In vitro and in vivo anticancer effect of pH-responsive paclitaxel-loaded niosomes

In this study, paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded pH-responsive niosomes modified with ergosterol were developed. This new formulation was characterized in terms of size, morphology, encapsulation efficiency (EE), and in vitro release at pH 5.2 and 7.4. The in vitro efficacy of free PTX and niosome/PTX was assessed using MCF7, Hela, and HUVEC cell lines. In order to evaluate the in vivo efficacy of niosomal PTX in rats as compared to free PTX, the animals were intraperitoneally administered with 2.5 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg niosomal PTX for two weeks. Results showed that the pH-responsive niosomes had a nanometric size, spherical morphology, 77% EE, and pH-responsive release in pH 5.2 and 7.4. Compared with free PTX, we found markedly lower IC50s when cancer cells were treated for 48 h with niosomal PTX, which also showed high efficacy against human cancers derived from cervix and breast tumors. Moreover, niosomal PTX induced evident morphological changes in these cell lines. In vivo administration of free PTX at the dose of 2.5 mg/kg significantly increased serum biochemical parameters and liver lipid peroxidation in rats compared to the control rats. The situation was different when niosomal PTX was administered to the rats: the 5 mg/kg dosage of niosomal PTX significantly increased serum biochemical parameters, but the group treated with the 2.5 mg/kg dose of niosomal PTX showed fewer toxic effects than the group treated with free PTX at the same dosage. Overall, our results provide proof of concept for encapsulating PTX in niosomal formulation to enhance its therapeutic efficacy. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Enzyme production from food wastes using a biorefinery concept

According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), one-third of food produced globally for human consumption (nearly 1.3 billion tonnes) is lost along the food supply chain. In many countries food waste is currently landfilled or incinerated together with other combustible municipal wastes for possible recovery of energy. However, these two options are facing more and more economic and environmental stresses. Due to its organic- and nutrient-rich nature, theoretically food waste can be converted to valuable products (e.g. bio-products such as methane, hydrogen, ethanol, enzymes, organic acids, chemicals and fuels) through various fermentation processes. Such conversion of food waste is potentially more profitable than its conversion to animal feed or transportation fuel. Food waste valorisation has therefore gained interest, with value added bio-products such as methane, hydrogen, ethanol, enzymes, organic acids, chemicals, and fuels. Therefore, the aim of this review is to provide information on the food waste situation with emphasis on Asia–Pacific countries and the state of the art food waste processing technologies to produce enzymes

Comprehensive analysis of Enterococcus strains isolated from human microbiome and evaluation of their benefits for digestive system

Background: Some studies have highlighted a mutualistic relationship between human and Enterococcus spp.; however, other surveys have showed only a commensal connection. This study aimed to clearly answer this question that whether or not Enterococci strains have a beneficial potential for the human GI tract? Methods: The fecal samples were collected from 1000 healthy volunteers. Inhibitory potency of these bacteria was evaluated on three intestinal pathogens using phenotypic agar spot assay and genotypic PCR method. After typing bacteria by PFGE, the probiotic supplemented tests were used for evaluating Enterococci beneficial potential. Results: Out of 1000 fecal isolated Enterococci strains, 91 isolates were identified as E. faecium; entA (88.6) and entB (26.8) were present almost in all of the isolates. Also, 100 of the E. faecium isolates were active against EAEC and Shigella dysenteriae (zone �10 mm); however, these E. faecium isolates weren't effective against EPEC. Moreover, it was found that 9 out of 91 E. faecium isolates had >50 viability in bile salts and acid stress assays, and only 4 of these 9 acid-bile resistant isolates were able to adhere to HT-29 cell line. Conclusions: To sum up, almost 4 of human isolated Enterococcus spp. were shown to have a mutualistic behavior with an impressive probiotic potential. It is believed that in the future, these mutualistic Enterococci could be replaced by commensal ones in all people by taking probiotic supplements containing Enterococci. © 202

A case of extensive ischemic stroke due to primary systemic amyloidosis

Background: Amyloidosis is an uncommon disorder characterized by deposition of insoluble pathologic amyloid fibrils in different tissues and has two main forms: systemic and localized. Primary systemic amyloidosis, as the most common type of systemic amyloidosis, is a clonal plasma cell disorder and ischemic stroke has been sporadically reported as its complication. Case Presentation: The patient was an 88-year-old man with reduced muscle force in his right side of the body, dysarthria on the morning of admission, and a history of skin lesions. Multiple ecchymotic skin lesions all over the body especially head and neck areas along with macroglossia were observed in skin and mucous membrane examination. Neurologic examination revealed hemiplegia of the right side and reduced but symmetric deep tendon reflexes, along with drowsiness and global aphasia. In brain computed tomography, extensive infarction of left cerebral hemisphere was observed and after skin biopsy, diagnosis of amyloidosis was confirmed. Due to massive infarction of one cerebral hemisphere and extensive skin lesions, the patient died ten days later. Conclusion: Extensive ischemic stroke may occur as a complication of primary systemic amyloidosis. Therefore, in every patient presenting with extensive ecchymotic skin lesions and stroke, this differential diagnosis should be considered. Moreover, the occurrence of ischemic stroke as the complication of primary systemic amyloidosis may lead to poor prognosis

The status of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Iran compared to the world: a systematic review

