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Pourya Gholizadeh,1,2 Rohollah Safari,3 Parham Marofi,4 Elham Zeinalzadeh,4 Pasquale Pagliano,5 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,6 Silvano Esposito,5 Ehsaneh Khodadadi,7 Mehdi Yousefi,8 Hossein Samadi Kafil7 1Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Department of Microbiology, Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Hematology and Oncology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 5Department of Medicine, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy; 6Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan; 7Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 8Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranCorrespondence: Hossein Samadi Kafil Tel +98-9127184735Fax +98-4133364661Email Kafilhs@tbzmed.ac.irIntroduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China and spread worldwide. In this study, we assessed the characteristics of markers of the liver in patients with COVID-19 to provide new insights in improving clinical treatment.Patients and Methods: We recruited 279 patients who confirmed COVID-19 and the data of liver biomarkers and complete blood count of patients were defined as the day onset when the patients admitted to the hospital.Results: The average of LDH value was 621.29 U/L in all patients with COVID-19, and CPK was 286.90 U/L. The average AST was 44.03 U/L in all patients, and ALT was 31.14 U/L. The AST/ALT ratio was 1.64 in all patients. The measurement of CRP was increased by 79.93% in all patients. Average ALT and AST values of patients with elevated ALT were significantly increased in comparison to patients with normal ALT (P-value = 0.001), while AST/ALT ratio was significantly decreased compared to patients with normal ALT (P-value= 0.014). In addition, the average LDH of patients with elevated ALT was significantly increased compared to patients with normal ALT (P-value = 0.014).Conclusion: Hepatic injury and abnormal liver enzymes related to COVID-19 infection is an acute non-specific inflammation alteration.Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, hepatic injury, liver enzymes, aminotransferases

Ehsaneh Khodadadi,1 Elham Zeinalzadeh,2,3 Sepehr Taghizadeh,1 Bahareh Mehramouz,3 Fadhil S Kamounah,4 Ehsan Khodadadi,5 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,6 Bahman Yousefi,7 Milad Bastami,7 Hossein Samadi Kafil1 1Drug Applied Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Hematology and Oncology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK 2100, Denmark; 5Department of Biology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran; 6Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan; 7Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranCorrespondence: Hossein Samadi KafilDrug Applied Research Center, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Golgasht Ave, Tabriz 5166614711, IranTel +98-9127184735Fax +98-4133364661Email Kafilhs@tbzmed.ac.irAbstract: Sequences of the genomes of all-important bacterial pathogens of man, plants, and animals have been completed. Still, it is not enough to achieve complete information of all the mechanisms controlling the biological processes of an organism. Along with all advances in different proteomics technologies, proteomics has completed our knowledge of biological processes all around the world. Proteomics is a valuable technique to explain the complement of proteins in any organism. One of the fields that has been notably benefited from other systems approaches is bacterial pathogenesis. An emerging field is to use proteomics to examine the infectious agents in terms of, among many, the response the host and pathogen to the infection process, which leads to a deeper knowledge of the mechanisms of bacterial virulence. This trend also enables us to identify quantitative measurements for proteins extracted from microorganisms. The present review study is an attempt to summarize a variety of different proteomic techniques and advances. The significant applications in bacterial pathogenesis studies are also covered. Moreover, the areas where proteomics may lead the future studies are introduced.Keywords: bacterial pathogenesis studies, drug resistance, virulence, pathogen, proteomics

Pourya Gholizadeh,1,2 Şükran Köse,3 Sounkalo Dao,4 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,5 Asghar Tanomand,6 Tuba Dal,7 Mohammad Aghazadeh,8 Reza Ghotaslou,8 Mohammad Ahangarzadeh Rezaee,8 Bahman Yousefi,8 Hossein Samadi Kafil2,9 1Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, University of Health Sciences, Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey; 4Faculté de Médecine, de Pharmacie et d’Odonto-Stomatologie (FMPOS), University of Bamako, Bamako, Mali; 5Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan; 6Department of Basic Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 7Department of Clinical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Turkey; 8Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 9Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranCorrespondence: Hossein Samadi KafilDrug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranTel +98 9127184735Fax +98 4133364661Email Kafilhs@tbzmed.ac.irAbstract: Rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has made it harder for us to combat infectious diseases and to develop new antibiotics. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats – CRISPR-associated (CRISPR-Cas) system, as a bacterial adaptive immune system, is recognized as one of the new strategies for controlling antibiotic-resistant strains. The programmable Cas nuclease of this system used against bacterial genomic sequences could be lethal or could help reduce resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. Therefore, this study aims to review using the CRISPR-Cas system to promote sensitizing bacteria to antibiotics. We envision that CRISPR-Cas approaches may open novel ways for the development of smart antibiotics, which could eliminate multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens and differentiate between beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms. These systems can be exploited to quantitatively and selectively eliminate individual bacterial strains based on a sequence-specific manner, creating opportunities in the treatment of MDR infections, the study of microbial consortia, and the control of industrial fermentation.Keywords: antibiotic-resistant bacteria, CRISPR-Cas system, sequence-specific manner, resensitization, genome editing

Seyyed Naser Abdi, 1, 2 Reza Ghotaslou, 3 Khudaverdi Ganbarov, 4 Ahmad Mobed, 1 Asghar Tanomand, 5 Mehdi Yousefi, 3 Mohammad Asgharzadeh, 6 Hossein Samadi Kafil 1 1Drug Applied Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan; 5Department of Basic Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 6Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranCorrespondence: Hossein Samadi Kafil Email kafilhs@tbzmed.ac.irAbstract: Acinetobacter baumannii is a nosocomial pathogen and gram-negative coccobacillus that is responsible for opportunistic infections, pneumonia, and infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream, skin, and soft tissue. This bacterium poses a major public health problem due to inducing resistance to several drugs, isolates, multidrug treatment, and occasionally pan drugs. Drug resistance is not only a major concern caused by A. baumannii but also is considered as the main challenge in many other pathogens. Several factors such as the efflux pump are associated with antibiotic resistance, biofilm production, and genetic mutations. In this review, A. baumannii is introduced in then some of the practical works conducted on the existing efflux pump are reviewed. The importance of the efflux pump is considered in this paper in relation to the antibiotic resistance and mechanisms developed for the inhibition of these pumps as well.Keywords: Acinetobacter baumannii, efflux pumps, antibiotic resistance, biofilm, transporters

