China 
Africa 
Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
Biosynthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide and Its Functionality as an Antibacterial Template
Published in Amir Al-Ahmed, Inamuddin, Graphene from Natural Sources, 2023
The antibacterial and bactericidal action of rGO and rGO nanocomposites were studied against an array of bacteria, including Gram-negative (E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhimurium, Vibrio cholerae) and Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, B. subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Rhodococcus rhodochrous, Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermis, S. saprophyticus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis) bacteria. Various assays, such as disc diffusion, well diffusion, micro and macro broth dilution; absorbance, agar dilution, colony count, growth curve, viability, live/dead staining, biofilm inhibition, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucletide content, glutathione oxidation, DNA fragmentation, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species (ROS), membrane permeability assays; scanning electron microscopy etc. were used for evaluating the biocidal action of rGO nanocomposites (Table 12.2). The rGO sheets of 140-nm thickness biosynthesized by onion bulb extract hindered the growth of E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and S. faecalis by 90.5, 93.1, 95 and 94%, respectively, at 10 µg/mL and 5 days of incubation (Noorunnisa Khanam and Hasan 2019). The RSF/rGO fibrous mats at 1% prevented the colony growth of E. coli and S. aureus by 84.9 and 98.6%, respectively. Whereas the respective values for RSF/rGO were 70.3 and 92.8%, after 12 h of treatment (Zhang, Wang, Fan et al. 2021).
The Potential of Medicinal Plants with Anti-Proteus Activity for the Treatment (and Prevention) of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Published in Kailas L. Wasewar, Sumita Neti Rao, Sustainable Engineering, Energy, and the Environment, 2022
Alefiyah S. Bohra, S. R. Gupta, A. P. Kopulwar
RA infections have been triggered by the bacteria Proteus mirabilis. The raised in serum levels of P. mirabilis there is a specific cross-reactive antibody that has regularly been announced in individuals suffering from RA. The RA patients with P. mirabilis antibodies have cytopathic effects and cross-reactive antibodies on joint tissue. The research has found that P. mirabilis bacterium is present in the urine sample of RA patients [11]. The serum of rabbit was collected which is immunized with HLA-DR4. The positive lymphocyte binds specifically to Proteus [12]. Amino acid sequence similarities have been identified between the “ESRRAL” amino acid sequence and the EQ/KRRA motif in RA HLA-susceptible antigens present in P. mirabilis hemolysin [13].
Antimicrobial Applications of Nanodevices Prepared from Metallic Nanoparticles and Their Role in Controlling Infectious Diseases
Published in Suvardhan Kanchi, Rajasekhar Chokkareddy, Mashallah Rezakazemi, Smart Nanodevices for Point-of-Care Applications, 2022
Catharanthus roseus leaf extract mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized and the antibacterial activity results showed an increased zone of inhibition as concentration increased against gram-positive pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Bacillus cereus than gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis and Escherichia coli. Zinc oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using Cardiospermum leaf extract as a reducing agent and tested for their antimicrobial potency against pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus, E. coli and S. aureus and fungi such as Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger. Gram-positive organisms resulted in exhibiting higher sensitivity to biosynthesized zinc nanoparticles than gram-negative bacteria. Among the other two fungi, Aspergillus fumigatus showed a high zone of inhibition proving its sensitivity to zinc nanoparticles [82].
Potential strategies to prevent encrustations on urinary stents and catheters – thinking outside the box: a European network of multidisciplinary research to improve urinary stents (ENIUS) initiative
Published in Expert Review of Medical Devices, 2021
Ali Abou-Hassan, Alexandre Barros, Noor Buchholz, Dario Carugo, Francesco Clavica, Petra de Graaf, Julia de La Cruz, Wolfgang Kram, Filipe Mergulhao, Rui L Reis, Ilya Skovorodkin, Federico Soria, Seppo Vainio, Shaokai Zheng
Bladder catheters and urinary stents share indications (urinary drainage), materials, and inherent problems (infection, encrustation, biofilms, blockages, etc.). Research on either is therefore relevant to the other. With bladder catheters, blockage through encrustation is a frequent problem. It often results from urine infection with urease producing organisms, predominantly Proteus mirabilis. Urease generates ammonium which increases urinary pH, leading to struvite and apatite precipitation which form a crystalline biofilm that encrusts and blocks the urinary catheter. To reduce this problem, sensors have been incorporated in catheters to warn early of pH changes indicating impending blockage. To date, such pH sensors are mainly visual. A color strip indicated a risk of blockage 19 days before the actual blockage in early human trials [52]. Another indicator is a ‘trigger’ layer, usually EUDRAGIT®S 100, onto a hydrogel layer encapsulating a pH reporter or antibacterial agent. Upon elevation of urinary pH, the upper layer dissolves, triggering the release of a pH indicator such as carboxyfluorescein or bacteriophages. Both methods were tested in an in vitro bladder model. There was a 12 h advanced warning of blockage, and a 13 to 26 h advanced warning of delayed catheter blockage, respectively [53,54]. Whereas catheters have an extracorporeal part that can carry those visual indicators, stents are entirely intracorporeal. However, in the age of nano-chip technology, it seems entirely possible to fix a microsensor at one or both ends of a stent transmitting pH values or intrarenal pressure data indicating stent obstruction wirelessly.
The potential impact of water quality on the spread and control of COVID-19 in Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon
Published in Water International, 2020
Furthermore, approximately 39% of Syrian households in Lebanon use unimproved drinking water sources (Machayekhi et al., 2017). In 2019–2020, before the COVID-19 outbreak, the sewer and domestic water, including drinking and well water, in two Syrian refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley were investigated (Alhaj Sulaiman & Kassem, 2020; Sulaiman & Kassem, 2019). The camps housed 158 refugees, of whom 72 were children less than 10 years old. Camp 1 had irregular access to municipal water. Well water was frequently used for domestic needs, including drinking, when municipal water was unavailable. In Camp 2, drinking water was provided daily by trucks and stored in two large containers, while well water was used for other domestic needs. The refugees in Camp 2 suspected that their well might have been contaminated by camp sewer water, which was drained via poorly covered and relatively shallow conduits in both camps. E. coli was detected in the drinking and well water of Camp 1 and in the well water of Camp 2 (Sulaiman & Kassem, 2019). Further analysis showed that the E. coli isolates were multi-drug resistant and harboured transmissible genes that encoded resistance to last-resort antibiotics (Sulaiman & Kassem, 2019). In addition, multi-drug-resistant Proteus mirabilis was detected in the well water of Camp 1 and the drinking and well water of Camp 2 (Alhaj Sulaiman & Kassem, 2020). Proteus mirabilis is a bacterial pathogen that can cause serious problems, mainly urinary infection and less frequently respiratory, eye and wound infections (Schaffer & Pearson, 2015), as well as bacteraemia and other life-threatening conditions (Schaffer & Pearson, 2015). Taken together, these observations indicated that the water quality was inappropriate and that the refugees were exposed to antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Consequently, water in the Syrian refugee camps can be unsuitable for drinking and hygiene, which would complicate the control of COVID-19 due to potential exposure to the virus via contaminated water (more on this below). Furthermore, the exposure of the refugees to bacterial pathogens and/or pathogens that can cause respiratory co-infections may significantly reduce their immunity and increase their vulnerability to COVID-19 and the severity of the disease (Zhu et al., 2020).