Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles from Ganoderma Species and Their Activity against Multi Drug Resistant Pathogens.

The widespread and indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics leads to microbial resistance, which causes major problems in the treatment of infectious diseases. However, advances in nanotechnology using mushrooms have opened up new domains for the synthesis and use of nanoparticles against multidrug-resistant pathogens. Mushooms have recently attracted attention and are exploited for food and medicinal purposes. The current study focuses on the molecular identification, characterization of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and antibacterial analysis of extract and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) synthesis from Ganoderma resinaceum against multidrug resistant microbes. Accurate identification of mushrooms is key in utilizing them for the benefit of humans. However, morphological identification of mushrooms is time consuming, tedious and may be prone to error. Molecular techniques are quick and reliable tools that are useful in mushroom taxonomy. Blast results showed that G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from Pakistan was 97 % same to the recognized G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from China as well as G. resinaceum (GU451247) obtained from India. The antimicrobial potential of mushroom composite and AgNPs showed high efficacy against pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus (ZOI 23 mm) K. pneumonia (ZOI 20 mm), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ZOI 24 mm) and E. fecalis and A. baumannii (ZOI 10 mm), and multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii (ZOI 24 mm). XRD evaluation revealed the crystalline composition of synthesized NPs with diameter of 45 nm. UV-Vis spectroscopy obsorption peaked of 589 nm confirmed the presence of AgNPs. SEM results showed the cubic morphology of AgNPs. The FTIR analysis of NPs obtained from G. resinaceum containing C=O as well as (O=C-H) stretching revealed presence of hydrogen, carbonyl and amide groups. The synthesized extract and AgNPs showed promising minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) at 2 mg concentration against the MDR strains. AgNPs are observed to be efficient as they need less quantities to prevent bacterial growth. In the view of challenges for developing antimicrobial NPs of variable shape and size by various other methods, tuning nanoparticles synthesized via mushrooms can be a wonderful approach to resolve existing hurdles.

The phenotypic diversity in the production performance of Alabio ducks (Anas platyrhynchos Borneo) in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the diversity of phenotypic characteristics of female Alabio ducks (Anas platyrhynchos Borneo) and their eggs in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 18-month-old ducks and 300 eggs were selected using a survey method with multistage random sampling. These samples were obtained from two districts in the province of South Kalimantan [Banjar (BJ) districts and Tanah Laut (TL)]. The observed data were analyzed descriptively with variations using the independent t-test for each location. Principal component analysis (PCA) was deployed to assess the overall variance and define variables with greater discriminatory power between individuals. Results: The observations on the body's physical characteristics and the eggs of Alabio ducks showed significant differences between ducks from BJ and TL areas (p < 0.05) except for yolk diameter, albumen height, albumen index, and Haugh unit (HU) (p > 0.05). Most egg quality traits from BJ were greater than those from TL, which include egg weight, egg length, egg width, yolk weight, albumen weight, shell weight, shell thickness, and egg shape index. The PCA revealed medium-to-high communalities in the phenotypic body characteristics of Alabio ducks and their eggs. Conclusion: Significant physical characteristics and egg quality differences were found between the two locations, except for the albumen index and HU, with substantial variability within each trait. These traits could explain the total variation in the phenotypic characteristics of female Alabio ducks.

Landfill leachate a new threat to water quality: a case study from the Temperate Himalayas.