Raman Ahmadi,1 Asghar Tanomand,2 Fahimeh Kazeminava,1 Fadhil S Kamounah,3 Ali Ayaseh,4 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,5 Mehdi Yousefi,6 Adib Katourani,1 Bahman Yousefi,7 Hossein Samadi Kafil11Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Department of Basic Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 3Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, DK- 2100 Copenhagen. Denmark; 4Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; 5Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan; 6Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 7Immunology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranObjective: The microbial, physico-chemical and optical corruptions threaten a variety of foods and drugs and consequently the human biological safety and its accessible resources. The humanbeing’s tendency towards bio-based materials and natural plant-extracts led to an increase in the usage of antimicrobial biocomposites based on medicinal herbs. Miswak (Salvadora persica L.) extract (SPE) has been proved effective for its antimicrobial and other biological activities. Therefore, in this study, titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (TONP) and SPE were applied to fabricate antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC) based bio-nanocomposites which would simultaneously promote some thermo-physical and barrier properties.Methods: CMC-neat film (C1), CMC/TONP-2% (C2) and CMC/TONP-2% with 150, 300 and 450 mg/mL SPE (SPE150, SPE30 and SPE450, respectively) were fabricated. The physical and mechanical properties; elemental mapping analysis (MAP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA-DTG); fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and UV-vis spectroscopies were done to further validate the results.Results: Addition of TONP (2%) improved the blocking of UV light at 280 nm while SPE-containing nanocomposites completely blocked it. FTIR, XRD and SEM confirmed the formation of homogeneous films and high miscibility of applied materials. TONP led to an increase in Young’s modulus (YM) and stress at break (SB) while SPE decreased them and enhanced the elongation to break (EB) (flexibility) of the active nanocomposites. Compared to CMC-film, the thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA-DTG) showed a higher thermal stability for CMC/TONP and CMC/TONP/SPE nanocomposites. The EDX spectroscopy and elemental mapping analysis (MAP) proved the existence and well-distributedness of Na, K, Cl, S, Ti, F and N elements in SPE-activated nanocomposites. The pure SPE and SPE-activated nanocomposites showed a favorable antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria.Conclusion: The CMC-TiO2-SPE nanocomposites were homogeneously produced. Combination of TiO2 nanoparticles and dose-dependent SPE led to an improvement of thermal stability, and high potential in antimicrobial and UV-barrier properties. These results can generally highlight the role of the fabricated antimicrobial bio-nanocomposites as a based for different applications especially in food/drug packaging or coating.Keywords: antimicrobial biomaterials, biopolymeric nanocomposite, carboxymethyl cellulose, Miswak (Salvadora persica L.), titanium dioxide, food packaging

Mahdi Rahimi,1 Ramin Karimian,2 Ehsan Bahojb Noruzi,3 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,4 Mojtaba Zarei,1 Fadhil S Kamounah,5 Bahman Yousefi,1 Milad Bastami,6 Mehdi Yousefi,7 Hossein Samadi Kafil1 1Drug Applied Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Chemical Injuries Research Center, Systems biology and poisonings institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan; 5Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen. Denmark; 6Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 7Stem Cell Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Background: Chemotherapy as an important tool for cancer treatment faces many obstacles such as multidrug resistance and adverse toxic effects on healthy tissues. Drug delivery systems has opened a new window to overcome these problems. There has been a strong interest development of new platform and system for delivof chemotherapeutic agents. Purpose: In the present study, a green synthesis method was chosen and performed for preparation of a novel amphoteric calix[4]arene (Calix) macrocycle with low toxicity to the human body. Materials and methods: The amphoteric Calix was coated on the surface of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles and used as a magnetic nanocarrier for simultaneous delivery of two anticancer agents, doxorubicin and methotrexate, against MCF7 cancer cells. Several chemical characterizations were done for validation of prepared nanocarrier, and in vitro loading and release studies of drugs were performed with good encapsulation efficiency. Results: In vitro biological studies including hemolysis assay, erythrocytes sedimentation rate, red blood cells aggregation, cyto cellular internalization, and apoptosis evaluations were performed. Based on results, the developed nanocarrier has many advantages and capability for an efficient codelivery of DOX and MTX, which has a highly potent ability to kill cancer cells. Conclusion: All these results persuade us, this nanocarrier could be effectively used for cancer therapy of MCF7 breast cancer cells and is suitable for use in further animal studies in future investigations. Keywords: green synthesis, amphoteric calix[4]arene, drug delivery, combination therapy, MCF7 cells

Zahra Aghapour,1,2 Pourya Gholizadeh,3 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,4 Abed Zahedi Bialvaei,5 Suhad Saad Mahmood,6 Asghar Tanomand,7 Mehdi Yousefi,8 Mohammad Asgharzadeh,9 Bahman Yousefi,9 Hossein Samadi Kafil11Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan; 5Department of Microbiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 6Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq; 7Department of Microbiology, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 8Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 9Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranAbstract: Colistin is an effective antibiotic for treatment of most multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. It is used currently as a last-line drug for infections due to severe Gram-negative bacteria followed by an increase in resistance among Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin resistance is considered a serious problem, due to a lack of alternative antibiotics. Some bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacteriaceae members, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Klebsiella spp. have an acquired resistance against colistin. However, other bacteria, including Serratia spp., Proteus spp. and Burkholderia spp. are naturally resistant to this antibiotic. In addition, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of colistin resistance among multidrug-resistant bacteria and development through mutation or adaptation mechanisms. Rapidly emerging bacterial resistance has made it harder for us to rely completely on the discovery of new antibiotics; therefore, we need to have logical approaches to use old antibiotics, such as colistin. This review presents current knowledge about the different mechanisms of colistin resistance.Keywords: colistin, Enterobacteriaceae, two-component system, lipid A, mcr genes

