Actualități în cercetarea de noi molecule de antibiotice

Pharmaceutical chemistry department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Therapeutical chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, RomaniaRezumat. Rezistența bacteriilor la antibioticele autorizate în terapia sau profilaxia infecțiilor este în creștere. Printre măsurile de contracarare a acestui fenomen îngrijorător, în afara utilizării mai raționale a antibioticelor și a optimizării schemelor de tratament, este necesară o intensificare a cercetărilor și investiții mai mari pentru descoperirea de noi molecule de antibiotice, noi inhibitori de betalactamaze, inhibitori ai pompelor de eflux, ai procesului QS, ai formării de biofilm dar și spre identificarea de noi ținte de acțiune. Metodele utilizate pentru descoperirea de noi antibiotice sunt cele clasice (extracție, biosinteză dirijată, semisinteză, sinteză, urmate de screening antibacterian), chimia organică de sinteză asociată cu studii computerizate de andocare cu ținte specifice, studii QSAR sau identificarea de molecule prototip prin chimie combinatorială.Abstract. Bacterial resistance to approved antibiotics (used in therapy and/or as prophylaxis) is increasing. Among the measures to counterwork this alarming phenomenon, beside the more rational use of antibiotics and the optimization of treatment regimens, an intensifying research and greater investments for the discovery of new antibiotic molecules, novel beta-lactamase inhibitors, efflux pump inhibitors, quorum sensing (QS) process and biofilm formation inhibitors, as well as new target identification, are needed. The methods used for the discovery of new antibiotics are the classical ones (extraction, directed biosynthesis, semi-synthesis, synthesis, followed by antibacterial screening), but also the more modern ones, like synthetic organic chemistry associated with molecular docking studies, QSAR studies or identification of prototype molecules through combinatorial chemistry

CURRENT ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS IN EUROPE - RESEARCH FOCUS ON HUMAN HEALTH

The article focuses on a synthetic presentation of environmental legislation and policies at national and European level, based on the analysis of government strategies that aim to improve living standards through education starting from an early level, through the implementation of waste management resulting from industrial and domestic activities, through the modernization of the rural environment as a result of the financing of water supply, access programme to alternative energy and specifically gas

COLD ATMOSPHERIC PLASMA TREATMENT MODULATES THE EXPRESSION OF cdk1, tnfα AND tp53 GENES IN HUMAN OSTEOSARCOMA CELLS

Osteosarcoma (OS), a malignancy primarily affecting children and adolescents, is the most frequently encountered malignant, non-hematologic, bone tumor. Despite the gradual improvement of survival rates, the management of this disease remains problematic due to challenges such metastasis development, its heterogeneous characteristics, and resistance to cytostatic drugs. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), a partially ionized gas operating at near room temperature, which is comprised of free carriers, excited or neutral molecules, and active radicals capable of initiating diverse physical phenomena and chemical reactions represent a new and innovative potential solution in cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of CAP produced by our custom-build plasma source to induce cytotoxic effects to HOS cells and to analyze post-treatment modulations of cdk1, tnfα and tp53 genes expression. Direct and indirect CAP treatments effectiveness on HOS cells were evaluated by MTT assay and the regulation of interest genes expression were carried out by RT-qPCR analysis. Cell viability analysis revealed a strong cytotoxic effect of direct CAP treatment on HOS cells, while the indirect treatment resulted in a slight decrease of cells viability. Direct CAP treatment modulates the expression of all analyzed genes, both at 2- and 24-hours post-treatment. In conclusion, direct CAP treatment produced by our custom-build plasma source have cytotoxic effects on HOS cells in a dose-dependent manner up to 24 hours post-treatment. Furthermore, direct CAP treatment induces cell cycle arrest of HOS cells, and the CAP-induced cell death is independent of tp53 gene

Current aspects of environmental regulations and interventions in Europe - research focus on human health

The article focuses on a synthetic presentation of environmental legislation and policies at national and European level, based on the analysis of government strategies that aim to improve living standards through education starting from an early level, through the implementation of waste management resulting from industrial and domestic activities, through the modernization of the rural environment as a result of the financing of water supply, access programme to alternative energy and specifically gas.The article focuses on a synthetic presentation of environmental legislation and policies at national and European level, based on the analysis of government strategies that aim to improve living standards through education starting from an early level, through the implementation of waste management resulting from industrial and domestic activities, through the modernization of the rural environment as a result of the financing of water supply, access programme to alternative energy and specifically gas.The article focuses on a synthetic presentation of environmental legislation and policies at national and European level, based on the analysis of government strategies that aim to improve living standards through education starting from an early level, through the implementation of waste management resulting from industrial and domestic activities, through the modernization of the rural environment as a result of the financing of water supply, access programme to alternative energy and specifically gas