Landfills are commonly seen as the most cost-efficient and practical approach to waste management in various regions around the world. Nonetheless, the infiltration of hazardous materials from poorly managed dumping sites remains a significant environmental issue in most developing countries such as India. Leachate serves as a prominent point source of contamination in many environmental media like soil, groundwater, and surface water around the world. So the prime issues humans are experiencing are associated with water quality. Thus, the investigation was undertaken to assess the impact of leachate from the Achan landfill on surface water quality in the Temperate Himalayas. Monitoring was done during in all four seasons, viz., spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Among the sites, the leachate outflow site was found to have the highest mean value of pH (7.95), EC (2.16 dS/m), total nitrogen (2.64 mg/l), P (4.75 mg/l), K (1.41 mg/l), Ca (107.45 mg/l), Mg (54.93 mg/l), Zn (0.8 mg/l), Fe (1.78 mg/l), Cu (0.66 mg/l), Mn (0.81 mg/l), BOD (21.47 mg/l), COD (66.24 mg/l), temperature (14.22 °C), turbidity (14.29 NTU), while lowest mean values of all parameters were recorded at control site. Among the seasons, summer season was found to have maximum value of pH (7.9), EC (2.36 dS/m), total nitrogen (2.54 mg/l), P (4.0 mg/l), K (0.89 mg/l), Ca (85.94 mg/l), Mg (43.91 mg/l), Fe (1.4 mg/l), Cu (0.52 mg/l), Mn (0.64 mg/l), BOD (22.82 mg/l), COD (65.87 mg/l), temperature (18.99 °C), and turbidity (8.49 NTU). The maximum mean value of Zn (0.66 mg/l) was recorded during winter season, while other parameters were found to be minimum during winter season. From this study, we concluded that a decreasing trend was observed during all the seasons in the concentration of all physico-chemical parameters with an increase in distance from the landfill. So it is recommended that the leachate should be treated at the source before disposing into the water body and the landfill should be lined properly to prevent the entry of leachate into water sources.

A K-17 serotype specific Klebsiella phage JKP2 with biofilm reduction potential.

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic pathogen responsible for nearly one-third of all Gram-negative infections. Increasing antibiotic resistance has pushed scientists to look for alternative therapeutics. Bacteriophages have emerged as one of the promising alternatives. In the current study, the Klebsiella phage JKP2 was isolated from a sewage sample and characterized against the K-17 serotype of K. pneumoniae. It produced bulls-eye-shaped clear plaques and has a latent period of 45 min with a burst size of 70 pfu/cell. It remained stable at tested pH (5 to 10) and temperatures (37 to 60 °C). Its optimum temperature for long-term storage is 4 °C and -80 °C. The JKP2 showed its infectivity against the K. pneumoniae K-17 serotype only. It controlled planktonic cells of K. pneumoniae 12 h post-incubation. At MOI-1, it efficiently eliminated 98% of 24 and 96% of 48-hour-old biofilm and 86% and 82% of mature biofilm of day 3 and 4, respectively. The JKP2 has an icosahedral capsid of 54 ± 0.5 nm with a short, non-contractile tail, measuring 12 ± 0.2 nm. It possesses a double-stranded DNA genome of 43.2 kbp with 54.1% GC content and encodes 54 proteins, including 29 with known functions and 25 with unknown functions. JKP2 was classified as Drulisvirus within the Autographiviridae family. It uses a T7-like direct terminal repeat strategy for genome packaging. JKP2 can be applied safely for therapeutic purposes as it does not encode an integrase or repressor genes, antibiotic resistance genes, bacterial virulence factors, and mycotoxins.

Vehicular emission and its impact on heavy metal accumulation and photosynthetic pigments on pine needles in Pahalgam forest ecosystem.

Human interference is rising day by day which adds more problems to conserve valuable forest resources. Vehicular exhausts are the main source of heavy metals that have detrimental impacts on the vegetation. The research provides comprehension about the increase in vehicular traffic along the Pahalgam highway, which is disturbing the balance of the forest ecosystem. The concentration of heavy metals and leaf pigments were determined in the leaf tissues collected along with the roadside pine trees in the Pahalgam resort. A total of 25 samples at each sampling site were collected in 100 m diameter along main road. High vehicular movements in summer correlated with the high accumulation of heavy metals such as Pb2+ (0.563 mg/kg), Ni2+ (0.271 mg/kg), and Cu2+ (0.202 mg/kg) in pine needles. However, Zn2+ exhibited higher concentration (0.468 mg/kg) at Batakote and Cd2+ (0.05 mg/kg) at Pahalgam in autumn. Moreover, total chlorophyll content determined low (1.97 mg/g) at Pahalgam in autumn and high (3.81 mg/g) at Chandanwari in summer. In general, the chlorophyll content in the pine needles was certainly affected by the accumulation of heavy metals which indicating a negative correlation of chlorophyll content with heavy metals. Thus, the increase in traffic movement and tourist influx significantly affects the accumulation of heavy metals and decreases the pigment content in the pine needles. Rapid tourist influx in world-famous health resorts is dramatically influencing the forest ecosystem. Therefore, the need is to use green fuel or ban the old vehicles which can be helpful in maintaining the balance of the forest ecosystem.