Aims: Microbial induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) is one of the bio‐cementation methods for improving granular soils. This study evaluate the feasibility of obtaining a bacterial solution with high optical density and urease activity by an inexpensive corn steep liquor (CSL) medium in non‐sterile conditions in order to achieve sand improvement. Methods and Results: Corn steep liquor media with different concentrations (different dilution rates) were prepared and, without any autoclaving (non‐sterile conditions), different percentage of the inoculum solutions were added to them and incubated. Effect of inoculum solution percentage and CSL dilution rates on specifications of bacterial solution was evaluated. Urease activity and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X‐Ray Diffraction (XRD) were used to efficiency of CLS media in sand improvement. The considerable urease activity was measured as 5·7 mS cm−1 min−1 using nonsterile CLS. By using CYNU (CSL‐Yeast extract‐NH4Cl‐Urea) bacterial solution, the urease activity of 5·5 mS cm−1 min−1 for the OD600 (optical density at 600 nm) of 1·88 and, consequently, specific urease activity of 2·93 mS cm−1 min−1 OD600−1 was obtained. The highest unconfined compressive strength (811 kPa) was obtained for the CYNU. XRD revealed new calcite peaks next to the quartz peaks. Conclusions: Production of inexpensive bacterial solution using diluted CSL as the inexpensive, effective and powerful culture media for Sporosarcina pasteurii cultivation in nonsterile conditions, allows geotechnical and biotechnological engineers to use MICP technology more widely in land improvement and field‐scale bio‐cementation and bioremediation projects. Significance and Impact of the Study: Obtaining high urease activity of inexpensive microbial solution using diluted CSL as the culture medium in nonsterile conditions, as the unique results of this study, can be significant in the field of bioremediation studies using MICP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health issue, causing illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to develop into dangerous infections, leading to substantial disability and even death. To help fight this growing threat, scientists are developing new methods and techniques that play a crucial role in treating infections and preventing the inappropriate use of antibiotics. These effective therapeutic methods include phage therapies, quorum-sensing inhibitors, immunotherapeutics, predatory bacteria, antimicrobial adjuvants, haemofiltration, nanoantibiotics, microbiota transplantation, plant-derived antimicrobials, RNA therapy, vaccine development, and probiotics. As a result of the activity of probiotics in the intestine, compounds derived from the structure and metabolism of these bacteria are obtained, called postbiotics, which include multiple agents with various therapeutic applications, especially antimicrobial effects, by using different mechanisms. These compounds have been chosen in particular because they don't promote the spread of antibiotic resistance and don't include substances that can increase antibiotic resistance. This manuscript provides an overview of the novel approaches to preventing antibiotic resistance with emphasis on the various postbiotic metabolites derived from the gut beneficial microbes, their activities, recent related progressions in the food and medical fields, as well as concisely giving an insight into the new concept of postbiotics as "hyperpostbiotic".

Objectives: Plasmid genes, termed mobile colistin resistance-1 (mcr-1) and mobile colistin resistance-2 (mcr-2), are associated with resistance to colistin in Escherichia coli (E. coli). These mcr genes result in a range of protein modifications contributing to colistin resistance. This study aims to discern the proteomic characteristics of E. coli-carrying mcr-1 and mcr-2 genes. Furthermore, it evaluates the expression levels of various proteins under different conditions (with and without colistin)., Methods: Plasmid extraction was performed using an alkaline lysis-based plasmid extraction kit, whereas polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the presence of mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. The E. coli DH5α strain served as the competent cell for accepting and transforming mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. We assessed proteomic alterations in the E. coli DH5α strain both with and without colistin in the growth medium. Proteomic data were analysed using mass spectrometry., Results: The findings revealed significant protein changes in the E. coli DH5α strain following cloning of mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. Of the 20 proteins in the DH5α strain, expression in 8 was suppressed following transformation. In the presence of colistin in the culture medium, 39 new proteins were expressed following transformation with mcr-1 and mcr-2 plasmids. The proteins with altered expression play various roles., Conclusion: The results of this study highlight numerous protein alterations in E. coli resulting from mcr-1 and mcr-2-mediated resistance to colistin. This understanding can shed light on the resistance mechanism. Additionally, the proteomic variations observed in the presence and absence of colistin might indicate potential adverse effects of indiscriminate antibiotic exposure on treatment efficacy and heightened pathogenicity of microorganisms., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Role of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-like sequences in antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation isn't clear. This study investigated association of CRISPR-like sequences with antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in H. pylori isolates. Thirty-six of H. pylori isolates were studied for existence of CRISPR-like sequences using PCR method and their correlation with biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. Microtiter-plate technique was utilized for investigating antibiotic resistance profile of isolates against amoxicillin, tetracycline, metronidazole and clarithromycin. Biofilm formation of isolates was analyzed by microtiter-plate-based-method. Out of 23 CRISPR-like positive isolates, 19 had ability of biofilm formation and 7 of 13 CRISPR-like negative isolates were able to form biofilm (P value  = 0.445). In CRISPR-like positive isolates, 11 (48%), 18 (78%), 18 (78%) and 23 (100%) were resistant to amoxicillin, tetracycline, metronidazole and clarithromycin, respectively. Since CRISPR-like sequences have role in antibiotic resistance, may be applied as genetic markers of antibiotic resistance. But there was no substantial correlation between biofilm formation and existence of CRISPR-like sequences. These results indicate possible importance of CRISPR-like sequences on acquisition of resistance to antibiotics in this bacterium., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

In recent years, one of the most critical topics in microbiology that can be addressed is microbiome and microbiota. The term microbiome contains both the microbiota and structural elements, metabolites/signal molecules, and the surrounding environmental conditions, and the microbiota consists of all living members forming the microbiome. Among; the intestinal microbiota is one of the most important microbiota, also called the gut microbiota. After colonization, the gut microbiota can have different functions, including resistance to pathogens, maintaining the intestinal epithelium, metabolizing dietary and pharmaceutical compounds, and controlling immune function. Recently, studies have shown that the gut microbiota can prevent the formation of fat in the body. In this study, we examined the gut microbiota in various animals, including dogs, cats, dairy cows, sheep, chickens, horses, and people who live in urban and rural areas. Based on the review of various studies, it has been determined that the population of microbiota in animals and humans is different, and various factors such as the environment, nutrition, and contact with animals can affect the microbiota of people living in urban and rural areas., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Probiotics and postbiotics mechanisms of action and applications in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) prevention and treatment have significant importance but are a matter of debate and controversy. Therefore, in this review, we aimed to define the probiotics concept, advantages and limitations in comparison to postbiotics, and proposed mechanisms of anti-tumor action in EOCRC prevention and treatment of postbiotics. Biotics (probiotics, prebiotics, and postbiotics) could confer the health benefit by affecting the host gut microbiota directly and indirectly. The main mechanisms of action of probiotics in exerting anticancer features include immune system regulation, inhibition of cancer cell propagation, gut dysbiosis restoration, anticancer agents' production, gut barrier function renovation, and cancer-promoting agents' reduction. Postbiotics are suggested to have different mechanisms of action to restore eubiosis against EOCRC, including modulation of gut microbiota composition, gut microbial metabolites regulation, and intestinal barrier function improvement via different features such as immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-proliferative properties. A better understanding of postbiotics challenges and mechanism of action in therapeutic applications will allow us to sketch accurate trials in order to use postbiotics as bio-therapeutics in EOCRC.

