Bioactive Metabolites of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum K014 Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ATCC43300 and In Vitro Evaluation of Its Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activities.

This study aims to evaluate the effects of bioactive metabolites produced by lactic acid bacteria against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 43300. A total of six lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were selected to evaluate the antimicrobial activity against MRSA ATCC 43300, a skin pathogen that is highly resistant to most antibiotics. The K014 isolate from a fermented vegetable recorded the highest inhibition against MRSA ATCC 43300 at 91.93 ± 0.36%. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed the K014 isolate is closely related to L. plantarum and the sequence was subsequently deposited in the GenBank database with an accession number of MW180960, named as Lactiplantibacillus plantarum K014. The cell-free supernatant (CFS) of L. plantarum K014 had tolerance to high temperature as well as acidic pH. The bioactive metabolites, such as hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid and hyaluronic acid, were produced by L. plantarum K014. Result from ABTS assay showed higher antioxidant activity (46.28%) as compared to that obtained by DPPH assay (2.97%). The CFS had showed anti-inflammatory activity for lipoxygenase (LOX) assay at 43.66%. The bioactive metabolites of L. plantarum K014 showed very promising potential to be used topical skin pathogens.

Chemicals Constituents Isolated from Cultivate Alpinia conchigera Griff. and Antimicrobial Activity.

Alpinia conchigera Griff. is a plant species from the family Zingiberaceae. Coloquially known as wild ginger, Alpinia conchigera Griff. is used as food condiment and for traditional treatment of skin diseases. Isolation studies to identify bioactive compounds of rhizomes of Alpinia conchigera yielded seven compounds; 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (1), trans-p-coumaryl diacetate (2), p-hydroxycinnamyl acetate (3), 1'S-1'-hydroxychavicol acetate (4) p-hydroxybenzaldehyde (5), stigmasterol (6) and ß-sitosterol (7). Compounds 1, 2 and 5 were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Among the compounds tested, Compound 1 showed good antimicrobial activity against the strain of MRSA with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) value of 0.5 mg/mL. Meanwhile, Compounds 2 and 5 exhibited moderate activity with MIC value between 1.0 and 2.0 mg/mL. These findings indicate antimicrobial potential of 1'S-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate (1), compound derived from rhizome of Alpinia conchigera Griff. against MRSA, which warrant further investigation.

Proteomic Analysis of Antigen 60 Complex of M. bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Reveals Presence of Extracellular Vesicle Proteins and Predicted Functional Interactions.

Tuberculosis (TB) is ranked among the top 10 causes of death worldwide. New biomarker-based serodiagnostics and vaccines are unmet needs stalling disease control. Antigen 60 (A60) is a thermostable mycobacterial complex typically purified from Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. A60 was historically evaluated for TB serodiagnostic and vaccine potential with variable findings. Despite containing immunogenic proteins, A60 has yet to be proteomically characterized. Here, commercial A60 was (1) trypsin-digested in-solution, analyzed by LC-MS/MS, searched against M. tuberculosis H37Rv and M. bovis BCG Uniprot databases; (2) analyzed using STRING to predict protein-protein interactions; and (3) probed with anti-TB monoclonal antibodies and patient immunoglobulin G (IgG) on Western blot to evaluate antigenicity. We detected 778 proteins in two A60 samples (440 proteins shared), including DnaK, LprG, LpqH, and GroEL1/2, reportedly present in mycobacterial extracellular vesicles (EV). Of these, 107 were also reported in EVs of M. tuberculosis, and 27 key proteins had significant protein-protein interaction, with clustering for chaperonins, ribosomal proteins, and proteins for ligand transport (LpqH and LprG). On Western blot, 7/8 TB and 1/8 non-TB sera samples had reactivity against 37-50 kDa proteins, while LpqH, GroEL2, and PstS1 were strongly detected. In conclusion, A60 comprises numerous proteins, including EV proteins, with predicted biological interactions, which may have implications on biomarker and vaccine development.

Serodiagnosis and early detection of Strongyloides stercoralis infection.

Strongyloidiasis is a major neglected tropical disease with the potential of causing lifelong infection and mortality. One of the ways for effective control of this disease is developing improved diagnostics, particularly using serological approaches. A serological test can achieve high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, has the potential for point-of-care translation, and can be used as a screening tool for early detection. More research is needed to find clinically important antibody biomarkers for early disease detection, mapping, and epidemiological surveillance. This article summarizes human strongyloidiasis and the available diagnostic tools for the disease, focusing on describing the current antibody assays for strongyloidiasis. Finally, prospects of developing a more effective serodiagnostic tool for strongyloidiasis are discussed.

Communicating Science: A Shared Responsibility.

Malaysia faces increasing alienation of science in the community. While this is a global and multifaceted issue, science communication plays a pivotal role in making science more intuitive for the general public. Scientific communication requires brevity and accuracy-targeted to an interested audience hungry for details. Conversely, science communication requires conveying the bigger picture with clarity and impact-targeted to an audience that needs to be courted by an idea. The challenge for scientists and academics is to find a balance between details sufficient to carry the scientific "truth", while appeasing the human desire for ease and simplicity. Critically, science communication is a powerful device to tackle the increasingly urgent challenge of sustaining scientific progress in a post-truth era. Here, I discuss the role of scientists, key elements of science communication, and propose instruction of Philosophy of Science and debate to equip scientists with the crucial skills required for impactful science communication.

The global burden of viral hepatitis from 1990 to 2013: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

BACKGROUND: With recent improvements in vaccines and treatments against viral hepatitis, an improved understanding of the burden of viral hepatitis is needed to inform global intervention strategies. We used data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study to estimate morbidity and mortality for acute viral hepatitis, and for cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by viral hepatitis, by age, sex, and country from 1990 to 2013. METHODS: We estimated mortality using natural history models for acute hepatitis infections and GBD's cause-of-death ensemble model for cirrhosis and liver cancer. We used meta-regression to estimate total cirrhosis and total liver cancer prevalence, as well as the proportion of cirrhosis and liver cancer attributable to each cause. We then estimated cause-specific prevalence as the product of the total prevalence and the proportion attributable to a specific cause. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were calculated as the sum of years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability (YLDs). FINDINGS: Between 1990 and 2013, global viral hepatitis deaths increased from 0·89 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 0·86-0·94) to 1·45 million (1·38-1·54); YLLs from 31·0 million (29·6-32·6) to 41·6 million (39·1-44·7); YLDs from 0·65 million (0·45-0·89) to 0·87 million (0·61-1·18); and DALYs from 31·7 million (30·2-33·3) to 42·5 million (39·9-45·6). In 2013, viral hepatitis was the seventh (95% UI seventh to eighth) leading cause of death worldwide, compared with tenth (tenth to 12th) in 1990. INTERPRETATION: Viral hepatitis is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Unlike most communicable diseases, the absolute burden and relative rank of viral hepatitis increased between 1990 and 2013. The enormous health loss attributable to viral hepatitis, and the availability of effective vaccines and treatments, suggests an important opportunity to improve public health. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.