Enhancing respiratory disease diagnosis by bronchoalveolar lavage in Kashmir: an audit of findings.

OBJECTIVE: To study bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) findings in various respiratory diseases in children in Kashmir India. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Paediatric department of the tertiary care hospital. PATIENTS: Children of both genders from 1 month to 17 years of age INTERVENTION: All studied patients underwent flexible bronchoscopy and BAL. OUTCOME MEASURE: To observe the BAL findings in various respiratory diseases in the studied population. RESULTS: A total of 283 patients underwent BAL procedure. The positive BAL report was received in 131 (46%) patients. Out of these, 55 (42%) patients had positive BAL culture/ microscopy for different bacterial (50) and fungal species (Candida spp (3), Mucormycosis (1) and Aspergillus (1)). MTB was isolated in 25 (19%) patients. Twenty-three (17.5%) patients had bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) positive for pulmonary hydatidosis. Foamy macrophages were seen in 13 patients, significant eosinophilia in nine patients and hemosiderin-laden macrophages were seen in three patients. CONCLUSION: We found BALF a very useful sample for the evaluation of many infective and non-infective respiratory diseases in our region, which otherwise lacks high end diagnostics. 46% of our patients had some abnormalities in the BAL specimen. It provided us with valuable information regarding organism profile and drug sensitivity in case of lung infection. BALF analysis was also found useful in the diagnosis of some non-infective pulmonary disorders like acute eosinophilic pneumonia, aspiration syndromes and bronchial asthma.

Study on the effect of vehicular pollution on the ambient concentrations of particulate matter and carbon dioxide in Srinagar City.

The present study was carried out to monitor the ambient concentrations of particulate matter and carbon dioxide caused by vehicular pollution in Srinagar City of Jammu and Kashmir, India, for a period of 12 months from June 2019 to May 2020 as the major contributions in these areas are due to vehicular movement. Out of five, four locations (viz. Dalgate, Jehangir Chowk, Parimpora and Pantha Chowk) had highest traffic density in the city and the fifth location (Shalimar) had low traffic volume. The sampling was done on every fortnight using AEROCET 831-aerosol mass monitor and CDM 901-CO2 monitor with each sampling being carried out three times a day, i.e. morning (9:00 am-10:30 am), afternoon (1:00 pm-2:30 pm) and evening (4:30 pm-6:00 pm) with three replications at each site based on the peak traffic hours. The results show that during the whole period, average PM1 concentrations ranged from 15.10 to 108.9 µg/m3, PM2.5 (28.70-577.50 µg/m3), PM4 (44.50-780.87 µg/m3), PM10 (57.13-1225.53 µg/m3), total suspended particulates (77.77-1410.27 µg/m3) and CO2 (332.4-655.0 ppm). The average concentrations of these parameters showed that the maximum PM1 concentration was found at Dalgate (53.77 µg/m3) and PM2.5 had its maximum average concentration at Jehangir Chowk (140.13 µg/m3). Other parameters like PM4, PM10, TSP and CO2 had a maximum average values at Jehangir Chowk (240.23 µg/m3, 633.40 µg/m3, 853.50 µg/m3 and 533.20 ppm, respectively). The pollution load was observed to be maximum during winter season followed by autumn, summer and spring. The lowest concentration of all pollutants except CO2 was observed in April 2020 and this might be due to COVID-19 lockdown observed in the country during the same period.

Pertussis in Asia: Recent country-specific data and recommendations.

