Essential oils are concentrated natural extracts derived from plants, which were proved to be good sources of bioactive compounds with antioxidative and antimicrobial properties. This study followed ...the effect of some commonly used essential oils in micellar and aqueous extract on some of the most common pathogenic bacteria. Frankincense, myrtle, thyme, lemon, oregano and lavender essential oils were tested against
,
,
,
and
. Both micellar and aqueous extracts were used for determination of their minimal inhibitory (MIC) and bactericidal concentrations (MBC). The most active oils were oregano, thyme, lemon and lavender, while the least active were frankincense and myrtle. Oregano oil presented up to 64 times lower MICs/MBCs than ethylic alcohol, if considered as standard, on all bacteria. Most susceptible bacteria were the Gram-positive cocci, including methicillin resistant
, while the most resistant was
. With some exceptions, the best activity was achieved by micelles suspension of essential oils, with MICs and MBCs ranging from 0.1% to > 50% v/v. Only oregano and lavender aqueous extracts presented bactericidal activity and only on
(MIC = 6.3%). Thyme, lemon and oregano oils present significantly lower overall average MICs for their micellar form than for their aqueous extracts. The present results may suggest some formulas of colloid or micelle suspensions of whole essential oils such as oregano, thyme or lemon oil, that may help in antimicrobial fight. Aqueous extracts of oregano or thyme oil with good antibacterial activity could also be used in selected cases.
The human body is colonized from the birth by a large number of microorganisms. This will constitute a real “functional microbial organ” that is fundamental for homeostasis and therefore for health ...in humans. Those microorganisms. The microbial populations that colonize humans creating a specific ecosystem they have been collectively referred to as “human microbiota” or “human normal microflora”. The microbiota play an important pathophysiological role in the various locations of the human body. This article focuses on one of the most important, that is the enteric microbiota. The composition (quantitative and qualitative) of microbes is analyzed in relation to age and environment during the course of human life. It also highlights eubiosis and dysbiosis as key terms for its role in health and disease. Finally, it analyzes its bi-directional relationship with the microbiota of the lungs, skin and that of the brain, and consequently for the whole central and peripheral nervous system for the maintenance of health in the human body.
Given that the contemporary world is changing substantially and enduringly, there is now an increasing call for transforming learning landscapes to actualize future-ready education, which equips ...students with the diversified knowledge, skills, and qualities to cope with the unforeseeable and ever-evolving future. In recent years, many crises, especially since the unprecedented global pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, have put a spotlight on the weaknesses associated with the conventional learning landscape, especially in terms of preparedness planning. A fundamental problem lies in the tendency of the overall landscape to remain lagging behind rather than looking forward, such that students lack the readiness to confront the future ahead of them. Nonetheless, the lingering paradox is that in what ways could the future learning landscape be unfolded and planned by educators when the future remains complex and unknowable. This conceptual article borrows the concepts of "preparedness" commonly found across disaster response and emergency management as well as "future of education" with relevant trends and changes, to reveal the possible directions for equipping students with uncertainty preparedness. This can facilitate and empower all students to recognize and embrace all the unknowns and to remain resilient and responsive.
Purpose
This research is an interview-based study that captures the academics’ perspectives toward the planning and design of an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum for undergraduate ...students in the Chinese context, using the Common Core Curriculum at the University of Hong Kong as a case study.
Design/Approach/Methods
A total of 28 academics with various levels of academic ranking, disciplinary context, proven teaching excellence, and research productivities were individually invited for and consented to a semi-structured and face-to-face interview.
Findings
This article suggests four fundamental and interrelated dimensions for consideration when structuring an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum, namely, how to design, what is worth learning, how to learn and teach, and how to know students have learned. It is suggested that the ideal curriculum should remain coherent and coordinated, broad and balanced, as well as open and flexible, ensuring the capture of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, with the facilitation of active, authentic, and contextualized pedagogies and assessments.
Originality/Value
This article has the potential of providing insight for policymakers and educators around the world to better structure an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum by creating an overall springboard for future discussion. They can also integrate these evidence-based elements and strategies into their everyday practices.
In order to evaluate the influence of CDK5 inhibitory peptide (CIP) on Human alphaherpesvirus 1 (HSV-1) replication, we constructed two recombinant adeno-associated-virus 2 (rAAV2) vectors encoding ...CIP fused with cyan-fluorescent-protein (CFP), with or without nuclear localization signal. A third vector encoding non-fused CIP and CFP was also constructed. HeLa and HEK 293T cells were infected with the rAAV-CIP vectors at multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 5000, in the absence or presence of a recombinant HSV-1 that encodes a yellow-fluorescent-protein (rHSV48Y; MOI = 1). Cells co-infected with rHSV48Y and rAAV vectors that did not express the CIP gene (rAAV-CFP-Neo) served as controls. At 24 h after infection, the effect of CIP on rHSV48Y replication was assessed by PCR, qRT-PCR, Western-blot, flow-cytometry, epifluorescence and confocal microscopy. We show that in cultures co-infected with rAAV-CFP-Neo, 27% of the CFP-positive cells present rHSV48Y replication compartments. By contrast, in cultures co-infected with CIP-encoding rAAV2 vectors and rHSV48Y only 6-20% of the cells positive for CIP showed rHSV48Y replication compartments, depending on the CIP variant. Flow-cytometry showed that less than 40% of the rHSV48Y/rAAV-CIP, and more than 75% of rHSV48Y/rAAV-CFP-Neo co-infected cells were positive for both transgene products. The microscopy and flow-cytometry data support the hypothesis that CIP is inhibiting HSV-1 replication.
