Tag Archives: bacteria
In vivo imaging of the lung inflammatory response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Chronic inflammation of the airways is a central component in lung diseases and is frequently associated with bacterial infections. Monitoring the pro-inflammatory capability of bacterial virulence factors in vivo is challenging and usually requires invasive methods. The
Water-saving microfilm has minimal algal impact
Technologies that reduce evaporation are attractive to water managers, as the annual amount of water evaporating from water storages can be more than the annual consumption of water for domestic and industrial purposes combined. The application of
Antibiotic sensing by a bacterial communication system
Bacteria compete using antibiotics. Bacteria compete with one another using an array of destructive compounds and strategies. For example antibiotics, used to treat infections, are produced by bacteria and other microbes and can kill competitors in mixed
Living on the edge: Planctomycetes at the oxic / anoxic interface in northern wetlands
Peat – accumulating northern wetlands make up approximately one-third of the global soil organic carbon pool. Nutrient – poor and acidic conditions, as well as low temperatures and decay – resistant Sphagnum moss-dominated vegetation, result in low
An efficient and economical assay to screen for triclosan-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Triclosan is an effective inhibitor for an essential bacterial enzyme, the enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR/FabI), in fatty acid biosynthesis. Due to its value in inhibiting bacterial growth, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA)
Bacterial cross-talk with small molecules
Bacteria, the unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms are the first form of life to appear on earth that may be traced way back about 4 billion years ago. Bacteria exist in typically two life forms i.e planktonic or free-swimming
Finding therapeutic way to eradicate tuberculosis of the brain
Tuberculosis is one of oldest infectious disease in the world. It is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, where it infects primarily the lung. Millions of individuals are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Even though we are
Escherichia coli K-12 as a model to understand gene regulation
Escherichia coli K-12, a bacterium of the normal flora of humans, represents one of the most important model organisms in biology. This microorganism has been completely sequenced at DNA level, and contains 4319 genes. An important element
New method to isolate biofuel-producing bacteria
There has been much debate about converting foods like corn grain into fuel for our cars. Even if all the corn grain in the US were converted to ethanol, it still wouldn’t make enough fuel to replace
Filamentous bacteriophage organize bacterial biofilms into liquid crystals
At sites of chronic infection, bacteria form biofilms, clusters of bacteria encased within a slimy, polymer-rich coating called the matrix. Biofilms are of concern because bacteria within biofilms become tolerant not only to environmental stresses, but also
Controlling gene expression in bacteria
Gene expression enables cells to implement the instructions encoded within the genes on their DNA. Being able to control gene expression is therefore key to this most fundamental biological process, so determining cell fate and behaviour. Cells
Salmonella savors flavors
Salmonella is a common bacterial pathogen that causes a type of food-poisoning in humans (salmonellosis) which is characterized by diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and abdominal cramps. In general, the illness is self-limiting and most people recover without treatment.
Application of bacteria as microbial factories for natural products
Bacteria may be described as tiny chemical factories that take up simple molecules like sugars or alcohols as nutrients and utilize them to build all components that are necessary for basic cell metabolism, thus so called primary
Advanced green antibacterial materials made by mussel-inspired chemistry
Since ancient times, silver and its salts have universally been employed as antibacterial agents for the treatment of infections, burns and chronic wounds in curative and preventive health care, because of their extraordinary inhibitory and bactericidal properties
Exploiting an ‘Achilles heel’ of DNA replication to arrest viral proliferation
In order to proliferate all organisms need to replicate their genomes. In most, this is achieved by a process named DNA replication by which a parental DNA gives rise to two faithful copies of itself. For this
Antibiotic resistance re-visited
With the introduction of antibiotics at the beginning of the 20th century, the threat of bacterial infections was thought to over. Today, antibiotics are still used as the first, if not only, line of defense against bacterial
Fit rats can stomach menopause
Women enter menopause when their ovaries stop making the hormone estrogen. The longer a woman is postmenopausal (without estrogen), the more likely she is to gain weight and fat storage moves from the hips and thighs to
Effects of dietary peppermint on fry Caspian white fish
Traditional medicines usually involve the use of plant extracts. Among these plants, mint species have been exploited by man since more than two thousand years. Mentha piperita (also known as peppermint) is one of the world’s oldest
Antibacterial Titanium dioxide embedded in polymers
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) antibacterial surfaces are growing continuously in the health care areas. This is an important application since infectious biofilms are the main source of human infections in hospitals, schools and public places. When bacteria contacts
A wearable UV-LED medical device for automatic disinfection of stethoscope membrane
The medical literature has demonstrated the importance of healthcare-associated infections ( HAI ), which are an huge worldwide problem because of health complications, mortality ( EU + USA 140.000 death/year ), length of hospitalization and costs for
