A comparative study to evaluate the effects of antibiotics, plant extracts and fluoride-based toothpaste on the oral pathogens isolated from patients with gum diseases in Pakistan

Oral diseases caused by various microorganisms are common around the world. Scientific research has now been focusing on novel medicines to overcome bacterial resistance and antibiotics side effects; therefore, the current study was designed to assess the efficacy of certain antibiotics, toothpaste, and medicinal plant extracts (Ajuga bracteosa and Curcuma longa) versus the bacterial pathogens isolated from the human oral cavity. A total of 130 samples were collected from Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar, Pakistan, among those 27 species isolated, and eight bacterial species were identified from the samples. Among all the bacterial species, Staphylococcus aureus (29.62%) and Proteus mirabilis (22.2%) were found to be more prevalent oral pathogens. In comparison, the least pervasive microbes were Proteus vulgaris, Shigella sonnei, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas hydrophila. The study also suggested that dental problems were more prevalent in males (41-50 years of age) than females. Among the eight antibiotics used in the study, the most promising results were shown by Foxicillin against A. hydrophila. The survey of TP1 revealed that it showed more potent antagonist activity against Proteus vulgaris as compared TP2 and TP3 that might be due to the high content of fluoride. The Curcuma longa showed more significant activity than Ajuga bracteosa (Stem, leaves and root) extracts. The data obtained through this study revealed that antibiotics were more effective for oral bacterial pathogens than toothpaste and plant extracts which showed moderate and low activity, respectively. Therefore, it is suggested that the active compounds in individual medicinal plants like Curcuma longa and Ajuga bracteosa could replace the antibiotics when used in daily routine as tooth cleansers or mouth rinses.

ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROBIAL FAUNA IN UTI PATIENTS

Urinary tract infection caused by bacteria leads to inflammation. It is an important infection which can cause a highly morbidity rates in both males and females. The aim of the present study was determine the percentage prevalence of the UTI among the general population and the percentage of the bacterial isolates in the Urine samples. Among 150 samples bacterial isolates were obtained which included Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The highest prevalence of specific bacteria was found to be Escherichia coli recorded among all the UTI patients to be (55.55%) the least percentage among the bacteria were Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacter aerogenes which recorded 16.66%, 5.55%, 11.11% and 11.11% respectively. Results of the study showed that of femaleshad UTI more than the males.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Effects of Four Selected Marine Macroalgae from Iskenderun Bay

In the present study, the seaweeds belong to Phaeophyaceae (Cystoseira elegans Sauvageau 1912, Cystoseira amentacea (C.Agardh) Bory 1832, Padina crassa Yamada 1931) and Florideophyceae (Corallina elongata J.Ellis & Solander 1786) collected from nearby Iskenderun-Turkey of Mediterranean Sea were detected for their antimicrobial activities against seven bacterial strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Bacillus cereus NRRL B-371, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Proteus vulgaris RSKK 96029). The antimicrobial activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). According to the results obtained from MICs and MBCs values of the extracts on pathogenic microorganisms were between 0.78 to 50 mg/mL. The lowest MICs and MBCs values were recorded for C. elegans extract against B. cereus with a MIC value of 0.78 mg/mL. These results suggest that secondary metabolites of brown and red algae are important sources that could be used as broad spectrum of biological and pharmaceutical activities.

Structure and mechanism of a cytosine transport protein

CodB is a cytosine transporter from the Nucleobase-Cation-Symport-1 (NCS1) transporter family, a member of the widespread LeuT superfamily. Previous experiments with the nosocomial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa have shown CodB also to be important in the uptake of 5-fluorocytosine, which has been suggested as a novel drug to combat antimicrobial resistance by suppressing virulence in the organism. Here we solve the crystal structure of CodB from Proteus vulgaris, at 2.4Å resolution in complex with cytosine. We show that the protein carries out the sodium-dependent uptake of cytosine and can bind 5-fluorocytosine. Comparison of the substrate-bound structures of CodB and the hydantoin transporter Mhp1, the only other NCS1 family member for which the structure is known, highlight the importance of the hydrogen bonds that the substrates make with the main chain at the breakpoint in the discontinuous helix, TM6. In contrast to other LeuT superfamily members, neither CodB nor Mhp1 make specific interactions with residues on TM1. Comparison of the structures provides insight into the intricate mechanisms of how these proteins transport substrates across the plasma membrane.

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of Hydroxy and Chloro-Substituted Chalcone Derivatives

Chalcones are a class of natural products reported with a wide range of biological activities. Among them antibacterial is much promising and many potent chalcones have been emerged as useful antibacterial agents. In view of this, we synthesized 15 chalcones (3a-3o) containing both hydroxyl and chlorine substituents and studied them by using spectroscopic methods. The compounds were tested for antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris, among other harmful microorganisms. The compounds have moderate to high antibacterial activity, among them heteroaromatic ring containing compounds (3m, 3n, and 3o) elicited higher activity than the standard drug benzyl penicillin. The compound 3m having the pyridinyl compound displayed the maximum activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris, with zone of inhibition (in mm) values of 27.52±0.16, 28.85±0.11, 22.05±0.16, and 23.18±0.17, respectively. The synthesized compounds could be used as lead molecules in the development of novel antibacterial medicines.