Streptococcus mutans is a main organism of tooth infections including tooth decay and periodontitis. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of sucrose and starch on biofilm formation and proteome profile of S. mutans ATCC 35668 strain. The biofilm formation was assessed by microtiter plating method. Changes in bacterial proteins after exposure to sucrose and starch carbohydrates were analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The biofilm formation of S. mutans was increased to 391.76% in 1% sucrose concentration, 165.76% in 1% starch, and 264.27% in the 0.5% sucrose plus 0.5% starch in comparison to biofilm formation in the media without sugars. The abundance of glutamines, adenylate kinase, and 50S ribosomal protein L29 was increased under exposure to sucrose. Upregulation of lactate utilization protein C, 5-hydroxybenzimidazole synthase BzaA, and 50S ribosomal protein L16 was formed under starch exposure. Ribosome-recycling factor, peptide chain release factor 1, and peptide methionine sulfoxide reductase MsrB were upregulated under exposure to sucrose in combination with starch. The results demonstrated that the carbohydrates increase microbial pathogenicity. In addition, sucrose and starch carbohydrates can induce biofilm formation of S. mutans via various mechanisms such as changes in the expression of special proteins., (© 2023 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.)

Background: A global pandemic has recently been observed due to the new coronavirus disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2. Since there are currently no antiviral medicines to combat the highly contagious and lethal COVID-19 infection, identifying natural sources that can either be viricidal or boost the immune system and aid in the fight against the disease can be an essential therapeutic support., Methods: This review was conducted based on published papers related to the herbal therapy of COVID-19 by search on databases including PubMed and Scopus with herbal, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, and therapy keywords., Results: To combat this condition, people may benefit from the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants, such as increasing their immune system or providing an antiviral impact. As a result, SARS-CoV-2 infection death rates can be reduced. Various traditional medicinal plants and their bioactive components, such as COVID-19, are summarized in this article to assist in gathering and debating techniques for combating microbial diseases in general and boosting our immune system in particular., Conclusion: The immune system benefits from natural products and many of these play a role in activating antibody creation, maturation of immune cells, and stimulation of innate and adaptive immune responses. The lack of particular antivirals for SARS-CoV-2 means that apitherapy might be a viable option for reducing the hazards associated with COVID-19 in the absence of specific antivirals., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Soheila Bafandeh et al.)

Background: To provide effective healing in the wound, various carbohydrate polymers are commonly utilized that are highly potent platforms as wound dressing films. In this work, novel antibacterial flexible polymeric hydrogel films were designed via crosslinking polymeric chitosan (CS) with folic acid-based carbon quantum dots (CQDs). To end this, folic acid as a bio-precursor is used to synthesize CQDs through the hydrothermal technique. The synthesized CQDs as a crosslinking agent was performed at different concentrations to construct nanocomposite hydrogel films via the casting technique. Also, gentamicin (GM), L-Arginine and glycerol were supplemented in the formulation of nanocomposite since their antibiotic, bioactivity and plasticizing ability, respectively., Results: The successful construction of films were verified with different methods (FT-IR, UV-Vis, PL, SEM, and AFM analyses). The GM release profile displayed a controlled release manner over 48 h with a low initial burst release in the simulated wound media (PBS, pH 7.4). Antibacterial and in vitro cytotoxicity results showed a significant activity toward different gram-positive and negative bacterial strains (about 2.5 ± 0.1 cm inhibition zones) and a desired cytocompatibility against Human skin fibroblast (HFF-1) cells (over 80% cell viability), respectively., Conclusion: The obtained results recommend CQDs-crosslinked CS (CS/CQD) nanocomposite as a potent antimicrobial wound dressing., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

In this work, citric acid-based quantum dots (CA-QDs) as a novel and safe crosslinked agent was applied in different feeding ratios (5-15 wt%) to synthesize carboxymethyl cellulose/polyvinyl alcohol (CMC/PVA) nanofibers (NFs) for the first time. Colistin (CL) as an antibacterial agent was also loaded (2 w/w%) during the synthesizing process of CMC/PVA electrospun NFs to trigger antimicrobial properties. The morphological, hydrophilic, and mechanical properties of the prepared NFs were fully investigated with different techniques. The electrospun NFs with crosslinking ratios of 10 wt% CA-QDs revealed appropriate mechanical properties. According to cell culture data, the prepared NFs demonstrated good cytocompatibility against HFF-1 cells (over 80% cell viability). Remarkably, CL-loaded NFs showed desired antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus, E. coli, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa with 1.0-1.4, 1.3-1.4, 0.8-1.0, and 1.3-1.5 cm inhibition zones, respectively. These outcomes suggested that the fabricated NFs can be useful as wound healing scaffolds., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The priority of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2022 is to reduce all causes related to mortality. In this regard, microbial bioactive compounds with characteristics such as optimal compatibility and close interaction with the host immune system are considered a novel therapeutic approach. The fermentation process is one of the most well-known pathways involved in the natural synthesis of a diverse range of postbiotics. However, some postbiotics are a type of probiotic response behavior to environmental stimuli that usually play well-known biological roles. Also, postbiotics with unique structure and function are key mediators between intestinal microbiota and host cellular processes/metabolic pathways that play a significant role in maintaining homeostasis. By further understanding the nature of parent microbial cells, factors affecting their metabolic pathways, and the development of compatible extraction and identification methods, it is possible to achieve certain formulations of postbiotics with special efficiencies, which in turn will significantly improve the performance of health systems (especially in developing countries) toward a wide range of acute/chronic diseases. The present review aims to describe the fundamental role of postbiotics as the key mediators of the microbiota-host interactions. Besides, it presents the available current evidence regarding the interaction between postbiotics and host cells through potential cell receptors, stimulation/improvement of immune system function, and the enhancement of the composition and function of the human microbiome., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2016 - 2022 InfezMed.)

