Small colony variants constitute a slow-growing subpopulation of bacteria with distinctive phenotypic and pathogenic traits. Phenotypically, small colony variants have a slow growth rate, atypical colony morphology and unusual biochemical characteristics, making them a challenge for clinical microbiologists to identify. Clinically, small colony variants are better able to persist in mammalian cells and are less susceptible to antibiotics than their wild-type counterparts, and can cause latent or recurrent infections on emergence from the protective environment of the host cell. This review covered the phenotypic, genetic and clinical picture associated with small colony variants, with an emphasis on staphylococci, for which the greatest amount of information is available.

Small Colony Variants: a Pathogenic Form of Bacteria that Facilitates Persistent and Recurrent Infections

在实验室模拟条件下,研究了铁还原菌奥奈达希瓦氏菌Shewanella oneidensis MR-1对针铁矿的异化还原及其对汞生物甲基化的影响.结果表明,S.oneidensis MR-1能溶解针铁矿,并能将溶解出的Fe3+还原成Fe2+;S.oneidensis MR-1也是一种汞甲基化细菌,能够将无机汞转化成甲基汞.铁的溶解还原作用随着初始针铁矿剂量的大幅增加而减弱,针铁矿的异化还原在一定程度内促进汞的生物甲基化.弱酸性条件比中碱性和强酸条件有利于汞的甲基化;腐殖酸在低浓度促进汞甲基化,浓度过高则会抑制汞的甲基化.

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1对针铁矿的还原与汞的生物甲基化

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine whether biofilms of Porphyromonas gingivalis could proteolytically degrade the cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, or IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). Biofilms were grown on membrane filters on the surface of Wilkins-Chalgren blood agar. The biofilms were removed from the plates, and solutions containing 2.5 μg/ml of each cytokine were added. Following incubation for up to 4.0 h, supernatants from the biofilms were subjected to SDS-PAGE. The separated proteins were transferred by Western blotting to PVDF membranes and probed with peroxidase-conjugated antibodies recognizing both the intact cytokines and their degradation products. After 2 h, no intact IL-1β, IL-6, or IL-1ra were detectable. Cytokine proteolysis also occurred in the presence of horse serum. These results demonstrate that biofilm-grown P. gingivalis can degrade both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and so may be able to perturb cytokine networks in vivo by eliminating cytokines from the local environment.

Cytokine degradation by biofilms of Porphyromonas gingivalis

The implants are increasingly being a part of modern medicine in various surgical procedures for functional or cosmetic purposes. The progressive use of implants is associated with increased infectious complications and prevention of such infections always remains precedence in the clinical settings. The preventive approaches include the systemic administration of antimicrobial agents before and after the surgical procedures as well as the local application of antibiotics. The relevant literature and existing clinical practices have highlighted the role of antimicrobial coating approaches in the prevention of implants associated infections, although the applications of these strategies are not yet standardized, and the clinical efficacy is not much clear. The adequate data from the randomized control trials is challenging because of the unavailability of a large sample size although it is compulsory in this context to assess the clinical efficacy of preemptive practices. This review compares the efficacy of preventive approaches and the prospects of antimicrobial-coated implants in preventing implant-related infections.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/22808000211040304

The prospects of antimicrobial coated medical implants.

Bacterial biofilm and extracellular polymeric substances in the treatment of environmental pollutants: Beyond the protective role in survivability

Mimicking biofilm formation and development: Recent progress in in vitro and in vivo biofilm models.

Kidney Stone Detection using Ultrasound Images

Waste Classification Using Improved CNN Architecture

Animals are incredibly good at adapting to changes in their environment, a trait envied by most roboticists. Many animals use different gaits to seamlessly transition between land and water and move through non-uniform terrains. In addition to adjusting to changes in their environment, animals can adjust their locomotion to deal with missing or regenerating limbs. Salamanders are an amphibious group of animals that can regenerate limbs, tails, and even parts of the spinal cord in some species. After the loss of a limb, the salamander successfully adjusts to constantly changing morphology as it regenerates the missing part. This quality is of particular interest to roboticists looking to design devices that can adapt to missing or malfunctioning components. While walking, an intact salamander uses its limbs, body, and tail to propel itself along the ground. Its body and tail are coordinated in a distinctive wave-like pattern. Understanding how their bending kinematics change as they regrow lost limbs would provide important information to roboticists designing amphibious machines meant to navigate through unpredictable and diverse terrain. We amputated both hindlimbs of blue-spotted salamanders (Ambystoma laterale) and measured their body and tail kinematics as the limbs regenerated. We quantified the change in the body wave over time and compared them to an amphibious fish species, Polypterus senegalus. We found that salamanders in the early stages of regeneration shift their kinematics, mostly around their pectoral girdle, where there is a local increase in undulation frequency. Amputated salamanders also show a reduced range of preferred walking speeds and an increase in the number of bending waves along the body. This work could assist roboticists working on terrestrial locomotion and water to land transitions.

/pdf/body-and-tail-coordination-in-the-bluespot-salamander-4kirdozqnq.pdf

Keshav Gupta

Papers

Mimicking biofilm formation and development: Recent progress in in vitro and in vivo biofilm models.

Kidney Stone Detection using Ultrasound Images

Waste Classification Using Improved CNN Architecture

Body and Tail Coordination in the Bluespot Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) During Limb Regeneration.