The Global Pertussis Initiative (GPI) Roundtable Meeting held in 2019, which preceded the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the incidence, surveillance, and immunization practices for pertussis in the Asian region. Participants from China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand presented country-specific information on pertussis prevalence, diagnosis, surveillance, vaccine administration and schedules, maternal and neonatal disease rates, and policies and practice of vaccination during pregnancy. In recent years, many Asian countries have seen an increase in pertussis cases, although underreporting of the disease is a concern. Currently, most Asian countries have only passive surveillance for pertussis in place. There is a need for improved surveillance to determine the disease burden and justify vaccination policies and recommendations, such as essential vaccination, boosters, and vaccination during pregnancy. Better awareness of the disease in adolescents and adults is necessary, and infant and childhood vaccination schedules need to be improved in many countries. Differences between private versus public sector vaccination schedules and between whole-cell and acellular pertussis vaccines should continue to be examined. It can be anticipated that unmet needs in the prevention and management of pertussis will continue as the COVID-19 pandemic evolves and that key recommendations highlighted in this meeting report will be of ongoing importance.

Characterization of a lytic EBP bacteriophage with large size genome against Enterobacter cloacae.

Enterobacter cloacae (E. cloacae) is an emerging nosocomial pathogen that had acquired antibiotic resistance against multiple classes of antibiotics. The current study was aimed to isolate and characterize lytic bacteriophage against E. cloacae. The bacteriophage EBP was isolated from a sewage water sample using E. cloacae as a host strain by double-layer agar technique. EBP was found stabile at a wide range of temperatures (25, 37, 60, and 80°C) and pH (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) with antibacterial activity up to 24 h of infection. The latent period of EBP was 20 min with a burst size of 252 phages per cell. It showed a narrow host range and infected 12/21 (57%) isolates of E. cloacae tested. It has helical symmetry with a head size of 105 and 120 nm long tail with contractile sheath. The EBP has 179.1 kb long double-stranded DNA genome with 44.8% GC content. Majority of identified ORFs (187/281) were encoding putative proteins with unknown function. Necessary replication enzymes, structural proteins, and lytic enzymes were detected in the genome of EBP. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that EBP closely resembles with Coronobacter phage vB_CsaM_IeN, vB_CsaM_IeE, vB_CsaM_IeB, and Citrobacter phage Margaery. Based on electron microscopy and molecular characterization, EBP was classified as a Myoviridae phage.

A single dose of a virulent bacteriophage vB PaeP-SaPL, rescues bacteremic mice infected with multi drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Multidrug resistant bacterial infections are difficult to treat and contribute to high morbidity and mortality. The phage vB PaeP-SaPL was isolated from a sewage drain (Lahore, Pakistan) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA-1 (NCBI Accession number MG763232). SaPL produced circular, transparent plaques, 4-5 mm in diameter and showed broad host range infecting 57 % of tested MDR P. aeruginosa clinical isolates (N = 38), while no infectivity was observed against any tested strains of other genera. SaPL inhibited PA-1 growth until 24 h post infection at MOI of 1. The SaPL showed stability at varying temperature and pH, with optimum stability at pH 7 and 45 °C. The latent period of SaPL was 20 min with burst size of 155 virions. The genome of SaPL was double stranded DNA of 45,796 bps having 63 CDS (13 for known proteins and 50 for hypothetical proteins) with a GC content of 52 %. The termini analysis revealed that SaPL genome ends are redundant and permuted. The packaging strategy used by SaPL was a headful (pac) strategy like P1 phage. Survivability of PA-1 challenged mice, treated with SaPL (100 %) was statistically significant (P < 0.05) than in untreated challenged mice (0%). Based on its efficacy in reducing bacterial growth, selective infectivity against majority of P. aeruginosa strains and its ability to increase survivability in PA-1 challenged mice, SaPL is proposed to be a potential candidate for bacteriophage therapy against difficult to treat MDR P. aeruginosa infections.

Noncompliance to Directly Observed Treatment Short course in Mulshi Block, Pune District.

