Search results for "biofilm."

Warming and acidification effects on biofilm/grazer interaction in an early-stage rocky intertidal community

2016

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are increasing greenhouse effects and changing seawater carbonate chemistry, leading to ocean warming and acidification. Increasing temperature and decreasing seawater pH can potentially interact to cause changes in species interactions and community shifts. To understand how ocean warming and acidification may affect the early stages of an intertidal community in the Mediterranean, we set up an in situ experiment and assessed potential changes in grazer density andbiofilm composition by manipulating temperature on bare rock plots (10x10cm)in two locations along a natural coastal CO2 gradient (Low pH: 7.8 pH, and Ambient:8.1 pH) off Vulcano Islan…

Engineering Bacteria to Form a Biofilm and Induce Clumping in Caenorhabditis elegans

2014

Bacteria are needed for a vast range of biotechnological processes, which they carry out either as pure cultures or in association with other bacteria and/or fungi. The potential of bacteria as biofactories is hampered, though, by their limited mobility in solid or semisolid media such as agricultural or domestic waste. This work represents an attempt toward overcoming this limitation by associating bacterial biotechnological properties with the transport ability of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We report here biofilm formation on C. elegans by engineered Escherichia coli expressing a Xhenorhabdus nematophila adhesion operon and induction of nematode social feeding behavior (clumping…

Investigation of biocenosis in a archaeological rock-cut settlements with relevant historic-artistic evidences. A case study in South-east of Sicily.

2011

Development of natural and synthetic compounds as kinase inhibitors targeting cancer cells and cancer stem cells

2023

Biofilm and Orthodontic Therapy

2020

Dental biofilms can cause major oral diseases like gingivitis, periodontitis, and caries. Orthodontic appliances promote supra- and subgingival biofilm accumulation, alter the oral microbiome, and hamper oral hygiene. Orthodontic treatment can be associated with adverse effects, such as enamel decalcification, gingivitis, and periodontal disease. The aim of this review is to summarize the changes in supra- and subgingival biofilm and periodontal tissues during and after orthodontic treatment. Studies have reported elevated levels of Streptococcus mutans and periodontopathogenic bacteria in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. In general, the microbial changes and periodontal parameter…

Synthesis and anti-staphylococcal activity of new 4-diazopyrazole derivatives.

2012

Abstract Several new 4-diazopyrazole derivatives 6a – g and 9a – c were obtained by the reaction of 1-(R-substituted-phenyl)-3-(1,3-dimethyl-1 H -pyrazol-5-yl)ureas 5a – g and N -(1,3-dimethyl-1 H -pyrazol-5-yl)-2-(R-substituted-phenyl)acetamides 8a – c respectively with a sevenfold excess of nitrous acid in acetic acid solution. The compounds were assayed for their activity against the Staphylococcus aureus reference strains ATCC 25923, ATCC 29213 and ATCC 6538, as well as six veterinary strains. The best anti-staphylococcal profile was showed by [(R-substituted-phenyl)acetyl](4-diazonio-1,3-dimethyl-1 H -pyrazol-5-yl)azanides 9a , c . Compound 9c was also able at 3.1 μg mL −1 to inhibit o…

Inhibitors of antibiotic resistance mechanisms: clinical applications and future perspectives

2020

Bacterial strains responsible for antibiotic resistant infections are increasing in an alarming way and the evolution of resistance mechanisms seems to be unstoppable. In the past decade, many efforts have been made in order to counteract this phenomenon but very few compounds have reached clinical trials. The development of new classes of antibiotics able to overcome the main bacterial drug resistance mechanisms is urgently required to counter the imminent danger of a postantibiotic era.

Shedding light on biogas: Phototrophic biofilms in anaerobic digesters hold potential for improved biogas production

2019

Conventional anaerobic digesters intended for the production of biogas usually operate in complete darkness. Therefore, little is known about the effect of light on their microbial communities. In the present work, 16S rRNA gene amplicon Nanopore sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing were used to study the taxonomic and functional structure of the microbial community forming a biofilm on the inner wall of a laboratory-scale transparent anaerobic biodigester illuminated with natural sunlight. The biofilm was composed of microorganisms involved in the four metabolic processes needed for biogas production, and it was surprisingly rich in Rhodopseudomonas faecalis, a versatile bacterium…

Bifunctional dentifrice: Amorphous polyphosphate a regeneratively active sealant with potent anti- Streptococcus mutans activity

2017

Abstract Objective In this study we demonstrate that inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) exhibits a dual protective effect on teeth: it elicits a strong antibacterial effect against the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans and, in form of amorphous calcium polyP microparticles (size of 100–400 nm), it efficiently reseals cracks/fissures in the tooth enamel and dentin. Methods Three different formulations of amorphous polyP microparticles (Ca-polyP, Zn-polyP and Sr-polyP) were prepared. Results Among the different polyP microparticles tested, the Ca-polyP microparticles, as a component of a newly developed formulation of a dentifrice, turned out to be most effective in inhibiting growth of …

Multiple-stressor effects on river biofilms under different hydrological conditions

2016

Summary We studied the relative importance of environmental factors (river flow, nutrients, dissolved organic matter) and organic micro-pollutants [herbicides, insecticides, industrial organic compounds, personal care products, antibiotics and pharmaceuticals, (PhCs)] to the structure and function of epilithic biofilms under various hydrological conditions and land uses. Biofilms from four river basins in the Iberian Peninsula (Llobregat, Ebro, Jucar and Guadalquivir) were analysed in summer–autumn during a wet period and base-flow conditions. The sites experienced different levels of pollution. We used variance partitioning (Redundancy Detrended Analysis, RDA) to link environmental stresso…