Fact Sheet: Engaging the Media: Promoting your work to the media

Attracting the attention of media organisations can be challenging. Deciding how best to 'pitch' your work and through which medium can be challenging. This fact sheet will arm you with tips and tools to improve your chances of securing media coverage. Be confident and direct about your research - making it clear to the journalist how it can be of benefit to the newspaper/TV/radio/on-line audience. This will improve the media's perception of you

Fact Sheet: Engaging the Media: Writing a succinct media release

Media releases offer the opportunity to promote and publicise details about your work to the media. When written well media releases will highlight key messages about your work, be immediately interesting and eye-catching to the journalist. This fact sheet highlights what to consider when writing a media release

Dose-response of weekly resistance training volume and frequency of muscular adaptations in trained males

Purpose: Debate exists over how to best manipulate resistance exercise training (RET) volume, the number of weekly sets per muscle group, to optimize muscular adaptations. A linear dose-response relationship between RET volume and hypertrophy has been proposed for ≤10-12 weekly sets. The present study aimed to understand the impact of low-to-very high weekly RET volume on muscular adaptations in trained young males over 6-weeks of RET. Methods: Forty-nine RET-experienced males (n=49) were randomly allocated to a LOW (n=17), moderate (MOD; n=15) or HIGH (n=17) volume group, performing 9, 18 or 27 weekly sets of bicep RET, respectively, for 6-weeks. RET was performed once (LOW) or twice (MOD and HIGH) weekly. Post-exercise protein intake was controlled and dietary intake and external training volume were recorded. Prior-to and following RET, assessments of bicep muscle thickness (MT), isometric and 1RM strength were performed. Results: MT significantly increased in all groups (4.4±7.7%, 8.4±9.9% and 5.6±5.0% for LOW, MOD, HIGH, respectively, P<0.05 for all) as did 1RM strength (7.6±5.6%, 11.2±5.5% and 11.7±4.3% for LOW, MOD, HIGH, respectively, P<0.05 for all). Isometric strength only significantly increased in the HIGH (8.5±15.1%, P=0.025). There were no significant differences between groups in any MT or indices of strength. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate no differences in muscular adaptations to short-term RET between low-to-high weekly volumes, in trained individuals. However, given the greater number of ‘non-responders’ to low-volume weekly RET, it seems that moderate volume RET, performed over two weekly sessions, provides sufficient stimulus to maximize muscular adaptations

The investigation of thymol formulations containing poloxamer 407 and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose to inhibit candida biofilm formation and demonstrate improved bio-compatibility

© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/ph15010071The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of thymol to inhibit Candida biofilm formation and improve thymol biocompatibility in the presence of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and poloxamer 407 (P407), as possible drug carriers. Thymol with and without polymers were tested for its ability to inhibit biofilm formation, its effect on the viability of biofilm and biocompatibility studies were performed on HEK 293 (human embryonic kidney) cells. Thymol showed a concentration dependent biofilm inhibition; this effect was slightly improved when it was combined with HPMC. The Thymol-P407 combination completely inhibited the formation of biofilm and the antibiofilm effect of thymol decreased as the maturation of Candida biofilms increased. The effect of thymol on HEK 293 cells was a loss of nearly 100% in their viability at a concentration of 250 mg/L. However, in the presence of P407, the viability was 25% and 85% using neutral red uptake and sulforhodamine B assays, respectively. While, HPMC had less effect on thymol activity the thymol-P407 combination showed a superior inhibitory effect on biofilm formation and better biocompatibility with human cell lines. The combination demonstrates a potential medical use for the prevention of Candida biofilm formation.Published onlin

In Vitro Evaluation of the Inhibitory Effect of Topical Ophthalmic Agents on Acanthamoeba Viability