CONTEXT: Directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) was adopted as the strategy for the provision of treatment to increase treatment completion. Poor adherence to medication has been noted and poses a big challenge even after achieving 70% case detection and 85% cure rate. The focus remains on dealing with important reasons of default and timely retrieval of patients who interrupt the treatment. AIMS: The aim of the study was to measure the noncompliance of DOTS and to determine the reason for the same among patients in rural area of Pune. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with a study population comprising the patients who were getting treatment in November 2016 and must have completed at least 1 month of treatment in Mulshi block. The study period was from November 2016 to January 2017. All the patients were interviewed using a pretested questionnaire for their compliance. RESULTS: The total number of patients included in the study was 88. The age was 18-70 years in which 77.3% were male and 22.7% were female. We found 71.6% new cases, and 27.3% were the previously treated patients, whereas 1.1% were multidrug-resistant patients. Among these patients, 25% were tobacco chewers and 31.8% were smokers. We found that 61.4% were compliance patients and 38.6% were noncompliance patients. Reasons given by the patients were side effects, stigma of the society, migration from one place to another, and felt better from symptoms after taking medication. CONCLUSION: Noncompliance in our study is high. We should take steps regarding this so that people adhere to the medication.

A brief history of the Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (InSDB).

The Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (InSDB) was founded in 1977 to promote regular interactions between all those interested in how organisms develop. Conferences and training workshops are regularly held in different parts of the country. In addition to Indian developmental biologists, InSDB invites participants from different parts of the globe every year, which allows exchange of ideas with the international community. The Society, which currently has over 400 members, holds meetings every two years. For updated information, visit http://www.devbioindia.org.

RLP, a bacteriophage of the family Podoviridae, rescues mice from bacteremia caused by multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, there will be a return to the pre-penicillin era by 2050 if no new antimicrobials are discovered. It is therefore necessary to find new antimicrobials and alternatives. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibits resistance against many antibiotics and causes a variety of infections in immunocompromised individuals and especially in those with burn wounds and lung infections. Bacteriophage RLP against P. aeruginosa strain PA-1 was isolated from the Ravi River near Lahore. It showed marked stability at different pH values and temperatures, with the maximum storage stability at 4 °C. It demonstrated the ability to inhibit bacterial growth for up to 20 h, replicated in 25 min, and produced 154 virions per infected cell. RLP showed a broad host range, infecting 50% (19/38) of the multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa strains that were tested. The 43-kbp-long genome of RLP is a double-stranded DNA molecule that encodes 56 proteins in total: 34 with known functions, and 22 with no homolog in the gene databases. A cascade system of lytic machinery is also present in the form of four genes (R/z, R/z1, holin and endolysin). Therapeutic studies of RLP in bacteremic mice infected with P. aeruginosa strain PA-1 demonstrated a 92% survival rate in the treated group compared with 7.4% in the untreated group, and this result was statistically significant. Based on its physiological and genetic properties, ability to cause a reduction in bacterial growth in vitro and its in vivo therapeutic efficacy, RLP could be a good candidate for use in phage therapy.

TAC1, an unclassified bacteriophage of the family Myoviridae infecting Acinetobacter baumannii with a large burst size and a short latent period.

Bacteriophage TAC1 was isolated using a clinical isolate of Acinetobacter baumannii as the host. It showed stability over wide pH and temperature range and has exhibited in vitro antibacterial activity when applied at an MOI of 1. It demonstrated a broad intraspecies host range and infected 66% of the isolates tested. It has produced 454 virions from a single bacterium with a short latent period of 15 minutes. TAC1 has a linear dsDNA genome with a length of 101.77 kb and 37.5% GC content. The genome encodes 161 proteins and 13 putative tRNAs. Whole-genome sequence comparisons using BLASTn and phylogenetic analysis showed that TAC1 is related to unclassified bacteriophages of the family Myoviridae.

Insight into Acinetobacter baumannii: pathogenesis, global resistance, mechanisms of resistance, treatment options, and alternative modalities.

Acinetobacter baumannii, once considered a low-category pathogen, has emerged as an obstinate infectious agent. The scientific community is paying more attention to this pathogen due to its stubbornness to last resort antimicrobials, including carbapenems, colistin, and tigecycline, its high prevalence of infections in the hospital setting, and significantly increased rate of community-acquired infections by this organism over the past decade. It has given the fear of pre-antibiotic era to the world. To further enhance our understanding about this pathogen, in this review, we discuss its taxonomy, pathogenesis, current treatment options, global resistance rates, mechanisms of its resistance against various groups of antimicrobials, and future therapeutics.