Studies on obtaining active dry wine yeast using different nitrogen sources

Most of research on wine microbiology has concentrated on Saccharomyces yeasts for development of starter cultures, especially on Sacch. cerevisiae. As the importance of the role of S. cerevisiae in winemaking has been established, the number of wine yeast strains available in the world market for use as winemaking starters grew in the last years. The upstream process of producing Sacch. cerevisiae biomass on a culture medium based on sugar was performed by testing different sources of inorganic and organic nitrogen (yeast extract and monoammonium phosphate) in submerged fermentations using a Biostat B plus bioreactor (4L working volume). The upstream parameters have been monitored on-line (oxygen flow; pH around 4.35; temperature 300C; stirring rate 250 rpm) and off-line (total soluble dry matter; pH). The biomass obtained after the downstream process has been dried through freeze-drying. Through the combination of two carbon sources as yeast extract (0.7%) and monoammonium phosphate 10.71 g/L dry cell weight (DCW) has been obtained, compared with 9.6 g/L DCW in the case of the fermentation without monoammonium phosphate. From the economic reasons, the monoammonium phosphate as an inorganic nitrogen form has been excluded from the experiments. Finally, the higher content of dry yeast biomass (14.43 g/L DCW) was obtained when 11% yeast extract as the only nitrogen source has been added at the fermentation media

Cold Atmospheric Plasma, Platelet-Rich Plasma, and Nitric Oxide Synthesis Inhibitor: Effects Investigation on an Experimental Model on Rats

The evolution of reconstructive methods for defects of the human body cannot yet replace the use of flap surgery. Research is still preoccupied with the ideal techniques for offering the best chances of survival of the flaps. In our study, we investigated the effects of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injectable solutions on flap survival using an in vivo model. Twenty-four Wistar rats (four groups) had the McFarlane flap raised and CAP, L-NAME, and PRP substances tested through a single dose subcutaneous injection. The control group had only a saline solution injected. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluated a CAP activated solution through injection on flaps. The flap survival rate was determined by clinical examination (photography documented), hematology, thermography, and anatomopathological tests. The image digital analysis performed on the flaps showed that the necrosis area (control—49.64%) was significantly lower for the groups with the three investigated solutions: CAP (14.47%), L-NAME (18.2%), and PRP (23.85%). Thermography exploration revealed less ischemia than the control group on the CAP, L-NAME, and PRP groups as well. Anatomopathological data noted the best degree of angiogenesis on the CAP group, with similar findings on the L-NAME and PRP treated flaps. The blood work did not indicate infection or a strong inflammatory process in any of the subjects. Overall, the study shows that the CAP activated solution has a similar (better) impact on the necrosis rate (compared with other solutions with known effects) when injected on the modified dorsal rat skin flap, and on top of that it can be obtained fast, in unlimited quantities, non-invasively, and through a standardized process

Collection of blastomeres in order to establish sex and isolate genetic material-review

Globally, limited access to food needs in relation to meat or milk production has required the establishment of the sex of offspring from the embryonic stage. While the meat industry uses males, the dairy industry relies on females. During the period of exploitation, the number of products obtained from a female bovine is 5-6 individuals, their sex being able to be influenced by means of sexed semen. Embryo sexing programs can result in a large number of conception products, in a shorter period of time taking into account the desired sex. The use of the desired sex embryo facilitates the improvement of the genetic value. Embryonic sexing procedures involve the collection by biopsy of a minimum amount of genetic material that can ensure the determination of sex. Both invasive and non-invasive biopsy and sexing procedures can influence the subsequent viability of embryos prepared for embryo transfer. This paper highlights the methods of embryonic sexing along with the advantages and disadvantages of each technique involved in determining sex

EFFECT OF GRAPE SKIN POWDER ADDITION ON CHEMICAL, NUTRITIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF CHEESE

Large amounts of chemicals with useful properties can be found in by-products of the processing of grapes. Consumer interest in functional foods has increased recently, with dairy products dominating this market. Constituents from grape-based by-products that are naturally occurring in grapes have the potential to enhance the functional qualities of dairy products and lessen environmental damage. As a result, the goal of this research is to provide crucial information on the use of grape skin powder as a helpful ingredient in the manufacture of cheese. In this study, grape skin powder (GSP) was added to cheese to increase its bioactive compounds content and antioxidant activity. Total phenolic content (TPC) was significantly greater in the enriched cheese (5.483±0.443 mg C3G/100 g DW). Adding 2% grape skin powder to the cheese formulation gave an increase of 0.295 mg CE/g DW of TFC and 2.046 mg GAE/g DW of TPC. The GSP-supplemented cheese also showed greater antioxidant activity than the control. This study demonstrates that grape by-products can effectively transfer beneficial compounds to cheese

Effect of grape skin powder addition on chemical, nutritional and technological properties of cheese

Large amounts of chemicals with useful properties can be found in by-products of the processing of grapes. Consumer interest in functional foods has increased recently, with dairy products dominating this market. Constituents from grape-based by-products that are naturally occurring in grapes have the potential to enhance the functional qualities of dairy products and lessen environmental damage. As a result, the goal of this research is to provide crucial information on the use of grape skin powder as a helpful ingredient in the manufacture of cheese. In this study, grape skin powder (GSP) was added to cheese to increase its bioactive compounds content and antioxidant activity. Total phenolic content (TPC) was significantly greater in the enriched cheese (5.483±0.443 mg C3G/100 g DW). Adding 2% grape skin powder to the cheese formulation gave an increase of 0.295 mg CE/g DW of TFC and 2.046 mg GAE/g DW of TPC. The GSP-supplemented cheese also showed greater antioxidant activity than the control. This study demonstrates that grape by-products can effectively transfer beneficial compounds to cheese