SKIRTINGOSE LIETUVOS VIETOVĖSE SURINKTŲ ŽIEDADULKIŲ EKSTRAKTO ANTIMIKROBINIS VEIKIMAS

Įvadas. Pasaulio sveikatos organizacijos (PSO) duomenimis, bakterijų atsparumas antibiotikams kelia didelę grėsmę visame pasaulyje ir sunkina infekcinių ligų gydymą [1]. Manoma, kad apie 70 proc. bakterijų, kurios sukelia infekcinius susirgimus ligoninėse, yra atsparios bent vienam iš gydymui naudojamų antibiotikų. Ši situacija skatina ieškoti kitų sprendimų, vienas iš jų – bičių produktus naudoti kaip natūralius antibiotikus dėl jų antimikrobinio veikimo. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti skirtingose Lietuvos vietovėse surinktų žiedadulkių ekstraktų antimikrobinį veikimą. Tyrimo metodika. Atliktas įvairiuose Lietuvos ūkiuose surinktų žiedadulkių skirtingos koncentracijos ekstraktų mikrobiologinis tyrimas. Nustatytas 50 žiedadulkių ekstraktų mėginių antimikrobinis poveikis dešimties etaloninių bakterijų kultūrų ir grybelio Candida albicans atžvilgiu. Tyrimo duomenų analizė atlikta naudojant aprašomąją statistiką, skaičiuojant dažnius bei grupių palyginimą pagal Kruskal Wallis, tyrimo duomenys apdoroti Microsoft Excel 2019 programa. Tyrimo rezultatai. Nustatyta, kad stipriausią antimikrobinį poveikį turėjo D žiedadulkių, surinktų Kaišiadorių rajone, ekstraktas. D ekstrakto antimikrobinis poveikis Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes atžvilgiu nustatytas esant 0,025 ml ekstrakto 1 agaro ml. Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus vulgaris ir grybelį Candida albicans, išskyrus Escherichia coli, ekstraktas veikė esant jo 0,0375 – 0,05 ml agaro 1 ml. Žiedadulkių ekstraktas gramteigiamąsias bakterijas veikia stipriau, lyginant su gramneigiamosiomis. Šis skirtumas siejamas su gramteigiamų ir gramneigiamų bakterijų ląstelės sienelės struktūros skirtumais. Išvados. Stipriausią antimikrobinį veikimą turi žiedadulkės, surinktos Kaišiadorių rajone. Nustatyta, kad žiedadulkių ekstraktai stipriau veikia gramteigiamąsias bakterijas, lyginant su gramneigiamosiomis.

Isolation and Identification of Anthracene Utilizing Proteus vulgaris from Oil Spill Contaminated Soil at NNPC Depot Kano State Nigeria

Microbial biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like Anthracene, represent an efficient, time, and cost-effective way for bioremediation of the polluted environment. This study was aimed at isolating, identifying and characterizing bacteria with potential to degrade and utilize anthracene as a sole carbon source. A bacteria was isolated from oil spilled contaminated site located in Kano, using an enrichment method on mineral salt media (MSM) following serial dilution (10-1-10-6). Characterization was done by studying the effects of temperature and pH on mineral salt media (MSM) containing anthracene. The isolate was then identified morphologically, biochemically and molecularly based on 16S rRNA partial gene sequence analysis. The morphological and microscopic examination of the isolate from this research shows that the isolate was creamy in color, motile, gram negative, short rod and non-spore forming respectively. The biochemical test of the isolate was found to be positive for these parameters (methyl red, catalase, motility, indole and urease) and negative for (citrate and oxidase). The 16S rRNA sequence and Phylogenetic analysis using neighbor joining tree and 1000 boos trap revealed that, the isolate was closely related (on the same clade) to Proteus vulgaris with accession number MW766369. Characterization was done by studying the effects of temperature and pH. The isolated bacterium was optimal at a temperature of 35ºC and pH 7.5. This isolate is a promising strain that could be used in bioremediation of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons polluted environment.

Ação cicatrizante da infusão de folhas de pata-de-vaca (Bauhinia forficata) sobre ferida ortopédica em bovino de leite

As feridas cutâneas comprometem a produção de bovinos de leite, além de gerar gastos financeiros com fármacos convencionais que nem sempre são suficientes para a cura. Alternativamente, a fitoterapia pode ser útil pela presença de compostos ativos, além de geralmente ter menor custo, destacando-se a planta “pata-de-vaca” (Bauhinia forficata, BAUH), popularmente usada por sua ação cicatrizante. O presente trabalho objetivou relatar um caso de bovina de leite com lesão crônica em região carpal do membro anterior direito por trauma físico e tratada com infusão de BAUH. Sem resposta aos tratamentos convencionais, optou-se por aplicar topicamente um preparo de infusão de folhas de BAUH, duas vezes ao dia, por cinco semanas, associada à limpeza local, com mensuração da área e perímetro da lesão em dias alternados. Ainda, foi realizada coleta de amostra para cultura bacteriana e antibiograma. Os resultados revelaram uma evolução da lesão inicial de aumento de volume, inflamação e material necrótico (dia zero; área de 174.4805 mm²) para uma lesão com proliferação de células endoteliais vasculares e fibroblastos, ausência de necrose e formação de bordas “rosadas” (dia 35; área de 27.6562 mm²). Essa evolução indicou uma reversão da lesão crônica, permitindo a fase cicatricial, ocorrida provavelmente pelos compostos kaempferol, karmpferitrina e quercetina, com reconhecida ação antioxidante, hipoglicemiante e por modularem a resposta inflamatória. Na cultura, Proteus vulgaris e Escheria coli isolados eram multirresistentes aos antibióticos. Concluiu-se que o extrato de infusão de BAUH pode ser um produto promissor como adjuvante na terapia de feridas cutâneas, permitindo a cicatrização.