For centuries, owners of private, commercial and military sea vessels have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to surface treat their underwater hulls with coatings to prevent the adhesion and/or growth of large fouling organisms that cause severe drag, reducing vessel speed and maneuverability, and increasing fuel consumption. Two major approaches are currently under development: (1) “...

The synthetic biocides triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) and triclocarban (3,4,4'-trichlorocarbanilide) are routinely added to a wide array of antimicrobial personal care products and consumer articles. Both compounds can persist in the environment and exhibit toxicity toward a number of biological receptors. Recent reports of toxicological effects in wildlife, human cell cultu...

Protective layers typically act in a passive way by simply separating two sides. Protection is only efficient as long as the layers are intact. If a high level of protection has to be achieved by thin layers, complementary measures need to be in place to ensure safety, even after breakage of the layer-an important issue in medical applications. Here, we present a novel approach for integrating ...

BACKGROUND/AIM Hospital infections are among the most prominent medical problems around the world. Using proper biocides in an appropriate way is critically important in overcoming this problem. Several reports have suggested that microorganisms may develop resistance or reduce their susceptibility to biocides, similar to the case with antibiotics. In this study we aimed to determine the antimi...

Polihexanide is a broad-spectrum antiseptic with excellent tolerance and a low-risk profile. The physicochemical action on the bacterial envelope prevents or impedes the development of resistant bacterial strains. Thus, polihexanide is particularly suitable and useful in the struggle against multidrug-resistant bacteria. The ecological database is still incomplete. There is some evidence that b...