Vehicular stress a cause for heavy metal accumulation and change in physico-chemical characteristics of road side soils in Pahalgam.

In an effort to determine vehicular impact on soil quality, soil samples were collected from three different zones (Pahalgam, Batakote, and Chandanwari) in Pahalgam forest ecosystem. Results showed that a significant decrease in moisture content, organic carbon, available nitrogen, and potassium was observed in nearby road side soils. However, pH was observed to be on neutral side and available phosphorus recorded high concentration. The concentration of heavy metals Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, and Cd2+ estimated was also significantly high. Furthermore, concentration of Pb2+ at high vehicular load subzones was observed to be highest (1.168 mg/Kg) followed by Zn2+ (0.896 mg/Kg), Ni2+ (0.649 mg/Kg), Cu2+ (0.415 mg/Kg), and Cd2+ (0.079 mg/Kg). An inter-zone analysis revealed that the concentration of the heavy metals (Pb2+ > Ni2+ > Cd2+) was observed to follow the trend, Z-I > Z-II > Z-III. Variation along the temporal gradient and the impact on soil qualities were notably higher in summer. Vehicular pollution to a great extent impacts physico-chemical characteristics and more interestingly adds substantial concentration of heavy metals in soils.

Nomophobia: an emerging issue in medical institutions?

BACKGROUND: Nomophobia is No Mobile Phone Phobia - the fear of being without a mobile device or beyond mobile phone contact. The time and money wastage by medical students is a negative aspect of mobile phone dependence. This time can be utilized for academic and recreational activities. AIM: To assess the prevalence of Nomophobia in the students in 1st year MBBS. METHODS: Study area: A medical college in Pune city. STUDY PERIOD: December 2015 to February 2016. A cross-sectional study was carried out on all the students of 1st year MBBS. A predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analyzed statistically by simple proportions using SPSS v20. RESULTS: A total of 145 students were monitored according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Amongst all the participants, 45.5% were males (66/145) and 54.5% were females (79/145). Mild Nomophobia was found in 17.9% students whereas 60% had moderate and 22.1% had severe Nomophobia. Amongst the males, 56.06% and 24.24% had moderate and severe Nomophobia, respectively while in females, moderate and severe Nomophobia was found to be 63.25% and 20.25%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Nomophobia is found to be prevalent in students of 1st year MBBS.

Assessment of biofilm removal capacity of a broad host range bacteriophage JHP against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an efficient biofilm-dwelling microbial pathogen, associated with nosocomial infections. These biofilm-associated infections are resistant to antibiotics and immune defenses, therefore pose major problem against their treatment. This scenario demands alternative therapeutic regimens, and bacteriophage therapy is one among potential strategies for clinical management of multiple drug resistance. In this investigation, the efficacy of a bacteriophage, JHP, is evaluated to eradicate P. aeruginosa biofilms. Growth kinetics of P. aeruginosa biofilm revealed that the highest cell density biofilm (1.5 × 1016 CFU/mL) was established within the polystyrene microtiter plate at 72 h post inoculation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms of different ages, treated with JHP (0.6 MOI) for different post-infection durations, reduced biomass from 2 to 4.5 logs (60-90%). JHP treatment before biofilm development reduced the bacterial load up to 9 logs (>95% bacterial load reduction) as compared with untreated control, which highlights its potential to prevent biofilm formation in indwelling medical devices. Combinations of JHP with other phages or antibiotics could be an efficient alternative for P. aeruginosa biofilm removal in clinical and industrial settings.

Unlocking the Neurogenic Potential of Mammalian Müller Glia

Müller glia (MG) are the primary support cells in the vertebrate retina, regulating homeostasis in one of the most metabolically active tissues. In lower vertebrates such as fish, they respond to injury by proliferating and reprogramming to regenerate retinal neurons. In mammals, MG may also react to injury by proliferating, but they fail to initiate regeneration. The barriers to regeneration could be intrinsic to mammalian MG or the function of the niche that cannot support the MG reprogramming required for lineage conversion or both. Understanding these mechanisms in light of those being discovered in fish may lead to the formulation of strategies to unlock the neurogenic potential of MG and restore regeneration in the mammalian retina.