The microbiological flora of the lower female genital tract provides a dynamic, complex example of microbial colonization, the regulation of which is not fully understood. When an exogenous bacterial species, with its array of virulence factors, is introduced into the host, disease does not always occur. Conversely, under selected conditions, commensal endogenous bacteria-for example, Gardnerel...

The response of the human immune system to most bacterial infections results in accumulation of neutrophils at infection sites that release a significant quantity of DNA and F-actin. Both are negatively charged polyelectrolytes that can interact with positively charged host defense molecules such as cathelicidin-delivered LL-37 peptide or other cationic antibiotic agents. Evaluation of the abil...

statement of problem: fixed orthodontic appliances can interfere with removing bacterial plaques from dental surfaces which can ultimately lead to white spot formation. purpose: the aim of this study was to evaluate the quantity of white spots and areas of decalcification following fixed orthodontic treatment. materials and methods: a total of 100 patients undergoing or scheduled for fixed orth...

We investigated discrimination of large quantities in salamanders of the genus Plethodon. Animals were challenged with two different quantities (8 vs 12 or 8 vs 16) in a two-alternative choice task. Stimuli were live crickets, videos of live crickets or images animated by a computer program. Salamanders reliably chose the larger of two quantities when the ratio between the sets was 1:2 and stim...

We live in the era of rankings. Universities are being ranked, journals are being ranked, and researchers are being ranked. In this era of rankings, the value of researchers is measured in the number of their papers published, the citations they received, and the volume of grant income earned. Academia today is governed by one simple rule: more is better. The idea to reward those who are produc...

The accumulation of the widely-used antibacterial and antifungal compound triclosan (TCS) in freshwaters raises concerns about the impact of this harmful chemical on the biofilms that are the dominant life style of microorganisms in aquatic systems. However, investigations to-date rarely go beyond effects at the cellular, physiological or morphological level. The present paper focuses on bacter...

Bacterial wilt is a destructive soilborne disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, posing severe threat to plants in the Solanaceae family. It impacts on tobacco productivity worldwide. This study was conducted analyze changes soil’s physical and chemical properties, number of microbes, bacterial diversity rhizosphere soil before after disease. The healthy diseased collected from Pucheng, Nanp...