Both lineages are infected with the same common strain of Wolbachia belonging to Supergroup B. Based on neutrality tests, selection tests, and the current distribution and diversification of Wolbachia in H. postica, we suggested the Wolbachia infection did not shape genetic diversity of the host. The introduced populations in the United States are generally genetically less diverse, which is in line with founder effects.

European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn., Lepidoptera: Crambidae): comparing the performance of a new bisexual lure with that of synthetic sex pheromone in five countries.

BACKGROUND: Phenylacetaldehyde is a flower volatile and attractant for among others the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis. The addition of 4-methoxyphenethyl alcohol has recently been reported to increase O. nubilalis catches four to five times, yielding a bisexual lure for the species. RESULTS: The bisexual lure significantly outperformed synthetic pheromone lures of O. nubilalis at 11 out of 13 experiments conducted in Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Slovenia and Turkey. CONCLUSION: The bisexual lure will provide growers with a new and efficient method for detection and monitoring of O. nubilalis. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Incidence of virulence determinants in clinical Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolates collected in Bulgaria

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of some virulence genes among 510 clinical Enterococcus spp. isolates and to assess the association of those genes with the species, infection site, and patient group (inpatients/outpatients). Methods Adhesins genes (aggregation substances agg and asa1 of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, respectively), enterococcal surface protein (esp), endocarditis-specific antigen A (efaA), collagen-binding proteins (ace/acm)); invasins (hyaluronidase (hyl) and gelatinase (gelE)); cytotoxines (activation of cytolysin (cylA) in E. faecalis); and modulators of the host immunity and inflammation (enhanced expression pheromone (eep) in E. faecalis) were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Results The overall prevalence was: esp – 44.3%, agg/asa1 – 38.4%, ace/acm – 64.3%, efaA – 85.9%, eep – 69.4%, gelE – 64.3%, hyl – 25.1%, and cylA – 47.1%. E. faecalis isolates had significantly higher frequency of adhesin genes (esp and agg/asa1) and gelatinase in comparison to E. faecium. Multiple virulence genes in E. faecalis were significantly more prevalent than in E. faecium isolates. Domination of E. faecium with or without only one gene compared to the isolates of E. faecalis were found. Enterococcus spp. isolates obtained from outpatients compared to inpatients isolates had significantly higher frequency of agg/asa1, eep, gelE and cylA. Some adhesins genes (esp, agg/asa1 and efaA) had higher prevalence among the non-invasive Enterococcus spp. isolates compared to those causing invasive bacteremia, while ace/acm revealed higher dissemination in isolates causing invasive infections compared to non-invasive isolates. Conclusion Most E. faecalis attaches to abiotic surfaces in hospital environment, which correlates with higher prevalence of gene encoding for virulence factors involved in biofilm formation, such as enterococcal surface protein, aggregation substance, and gelatinase. The intestinal tract is an important reservoir for opportunistic enterococcal pathogens and allows them to access infectious sites through different virulence factors, demonstrated in outpatient isolates in this study.

Incidence of virulence determinants in clinical Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium isolates collected in Bulgaria.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence of some virulence genes among 510 clinical Enterococcus spp. isolates and to assess the association of those genes with the species, infection site, and patient group (inpatients/outpatients). METHODS: Adhesins genes (aggregation substances agg and asa1 of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, respectively), enterococcal surface protein (esp), endocarditis-specific antigen A (efaA), collagen-binding proteins (ace/acm)); invasins (hyaluronidase (hyl) and gelatinase (gelE)); cytotoxines (activation of cytolysin (cylA) in E. faecalis); and modulators of the host immunity and inflammation (enhanced expression pheromone (eep) in E. faecalis) were detected by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The overall prevalence was: esp - 44.3%, agg/asa1 - 38.4%, ace/acm - 64.3%, efaA - 85.9%, eep - 69.4%, gelE - 64.3%, hyl - 25.1%, and cylA - 47.1%. E. faecalis isolates had significantly higher frequency of adhesin genes (esp and agg/asa1) and gelatinase in comparison to E. faecium. Multiple virulence genes in E. faecalis were significantly more prevalent than in E. faecium isolates. Domination of E. faecium with or without only one gene compared to the isolates of E. faecalis were found. Enterococcus spp. isolates obtained from outpatients compared to inpatients isolates had significantly higher frequency of agg/asa1, eep, gelE and cylA. Some adhesins genes (esp, agg/asa1 and efaA) had higher prevalence among the non-invasive Enterococcus spp. isolates compared to those causing invasive bacteremia, while ace/acm revealed higher dissemination in isolates causing invasive infections compared to non-invasive isolates. CONCLUSION: Most E. faecalis attaches to abiotic surfaces in hospital environment, which correlates with higher prevalence of gene encoding for virulence factors involved in biofilm formation, such as enterococcal surface protein, aggregation substance, and gelatinase. The intestinal tract is an important reservoir for opportunistic enterococcal pathogens and allows them to access infectious sites through different virulence factors, demonstrated in outpatient isolates in this study.