Introduction: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable deaths worldwide. Sero-epidemiological data on S. pneumoniae is needed in each country to monitor the burden of this important pathogen in each population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, antibiotic resistance, prevalent serotypes and virulence factors of S. pneumoniae in Iran, compared to other parts of the world. Methods: A search via Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, ISI, Iranmedex, Magiran, SID and ISC was conducted for original articles investigating S. pneumoniae in Iran. The search terms were 'Streptococcus pneumoniae', 'S. pneumoniae', 'prevalence', 'antibiotic resistance', 'antimicrobial resistance', 'typing', 'serotyping', 'virulence factors', 'Iran'. Results: The overall prevalence of invasive pneumococcal disease had an increasing trend in Iran. The most common serotypes amongst Iranian population were 1, 19A, 6A/6B, 23F, 14,18C, 20, 19, 3, 6, 9V, 11A and 19F. Resistance to penicillin and co-trimoxazole had significant decreasing trends whilst resistance to erythromycin was increasing although insignificantly. The most prevalent pneumococcal virulence genes were lytA and pspC. Conclusion: Since pneumococcal serotypes differ in invasiveness, virulence, and antibiotic resistance it is important to closely monitor the changes on evolving serotypes, antibiotic resistance and virulence factors of this pathogen to be able to implement suitable prevention and therapeutic strategies. Copyright (C) 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved

A new formulation of hydrophobin-coated niosome as a drug carrier to cancer cells

Hydrophobin-1 (HFB-1) found on the surface of fungal spores, plays a role in the lack of antigen recognition by the host immune system. The present study aimed to evaluate the potential application of HFB-1 for the delivery of doxorubicin (Dox) into different cell lines. Coating the surface of niosomes (Nio) with HFB-1 leads to the hypothesis that this protein can confer protection against in vivo immune-system recognition and prevent the immune response. Thus, HFB-1 could become a promising alternative to polyethylene glycol (PEG). Here, HFB-1�coated niosome loaded with doxorubicin (Dox) based on Span 40, Tween 40 and cholesterol was prepared and compared with the PEG-coated niosome. Physicochemical characteristics of the prepared formulations in terms of size, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI), morphology, entrapment efficiency (EE), and release rate were evaluated at different pH levels (2, 5.2, and 7.4). In the end, the in vitro cytotoxicity assay was performed on four different cancer cell lines namely A549, MDA-MB-231, C6 and PC12 in addition to one control cell line (3 T3) to ensure the formulation's selectivity against cancer cells. Results showed that the niosomes coated with HFB-1 presented better size distribution, higher EE, more sustained release profile, enhanced biocompatibility and improved anticancer effects as compared to the PEG-coated niosomes. Interestingly, the viability percentage of the control cell line was higher than different cancer cells when treated with the formulations, which indicates the higher selectivity of the formulation against cancer cells. In conclusion, loading the niosomes with Dox and coating them with HFB-1 enhanced their efficacy and selectivity toward cancer cells, presenting a promising drug delivery system for sustained drug release in cancer treatment. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Analysis of virulence genes and molecular typing of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from human, food, and livestock from 2008 to 2016 in Iran

The frequency of Listeria monocytogenes isolates collected from a total of 1150 samples including food (n = 300), livestock (n = 50), and human clinical (n = 800) was evaluated during 2008�2016. Antimicrobial resistance patterns, virulence factors, and molecular characteristics of these isolates were analyzed using disk diffusion method, sequencing, serotyping, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The analysis of 44 L. monocytogenes isolates showed that 72.7 (32 of 44) of all the isolates belonged to Serotype 1/2c, and 15.9 (7 of 44) belonged to Serotype 3c. All 44 isolates were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agents with the most frequent resistance to penicillin (75) and tetracycline (47.7). Of the 44 L. monocytogenes strains, 100, 69.2, and 62.5 of livestock, human, and food strains were resistant to penicillin, respectively. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) technique, the isolates� genetic diversity was determined, and 28 PFGE patterns with 8 common (CT) and 20 single types (ST) were identified. This study highlights the high prevalence of Serotype 1/2c in clinical and livestock samples, while different serotypes were observed in food samples. The presence of rare serotypes such as 4c, belonging to the Lineage III, as well as 4e and 1/2c which are infrequent in Iran indicates that paying attention to uncommon serotypes, especially 1/2c, during the listeriosis outbreaks is necessary. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature

Novel vaccine candidates against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is now among the top ten causes of mortality worldwide being resulted in 1.7 million deaths including 0.4 million among people with HIV in 2016. The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the only available TB vaccine which fails to provide consistent protection against pulmonary TB in adults and adolescents despite being efficacious at protecting infants and young children from the most severe, often deadly forms of TB disease. To achieve the goal of global TB elimination by 2050 we will need new interventions including more improved vaccines that are effective in adult individuals who have not been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis as well as latently infected or immunocompromised subjects. In recent decades, multiple new vaccine candidates including whole cell vaccines, adjuvanted proteins, and vectored subunit vaccines have entered into the clinical trials. These new TB vaccines are hoped to provide encouraging safety and immunogenicity under various conditions including prevention of TB disease in adolescents and adults, as BCG replacement/boosters, or as therapeutic vaccines to reduce the duration of TB therapy. In this review, we will discuss the status of novel TB vaccine candidates currently under development in preclinical or clinical phases. © 2018 Elsevier B.V