Antibacterial activity of selected naturally occurring hydroxycinnamic acids

The hydroxycinnamic acids are naturally occurring phenolic compounds commonly found in most plants. They have been shown to possess lipid antioxidant properties, in addition to antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial activities. The reports on the anti bacterial activity have been conflicting. The purpose of this study was to further investigate the antibacterial effects of caffeic, p-coumaric, and ferulic acids, the three most common hydroxycinnamic acids, against a variety of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms. Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Staphylococcus aureus were grown in Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) at optimum incubation temperatures for 9 or 48 hours at pH\u27s of 5.0, 6.0, 6.5, or 7.0 depending upon the organism. Growth was measured by plate counts in Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA). Limited inhibition of P. fluorescens with the compounds was found at pH 7.0, 6.5, and 6.0. Growth of E. coli was inhibited by the hydroxycinnamic acids at pH 6.0 and 5.0, but not at 7.0. Results suggested that inhibition was inversely related to the pH. The hydroxycinnamic acids were inhibitory to S. aureus at pH 7.0, 6.0, and 5.0 with the level of inhibition increasing at pH 5.0. The most effective acid was p-coumaric acid which exhibited lethal activity at pH 5.0. Bacillus cereus was sensitive to all of the acids, and a lethal effect was observed with p-coumaric acid. Higher concentrations of ferulic acid had increased activity while 1000 ppm of p-coumaric acid had no significant increase in activity over 500 ppm. Injury of S. aureus with the test compounds was monitored in TSA and Staphylococcus #110 medium. The most injury occurred during the lag phase of growth with 500 ppm p-coumaric acid at pH 7.0 and 6.0. No significant injury over time was observed with the other compounds. Escherichia coli was grown in a glucose salts medium containing a 14C-labeled amino acid mixture. Leakage of incorporated 14C-labeled compounds after exposure to 1000 ppm p-coumaric acid was detected with liquid scintillation counting. There was a maximum loss of 3.92% of incorporated 14C-labeled compounds, expressed as a percentage of the counts per min (cpm) of the whole cells, which suggested inhibition of E. coli by p-coumaric acid was at least partially due to leakage

The Use of Transmission Electron Microscopy to Study the Composition of Pseudomonas Fragi Attachment Material

Electron microscopy techniques were used to study the attachment matrix of Pseudomonas fragi used to demonstrate the presence of attachment fibrils of P. fragi adhered to stainless steel. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine thin sectioned cells strained with ruthenium red or alcian blue. Extracellular substances surrounding cells stained with ruthenium red or alcian blue had a mat- or spike-like morphology. This indicated that these substances were acidic mucopolysaccharides that may be involved in the attachment of P. fragi to food contact surfaces

Changes in the textural quality of selected cheese types as a result of frozen storage

The change in textural quality of cheese during frozen storage is of concern to the frozen food industry. Many food products such as frozen pizza and dinner entrees are stored at !0.5EF or below for extended periods of time. Food manufacturers have noted detrimental changes including reduced elasticity of cheese on pizza or the absence of melt in filled products. Dynamic rheological testing was used to determine the changes in Cheddar, Colby, and Mozzarella cheeses during frozen storage. Slices of cheese were tested at day 0 and after 30 days of storage at !0.5EF. Elastic attributes were measured at 40, 70, and 194EF. Results indicated that frozen storage reduced the elastic properties of all three cheeses. When cheeses were subjected to higher temperatures, the elastic properties decreased. These changes could be attributed to proteolysis, chemical composition, and component interactivity. Dynamic testing is rapid and may be a method of choice for cheese manufacturers to determine shelf life and quality

Identification of NeVIII lines in H-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs: a new tool to constrain the temperature of the hottest stars

