Insulin Resistance, Serum Calcium and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study of a Multiracial Population, and a Similarity Assessment of Results from a Single-Race Population's Study.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests the need to assess more ethnic disparities in hypertension (HTN). On the other hand, studies reveal impressive mortality rates due to cardiovascular diseases for some race and ethnic groups compared to others. METHODS: We referred to a recent study on serum calcium (SC) and insulin resistance associated with HTN incidence to compare different race groups in the latter found relationship. We compare the current study outcomes with those from the Wu et al study. RESULTS: From 425 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, we found a significant association between race and hypertension; Cramer's V (0.006) = 0.21 when adjusted with non-hypertensives and hypertensives. Mc Auley index (McA) was negatively related to hypertension, r (355) = -0.24, p < 0.0001. SC associated with HTN in all race groups significance persisted only in non-Hispanic Whites after multivariate adjustments R 2 of 74.1 (p = 0.03). McA was a mediator on SC-HTN in non-Hispanic Whites (NHW) (CoefIE = 13.25, [CI] = 1.42-32.13), and a moderator in other Hispanics interaction (0.04) = 0.27 and NHW interaction (0.001) = 0.028. CONCLUSION: SC was associated with hypertension, similarly to the baseline study. SC and HTN association persisted in NHW compared to other race groups. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR) was not a mediator on SC-HTN, but with McA, this in NHW only. McA played a moderator role in OH and NHW. We suggest that race is a factor implicated in our findings, which may be investigated further in future research.

Antimicrobial and mechanism of antagonistic activity of Bacillus sp. A2 against pathogenic fungus and bacteria: The implication on honey's regulatory mechanism on host's microbiota.

Honey is thought to act against microbes and regulates microbiota balance, and this is mainly attributed to the enzymatic production of hydrogen peroxide, high osmolarity, and nonperoxidase factors, for example, lysozyme and botanical sources of nectar, while the effect of honey's probiotic is recently considered. The study of honey as source of beneficial microbes is understudied. The purpose of this study was to screen for the beneficial microorganisms in honey with antagonistic property against important pathogens and the mechanism of antimicrobial activity and thus play a beneficial role as probiotics. The results showed that one out of the fourteen bacterial isolates had antimicrobial activity and was identified as Bacillus Sp. A2 by 16S rRNA sequence and morphology. Antimicrobial activity of the isolate against C. albicans, E. coli, and S. aureus was confirmed by Agar well diffusion and liquid coculture assays, and the propagation of those microbes was significantly inhibited after treatment with the isolate Bacillus sp. A2 (p < .05) in comparison with untreated negative control and positive control (fluconazole, chloramphenicol, L. plantarum). The morphological changes including the distorted shape with indentations and leakages (SEM), damaged cell membrane, and cell wall with the disintegration and attachment of the Bacillus sp. A2 (TEM) in treated C. albicans were observed. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen species accumulation and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential were detected in treated C. albicans. These results revealed that the isolate Bacillus sp. A2 from honey has significant antimicrobial activity (p < .05) against C. albicans in comparison with untreated negative control and positive control L. plantarum, which depends on the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial damage, and the cell apoptosis. We concluded that the Bacillus sp. A2 possess the antimicrobial property, which may contribute to regulation of host's microbiota as a beneficial microbe or probiotic.

RNase 1, 2, 5 & 8 role in innate immunity: Strain specific antimicrobial activity.

The increase in microbial resistance to conventional antimicrobial agents is driving research for the discovery of new antibiotics and antifungal agents. The greatest challenge in this endeavor is to find antimicrobial agents with broad antimicrobial activity and low toxicity. Antimicrobial peptides, for example, RNases, are one of the promising areas. The production of RNases increases during infection, but their role is still being explored. Whereas the enzymatic activity of RNases is well documented, their physiological function is still being investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of RNase 1, 2, 5, and 8 against E. coli strains, S. aureus, Streptococcus thermophilus, P. aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Candida glabrata. The results demonstrated that RNases have a strain-specific antimicrobial activity. RNase 1 had the highest antimicrobial activity compared to other RNases. All the microorganisms screened had varying levels of susceptibility to RNases, except P. aeruginosa and E. coli DR115. RNase 1 showed dose-dependent activity against C. albicans. The RNase killed Candida albicans by lowering the mitochondrial membrane potential but did not damage the cell membrane. We concluded that strain-specific antimicrobial activity is one of the physiological roles of RNases.

In vitro synergy of azole antifungals and methotrexate against Candida albicans.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the effective of azoles and MTX for patients with invasive candidiasis. METHODS: We used the disk diffusion assay and the checkerboard assay to evaluate the in vitro interactions between MTX and antifungals. In addition, we used the transmission electron microscopy to observe the ultrastructure of the effect of MTX and fluconazole on Candida albicans. RESULTS: The rates of synergy for the combination of MTX with fluconazole (FLC), itraconazole (ITC), and voriconazole (VRZ) were 91.3%, 65.2%, and 87% in checkerboard testing. No antagonism was found between methotrexate and azole antifungals in any of the strains. Furthermore, MTX treated C. albicans showed extensive cell wall vacuolations and the inhibition of blastospores growth, as observed using transmission electron microscopy. There was an apparent destruction of the cell membrane and cell wall resulting in the destruction of cytoplasm, a phenomenon observed when MTX was combined with azoles. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that the combination of azoles and MTX is effective for patients with invasive candidiasis, which on the other hand, will reduce the side effects of the drugs.

Probiotics as antifungal agents: Experimental confirmation and future prospects.

Fungal burden throughout the world is very high and it keeps escalating due to increasing numbers of immunocompromised individuals. In contrast, the drugs used in management of fungal infections are so few some with high toxicity. Furthermore, highly resistant fungal pathogens are emerging for example Candida auris, Candida glabrata, Candida gullemondii and Aspergillus species among others. Thus now, more than ever, there is a need for combined efforts and an all round search for possible solutions to curb these problems. Therefore, the role of probiotics in management of fungal infections is indispensable. In fact, the antimicrobial activity of probiotics has been screened with promising results against microbial pathogens. Although, recent reports indicated that probiotics may also contribute to protect against fungal infections, the research done in checking antifungal activity of probiotics has used varied technology. This calls for harmonization of the methods used to screen and confirm the antimicrobial activity of probiotics and other candidate microorganisms. We therefore sought to address issues of disparity in probiotic research and their outcomes. Thus this paper is in order as it comprehensively reviews' publications, provides a summary of the methods and future prospects of probiotics as antifungal agents.