scholarly journals Antiviral surfaces and coatings and their mechanisms of action

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulina D. Rakowska ◽  
Mariavitalia Tiddia ◽  
Nilofar Faruqui ◽  
Claire Bankier ◽  
Yiwen Pei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Virus Attachment ◽  
Physico Chemical

AbstractViral infections are a serious health challenge, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for antiviral measures and treatments for clean surfaces, especially in public places. Here, we review a range of natural and synthetic surface materials and coatings with antiviral properties, including metals, polymers and biopolymers, graphene and antimicrobial peptides, and their underpinning antiviral mechanisms. We also discuss the physico-chemical properties of surfaces which influence virus attachment and persistence on surfaces. Finally, an overview is given of the current practices and applications of antiviral and virucidal materials and coatings in consumer products, personal protective equipment, healthcare and public settings.

scholarly journals Recommendations from the Brazilian Society of Nephrology regarding the use of cloth face coverings, by chronic kidney patients in dialysis, during the new coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (2 suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 9-11
Author(s):  
Andrea Pio de Abreu ◽  
José Andrade Moura Neto ◽  
Vinicius Daher Alvares Delfino ◽  
Lilian Monteiro Pereira Palma ◽  
Marcelo Mazza do Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Ministry Of Health ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Brazilian Society ◽  
New Evidence

ABSTRACT These recommendations were created after the publication of informative note 3/2020- CGGAP/DESF/SAPS/MS, of April 4, 2020, in which the Brazilian Ministry of Health recommended the use of a cloth mask by the population, in public places. Taking into account the necessary prioritization of the provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for patients with suspected or confirmed disease, as well as for healthcare professionals, the SBN is favorable concerning the wear of cloth masks by chronic kidney patients in dialysis, in public settings, except in the dialysis setting. The present recommendations have eleven items, related to this rationale, the procedures, indications, contraindications, as well as appropriate fabrics for the mask, and hygiene care to be adopted. These recommendations may change, at any time, in the light of new evidence.

Respiratory viruses on personal protective equipment and bodies of healthcare workers

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 1356-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linh T. Phan ◽  
Dagmar Sweeney ◽  
Dayana Maita ◽  
Donna C. Moritz ◽  
Susan C. Bleasdale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
The Body ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Bare Hand ◽  
Polymerase Chain

AbstractObjective:To characterize the magnitude of virus contamination on personal protective equipment (PPE), skin, and clothing of healthcare workers (HCWs) who cared for patients having acute viral infections.Design:Prospective observational study.Setting:Acute-care academic hospital.Participants:A total of 59 HCWs agreed to have their PPE, clothing, and/or skin swabbed for virus measurement.Methods:The PPE worn by HCW participants, including glove, face mask, gown, and personal stethoscope, were swabbed with Copan swabs. After PPE doffing, bodies and clothing of HCWs were sampled with Copan swabs: hand, face, and scrubs. Preamplification and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods were used to quantify viral RNA copies in the swab samples.Results:Overall, 31% of glove samples, 21% of gown samples, and 12% of face mask samples were positive for virus. Among the body and clothing sites, 21% of bare hand samples, 11% of scrub samples, and 7% of face samples were positive for virus. Virus concentrations on PPE were not statistically significantly different than concentrations on skin and clothing under PPE. Virus concentrations on the personal stethoscopes and on the gowns were positively correlated with the number of torso contacts (P < .05). Virus concentrations on face masks were positively correlated with the number of face mask contacts and patient contacts (P < .05).Conclusions:Healthcare workers are routinely contaminated with respiratory viruses after patient care, indicating the need to ensure that HCWs complete hand hygiene and use other PPE to prevent dissemination of virus to other areas of the hospital. Modifying self-contact behaviors may decrease the presence of virus on HCWs.

scholarly journals Lactoperoxidase: physico-chemical properties, occurrence, mechanism of action and applications

2000 ◽  
Vol 84 (S1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaas D. Kussendrager ◽  
A. C. M. van Hooijdonk
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Bovine Milk ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Industrial Processes ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Lactoperoxidase System ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Occurrence Mechanism ◽  
Micro Organisms