Due to the emergence and development of antibiotic resistance in the treatment of bacterial infections, efforts to discover new antimicrobial agents have increased. One of these antimicrobial agents is a compound produced by a large number of bacteria called bacteriocin. Bacteriocins are small ribosomal polypeptides that can exert their antibacterial effects against bacteria close to their producer strain or even non-closely-relatedstrains. Adequate knowledge of the structure and functional mechanisms of bacteriocins and their spectrum of activity, as well as knowledge of the mechanisms of possible resistance to these compounds, will lead to further development of their use as an alternative to antibiotics. Furthermore, most bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) have the ability to produce bacteriocins, which spread throughout the GIT. Despite antimicrobial studies in vitro, our knowledge of bacteriocins in the GIT and the migration of these bacteriocins from the epithelial barrier is low. Hence, in this study, we reviewed general information about bacteriocins, such as classification, mechanism of action and resistance, emphasizing their presence, stability, and spectrum of activity in the GIT., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Bacteria build their structures by implementing several macromolecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, phospholipids, and nucleic acids, which preserve their lives and play an essential role in their pathogenesis. There are two genomic and proteomic methods to study various macromolecules of bacteria, which are complementary methods and provide comprehensive information. Proteomic approaches are used to identify proteins and their cell applications. Furthermore, macromolecules are utilized to study bacteria's structures and functions. These proteinbased methods provide comprehensive information about the cells, such as the external structures, internal compositions, post-translational modifications, and mechanisms of particular actions, including biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and adaptation to the environment, promoting bacterial pathogenesis. These methods use various devices such as MALDI-TOF MS, LC-MS, and two-dimensional electrophoresis, which are valuable tools for studying different structural and functional proteins of the bacteria and their mechanisms of pathogenesis, causing rapid, easy, and accurate diagnosis of the infections., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The dramatically increasing levels of antibiotic resistance are being seen worldwide and are a significant threat to public health. Antibiotic and drug resistance is seen in various bacterial species. Antibiotic resistance is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and increased treatment costs. Antisense-related technologies include oligonucleotides that interfere with gene transcription and expression; these oligonucleotides can help treat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The important oligonucleotides include Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNAs), Phosphorodiamidate Morpholino Oligomers (PPMOs), and Locked Nucleic Acids (LNAs). Typically, the size of these structures (oligonucleotides) is 10 to 20 bases. PNAs, PPMOs, and LNAs are highlighted in this review as targets for genes that cause the gene to be destroyed and impede bacterial growth. These results open a new perspective for therapeutic intervention. Future studies need to examine different aspects of antisense agents, such as the safety, toxicity, and pharmacokinetic properties of antisense agents in clinical treatment., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Gut microbiota (GM), as an organ of the human body, has a particular and autonomous function that is related to it. This review aims to investigate human intestinal and gut microbiota interaction and its impact on health. As a creation referable database about this dynamic and complex organ, several comprehensive projects are implemented by using culture-dependent (culturomics), culture- independent methods (e.g., metagenomics, mathematics model), and Gnotobiological together. This study was done by searching PubMed, Scopus and Google scholar database in the gut, health microbiota, and interaction keywords. The first acquired microbiota during pregnancy or childbirth is colonized in the gut by using specific and non-specific mechanisms. Its structure and shape reach relative stability with selection pressure along with host development until adulthood and keeps its resilience against external or internal variables depending on the host's genetics and negative feedback. According to research, individuals have 2 functional group microbiotas, including the core (common between vast majorities human) and flexible (transient population) microbiome. The most important role of the GM in the human body can be summarized in three basic landscapes: metabolic, immune system, and gut-brain axis interaction. So, the loss of microbial population balance will lead to disorder and disease., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

The world has been suffering from COVID-19 disease for more than a year, and it still has a high mortality rate. In addition to the need to minimize transmission of the virus through non-pharmacological measures such as the use of masks and social distance, many efforts are being made to develop a variety of vaccines to prevent the disease worldwide. So far, several vaccines have reached the final stages of safety and efficacy in various phases of clinical trials, and some, such as Moderna/NIAID and BioNTech/Pfizer, have reported very high safety and protection. The important point is that comparing different vaccines is not easy because there is no set standard for measuring neutralization. In this study, we have reviewed the common platforms of COVID-19 vaccines and tried to present the latest reports on the effectiveness of these vaccines., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Enterococcus faecalis is a significant cause of nosocomial infections and other diseases, including endocarditis, bacteremia, and urinary tract infections. This microorganism forms biofilms to overcome difficult environmental conditions, such as lack of oxygen, lack of water, and the presence of antimicrobials. These biofilms make diseases difficult by changing their proteome contents, protecting the bacterium, and increasing their pathogenicity. This study aimed to evaluate gentamicin's effect on proteome changes and biofilm formation in E. faecalis., Method: Twenty-five clinical isolates and one standard isolate were selected for the experiments. A label-free/gel-free proteomic and microtiter plate techniques were used to study proteome changes and biofilm formation, respectively., Results: Gentamicin significantly increased the biofilm formation in 62% of isolates and the rest of the isolates; no significant change was observed. The abundance of lactate utilization protein C, ribosomal RNA small subunit methyltransferase H, and protein translocase subunit SecA were increased. However, the abundances of proteins effective in cell division and metabolism, such as replication initiation protein and segregation and condensation protein A, were decreased., Conclusion: The present study's findings exhibited that antibiotics might have adverse effects on treatment and increase microorganisms' pathogenicity. It was observed in gentamicin as induction of biofilm formation through different mechanisms, particularly changes in the expression of specific proteins in E. faecalis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection is the most common cause of gastric cancer (GC). This microorganism is genetically diverse; GC is caused by several genetic deregulations in addition to environmental factors and bacterial virulence factors. lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) are significant biological macromolecules in GC, have specific functions in diseases, and could be therapeutic targets. Altered lncRNAs can lead to the abnormal expression of adjacent protein-coding genes, which may be important in cancer development. Their mechanisms have not been well understood, so we are going to investigate the risk of GC in a population with both high lncRNA and H. pylori infection., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Leila Yousefi et al.)