Purpose: To compare the antimicrobial effect of topical anaesthetics, antivirals, antibiotics, and biocides on the viability of Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites in vitro. Methods: Amoebicidal and cysticidal assays were performed against both trophozoites and cysts of A. castellanii (ATCC 50370) and A. polyphaga (ATCC 30461). Test agents included topical ophthalmic preparations of commonly anaesthetics, antivirals, antibiotics, and biocides. Organisms were exposed to serial two-fold dilutions of the test compounds in the wells of a microtitre plate to examine the effect on Acanthamoeba spp. In addition, the toxicity of each of the test compounds was determined against a mammalian cell line. Results: Proxymetacaine, oxybuprocaine and especially tetracaine were all toxic to the trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba but lidocaine was well tolerated. The presence of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) preservative in levofloxacin caused a high level of toxicity to trophozoites and cysts. With the diamidines the presence of BAC in the propamidine drops was responsible for the activity against Acanthamoeba. Hexamidine drops without BAC showed good activity against trophozoites and the biguanides PHMB, chlorhexidine, alexidine and octenidine all showed excellent activity against trophozoites and cysts of both species. Conclusions: The anti-amoebic effect of BAC, povidone iodine and tetracaine are superior to the current diamidines and slightly inferior to the biguanides used in the treatment for Acanthamoeba keratitis. Translational Relevance: Ophthalmologists should be aware that certain topical anaesthetics and ophthalmic preparations containing BAC, prior to specimen sampling may affect the viability of Acanthamoeba in vivo, resulting in false negative results in diagnostic tests

The activity of PHMB and other guanidino containing compounds against acanthamoeba and other ocular pathogens

© 2022 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10071375In recent years, a rise in the number of contact lens users in the UK and worldwide coincided with an increased incidence of microbial keratitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activities of polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG), polyaminopropyl biguanide (PAPB), and guazatine in comparison to the common contact lens disinfectant constituent, polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). The study investigated these compounds against a broad range of organisms, including Acanthamoeba castellanii, Acanthamoeba polyphaga, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. This study demonstrated that PHMG, PAPB, and guazatine are equal in activity to PHMB against Acanthamoeba trophozoites and cysts. PHMG and PAPB are also equal in activity to PHMB against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, whereas PHMG shows significantly better activity than PHMB against C. albicans (p < 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the effectiveness of PHMB, PHMG, PAPB, and guazatine against Acanthamoeba and other ocular pathogens. As alternatives to PHMB, these compounds warrant further investigation for inclusion in contact lens solutions and for the treatment of keratitis

In Vitro Evaluation of the Inhibitory Effect of Topical Ophthalmic Agents on Acanthamoeba Viability

Purpose: To compare the antimicrobial effect of topical anaesthetics, antivirals, antibiotics, and biocides on the viability of Acanthamoeba cysts and trophozoites in vitro. Methods: Amoebicidal and cysticidal assays were performed against both trophozoites and cysts of A. castellanii (ATCC 50370) and A. polyphaga (ATCC 30461). Test agents included topical ophthalmic preparations of commonly anaesthetics, antivirals, antibiotics, and biocides. Organisms were exposed to serial two-fold dilutions of the test compounds in the wells of a microtitre plate to examine the effect on Acanthamoeba spp. In addition, the toxicity of each of the test compounds was determined against a mammalian cell line. Results: Proxymetacaine, oxybuprocaine and especially tetracaine were all toxic to the trophozoites and cysts of Acanthamoeba but lidocaine was well tolerated. The presence of benzalkonium chloride (BAC) preservative in levofloxacin caused a high level of toxicity to trophozoites and cysts. With the diamidines the presence of BAC in the propamidine drops was responsible for the activity against Acanthamoeba. Hexamidine drops without BAC showed good activity against trophozoites and the biguanides PHMB, chlorhexidine, alexidine and octenidine all showed excellent activity against trophozoites and cysts of both species. Conclusions: The anti-amoebic effect of BAC, povidone iodine and tetracaine are superior to the current diamidines and slightly inferior to the biguanides used in the treatment for Acanthamoeba keratitis. Translational Relevance: Ophthalmologists should be aware that certain topical anaesthetics and ophthalmic preparations containing BAC, prior to specimen sampling may affect the viability of Acanthamoeba in vivo, resulting in false negative results in diagnostic tests

