Topic Review
Betulinic Acid
Betulinic acid (BA, 3β-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a pentacyclic triterpene acid present predominantly in Betula ssp. (Betulaceae) and is also widely spread in many species belonging to different plant families. BA presents a wide spectrum of remarkable pharmacological properties, such as cytotoxic, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities, including antiprotozoal effects.
  • 1.4K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobial Agents
Bacterial pathogens as causative agents of infection constitute an alarming concern in the public health sector. In particular, bacteria with resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents can confound chemotherapeutic efficacy towards infectious diseases. Multidrug-resistant bacteria harbor various molecular and cellular mechanisms for antimicrobial resistance. These antimicrobial resistance mechanisms include active antimicrobial efflux, reduced drug entry into cells of pathogens, enzymatic metabolism of antimicrobial agents to inactive products, biofilm formation, altered drug targets, and protection of antimicrobial targets. These microbial systems represent suitable focuses for investigation to establish the means for their circumvention and to reestablish therapeutic effectiveness.
  • 1.4K
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Arboviruses in Australia
In excess of 75 arboviruses have been identified in Australia, some of which are now well established as causative agents of debilitating diseases. These include Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus, and Murray Valley encephalitis virus, each of which may be detected by both antibody-based recognition and molecular typing. For most of the remaining arboviruses that may be associated with pathology in humans, routine tests are not available to diagnose infection. A number of these so-called ‘neglected’ or ‘orphan’ arboviruses are considered likely to have infected humans at a regular rate for decades. Some may be associated with undifferentiated febrile illness — fever, the cause of which is not obvious — for which around half of all cases each year remain undiagnosed. Ongoing research aims to better understand the distribution, epidemiology, and transmission ecology of these mosquito-transmitted viruses that are currently unique to Australia.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Itxasol© in Treatment of Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent a health problem of the first magnitude since they affect large segments of the population, cause increased mortality and comorbidity, and have a high incidence of relapse. Therefore, UTIs cause a major socioeconomic concern. Current antibiotic treatments have various limitations such as the appearance of resistance to antibiotics, nephrotoxicity, and side effects such as gastrointestinal problems including microbiota alterations that contribute to increasing antibiotic resistance. In this context, Itxasol© has emerged, approved as an adjuvant for the treatment of UTIs. Designed with biomimetic principles, it is composed of arbutin, umbelliferon, and N-acetyl cysteine.
  • 1.3K
  • 02 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Biosynthesis Investigations of Terpenoids Antimicrobial Agents
Terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are one of the largest natural product families, constituting more than 40,000 primary and secondary metabolites, including monoterpenes (53%), diterpenoids (1%), sesquiterpenes (28%), and others (18%). The basic unit of terpenes is the isoprene unit (C5H8), which is a simple hydrocarbon. It is the main precursor and could be post-modified through the cytosolic mevalonate (MVA) pathway or the plastid methyl erythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway. Terpenoids are a major source of bioactive natural products. 
  • 1.2K
  • 07 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing
Antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) specifies effective antibiotic dosage and formulates a profile of empirical therapy for the proper management of an individual patient’s health against deadly infections. Therefore, rapid diagnostic plays a pivotal role in the treatment of bacterial infection.
  • 1.2K
  • 03 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Pathogenesis and Clinical Presentation of Pott’s Disease
Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence is increasing in developed nations and continuing to cause significant mortality in low- and middle-income countries. As a result of the uptick in cases, there also exists an increased prevalence of extrapulmonary TB. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). When M. tb disseminates to the vertebral column, it is called Pott’s disease or spinal TB. The frequency, symptoms, and severity of the disease range by the location of the spine and the region of the affected vertebrae. 
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis is a common neglected tropical disease of impoverished people and livestock in many developing countries in tropical Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. 
  • 1.1K
  • 02 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Combinatory Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (c-aPDT)
Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has become a fundamental tool in modern therapeutics to combat localized infections. Thanks to the expanding versatility of photosensitizers and the many possible combinations with other antimicrobial treatments, aPDT is evolving from a conceptually simple methodology towards a much more sophisticated, integrated, and innovative technology.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Anti-Biofilm Treatments: Single and Combination Antibiotic Therapy
The public health challenge of antibacterial resistance has escalated considerably over recent decades. Of all potentially pathogenic species of bacteria those that form biofilm, complex surface-attached communities of bacteria held together by self-produced polysaccharide extracellular matrices, show heightened resistance to antibiotics. Foremost among these is Staphylococcus, in particular methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA). Determination of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) facilitates improved treatment of S. aureus biofilm infections. Although current approaches to combination therapy, typically using an antibiotic alongside an anti-biofilm agent, can achieve successful patient outcomes, complete removal of biofilm remains extremely difficult. Ongoing research aims to develop better means to address this important clinical concern.
  • 1.1K
  • 11 May 2022
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