Y0.8−xGdxF3:Yb/Er mesocrystals with a biocompatible surface and diverse morphological characteristics were successfully synthesized using chitosan-assisted solvothermal processing. Their structural ...properties, studied using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were further correlated with the up-conversion emission (λexc = 976 nm) recorded in function of temperature. Based on the change in the visible green emissions originating from the thermally coupled 2H11/2 and 4S3/2 levels of Er3+, the corresponding LIR was acquired in the physiologically relevant range of temperatures (25–50 °C). The detected absolute sensitivity of about 0.0042 °C−1, along with the low cytotoxicity toward both normal human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) and cancerous lung epithelial (A549) cells, indicate a potential for use in temperature sensing in biomedicine. Additionally, their enhanced internalization in cells, without suppression of cell viability, enabled in vitro labeling of cancer and healthy cells upon 976 nm laser irradiation.
In this work, we synthesized a new composite material comprised of previously formulated resveratrol nanobelt-like particles (ResNPs) and selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs), namely ResSeNPs. ...Characterization was provided by FESEM and optical microscopy, as well as by UV-Vis and FTIR spectroscopy, the last showing hydrogen bonds between ResNPs and SeNPs. DPPH, TBA, and FRAP assays showed excellent antioxidative abilities with ResNPs and SeNPs contributing mainly to lipid peroxidation inhibition and reducing/scavenging activity, respectively. The antibacterial effect against common medicinal implant colonizers pointed to notably higher activity against
isolates (minimal inhibitory concentrations 0.75-1.5%) compared to tested gram-negative species (
and
). Antibiofilm activity against
,
, and
determined in a crystal violet assay was promising (up to 69%), but monitoring of selected biofilm-related gene expression (
A and
D) indicated the necessity of the involvement of a larger number of genes in the analysis in order to further establish the underlying mechanism. Although biocompatibility screening showed some cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in MTT and alkaline comet assays, respectively, it is important to note that active antioxidative and antibacterial/antibiofilm concentrations were non-cytotoxic and non-genotoxic in normal MRC-5 cells. These results encourage further composite improvements and investigation in order to adapt it for specific biomedical purposes.
Fermented foods containing psychobiotics are of growing interest among food scientists. Human-derived Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, a gut symbiont and potential psychobiotic strain, has been ...shown to exhibit the following health benefits: anti-inflammation and GABA-production capacity, as well as modulation of pathogen and cancer cell growth. The aim of this research was to develop an acid-coagulated fresh soft quark-type cheese, fermented with L. reuteri DSM 17938, with enhanced bioactivity, sensory acceptability, and overall likeability. Psychobiotic-containing cheeses represent the food of a new generation, so it is of great importance to gain the trust of the consumers. To develop a familiar taste, cheese samples were enriched with mushroom powders of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus. A high abundance of lactic acid bacteria was maintained in all cheese samples (>log 7.64 CFU/mL), while cheese extracts exhibited cytotoxicity to colon cancer cell line HCT116 (up to 30.96%) in vitro. Additionally, cheese samples provided a favorable medium for the growth of the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (>log 7.11 CFU/mL). Sensory evaluation revealed high scores for all samples (up to 97.21% of maximum overall quality). The survey conducted in this study offered insights into consumer willingness to try products containing psychobiotics. This study demonstrates the potential for the successful development of fermented food products with L. reuteri DSM 17938, which exhibits all the desired traits that consumers may receive well. Further research is required to explore the potential health benefits of these innovative food products.
Persicaria amphibia (subfam. Polygonoideae), an aquatic macrophyte rich in
dietary polyphenolics, is used as a traditional remedy and culinary herb.
