Certain Aspects of Silver and Silver Nanoparticles in Wound Care: A Minireview

Resistance to antimicrobial agents by pathogenic bacteria has emerged in recent years and is a major health problem. In this context silver and silver nanoparticles (AgNP) have been known to have inhibitory and bactericidal effects and was used throughout history for treatment of skin ulcer, bone fracture, and supporting wound healing. In all of these applications prevention and treatment of bacterial colonized/infected wounds are critical. In this context silver and its derivatives play an important role in health care. Silver is widely used in clinical practice in the form of silver nitrate and/or silver sulfadiazine. In the last few years silver nanoparticles entered into clinical practice as both antimicrobial and antifungal agents. In addition, nanosilver is used in coating medical devices (catheters) and as component of wound dressings. In this paper we present summarized information about silver and nanoparticles made of silver in the context of their useful properties, especially antibacterial ones, being of a great interest for researchers and clinicians

Complementarity of Δ opioid ligand pharmacophore and receptor models

The elaboration of a pharmacophore model for the Δ opioid receptor selective ligand JOM-13 (Tyr–c[ D -Cys–Phe– D -Pen]OH) and the parallel, independent development of a structural model of the Δ receptor are summarized. Although the backbone conformation of JOM-13's tripeptide cycle is well defined, considerable conformational lability is evident in the Tyr 1 residue and in the Phe 3 side chain, key pharmacophore elements of the ligand. Replacement of these flexible features of the ligand by more conformationally restricted analogues and subsequent correlation of receptor binding and conformational properties allowed the number of possible binding conformations of JOM-13 to be reduced to two. Of these, one was chosen as more likely, based on its better superposition with other conformationally constrained Δ receptor ligands. Our model of the Δ opioid receptor, constructed using a general approach that we have developed for all rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptors, contains a large cavity within the transmembrane domain that displays excellent complementarity in both shape and polarity to JOM-13 and other Δ ligands. This binding pocket, however, cannot accommodate the conformer of JOM-13 preferred from analysis of ligands, alone. Rather, only the “alternate” allowed conformer, identified from analysis of the ligands but “disfavored” because it does not permit simultaneous superposition of all pharmacophore elements of JOM-13 with other Δ ligands, fits the binding site. These results argue against a simple view of a single, common fit to a receptor binding site and suggest, instead, that at least some binding site interactions of different ligands may differ. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biopoly 51: 426–439, 1999Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34323/1/5_ftp.pd

Comparing Aquatic Invertebrate Samples Collected from Chicagoland Waterways to Midwest Biodiversity Institute Waterbody Quality Reports.

My project was focused on comparing the field work and research that I completed with Natalia Szklaruk in fall 2021 to the research done by Midwest Biodiversity Institute. The goal was to see if there is a correlation between the health of a waterway, specifically conductivity levels, and the amount of species and taxa present in that area. The process consisted of sampling various waterways in the Chicagoland area, sorting and identifying the species collected, and then researching how our results compared to others and what the implications of this research may be. The results indicated that there is no clear correlation between conductivity levels and the amount of species present in a waterway. Further research could be done to see if other water quality factors are having an effect on native and non-native species health

Biphalin—A Potent Opioid Agonist—As a Panacea for Opioid System-Dependent Pathophysiological Diseases?

Biphalin, one of the opioid agonists, is a dimeric analog of enkephalin with a high affinity for opioid receptors. Opioid receptors are widespread in the central nervous system and in peripheral neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. Hence, these receptors and their agonists, which play an important role in pain blocking, may also be involved in the regulation of other physiological functions. Biphalin was designed and synthesized in 1982 by Lipkowski as an analgesic peptide. Extensive further research in various laboratories on the antinociceptive effects of biphalin has shown its excellent properties. It has been demonstrated that biphalin exhibits an analgesic effect in acute, neuropathic, and chronic animal pain models, and is 1000 times more potent than morphine when administered intrathecally. In the course of the broad conducted research devoted primarily to the antinociceptive effect of this compound, it has been found that biphalin may also potentially participate in the regulation of other opioid system-dependent functions. Nearly 40 years of research on the properties of biphalin have shown that it may play a beneficial role as an antiviral, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective agent, and may also affect many physiological functions. This integral review analyzes the literature on the multidirectional biological effects of biphalin and its potential in the treatment of many opioid system-dependent pathophysiological diseases