Enterococcus faecalis is one of the important causative agents of nosocomial and life-threatening infections in human. Several studies have demonstrated that the presence of CRISPR- cas  is associated with antibiotic susceptibility and lack of virulence traits. In this study, we aimed to assess the phenotypic and genotypic virulence determinants in relation to CRISPR elements from the dental-root canals and hospital-acquired isolates of  E. faecalis . Eighty-eight hospital-acquired and 73 dental-root canal isolates of  E. faecalis  were assessed in this study. Phenotypic screening of the isolates included biofilm formation, and gelatinase and hemolysis activities. Genotypical screening using PCR was further used to evaluate the presence of CRISPR elements and different virulence-associated genes such as  efaA, esp, cylA, hyl, gelE, ace, ebpR , and  asa1 . Biofilm formation, gelatinase, and hemolysis activities were detected in 93.8%, 29.2%, and 19.2% of the isolates, respectively. The most prevalent virulence-associated gene was  ace , which was followed by  efaA , whereas  cylA  was the least identified. The presence of CRISPR1- cas , orphan CRISPR2, and CRISPR3- cas  was determined in 13%, 55.3%, and 17.4% of the isolates, respectively. CRISPR elements were significantly more prevalent in the dental-root canal isolates. An inverse significant correlation was found between CRISPR- cas  loci,  esp,  and  gelE , while direct correlations were observed in the case of  cylA, hyl, gelE  (among CRISPR-loci 1 and 3),  asa1, ace , biofilm formation, and hemolysis activity. Findings, therefore, indicate that CRISPR- cas  might prevent the acquisition of some respective pathogenicity factors in some isolates, though not all; so selective forces could not influence pathogenic traits. Abbreviations: BHI: brain-heart infusion agar; CRISPRs: Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; Esp: Cell wall-associated protein; ENT: ear-nose-throat; ICU: intensive care units; OD: optical densities; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; SDS: sodium dodecyl sulfate; UTI: urinary tract infection.

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii) is one of the most abundant bacterial species in the colon of healthy human adults and representing more than 5% of the total bacterial population. Recently, it has been known as a major actor in human intestinal health and a biosensor. Changes in this species population richness and quantity have been observed in many illnesses and several investigations have reported that abundance of F. prausnitzii is reduced in different intestinal disorders. In the current review, we aim to consider literature from various library databases and electronic searches (Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar) which were randomly collected and serve as an overview of different features of F. prausnitzii including metabolites, anti-inflammatory action, and correlation of dysbiosis of this bacterium with various complications in human., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) disease, which started in Wuhan, Chin, has now become a public health challenge in most countries around the world. Proper preventive measures are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus to help control the pandemic. Because, SARS-CoV-2 is new, its transmission route has not been fully understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the sweat secretion of COVID-19 patients. Sweat specimens of 25 COVID- 19 patients were collected and tested for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) method. After RNA extraction and cDNA amplification, all samples were examined for the presence of ORF-1ab and N genes related to COVID-19. Results annotated by Realtime PCR machines software based on Dynamic algorithm. The results of this study showed the absence of SARS-CoV-2 in the sweat samples taken from the foreheads of infected people. Therefore, it can be concluded that the sweat of patients with COVID- 19 cannot transmit SARS-CoV-2. However they can be easily contaminated with other body liquids., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Due to the increasing resistance of microorganisms against antibiotics, the use of natural bioactive substances for the prevention of pathogenic bacteria is considered in food products. In this study, thymol, cardamom essential oil, L. plantarum cell-free supernatant (ATCC 14917), and their nanoparticle candies prepared and inhibition activities against S. mutans (ATCC 25175), which is important in causing tooth decay, was investigated. Moisture content, pH, and sensory analyzes of candies measured. Also, SEM and FTIR of treated candy samples were performed. All examined bioactive substances and their nanoparticles showed an inhibitory effect against S. mutans with different minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The prepared candies had pH 5.5 represented a bactericidal effect against S. mutans. SEM and FTIR results approved the antibacterial effects of prepared candies. According to the results, all of the prepared candies significantly decreased S. mutans in saliva compared to the control candy and they are suitable agents for S. mutans growth-inhibiting. Also, cardamom essential oil candy showed the most general acceptance in a sensory analysis by panelists., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chitosan is a natural biopolymer derived from deacetylation of chitin and it has been investigated with interdisciplinary approaches for multitude applications. Chitosan biomaterials possess unique properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, muco-adhesion and a wide range of antibacterial and antifungal activity. Additionally, chitosan is the only cationic polysaccharide in nature and can be chemically modified to derivatives, based on the aim of function and application. The distinctive properties of chitosan and its derivatives have aroused interest in pharmaceutical industries and biomedical fields worldwide. This review discusses the crucial role of chitosan in production of bio-dental materials and accentuates its current profitable utilizations in oral drug delivery system, bone tissue engineering for treatment of periodontitis and dentin-pulp regeneration. Chemical modifications and incorporation of diverse bioactive molecules in order to improve the mechanical and biological characteristics of chitosan have also been discussed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The recent epidemic outbreak of a novel human coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 and causing the respiratory tract disease COVID-19 has reached worldwide resonance and a global effort is being undertaken to characterize the molecular features and evolutionary origins of this virus. Therefore, rapid and accurate identification of pathogenic viruses plays a vital role in selecting appropriate treatments, saving people's lives and preventing epidemics. Additionally, general treatments, coronavirus-specific treatments, and antiviral treatments useful in fighting COVID-19 are addressed. This review sets out to shed light on the SARS-CoV-2 and host receptor recognition, a crucial factor for successful virus infection and taking immune-informatics approaches to identify B- and T-cell epitopes for surface glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. A variety of improved or new approaches also have been developed. It is anticipated that this will assist researchers and clinicians in developing better techniques for timely and effective detection of coronavirus infection. Moreover, the genomic sequence of the virus responsible for COVID-19, as well as the experimentally determined three-dimensional structure of the Main protease (Mpro) is available. The reported structure of the target Mpro was described in this review to identify potential drugs for COVID-19 using virtual high throughput screening., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: In the present study, the poly (ε-caprolactone)/cellulose nanofiber containing ZrO 2 nanoparticles (PCL/CNF/ZrO 2 ) nanocomposite was synthesized for wound dressing bandage with antimicrobial activity. Methods: PCL/CNF/ZrO 2 nanocomposite was synthesized in three different zirconium dioxide amount (0.5, 1, 2%). Also the prepared nanocomposites were characterized by Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, the morphology of the samples was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results: Analysis of the XRD spectra showed a preserved structure for PCL semi-crystalline in nanocomposites and an increase in the concentrations of ZrO 2 nanoparticles, the structure of nanocomposite was amorphous as well. The results of TGA, DTA, DSC showed thermal stability and strength properties for the nanocomposites which were more thermal stable and thermal integrate compared to PCL. The contact angles of the nanocomposites narrowed as the amount of ZrO 2 in the structure increased. The evaluation of biological activities showed that the PCL/CNF/ZrO 2 nanocomposite with various concentrations of ZrO 2 nanoparticles exhibited moderate to good antimicrobial activity against all tested bacterial and fungal strains. Furthermore, cytocompatibility of the scaffolds was assessed by MTT assay and cell viability studies proved the non-toxic nature of the nanocomposites. Conclusion: The results show that the biodegradability of nanocomposite has advantages that can be used as wound dressing., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Despite significant advances in detection techniques and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis, there is still no suitable solution for early screening and reducing the number of individuals affected and their effective treatment. Various cellular events can disrupt the development of TB. The basis of these events is dysregulating of genes expression patterns related with specific molecules. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are molecules discovered to regulate the expression of protein-coding genes and participate in gene silencing, cell cycle regulation and cellular differentiation processes. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been found to be associated with many diseases, including cancers and infectious diseases. Thus, the recognition of lncRNAs as novel molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tuberculosis is promising. In the present review, we try to summarize the current findings of lncRNA expression patterns and its role in tuberculosis infection process., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Periodontitis is an infectious inflammatory disease resulting from infection of biofilm forming bacteria. Several bacterial factors regulate inflammatory response and cause to tissue damage and loss of connection between gingival and tooth. Since bacterial virulence factors and also host immune responses have role, understanding of periodontal disease is complex, in overall we can say that in this disease epithelium is deleted by bacteria. Oral spirochetes are related to periodontitis, among them, Treponema denticola, have been associated with periodontal diseases such as early-onset periodontitis, necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, and acute pericoronitis. This review will analyse mechanisms of pathogenesis of spirochetes in periodontitis. Microorganisms cause destruction of gingival tissue by two mechanisms. In one, damage results from the direct action of bacterial enzymes and cytotoxic products of bacterial metabolism. In the other, only bacterial components have role, and tissue destruction is the inevitable side effect of a subverted and exaggerated host inflammatory response to plaque antigens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The gold standard method for diagnosis of tuberculosis is the isolation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis through culture, but there is a probability of cross-contamination in simultaneous cultures of samples causing false-positives. This can result in delayed treatment of the underlying disease and drug side effects. In this paper, we reviewed studies on falsepositive cultures of M. tuberculosis. Rate of occurrence, effective factors, and extent of false-positives were analyzed. Ways to identify and reduce the false-positives and management of them are critical for all laboratories. In most cases, falsepositive is occurring in cases with only one positive culture but negative direct smear. The three most crucial factors in this regard are inappropriate technician function, contamination of reagents, and aerosol production. Thus, to reduce false-positives, good laboratory practice, as well as use of whole-genome sequencing or genotyping of all positive culture samples with a robust, extra pure method and rapid response, are essential for minimizing the rate of false-positives. Indeed, molecular approaches and epidemiological surveillance can provide a valuable tool besides culture to identify possible false positives.

Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process which affects the quality of life in patients and annually causes high costs for the health system, worldwide. Polymers from natural origins such as polysaccharides have gained particular interest between researchers for wound dressing applications due to their abundance in nature, biocompatibility with human tissues, and ideal physicochemical properties. Aside from their supportive effect in wound care, polysaccharides and their derivatives can actively contribute to the healing process. Silver nanoparticles are widely used noble metal nanoparticles incorporated in wound dressings due to their low toxicity for human cells, naturally availability, and strong antimicrobial effects. In the present study, we will review the most frequently used polysaccharides in wound dressing procedure with silver or silver nanoparticles accommodated. The methods of synthesis, physicochemical properties, healing efficiencies, toxicity against human tissues, antibacterial and antifungal effects of each material will also be discussed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolates cause critical problems in health-care environments. AdeABC is a resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND)-type multidrug efflux pump conferring resistance to clinically essential antibiotics in A. baumannii, such as ciprofloxacin. This study aimed to target adeB gene with antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and investigate its effect on resistance to antibiotics. NCBI database was used to design appropriate PNA to target adeB gene, by connecting PNA to mRNA, the translation of mRNA can be prevented. Three clinical isolates and A. baumannii ATCC 17978 were treated with the designed PNA by electroporation and competence procedure. Minimum Inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ciprofloxacin, colistin, and tetracycline were determined by microbroth dilution method. In addition, the expression level of adeB gene was measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Isolates used in this study had mutations in gyrA and parC genes corresponding to resistance to ciprofloxacin. MIC of resistance to ciprofloxacin after treatment with PNA was reduced from 32 μg/ml to16 μg/ml in A. baumannii ATCC 17978 isolate. Susceptibility level of tetracycline, in the 2 clinical isolates was decreased from 64 μg/ml to 32 μg/ml and in the other isolate was reduced from 128 μg/ml to 64 μg/ml. The expression level of adeB gene was decreased in A. baumannii ATCC 17978 (P > 0.01) but not in clinical isolate (P = 0.107). Findings of the present study indicate overexpression of adeB efflux pump has extra effect on resistance to antibiotics in isolates with a defined mechanism of resistance. Antisense technology is a feasible technique to suppress the function of these genes, which may be further exploited to control multidrug-resistant isolates., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Enterococcus faecalis is one of the important causes of nosocomial infections. Nowadays, increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and slow progress in recognizing new antimicrobial agents has limited the efficiency of conventional antibiotics, which cause to find novel strategies to overcome bacteria. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to assess the role of efaA gene in the biofilm formation and the role of ftsZ gene in the controlling of bacterial growth by the anti-sense PNAs(Peptide Nucleic Acid).E. faecalis ATCC® 29212™was used for the study of PNAs designed to targeting the start codon section of the ftsZ andefaA genes. PNA attachment to RNA was confirmed by blotting. Electroporation technique was used for the intracellular transfer of anti-ftsZ PNAs. The spot-plating method was used to the assessment of alteration in bacterial growth. Biofilm formation assay and real-time PCR were used for detection of biofilm inhibitory effect of cell penetrating peptide (CPP) conjugated to anti-efaA PNAs.ByftsZ PNAs treatment, no growth was seen from the strain in agar by a spot plating method and the inhibition zone of anti-ftsZ PNAs was not seen. PNAs against the efaA gene decreased by 95% the expression of the efaA gene and biofilm formation. In addition, the(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) MTT assay showed no toxicity on MCF7 cells for both of anti-ftsZand anti-efaA PNAs.This study used new genetic and molecular tools to inhibit pathogenicity and infection by E. faecalis. In this study, we suggested that efaA gene plays a critical role in the biofilm formation and anti-efaA PNAs could decrease the formation of biofilm, as well as, anti-ftsZ PNAs could eliminate bacterial growth., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In late December 2019, reports from China of the incidence of pneumonia with unknown etiology were sent to the World Health Organization (WHO). Shortly afterwards, the cause of this disease was identified as the novel beta-coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and its genetic sequence was published on January 12, 2020. Human-to-human transmission via respiratory droplets and contact with aerosol infected surfaces are the major ways of transmitting this virus. Here we attempted to collect information on virus stability in the air and on surfaces and ways of preventing of SARS-CoV-2 spreading.