Lactoperoxidase (LP) is one of the most prominent enzymes in bovine milk and catalyses the inactivation of a wide range of micro-organisms in the lactoperoxidase system (LP-s). LP-systems are also identified as natural antimicrobial systems in human secretions such as saliva, tear-fluid and milk and are found to be harmless to mammalian cells. The detailed molecular structure of LP is identified and the major products generated by the LP-s and their antimicrobial action have been elucidated for the greater part. In this paper several aspects of bovine LP and LP-s are discussed, including physico-chemical properties, occurrence in milk and colostrum and mechanisms of action. Since the introduction of industrial processes for the isolation of LP from milk and whey the interest in this enzyme has increased considerably and attention will be paid to potential and actual applications of LP-systems as biopreservatives in food and other products.

scholarly journals Individual-Level Heterogeneity in Mask-wearing During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen X. Zhang ◽  
Kim Hoe Looi ◽  
Nicolas Li ◽  
Jizhen LI ◽  
Xue Wan
Keyword(s):  
Health Communication ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Individual Heterogeneity ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Individual Choices ◽  
Specific Health

Wearing a face mask has been a key approach to contain or slow down the spread of COVID-19 in the ongoing pandemic. However, there is huge heterogeneity among individuals in their willingness to wear face masks during an epidemic. This research aims to investigate the individual heterogeneity to wear face masks and its associated predictors during the COVID-19 pandemic when mask-wearing was not mandatory but individual choices. Based on a survey of 708 Malaysian adults and a multivariate least-squares fitting analysis, the results reveal a significant variance among individuals in wearing masks, as 34% of the individual adults did not always wear masks in public places. Female, individuals who wash their hands more frequently, and those who reported more availability of personal protective equipment were more likely to practice mask-wearing. The identification of less compliant groups of mask-wearing has critical implications by enabling more specific health communication campaigns.

scholarly journals Evidence supporting an antimicrobial origin of targeting peptides to endosymbiotic organelles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clotilde Garrido ◽  
Oliver D. Caspari ◽  
Yves Choquet ◽  
Francis-André Wollman ◽  
Ingrid Lafontaine
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Signal Peptides ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Photosynthetic Eukaryotes ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Primary Endosymbiosis ◽  
Organelle Targeting

AbstractMitochondria and chloroplasts emerged from primary endosymbiosis. Most proteins of the endosymbiont were subsequently expressed in the nucleo-cytosol of the host and organelle-targeted via the acquisition of N-terminal presequences, whose evolutionary origin remains enigmatic. Using a quantitative assessment of their physico-chemical properties, we show that organelle targeting peptides, which are distinct from signal peptides targeting other subcellular compartments, group with a subset of antimicrobial peptides. We demonstrate that extant antimicrobial peptides target a fluorescent reporter to either the mitochondria or the chloroplast in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and, conversely, that extant targeting peptides still display antimicrobial activity. Thus, we provide strong computational and functional evidence for an evolutionary link between organelle-targeting and antimicrobial peptides. Our results support the view that resistance of bacterial progenitors of organelles to the attack of host antimicrobial peptides has been instrumental in eukaryogenesis and in emergence of photosynthetic eukaryotes.

scholarly journals Antimicrobial Peptides as Anti-Infective Agents in Pre-Post-Antibiotic Era?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomislav Rončević ◽  
Jasna Puizina ◽  
Alessandro Tossi
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Innate Defense ◽  
Drug Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Algorithmic Techniques ◽  
Conventional Antibiotics ◽  
Start Ups

Resistance to antibiotics is one of the main current threats to human health and every year multi-drug resistant bacteria are infecting millions of people worldwide, with many dying as a result. Ever since their discovery, some 40 years ago, the antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) of innate defense have been hailed as a potential alternative to conventional antibiotics due to their relatively low potential to elicit resistance. Despite continued effort by both academia and start-ups, currently there are still no antibiotics based on AMPs in use. In this study, we discuss what we know and what we do not know about these agents, and what we need to know to successfully translate discovery to application. Understanding the complex mechanics of action of these peptides is the main prerequisite for identifying and/or designing or redesigning novel molecules with potent biological activity. However, other aspects also need to be well elucidated, i.e., the (bio)synthetic processes, physiological and pathological contexts of their activity, and a quantitative understanding of how physico-chemical properties affect activity. Research groups worldwide are using biological, biophysical, and algorithmic techniques to develop models aimed at designing molecules with the necessary blend of antimicrobial potency and low toxicity. Shedding light on some open questions may contribute toward improving this process.

scholarly journals Microbial Quality of Selected Commercial Fresh Fruit Juices Sold in Mysore City

