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Objective(s): Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of infections affecting the skin and soft tissues, which causes many types of syndromes, including skin and soft tissue infections in humans. The quick occurrence of resistance to many antimicrobial substances and severe infections requires long-term intravenous administration of beta-lactamase-resistant Penicillin. Materials and Methods: The antimicrobial activity of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) against 20 clinical samples of S. aureus isolated from skin exudates compared with the standard ATCC 25923 strain investigated alone and in synergy with an antibiotic showed resistance. The most resistant isolates were selected based on being positive for MepA and Kirby and Bauer disc diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of γ-Al2O3 NPs against S. aureus was determined within 0-360 min treatment time. Then, the double-disc synergy test (DDST) method was performed for semi-sensitive and antibiotic-resistant strains to evaluate the probable inhibitory effect in synergy form. Results: The selected isolate expressed the MepA gene, showed the highest susceptibility reaction against γ-Al2O3 NPs in Z=78.125 ml/µg-1 and Z=156.25 ml/µg-1, and the process continued by performing the best ratio of NPs on semi-sensitive and also resistance antibiotic in synergy with NPs for the bacteria strains. The synergy of γ-Al2O3 NPs and Tetracycline, Oxacillin, and Ceftazidime showed higher sensitivity compared to using antibiotics alone. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate that γ-Al2O3 has a strong antimicrobial effect and can enhance the properties and characteristics of antibacterial potency in synergy or developed synthetic functionalized NPs with antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly vinyl alcohol/Chitosan nanofibrous mat were prepared by electrospinning method with suitable pore sizes as potential matrices for soft tissue engineering. The designed scaffolds by electrospinning method evaluated by differentanalyses such morphological, mechanical, and cellular analysis. Microscopic results showed diameters of poly vinyl alcohol/Chitosan nanofibers were approximately 150 nm. Mechanical investigations illustratedstress - strain curve of poly vinyl alcohol /chitosan mat indicate good flexibility with average strain and good percentage of yield stress. The cellular resultsrevealthat addition of chitosan to poly vinyl alcohol enhances viability and proliferationof fibroblast cells, which increases the biocompatibility of the scaffold. In fact, addition of a smallpercentage of chitosan to the poly vinyl alcoholproved to be a promising approach for designof a scaffold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In this study, bacteriostatic potency of the Iron oxide nanoparticles against Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) (a clinical sample and the ATCC11700 strain) was investigated. Methods: Nanoparticles' bacteriostatic concentration was determined and used to appraise the characteristics of the Iron Oxide (Fe2O3) against the isolates. Antimicrobial examinations with 108 cfu.ml-1 were performed at the baseline. Due to evaluation level of potency, after performing Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), the assessment of death kinetic and susceptibility constant of nanoparticles was done by suspension at two MICs in 0 to 360 min treatment time. Results: Fe2O3 nanoparticles in size range of 10-50 nm demonstrated the most effective susceptibility reaction against E. faecalis and ATCC11700 strain in Z=78.125 ml/µg-1 and 39.0625 ml/µg-1, respectively. The kinetic reaction of E. faecalis against Fe2O3 suspension was supposed to be decreased through the elapse of treatment time, whereas increased concentration was along with bacteria growth after a certain time. So, the efficient concentration of nanoparticles was applied with semi-sensitive and antibiotic resistant for both strains. However, synergism of Fe2O3 nanoparticles with Ceftazidime and Clindamycin revealed a higher susceptibility compared with Fe2O3nanoparticles alone against E. faecalis. Conclusion: The experimental results reveal that Fe2O3 has a strong antimicrobial effect at a certain concentration over the time so could potentially be used for bacterial inhibition and this feature will be strengthened in combination with antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural-derived biomaterials can be used as substrates for the growth, proliferation, and differentiation of cells. In this study, bovine vitreous humor as a biological material was cross-linked to silk fibroin with different concentration ratios to design a suitable substrate for corneal tissue regeneration. The cross-linked samples were evaluated with different analyses such as structural, physical (optical, swelling, and degradation), mechanical, and biological (viability, cell adhesion) assays. The results showed that all samples had excellent transparency, especially those with higher silk fibroin content. Increasing the ratio of vitreous humor to silk fibroin decreased mechanical strength and increased swelling and degradation, respectively. There was no significant difference in the toxicity of the samples, and with