BIOFILM GENES PRESENCE, BIOFILM ANALYSIS AND ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES ACTIVITY AGAINST STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN

Fragments of β-thymosin from the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus as potential antimicrobial peptides against staphylococcal biofilms.

The immune mediators in echinoderms can be a potential source of novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) applied toward controlling pathogenic staphylococcal biofilms that are intrinsically resistant to conventional antibiotics. The peptide fraction5 kDa from the cytosol of coelomocytes of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus (5-CC) was tested against a group of Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogen reference strains. The 5-CC of P. lividus was active against all planktonic-tested strains but also showed antibiofilm properties against staphylococcal strains. Additionally, we demonstrated the presence of three small peptides in the 5-CC belonging to segment 9-41 of a P. lividusβ-thymosin. The…

“Fake it ‘til you make it”: The designer playground for crafting prototypes, orchestrating frauds and pushing the ecological transition

In the past thirty years, there has been a radical change in almost every business sector: companies nowadays offer increasingly complete packages or “bundles,” i.e-, combinations of goods, services, assistance, self-service and customer-focused knowledge. But it is services that have the lion’s share. In this context, those involved in the servitization process, such as designers, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, seem to focus more and more on the customer experience than on enabling technology. This has led to the birth of many successful new companies as well as to financial scandals. The aim of this article is to understand how the “fake ’til you make it” approach in design and b…

Pirrolomicine che inibiscono la Sortasi A nelle infezioni sostenute da batteri Gram-positivi

La Sortasi A è un enzima di membrana responsabile dell’ancoraggio delle proteine di superficie sulla parete cellulare dei batteri Gram-positivi. Essa è considerata un interessante obiettivo per lo sviluppo di nuovi farmaci anti-infettivi che mirino ad interferire con importanti meccanismi di virulenza Gram-positivi. In un precedente lavoro abbiamo indagato sull’attività antistafilococcica e antibiofilm di alcune Pirrolomicine naturali e sintetiche, composti pirrolici polialogenati attivi su patogeni Gram-positivi, alle concentrazioni di 1.5 e 0.045 µg/mL. I risultati biologici hanno mostrato percentuali di inibizione di biofilm comprese tra 50-80% [1]. Allo scopo di indagare sul loro meccan…

Effects of Steinernema carpocapsae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) on biological parameters of larvae responses of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) known as the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) is becoming more and more of a problem in Italy, and especially in Sicily, where it is well adapted. The infestations are mainly in the urban areas, and for that reason, chemical control is not advisable. Data from literature show that entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) particularly Steirnenema carpocapsae, have a quite successfully control of RPW. However, results coming from the laboratories are often in contrast with each other and no data are available on precise doses and S. carpocapsae seems not be able to reproduce itself in the host. The effect of EPN on the RPW immune system is totally unknown. D…

CCDC 644638: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: D.Raffa, B.Maggio, S.Cascioferro, M.V.Raimondi, D.Schillaci, G.Gallo, G.Daidone, S.Plescia, F.Meneghetti, G.Bombieri, A.Di Cristina, R.M.Pipitone, S.Grimaudo, M.Tolomeo|2009|Eur.J.Med.Chem.|44|165|doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2008.03.023