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 30-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Divyashree ◽  
Prakash Jamuna ◽  
N Brabahavanthis
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Fruit Juices ◽  
Microbial Quality ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Pineapple Juice ◽  
Quality Of Water ◽  
Sweet Lime ◽  
Physico Chemical

Fruit juices are common man’s beverages and sold at public places. Since they are known for carrying heavy microbial load, the present investigation was undertaken to enumerate and identify the microorganisms in fruit juices (sweet lime, orange and pineapple) selected from three different street vended shops (source A, B and C) in Mysore. The juices were analyzed for the microbial quality for type of organisms and number of colonies by serial dilution technique, pour plate method,gram’s staining method and staining for fungi; and physico-chemical properties. Results showed that the pineapple juice from two sources was highly contaminated with bacterial pathogens (25×104CFU/mland 20×104CFU/ml). All samples were contaminated with faecal streptococci. In source-B and C, all juices showed high counts of fungal colonies (Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium and yeast). It is contended that contamination was mainly due to poor quality of water used for dilution as well as prevailing unhygienic conditions related to washing of utensils and maintenance of the premises. The result showed the poor hygienic quality of street vended fruit juices and the possible risk to the consumers. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jfstn.v8i0.11746 J. Food Sci. Technol. Nepal, Vol. 8 (30-34), 2013

scholarly journals Evidence Supporting an Antimicrobial Origin of Targeting Peptides to Endosymbiotic Organelles

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clotilde Garrido ◽  
Oliver D. Caspari ◽  
Yves Choquet ◽  
Francis-André Wollman ◽  
Ingrid Lafontaine
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Activity ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Quantitative Assessment ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Signal Peptides ◽  
Fluorescent Reporter ◽  
Photosynthetic Eukaryotes ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Primary Endosymbiosis ◽  
Organelle Targeting

Mitochondria and chloroplasts emerged from primary endosymbiosis. Most proteins of the endosymbiont were subsequently expressed in the nucleo-cytosol of the host and organelle-targeted via the acquisition of N-terminal presequences, whose evolutionary origin remains enigmatic. Using a quantitative assessment of their physico-chemical properties, we show that organelle targeting peptides, which are distinct from signal peptides targeting other subcellular compartments, group with a subset of antimicrobial peptides. We demonstrate that extant antimicrobial peptides target a fluorescent reporter to either the mitochondria or the chloroplast in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and, conversely, that extant targeting peptides still display antimicrobial activity. Thus, we provide strong computational and functional evidence for an evolutionary link between organelle-targeting and antimicrobial peptides. Our results support the view that resistance of bacterial progenitors of organelles to the attack of host antimicrobial peptides has been instrumental in eukaryogenesis and in the emergence of photosynthetic eukaryotes.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Redesigned Personal Protective Equipment Gown

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. S199-S205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank A Drews ◽  
Diane Mulvey ◽  
Kristina Stratford ◽  
Matthew H Samore ◽  
Jeanmarie Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Ebola Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Healthcare Personnel ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Patient Simulator ◽  
Task Load ◽  
Load Ratings

Abstract Background In healthcare, the goal of personal protective equipment (PPE) is to protect healthcare personnel (HCP) and patients from body fluids and infectious organisms via contact, droplet, or airborne transmission. The critical importance of using PPE properly is highlighted by 2 potentially fatal viral infections, severe acute respiratory syndrome–associated coronavirus and Ebola virus, where HCP became infected while caring for patients due to errors in the use of PPE. However, PPE in dealing with less dangerous, but highly infectious organisms is important as well. This work proposes a framework to test and evaluate PPE with a focus on gown design. Methods An observational study identified issues with potential for contamination related to gown use. After redesigning the existing gown, a high-fidelity patient simulator study with 40 HCP as participants evaluated the gown redesign using 2 commonly performed tasks. Variables of interest were nonadherence to procedural standards, use problems with the gown during task performance, and usability and cognitive task load ratings of the standard and redesigned gowns. Results While no differences were found in terms of nonadherence and use problems between the current and the redesigned gown, differences in usability and task load ratings suggested that the redesigned gown is perceived more favorably by HCP. Conclusions This work proposes a framework to guide the evaluation of PPE. The results suggest that the current design of the PPE gown can be improved in usability and user satisfaction. Although our data did not find an increase in adherence to protocol when using the redesigned gown, it is likely that higher usability and lower task load could result in higher adherence over longer periods of use.

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