the increase in vitreous humor ratio, adhesion and cell proliferation increased. Generally, silk fibroin with vitreous humor can provide desirable characteristics as a transparent film for corneal wound healing., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Our knowledge of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) etiology is incomplete; however, the pathogenesis of the disease includes T-cell-mediated destruction of β-cells., Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the key gene pathways and co-expression networks in T1DM disease., Material and Methods: TIDM-associated genes were identified from 13 databases, enrichment of pathways annotated with functional annotations, and analysis of protein-protein network interactions. Next, functional modules and transcription factor networks were constructed. The analysis of gene co-expression networks was conducted to discover associated pivotal modules., Results: A total of 172 expressed genes and four variants (SNP) were filtered in the of T1DM disease; pathway enrichment analysis identified key pathways, such as inflammatory bowel disease, type I diabetes mellitus, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Th17 cell differentiation, JAK-STAT signaling pathway, and graft-versus-host disease. A weighted correlation network analysis revealed one module that was strongly correlated with T1DM. Functional annotation revealed that the module was mainly enriched in pathways such as T cell activation, regulation of immune system process, and response to the organic substance. IRF2, IRF4, IRF8, and CDX2 were regulated in the module at a significant level., Conclusion: The study identified IL-2 as a significant T1DM hotspot and highlighted the role of hub genes and transcription factors in the autoimmune disease, offering potentials for treatment and prevention., (Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s); Published by Iranian Journal of Biotechnology.)

Background: In animals and plants, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are crucial components of defense mechanisms, as they play a crucial role in innate immunity, which protects hosts from pathogenic bacteria. The CM15 has attracted considerable interest as a novel antibiotic against gram-negative and positive pathogens., Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the permeation potential of the CM15 with membrane bilayers of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli ., Material and Methods: The bilayer membranes of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were modelled with the resemblance in lipid composition to its biological sample. This study followed Protein-Membrane Interaction (PMI) through successive applications of molecular dynamics simulation by GROMACS and CHARMM36 force field for two sets of 120-ns simulations., Results: Significant results were obtained from analyzing the trajectory of the unsuccessful insertion of CM15 during simulation. Our data suggested that Lysine residues in CM15 and Cardiolipins in membrane leaflets play a crucial role in stability and interaction terms., Conclusion: The obtained results strengthen the insertion possibility through the toroidal model, which should consider for further studies on AMPs interaction., Competing Interests: The authors declare any conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s); Published by Iranian Journal of Biotechnology.)

Background: In this study, bacteriostatic potency of the Iron oxide nanoparticles against Enterococcus faecalis ( E. faecalis) (a clinical sample and the ATCC11700 strain) was investigated., Methods: Nanoparticles' bacteriostatic concentration was determined and used to appraise the characteristics of the Iron Oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) against the isolates. Antimicrobial examinations with 10 8 cfu.ml -1 were performed at the baseline. Due to evaluation level of potency, after performing Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), the assessment of death kinetic and susceptibility constant of nanoparticles was done by suspension at two MICs in 0 to 360 min treatment time., Results: Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles in size range of 10-50 nm demonstrated the most effective susceptibility reaction against E. faecalis and ATCC11700 strain in Z=78.125 ml/μg -1 and 39.0625 ml/μg -1 , respectively. The kinetic reaction of E. faecalis against Fe 2 O 3 suspension was supposed to be decreased through the elapse of treatment time, whereas increased concentration was along with bacteria growth after a certain time. So, the efficient concentration of nanoparticles was applied with semi-sensitive and antibiotic resistant for both strains. However, synergism of Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles with Ceftazidime and Clindamycin revealed a higher susceptibility compared with Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticles alone against E. faecalis ., Conclusion: The experimental results reveal that Fe 2 O 3 has a strong antimicrobial effect at a certain concentration over the time so could potentially be used for bacterial inhibition and this feature will be strengthened in combination with antibiotics., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Authors declare no conflict of interest.