Search results for "Cause"
showing 10 items of 6525 documents
Pneumococcal Colonization in the Familial Context and Implications for Anti-Pneumococcal Immunization in Adults: Results from the BINOCOLO Project in…
2017
The spread of Streptococcus pneumoniae within families has been scarcely investigated so far. This feasibility study aimed to estimate the prevalence of pneumococcal carriage in school-aged children and co-habiting relatives and to explore the potential link between the family environment and the sharing of pneumococcal serotypes covered by the vaccine. Oropharyngeal samples of 146 subjects belonging to 36 different family groups were molecularly tested for pneumococcal detection and serotyping. The overall prevalence of pneumococcal carriage was 65.8% (n = 96/146), whereas it was higher among schoolchildren (77.8%, n = 28/36); subjects of seven years of age had the highest odds of being co…
Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Activity of a Recombinant Fragment of β-Thymosin of Sea Urchin Paracentrotus lividus
2018
With the aim to obtain new antimicrobials against important pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we focused on antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from Echinoderms. An example of such peptides is Paracentrin 1 (SP1), a chemically synthesised peptide fragment of a sea urchin thymosin. In the present paper, we report on the biological activity of a Paracentrin 1 derivative obtained by recombination. The recombinant paracentrin RP1, in comparison to the synthetic SP1, is 22 amino acids longer and it was considerably more active against the planktonic forms of S. aureus ATCC 25923 and P. aeruginosa ATCC 15442 at concentrations of 50 µ
Molecular Characterization of Coxsackievirus B5 Isolates from Sewage, Italy 2016–2017
2019
Hereby, the partial Viral Protein 1 sequences of Coxsackievirus B5 (CV-B5) from sewage samples, collected in Italy from 2016 to 2017, were compared with those available in GenBank from clinical samples. Phylogenetic analysis highlighted: (I) the predominant circulation of CV-B5 genogroup B in Italy, and (II) the presence of two new sub-genogroups.
Norovirus GII.17 as Major Epidemic Strain in Italy, Winter 2015–16
2017
In winter 2015-16, norovirus GII.17 Kawasaki 2014 emerged as a cause of sporadic gastroenteritis in children in Italy. Median patient age was higher for those with GII.17 than GII.4 infection (55 vs. 24 months), suggesting limited cross-protection for older children.
Extra-Intestinal Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Meat
2018
Extra-intestinal E. coli are emerging as a global threat due to their diffusion as opportunistic pathogens and, above all, to their wide set of antibiotic resistance determinants. There are still many gaps in our knowledge of their origin and spread pathways, although food animals have been adjudicated vehicles for passing mult-drug resistant bacteria to humans. This study analyzed 46 samples of meat purchased from retail stores in Palermo in order to obtain quinolone-resistant E. coli isolates. Strains were screened for their phylogenetic groups, ST131-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and then typed by ERIC-PCR. Their set of virulence factors, namely, kpsMII, papA, sfaS, …
NUTRITION, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND INTESTINAL DYSBIOSIS: INFLUENCE OF DIET ON GUT MICROBIOTA IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES.
2016
Background: Microbiota refers to the population of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and fungi) that inhabit the entire gastrointestinal tract, more particularly the colon whose role is to maintain the integrity of the intestinal mucosa and control the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. Alteration in the composition of the gut microbiota is called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis redisposes to inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease and indeterminate colitis. Methods: The purpose of this literature review is to elucidate the influence of diet on the composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota in the healthy gut and the role of diet in the development of dysbiosis. Co…
Characterization of a mutant form of human apolipoprotein B (Thr26_Tyr27del) associated with familial hypobetalipoproteinemia
2016
We have previously identified a deletion mutant of human apoB [apoB (Thr26_Tyr27del)] in a subject with primary hypobetalipoproteinemia. The present study determined the effect of Thr26_Tyr27del mutation on apoB secretion using transfected McA-RH7777 cells. Transient or stable transfection of apoB-48 containing the Thr26_Tyr27del mutation showed drastically reduced secretion of the mutant as compared to wild-type apoB-48. No lipoproteins containing the mutant apoB-48 were secreted into the medium. Incubation of transfected cells in a lipid-rich medium in the presence of cycloheximide showed rapid turnover of cell-associated mutant apoB-48 as compared to that of wild-type apoB-48. Immunofluo…
Trichomonicidal and parasite membrane damaging activity of bidesmosic saponins from Manilkara rufula.
2017
The infection caused by Trichomonas vaginalis is the most common but overlooked non-viral sexually transmitted disease worldwide. Treatment relies on one class of drugs, the 5-nitroimidazoles, but resistance is widespread. New drugs are urgently needed. We reported the effect of crude and purified saponin fractions of Manilkara rufula against Trichomonas vaginalis. The compound responsible for antitrichomonal activity was isolated and identified as an uncommon bidesmosic saponin, Mi-saponin C. This saponin eliminated parasite viability without toxicity against the human vaginal epithelial line (HMVII). In addition, the isolated saponin fraction improved the metronidazole effect against a me…
Polysaccharide-based silver nanoparticles synthesized by Klebsiella oxytoca DSM 29614 cause DNA fragmentation in E-coli cells
2016
Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), embedded into a specific exopolysaccharide (EPS), were produced by Klebsiella oxytoca DSM 29614 by adding AgNO3 to the cultures during exponential growth phase. In particular, under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, two types of silver nanoparticles, named AgNPs-EPS(aer) and the AgNPs-EPS(anaer), were produced respectively. The effects on bacterial cells was demonstrated by using Escherichia coli K12 and Kocuria rhizophila ATCC 9341 (ex Micrococcus luteus) as Gram-negative and Gram-positive tester strains, respectively. The best antimicrobial activity was observed for AgNPs-EPS(aer), in terms of minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentr…
Identification of novel compounds against three targets of SARS CoV-2 coronavirus by combined virtual screening and supervised machine learning.
2021
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major threat worldwide due to its fast spreading. As yet, there are no established drugs available. Speeding up drug discovery is urgently required. We applied a workflow of combined in silico methods (virtual drug screening, molecular docking and supervised machine learning algorithms) to identify novel drug candidates against COVID-19. We constructed chemical libraries consisting of FDA-approved drugs for drug repositioning and of natural compound datasets from literature mining and the ZINC database to select compounds interacting with SARS-CoV-2 target proteins (spike protein, nucleocapsid protein, and 2′-o-ribose methyltransferase). Supported by…