Nevertheless, P. amphibia from the Balkan region ...has been insufficiently
studied and underutilized. Here, the cytotoxicity and antimicrobial
properties of the previously chemically characterised ethanol extract of P.
amphibia aerial parts were tested. The following methods were carried out:
the MTT assay, qRT-PCR, microdilution assay, Chromobacterium violaceum
screening assay (monitoring of quorum sensing, QS) and the agar plating
method (antifungal activity). The study was conducted to determine the
cytotoxic effects of P. amphibia against lung cancer cells (A549) and its
combination with cytostatic doxorubicin (Dox). A dose-dependent decrease in
cell viability (up to 82% reduction) and additive interactions of the tested
agents were noted. Both alone and combined with Dox, P. amphibia reduced the
expression of Nrf2 (p < 0.05). In terms of antimicrobial effects, P.
amphibia exhibited an antipathogenic effect since it disrupted QS
communication, which was evident through the inhibition of violacein
production of C. violaceum CV025. The antifungal screening revealed that P.
amphibia induced significant growth inhibition of Aspergillus spp. (28.23%).
Based on the obtained results, further examination of the potential use of
P. amphibia in modern phytotherapy and diet-derived cancer chemoprevention
is encouraged.
In Slovenia, there is no legal basis for computer-implemented inventions, and in the European Union (EU) such inventions are not yet clearly defined. Over the last twenty years there have been many ...heated debates in the EU arena concerning a single legal instrument, but a final solution remains elusive. In Slovenia and the EU, legal protection of computer-implemented inventions thus remains on thin ice: there are certain non-obvious combinations for obtaining a patent, but ultimately the decisive factor may as well be how the patent application is written. This status quo therefore necessitates an examination of this field: to arrive at a legal basis that would regulate the patenting of computer-implemented inventions it is necessary to identify and address the most critical points. This paper deals with this issue. It starts by presenting examples of computer-implemented inventions, followed by an overview of the state of play - the status quo concerning legal protection in Slovenia and the EU. This paper also provides an overview of copyright as a legal basis for computer programs, which is the same in Slovenia and in the EU. Copyright is not exclusive, as computer programs are often also protected as trade secrets and as knowhow.
Recently, many studies have shown various beneficial effects of polyphenol resveratrol (Res) on human health. The most important of these effects include cardioprotective, neuroprotective, ...anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, osteoinductive, and anti-microbial effects. Resveratrol has cis and trans isoforms, with the trans isoform being more stable and biologically active. Despite the results of in vitro experiments, resveratrol has limited potential for application in vivo due to its poor water solubility, sensitivity to oxygen, light, and heat, rapid metabolism, and therefore low bioavailability. The possible solution to overcome these limitations could be the synthesis of resveratrol in nanoparticle form. Accordingly, in this study, we have developed a simple, green solvent/non-solvent physicochemical method to synthesize stable, uniform, carrier-free resveratrol nanobelt-like particles (ResNPs) for applications in tissue engineering. UV–visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) was used to identify the trans isoform of ResNPs which remained stable for at least 63 days. The additional qualitative analysis was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), while X-ray diffraction (XRD) determined the monoclinic structure of resveratrol with a significant difference in the intensity of diffraction peaks between commercial and nano-belt form. The morphology of ResNPs was evaluated by optical microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) that revealed a uniform nanobelt-like structure with an individual thickness of less than 1 μm. Bioactivity was confirmed using Artemia salina in vivo toxicity assay, while 2,2–diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazylhydrate (DPPH) reduction assay showed the good antioxidative potential of concentrations of 100 μg/ml and lower. Microdilution assay on several reference strains and clinical isolates showed promising antibacterial potential on Staphylococci, with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) being 800 μg/ml. Bioactive glass-based scaffolds were coated with ResNPs and characterized to confirm coating potential. All of the above make these particles a promising bioactive, easy-to-handle component in various biomaterial formulations.