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), spreading from Wuhan, China, is one of the causes of respiratory infections that can spread to other people through respiratory particles, and can cause symptoms such as fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, anorexia, fatigue and sore throat in infected patients. This review summarizes current strategies on the diagnosis. Additionally, treatments, infection prevention and control of the SARS-CoV-2 are addressed. In addition to the respiratory system, this virus can infect the digestive system, the urinary system and the haematological system, which causes to observe the virus in the stool, urine and blood samples in addition to throat sample. The SARS-CoV-2 causes changes in blood cells and factors and makes lung abnormalities in patients, which can be detected by serological, molecular, and radiological techniques by detecting these changes and injuries. Radiological and serological methods are the most preferred among the other methods and the radiological method is the most preferred one which can diagnose the infection quickly and accurately with fewer false-negatives, that can be effective in protecting the patient's life by initiating treatment and preventing the transmission of infection to other people.

In recent decades, functional foods with ingredients comprising probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics have been gaining a lot of attention from scientists. Probiotics and postbiotics are usually applied in pharmaceutical formulations and/or commercial food-based products. These bioactive agents can be associated with host eukaryotic cells and have a key role in maintaining and restoring host health. The review describes the concept of postbiotics, their quality control and potential applications in pharmaceutical formulations and commercial food-based products for health promotion, prevention of disease and complementary treatment. Despite the effectiveness of probiotic products, researchers have introduced the concept of postbiotic to optimize their beneficial effects as well as to meet the needs of consumers to provide a safe product. The finding of recent studies suggests that postbiotics might be appropriate alternative agents for live probiotic cells and can be applied in medical, veterinary and food practice to prevent and to treat some diseases, promote animal health status and develop functional foods. Presently scientific literature confirms that postbiotics, as potential alternative agents, may have superiority in terms of safety relative to their parent live cells, and due to their unique characteristics in terms of clinical, technological and economical aspects, can be applied as promising tools in the drug and food industry for developing health benefits, and therapeutic aims., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Escherichia coli is a gram-negative bacterium and it causes a variety of diseases in humans. It causes a wide range of clinical infections in humans; urinary tract infections is the most prevalent infection caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli. In recent years, the observation of antibiotic-resistant genes such as resistance to colistin, makes the Escherichia coli resistant to antibiotics like colistin (polymyxin E), because of that the use of new therapies like peptide nucleic acid (PNA) has attracted the consideration of scientists. The aim of this study is the assessment of the inhibitory role of PNA against mcr-1 gene and reduction of mcr-1 gene expression and MIC in colistin resistant E. coli by PNA. NCBI database was used to design PNA. Our study was carried out on E. coli KP81 bacteria containing the mcr-1 gene. Microbroth dilution (MIC) method was used to survey phenotypic sensitivity and determine the sensitivity of the bacteria to the colistin antibiotic. E. coli KP81 isolates were further investigated by polymerase chain reaction to assess the presence of mcr-1 genes and target genes were quantified by real-time PCR assay using specific primers. The MIC result after treatment with specific PNA showed that the resistance to colistin reduced about three fold and the resistance level dropped from 32 μg/ml to 4 μg/ml. The expression analysis of mcr-1 gene in E. coli KP81 isolate indicates the PNA, 95% reduced the expression of the mcr-1 gene. Our observations showed that by inhibiting the expression of mcr-1, sensitivity to colistin can be defeated. Using higher concentrations of PNA and an in vivo study can reveal more clinical application of this method., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The microbial, physico-chemical and optical corruptions threaten a variety of foods and drugs and consequently the human biological safety and its accessible resources. The humanbeing's tendency towards bio-based materials and natural plant-extracts led to an increase in the usage of antimicrobial biocomposites based on medicinal herbs. Miswak ( Salvadora persica L.) extract (SPE) has been proved effective for its antimicrobial and other biological activities. Therefore, in this study, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles (TONP) and SPE were applied to fabricate antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose (Na-CMC) based bio-nanocomposites which would simultaneously promote some thermo-physical and barrier properties. Methods: CMC-neat film (C1), CMC/TONP-2% (C2) and CMC/TONP-2% with 150, 300 and 450 mg/mL SPE (SPE150, SPE30 and SPE450, respectively) were fabricated. The physical and mechanical properties; elemental mapping analysis (MAP), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA-DTG); fourier transform infrared (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and UV-vis spectroscopies were done to further validate the results. Results: Addition of TONP (2%) improved the blocking of UV light at 280 nm while SPE-containing nanocomposites completely blocked it. FTIR, XRD and SEM confirmed the formation of homogeneous films and high miscibility of applied materials. TONP led to an increase in Young's modulus (YM) and stress at break (SB) while SPE decreased them and enhanced the elongation to break (EB) (flexibility) of the active nanocomposites. Compared to CMC-film, the thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA-DTG) showed a higher thermal stability for CMC/TONP and CMC/TONP/SPE nanocomposites. The EDX spectroscopy and elemental mapping analysis (MAP) proved the existence and well-distributedness of Na, K, Cl, S, Ti, F and N elements in SPE-activated nanocomposites. The pure SPE and SPE-activated nanocomposites showed a favorable antimicrobial activity against both gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus ) and negative ( Escherichia coli ) bacteria. Conclusion: The CMC-TiO 2 -SPE nanocomposites were homogeneously produced. Combination of TiO 2 nanoparticles and dose-dependent SPE led to an improvement of thermal stability, and high potential in antimicrobial and UV-barrier properties. These results can generally highlight the role of the fabricated antimicrobial bio-nanocomposites as a based for different applications especially in food/drug packaging or coating., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.