The link between Candida albicans and diabetes mellitus is well-acknowledged, but incompletely elucidated.
The purpose of this study is to assess the growth rate of C. albicans (CA) in the presence ...of different concentrations of glucose and fructose, two of the main pathophysiologic and nutritionally relevant sugars in diabetic patients, in order to obtain a better understanding of the nutrient acquisition strategy and its possible relation to the hyperglycemic status of diabetic patients.
The effects of different concentrations of glucose and fructose (1000 mg%, 500 mg%, 250 mg% and 100 mg% w/v) on the growth rate of CA have been studied by flow-cytometry.
We found that glucose concentration is directly related to CA growth, which may be linked to the frequent yeast infections that occur in non-controlled diabetic patients; we also show that fructose inhibits CA growth rate.
As a consequence of our hypothesis, the study demonstrates that fructose-containing food may prevent the development of candidiasis, at least in oral sites.
Accuracy of Diagnostic Tests Santini, Ario; Man, Adrian; Voidăzan, Septimiu
Journal of critical care medicine (Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie din Targu-Mures),
07/2021, Letnik:
7, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, design, development, validation, verification and implementation of diagnostic tests were actively addressed by a large ...number of diagnostic test manufacturers. This paper deals with the biases and sources of variation which influence the accuracy of diagnostic tests, including calculating and interpreting test characteristics, defining what is meant by test accuracy, understanding the basic study design for evaluating test accuracy, understanding the meaning of Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Value and Negative Predictive Value, and evaluating them numerically, and the ROC curve (or Receiver Operating Characteristic ) and the Area under the Curve (AUC).
The species of the
genus, including
L., are widely used and their wood represents a valuable material utilized for various purposes. The intense industrial processing of wood results in a ...considerable amount of poorly-used natural by-products, such as bark, and a loss of potentially useful raw materials. Thus, the aim of our study was to evaluate the phytochemical characteristics and potential biological activities of
bark extracts obtained by optimizing the parameters of microwave assisted extraction (MAE). The optimum conditions for MAE were determined using a design of experiments (DoE) model, which set the experimental variables (irradiation time and microwave power) and their values. Aqueous and hydroalcoholic extractions were performed and the optimum parameters of extraction were determined for both solvents. The total polyphenolic and tannin contents were determined. The biological activities representative of antioxidant capacity were determined using two free radical scavenging methods, the DPPH and ABTS methods, and the antibacterial activity was assessed with the microdilution method. The results showed different optimal extraction conditions for aqueous (30 min at 850 W) and hydroalcoholic (18 min at 650 W) extracts. A higher yield of total polyphenols was observed in the hydroalcoholic bark extract (403.73 ± 7.35 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dried weight); however a lower level of tannins was registered in comparison to the aqueous extract. In addition, both extracts exerted high antioxidant activities, with the aqueous extracts having a stronger inhibitory effect against the DPPH radical. Moreover, the extracts exhibited antibacterial activity against the tested bacterial strains, especially against the Gram-positive strains and
, with the hydroalcoholic extracts being more efficient overall. To conclude, the optimized MAE was an efficient method to extract phytochemical compounds with potential biological effects from
bark.
The bark resulted as a by-product after different
processing is a valuable alternative source of phenolic compounds (mainly tannins). Hence, the focus of the present work was to obtain eight extracts ...from the rhytidome of the less-studied
and
and characterize them in terms of chemical and bioactive profiles. Ultrasound and microwave-assisted extraction methods were used for the preparation of the extracts. Total phenolic and tannin contents were assessed through classic spectrophotometric methods, while several individual phenolic compounds were identified and quantified using UPLC-PDA. Antioxidant, enzyme-inhibitory, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities were tested using in vitro assays; additionally being evaluated was the ability of the extracts to inhibit the adherence of MRSA to suture wires. The UPLC analysis confirmed the presence of gallic acid, catechin, taxifolin, vanillic acid, epicatechin, and caffeic acid. The results showed that tested extracts were able to exert cytotoxic effects, at 6% and 3% concentrations, on confluent cells. The tested solutions inhibit α-glucosidase activity and the antibacterial potential suggested a mild to moderate effect against the Gram-positive strains. Overall, the obtained results revealed rich phenolic and tannin contents for the extracts obtained from both species through microwave-assisted extraction, probably responsible for their mild antibacterial and cytotoxic effects.
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