For the first time, we have identified NeVIII absorption lines in far-UV spectra of the hottest known (Teff>150,000 K) hydrogen-deficient (pre-) white dwarfs of spectral type PG1159. They are of photospheric origin and can be matched by synthetic non-LTE line profiles. We also show that a number of UV and optical emission lines in these stars can be explained as being photospheric NeVIII features and not, as hitherto suspected, as ultrahigh ionised OVIII lines created along shock-zones in the stellar wind. Consequently, we argue that the long-standing identification of the same emission lines in hot [WR]-type central stars as being due to ultrahigh-ionised species (OVII-VIII, CV-VI) must be revised. These lines can be entirely attributed to thermally excited species (NeVII-VIII, NV, OVI). Photospheric NeVIII lines are also identified in the hottest known He-rich white dwarf KPD0005+5106 some of which were also attributed to OVIII previously. This is a surprise because it must be concluded that KPD0005+5106 is much hotter (Teff=200,000 K) than hitherto assumed (Teff=120,000 K). This is confirmed by a re-assessment of the HeII line spectrum. We speculate that the temperature is high enough to explain the mysterious, hard X-ray emission (1 keV) as being of photospheric origin.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Expression of Emerging Novel Tumor markers in Oral Squamous cell carcinoma and their Clinical and Pathological correlation to determine the Prognosis and Usefulness as a Therapeutic target: A Systematic Review

Background: Inspite of 1000s of novel tumor markers in past 2 decades there is not even a single tumor marker which is proved to have diagnostic or prognostic value in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The purpose of this review is to examine the current status of the emerging novel tumor markers. Methods: This search strategy was in accordance with the Cochrane guidelines for systemic review. Articles were selected using Pubmed search. The article search included only those published in the English literature. Results: Total of 12 tumor markers were analyzed. None of the tumor markers analyzed has all the qualities for a tumor marker like good sensitivity, specificity for diagnosis or assessing the prognosis Conclusions: Thus far, studies, although inconclusive, have found that the likelihood of identifying a biomarker with such sensitivity and specificity may be slim, at least for the immediate future. Key words: oral squamous cell carcinoma, novel tumor marker

The Association Between an Established Chief Experience Officer Role and Hospital Patient Experience Scores

The healthcare industry is currently reacting to multiple stakeholders demanding improvements to the patient experience. Some healthcare organizations are implementing new management structures, i.e., the role of Chief Experience Officer (CXO). This study statistically reviewed descriptors associated with hospitals that have and have not created and filled the role of CXO and, more importantly, measured the association between the CXO role and results of patients’ perceptions of their experience of care as measured by publicly reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) results. This study was conducted utilizing data gather on hospitals in three states, California, Florida, and New York. The results of the study yield insight into the organization characteristics of hospitals and the market factors associated with those hospitals that have filled the CXO role. Hospitals with a formal CXO role are larger, more likely to be for profit, and operate in metro areas of these states with higher per capita income. In addition, hospitals that have a formal CXO role are also more likely to have higher HCAHPS scores as determined by the patient recommendation question as well as the hospital overall rating question included in the HCAHPS survey

A Far-UV Spectroscopic Analysis of the Central Star of the Planetary Nebula Longmore 1

We have performed a non-LTE spectroscopic analysis using far-UV and UV data of the central star of the planetary nebula K1-26 (Longmore 1), and found Teff = 120+/-10 kK, logg = 6.7 +0.3/-0.7, and y = 0.10. The temperature is significantly hotter than previous results based on optical line analyses, highlighting the importance of analyzing the spectra of such hot objects at shorter wavelengths. The spectra show metal lines (from, e.g, carbon, oxygen, sulfur, and iron). The signatures of most elements can be fit adequately using solar abundances, confirming the classification of Longmore 1 as a high gravity O(H) object. Adopting a distance of 800 pc, we derive R = 0.04 Rsun, L = 250 Lsun, and M = 0.6 Msun. This places the object on the white dwarf cooling sequence of the evolutionary tracks with an age of ~= 65 kyr.Comment: 14 pages, 4 color figures. Accepted for publication in PAS