The ability of prokaryotic microbes to produce and respond to neurochemicals that are more often associated with eukaryotic systems is increasingly recognized through the concept of microbial endocrinology. Most studies have described the phenomena of neurochemical production by bacteria, but there remains an incomplete understanding of the mechanisms by which microbe- or host-derived neuroacti...

A new anti-corrosion compound, Melamine Formaldehyde (MF), was formulated by the addition of proper amount of formaldehyde to melamine under specific conditions. This compound was mixed with a novel nano powder, which was extracted from corn cob ash containing SiO2 particles, in order to improve its corrosion inhibition efficiency. This inhibitor provides a high level of protection f...

Xenorhabdus nematophilus is a pathogenic bacterium causing insect haemolymph septicemia, which leads to host insect death. To address the fundamental mechanisms underlying this haemolymph septicemia, or the immunodepressive response of the host insects following bacterial infection, we tested a hypothesis that the insect immune-mediating eicosanoid pathway is blocked by inhibitory action of the...

Burkholderia cenocepacia is a gram-negative, non-spore-forming bacillus and a member of the Burkholderia cepacia complex. B. cenocepacia can survive intracellularly in phagocytic cells and can produce at least one superoxide dismutase (SOD). The inability of O2- to cross the cytoplasmic membrane, coupled with the periplasmic location of Cu,ZnSODs, suggests that periplasmic SODs protect bacteria...

The concept of an infectious agent playing a role in cardiovascular disease is slowly gaining attention. Among several pathogens identified, the oral bacterium Streptococcus gordonii has been implicated as a plausible agent. Platelet adhesion and subsequent aggregation are critical events in the pathogenesis and dissemination of the infective process. Here we describe the identification and cha...

The kinetics of the cometabolism of trichloroethylene (TCE) by the ammonia-oxidizing soil bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea in short-term (<10-min) incubations were investigated. Three individual effects of TCE cometabolism on this bacterium were characterized. First, we observed that TCE is a potent competitive inhibitor of ammonia oxidation by N. europaea. The K(infi) value for TCE (30 (mu)M) i...

BACKGROUND Nowadays, the demand for antibacterial fabrics has increased. White alum is used for oral aphthous ulcers treatment in traditional medicine of Sistan city, Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Iran, and also as a flocculent for water purification. This study is aimed to evaluate the effect of concentration and time on antibacterial activity of white alum on Escherichia coli O157:H7. MA...

BACKGROUND Clostridium tertium is distributed in the soil and in animal and human gastrointestinal tracts. C. tertium has been isolated from patients with blood diseases, immune disorders, and abdominal surgeries. Glyphosate is toxic, causing cause eye and skin irritation, gastrointestinal pain, and vomiting. Ingestion of herbicides modifies the gastrointestinal environment, which stresses the l...

Fungal pathogens rely on the production of specific virulence factors during infection. Inhibiting such factors generally results in reduced fungal pathogenicity. Most studies in the past have focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of fungal virulence factor expression during mono-culture, or during interaction with the host. However, a potentially important, second type of interacti...

Address for correspondence Simona Di Caro, MD Royal Berkshire Hospital, Gastroenterology Division Craven Road, RG15AN, Reading, United Kingdom Phone: 0118-322-7563 Fax: 0118-322-8736 e-mail: [email protected] Introduction Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) is a Gram-negative bacterium chronically infecting half of the world’s population (1). Since 1982, when H.pylori was discovered, the concept...