The ever-rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacteria necessitates the search for a therapeutic alternative to antibiotics. Using therapeutic products based on virulent bacteriophages might provide such an alternative. The aim of our study was to evaluate the efficacy of commercial phage products and natural bacteriophage monoisolates recovered from environmental sources against clinical strains of Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We compiled a collection of 147 strains that were subsequently genotypes using the MLST method. The efficacy of bacteriophages was evaluated in spot tests. The highest efficacy was demonstrated by "Staphylococcal bacteriophage" (86%, effective against S. aureus), "Purified polyvalent pyobacteriophage" (87.8%, effective against K. pneumoniae), and a group of phage products against P. aeruginosa, including "Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophage" (87.5%), "Complex pyobacteriophage" (79.5–90%) and "Purified polyvalent pyobacteriophage" (90–92.5%). The efficacy of "Intesti bacteriophage", which targets E. faecium, was 4.2%. The efficacy of commercial phage products against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae was higher than the efficacy of individual phage monoisolates (60% for the S. aureus phage vB_SauP-436-3w and 5.9% for the K. pneumoniae phage vB_Kp_M_ Seu621). Thus, all tested commercial phage products were highly effective against P. aeruginosa, K. pneumoniae and S. aureus. There are no commercial phage products on the market against other ESKAPE pathogens, including Acinetobacter baumannii and Enterobacter cloacae. Besides, there are no effective phage products against E. faecium. This dictates the need for new effective bacteriophages against these species.
VIEWS 6200
Research into the accumulation patterns of protein oxidative modification (POM) products and lipids in Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) could have important implications for understanding the pathogenesis and improving the diagnosis and therapy for these diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the aspects of free radical oxidation (FRO) in the large bowel and their possible correlations with clinical symptoms of UC and CD. In the Wistar rat model used in the experiment, CD was induced with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid, and UC was induced with oxazolone. Clinical status was assessed using the Disease activity index (DAI). Lipid peroxidation (LPO) products were measured in the heptane and isopropanol phases of the intestinal mucosa extract. POM products were measured following spontaneous and stimulated oxidation. The DAI ( Me (Q25–Q75)) was increased in both CD and UC on days 3 and 7 of the experiment: for CD, it was equally increased on days 3 and 7 (7 (3-7)) and was 11 (11–11) and 11 (9–11) for UC on days 3 and 7, respectively. The amount of primary, secondary and end LPO products in the heptane and isopropanol phases, as well as the total amount of POM products, was increased in the homogenized mucosa of the large bowel. In the CD group, the relative content of secondary basic POM products was increased on day 7 of the experiment. The following patterns of FRO were revealed: accumulation of LPO products in the UC group and accumulation of POM products in the CD group; UC is characterized by the accumulation of mostly LPO products in the heptane phase and secondary LPO products in the isopropanol phase; CD is characterized by the accumulation of secondary basic POM products. DAI scores were correlated with the amount of LPO products in the isopropanol phase and the amount of POM products in the spontaneous oxidation mode. The highest number of strong correlations was observed in the UC group. Our findings suggest a very serious contribution of FRO changes to the pathogenesis of UC and CD, meaning that LPO and POM products could be regarded as diagnostic markers and indicators of treatment efficacy.
VIEWS 5239
Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic, enters the cell by binding the cell surface proteins: angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). The expression of these proteins varies significantly in individual organs and tissues of the human body. One of the proteins’ expression regulation mechanisms is based on the activity of the microRNA (miRNA) molecules, small non-coding RNAs, the most important function of which is the post-transcriptional negative regulation of gene expression. The study was aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the interactions between miRNA isoforms and ACE2/TMPRSS2 genes in the colon tissues known for the high level of expression of the described enzymes. The search for interactions was performed using the correlation analysis applied to the publicly available paired mRNA/miRNA sequencing data of colon tissues. Among the others, such miRNAs as miR-30c and miR-200c were identified known for their involvement in the coronavirus infection and acute respiratory distress syndrome pathogenesis. Thus, new potential mechanisms for the ACE2 and TMPRSS2 enzymes regulation were ascertained, as well as their possible functional activity in a cell infected with coronavirus.
VIEWS 5648
Borderline ovarian tumors (BOTs) are common in women in their reproductive years. In more than one-third of patients tumors are detected at the age of 15–29, the average age at initial diagnosis is 40. The study was aimed to improve methods for BOTs diagnosis in pregnancy and to determine the possibilities of organ preservation treatment. A group of 300 pregnant women with various tumor-like formations and ovarian tumors was examined. Of them, 25 patients had borderline epithelial tumors (22 patients had serous and 3 patients had mucinous tumors). Ultrasound examination together with blood serum СА-125, sFas, VEGF and IL6 level assessment were performed prior to surgery. The results obtained were compared with the results of morphological studies. Organ preservation and radical surgical treatment were carried out, and chemotherapy, if necessary. Perinatal outcomes were studied when performing the cross-comparison. It was discovered, that ultrasonography and logistic regression analysis made it possible to distinguish between benign ovarian tumors, BOTs and malignant ovarian tumors. The levels of VEGF above the 500 pg/ml, IL6 above the 8.1 pg/ml and СА-125 above the 300 U/ml indicated the high probability of malignant ovarian tumors in pregnant women. Only the morphological study of ovarian tissue, obtained regardless of surgical methods, ensured understanding of the ovarian tumor’s true nature during pregnancy. At the same time, in three pregnant women with ovarian tumors, the morphological examination revealed some tissue areas common both for BOTs and malignant ovarian tumors. Thus, the predominance of the tumor early stages, relatively mild course and, favorable prognosis in patients with BOTs make it possible to use gentle surgical treatment making it possible to preserve menstrual function and fertility.
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