Comparison of the Virulence Potential of Acinetobacter Strains from Clinical and Environmental Sources

Several Acinetobacter strains have utility for biotechnology applications, yet some are opportunistic pathogens. We compared strains of seven Acinetobacter species (baumannii, Ab; calcoaceticus, Ac; guillouiae, Ag; haemolyticus, Ah; lwoffii, Al; junii, Aj; and venetianus, Av-RAG-1) for their potential virulence attributes, including proliferation in mammalian cell conditions, haemolytic/cytolytic activity, ability to elicit inflammatory signals, and antibiotic susceptibility. Only Ah grew at 102 and 104 bacteria/well in mammalian cell culture medium at 37°C. However, co-culture with colonic epithelial cells (HT29) improved growth of all bacterial strains, except Av-RAG-1. Cytotoxicity of Ab and Ah toward HT29 was at least double that of other test bacteria. These effects included bacterial adherence, loss of metabolism, substrate detachment, and cytolysis. Only Ab and Ah exhibited resistance to killing by macrophage-like J774A.1 cells. Haemolytic activity of Ah and Av-RAG-1 was strong, but undetectable for other strains. When killed with an antibiotic, Ab, Ah, Aj and Av-RAG-1 induced 3 to 9-fold elevated HT29 interleukin (IL)-8 levels. However, none of the strains altered levels of J774A.1 pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α). Antibiotic susceptibility profiling showed that Ab, Ag and Aj were viable at low concentrations of some antibiotics. All strains were positive for virulence factor genes ompA and epsA, and negative for mutations in gyrA and parC genes that convey fluoroquinolone resistance. The data demonstrate that Av-RAG-1, Ag and Al lack some potentially harmful characteristics compared to other Acinetobacter strains tested, but the biotechnology candidate Av-RAG-1 should be scrutinized further prior to widespread use

Secondary Metabolites of Marine Microbes: From Natural Products Chemistry to Chemical Ecology

Marine natural products (MNPs) exhibit a wide range of pharmaceutically relevant bioactivities, including antibiotic, antiviral, anticancer, or anti-inflammatory properties. Besides marine macroorganisms such as sponges, algae, or corals, specifically marine bacteria and fungi have shown to produce novel secondary metabolites (SMs) with unique and diverse chemical structures that may hold the key for the development of novel drugs or drug leads. Apart from highlighting their potential benefit to humankind, this review is focusing on the manifold functions of SMs in the marine ecosystem. For example, potent MNPs have the ability to exile predators and competing organisms, act as attractants for mating purposes, or serve as dye for the expulsion or attraction of other organisms. A large compilation of literature on the role of MNPs in marine ecology is available, and several reviews evaluated the function of MNPs for the aforementioned topics. Therefore, we focused the second part of this review on the importance of bioactive compounds from crustose coralline algae (CCA) and their role during coral settlement, a topic that has received less attention. It has been shown that certain SMs derived from CCA and their associated bacteria are able to induce attachment and/or metamorphosis of many benthic invertebrate larvae, including globally threatened reef-building scleractinian corals. This review provides an overview on bioactivities of MNPs from marine microbes and their potential use in medicine as well as on the latest findings of the chemical ecology and settlement process of scleractinian corals and other invertebrate larvae

O cotidiano do ser-adolescendo com aids: movimento ou momento existencial? El cotidiano del ser-adolecer con sida: ¿movimiento o momento existencial? The daily life of adolescents with aids: existential movement or moment?

As crianças com AIDS por transmissão vertical transitam da infância para adolescência, e pouco se sabe sobre como cuidam de si. Compreender este cotidiano do adolescer foi o objetivo desta investigação fenomenológica com análise hermenêutica heideggeriana. A entrevista com 11 meninos/meninas (12-14 anos) não institucionalizados, que conheciam seu diagnóstico, ocorreu depois da aprovação do projeto pelo Comitê de Ética de três instituições do Rio de Janeiro, cenários da pesquisa. Os resultados apontaram um cotidiano marcado pelos momentos infância e adolescência. Às vezes quer voltar a ser-criança para brincar; se re-conhece como ser-adolescente pela aparência, humor, atividades diárias, lazer e relacionamentos. Transitando entre esses momentos, re-vela-se como ser-adolescendo. Neste movimento existencial des-vela-se como ser-de-possibilidades, que não está limitado à dupla-facticidade: adolescer (segundo demarcações etárias e características predeterminadas) e AIDS (fragilidade clínica). Portanto, conjugar as dimensões biológica e existencial, no modelo assistencial-institucional, é o desafio do cuidado ao ser-adolescendo.<br>Los niños con Sida por transmisión vertical, transitan de la infancia para la adolescencia, y poco se sabe sobre cómo cuidan de si. Comprender este cotidiano del adolecer con Sida fue el objetivo de esta investigación fenomenológica bajo el analisis de la hermenéutica heideggeriana. La entrevista con 11 niños y niñas (entre 12y 14 años) , que conocían su diagnóstico y estaban no-institucionalizados, se realizó después de que el Comité de ética aprobó el proyecto de pesquisa de tres instituciones de Rio de Janeiro, escenarios de esta investigación.. Los resultados apuntaron que el cotidiano del adolecer está marcado por momentos de infancia y adolescencia. A veces quiere volver a ser-niño para jugar, y se re-conoce como ser-adolescente en la apariencia, humor, actividades diarias, ocio y relacionamientos. Transitando entre estos momentos, se re-vela como un ser-adolecer . En este movimiento existencial se re-vela como un ser-de-posibilidades, que no está limitado a este doble acontecer : adolecer (según demarcaciones de la edad y características predeterminadas) y Sida (fragilidad clínica). Ahí reside el desafío de conjugar la dimensión biológica y existencial, en un modelo asistencial-institucional de cuidado al ser-adolecer.<br>Children with vertical transmission HIV pass from childhood to adolescence and little is known about how they care for themselves. The objective was to understand the daily life of adolescents with AIDS. Heiddeger's hermeneutic analyzes was applied. The phenomenological interview of 11 non-institutionalized boys and girls (12-14 years) with a disclosed diagnosis took place in 3 reference healthcare facilities in Rio de Janeiro. The comprehensive analysis showed that adolescents' daily live is marked by childhood and adolescent moments. In childhood, there is a desire to play like other children. In adolescence, there is a desire to be like others in appearance, mood, daily activities, leisure and relationship. In passing between these two moments, a process of becoming adolescent is revealed. In this existential movement they reveal as a being-with-possibilities that are not limited in the double-facticity: adolescence (according to etaria marks and predetermined characteristics) and AIDS (clinical fragility). Therein resides the challenge of conjugating biological and existential dimensions in adolescent care