Graphical Abstract
Multidrug-resistant bacterial strains represent an emerging global health threat and a great obstacle for bone tissue engineering. One of the major components of the extracellular matrix of the bone ...is a collagen protein, while selenium is an element that has antimicrobial potential, and is also important for bone metabolism and bone health. Here we represent the incorporation of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) synthesized by the green chemical reduction method into collagen gels to produce a composite material, collagen/SeNPs, with antimicrobial properties. The samples were comprehensively characterized by zeta potential measurements, dynamic light scattering inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and differential scanning calorimetry The cytotoxicity of the SeNPS, as well as collagen/SeNPs, was tested on the MRC-5 cells. It was revealed that collagen/SeNPS expressed a lower cytotoxic effect. Collagen/SeNPs showed significant antibacterial activity against all tested Gram-positive strains, the major causative agents of orthopedic infections as well as Candida albicans. Furthermore, three-dimensional β-tricalcium phosphate (3D-TCP) scaffolds were fabricated by a well-established 3D printing (lithography) method, and afterward preliminary coated by newly-synthesized SeNPs or collagen/SeNPs. In addition, uncoated 3D-TCP scaffolds as well as coated by collagen/SeNPs were subjected to biofilm formation. The production of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm on coated scaffolds by collagen/SeNPs was significantly reduced compared to the uncoated ones.
Y
Gd
F
:Yb/Er mesocrystals with a biocompatible surface and diverse morphological characteristics were successfully synthesized using chitosan-assisted solvothermal processing. Their structural ...properties, studied using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were further correlated with the up-conversion emission (λ
= 976 nm) recorded in function of temperature. Based on the change in the visible green emissions originating from the thermally coupled
H
and
S
levels of Er
, the corresponding LIR was acquired in the physiologically relevant range of temperatures (25-50 °C). The detected absolute sensitivity of about 0.0042 °C
, along with the low cytotoxicity toward both normal human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) and cancerous lung epithelial (A549) cells, indicate a potential for use in temperature sensing in biomedicine. Additionally, their enhanced internalization in cells, without suppression of cell viability, enabled in vitro labeling of cancer and healthy cells upon 976 nm laser irradiation.
Ysub.0.8−xGdsub.xFsub.3:Yb/Er mesocrystals with a biocompatible surface and diverse morphological characteristics were successfully synthesized using chitosan-assisted solvothermal processing. Their ...structural properties, studied using X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis, were further correlated with the up-conversion emission (λsub.exc = 976 nm) recorded in function of temperature. Based on the change in the visible green emissions originating from the thermally coupled sup.2Hsub.11/2 and sup.4Ssub.3/2 levels of Ersup.3+, the corresponding LIR was acquired in the physiologically relevant range of temperatures (25–50 °C). The detected absolute sensitivity of about 0.0042 °Csup.−1, along with the low cytotoxicity toward both normal human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) and cancerous lung epithelial (A549) cells, indicate a potential for use in temperature sensing in biomedicine. Additionally, their enhanced internalization in cells, without suppression of cell viability, enabled in vitro labeling of cancer and healthy cells upon 976 nm laser irradiation.
Fermented foods containing psychobiotics are of growing interest among food scientists. Human-derived Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938, a gut symbiont and potential psychobiotic strain, has been ...shown to exhibit the following health benefits: anti-inflammation and GABA-production capacity, as well as modulation of pathogen and cancer cell growth. The aim of this research was to develop an acid-coagulated fresh soft quark-type cheese, fermented with L. reuteri DSM 17938, with enhanced bioactivity, sensory acceptability, and overall likeability. Psychobiotic-containing cheeses represent the food of a new generation, so it is of great importance to gain the trust of the consumers. To develop a familiar taste, cheese samples were enriched with mushroom powders of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus ostreatus. A high abundance of lactic acid bacteria was maintained in all cheese samples (>log 7.64 CFU/mL), while cheese extracts exhibited cytotoxicity to colon cancer cell line HCT116 (up to 30.96%) in vitro. Additionally, cheese samples provided a favorable medium for the growth of the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (>log 7.11 CFU/mL). Sensory evaluation revealed high scores for all samples (up to 97.21% of maximum overall quality). The survey conducted in this study offered insights into consumer willingness to try products containing psychobiotics. This study demonstrates the potential for the successful development of fermented food products with L. reuteri DSM 17938, which exhibits all the desired traits that consumers may receive well. Further research is required to explore the potential health benefits of these innovative food products.
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