الصفحة 1
الصفحة 1
Focus on bacterial biofilms
Bacterial biofilms are colonies of bacterial cells embedded in their self-produced matrix composed of polysaccharides, DNA, and proteins. They protect bacterial cells against antibiotics, antibacterial agents, soaps and detergents, and shear stress. Some of the most common biofilm-associated infections in humans include urinary tract infections, infection of wounds and surgical sites, diabetic foot ulcers, dental caries (tooth decay) and gingivitis (gum inflammation), ventilator-associated infections, sinusitis, microbial keratitis, secondary infection related to Covid-19 and other viral infections, and so on. Bacterial resistance to common antibiotics (e.g., penicillin, gentamycin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, etc.) is driving us to a catastrophic failure of our health systems. Strategies to develop novel antibacterial agents and technology must be prioritized to combat and eradicate biofilms and their associated challenges. This book provides a comprehensive overview of biofilms with chapters on bacterial virulence factors, quorum sensing in bacteria, antimicrobial resistance in bacteria, strategies to develop new antibacterial agents, and much more.
Essential oils as antibacterial agents
An alarm increase in the rate of emerging of resistant bacteria have been causing a great public concern worldwide. This problem of increasing resistance has necessitated the search for safe and effective factors that may be used to treat persistent bacterial infections or modify the currently available antibiotics. An experimental approach, using agar diffusion method was used to estimate the antibacterial properties of 5 essential oils (cinnamon, clove, peppermint, rosemary and thyme) each one individually, in pure and commercial form, against 3 of the bacterial strains that cause common skin infections which are gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), obtained from clinical sources. Only two of the commercial oils had an antibacterial effect on both gram negative bacteria (E. coli) and gram positive bacteria (S. aureus) and in lesser extent on gram negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa).synergy.
Chitosan-based nanocomposite materials : fabrication, characterization and biomedical applications
Discovery in the use of chitosan-based nanocomposites in biomedical applications, including the scope to which these novel materials have been incorporated by the community. It provides an exceptional insight into the strategies for the synthesis and chemical modifications of chitosan, characterization techniques, their use as anticancer agents, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal agents, their role in the biomedical field, and applications in drug delivery, gene therapy, dentistry, orthopedics, etc. This book will also emphasize the challenges with previous signs of progress and way for further research, details relating to the current pioneering technology, and future perspectives with a multidisciplinary approach. Furthermore, it presents up-to-date information on the economics, toxicity, and regulations related to these novel materials.