The BCAT1 CXXC Motif Provides Protection against ROS in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells

The cytosolic branched-chain aminotransferase (BCAT1) has received attention for its role in myeloid leukaemia development, where studies indicate metabolic adaptations due to BCAT1 up-regulation. BCAT1, like the mitochondria isoform (BCAT2), shares a conserved CXXC motif ~10 Å from the active site. This CXXC motif has been shown to act as a ‘redox-switch’ in the enzymatic regulation of the BCAT proteins, however the response to reactive oxygen species (ROS) differs between BCAT isoforms. Studies indicate that the BCAT1 CXXC motif is several orders of magnitude less sensitive to the effects of ROS compared with BCAT2. Moreover, estimation of the reduction mid-point potential of BCAT1, indicates that BCAT1 is more reductive in nature and may possess antioxidant properties. Therefore, the aim of this study was to further characterise the BCAT1 CXXC motif and evaluate its role in acute myeloid leukaemia. Our biochemical analyses show that purified wild-type (WT) BCAT1 protein could metabolise H2O2 in vitro, whereas CXXC motif mutant or WT BCAT2 could not, demonstrating for the first time a novel antioxidant role for the BCAT1 CXXC motif. Transformed U937 AML cells over-expressing WT BCAT1, showed lower levels of intracellular ROS compared with cells over-expressing the CXXC motif mutant (CXXS) or Vector Controls, indicating that the BCAT1 CXXC motif may buffer intracellular ROS, impacting on cell proliferation. U937 AML cells over-expressing WT BCAT1 displayed less cellular differentiation, as observed by a reduction of the myeloid markers; CD11b, CD14, CD68, and CD36. This finding suggests a role for the BCAT1 CXXC motif in cell development, which is an important pathological feature of myeloid leukaemia, a disease characterised by a block in myeloid differentiation. Furthermore, WT BCAT1 cells were more resistant to apoptosis compared with CXXS BCAT1 cells, an important observation given the role of ROS in apoptotic signalling and myeloid leukaemia development. Since CD36 has been shown to be Nrf2 regulated, we investigated the expression of the Nrf2 regulated gene, TrxRD1. Our data show that the expression of TrxRD1 was downregulated in transformed U937 AML cells overexpressing WT BCAT1, which taken with the reduction in CD36 implicates less Nrf2 activation. Therefore, this finding may implicate the BCAT1 CXXC motif in wider cellular redox-mediated processes. Altogether, this study provides the first evidence to suggest that the BCAT1 CXXC motif may contribute to the buffering of ROS levels inside AML cells, which may impact ROS-mediated processes in the development of myeloid leukaemia

Recent advances and applications of bacterial cellulose in biomedicine

© 2021 The Authors. Published by MDPI. This is an open access article available under a Creative Commons licence. The published version can be accessed at the following link on the publisher’s website: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym13030412Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an extracellular polymer produced by Komagateibacter xylinus, which has been shown to possess a multitude of properties, which makes it innately useful as a next-generation biopolymer. The structure of BC is comprised of glucose monomer units polymerised by cellulose synthase in β-1-4 glucan chains which form uniaxially orientated BC fibril bundles which measure 3–8 nm in diameter. BC is chemically identical to vegetal cellulose. However, when BC is compared with other natural or synthetic analogues, it shows a much higher performance in biomedical applications, potable treatment, nano-filters and functional applications. The main reason for this superiority is due to the high level of chemical purity, nano-fibrillar matrix and crystallinity. Upon using BC as a carrier or scaffold with other materials, unique and novel characteristics can be observed, which are all relatable to the features of BC. These properties, which include high tensile strength, high water holding capabilities and microfibrillar matrices, coupled with the overall physicochemical assets of bacterial cellulose makes it an ideal candidate for further scientific research into biopolymer development. This review thoroughly explores several areas in which BC is being investigated, ranging from biomedical applications to electronic applications, with a focus on the use as a next-generation wound dressing. The purpose of this review is to consolidate and discuss the most recent advancements in the applications of bacterial cellulose, primarily in biomedicine, but also in biotechnology.Published onlin