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Impacts of the gut microbiota on arginine synthesis

Lane et al. | Aug 15, 2024

Impacts of the gut microbiota on arginine synthesis

In this article the authors looked at arginine synthesis across different bacteria commonly found in different regional diets. They found that B. megaterium and C. sporogenes both caused a higher pH to occur on their agar plates compared to other bacteria tested indicating a greater amount of arginine synthesis.

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Ramifications of natural and artificial sweeteners on the gastrointestinal system

Cowen et al. | Jun 19, 2023

Ramifications of natural and artificial sweeteners on the gastrointestinal system

This study aimed to determine whether artificial sweeteners are harmful to the human microbiome by investigating two different bacteria found to be advantageous to the human gut, Escherichia coli and Bacillus coagulans. Results showed dramatic reduction in bacterial growth for agar plates containing two artificial sweeteners in comparison to two natural sweeteners. This led to the conclusion that both artificial sweeteners inhibit the growth of the two bacteria and warrants further study to determine if zero-sugar sweeteners may be worse for the human gut than natural sugar itself.

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The analysis of the antimicrobial benefits of Populus balsamifera

Breen et al. | Sep 22, 2021

The analysis of the antimicrobial benefits of <em>Populus balsamifera</em>

In this study, the authors investigated the antimicrobial properties of the tree species, Populus balsamifera. It was observed that the extract of the buds of P. balsamifera was highly effective against gram-positive bacteria. This helps to indicate the potential use of P. balsamifera in the medical field to eliminate gram-positive bacteria.

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Comparative screening of dose-dependent and strain-specific antimicrobial efficacy of berberine against a representative library of broad-spectrum antibiotics

Sun et al. | May 10, 2021

Comparative screening of dose-dependent and strain-specific antimicrobial efficacy of berberine against a representative library of broad-spectrum antibiotics

We hypothesize that berberine has broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, along with potency that is comparable to current broad-spectrum antibiotics that are commercially available. Here, we screened berberine against four strains of bacteria and evaluated its antimicrobial activity against five broad-spectrum antibiotics from different classes to better quantify berberine’s antibacterial activity and compare its efficacy as an antibacterial agent to the broad-spectrum antibiotics. Our results indicated that berberine had strain-selective cytotoxic effects and was significantly less potent than most of the broad-spectrum antibiotics

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Antibacterial Effects of Copper Surfaces

Mulukutla et al. | May 19, 2020

Antibacterial Effects of Copper Surfaces

This study examined the ability of copper and copper alloy surfaces to inhibit bacterial growth, which may be help prevent healthcare-associated infections. The authors exposed two non-pathogenic strains of bacteria to different metal plates for varying degrees of time and measured bacterial growth.

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The Effect of Cobalt Biomineralization on Power Density in a Microbial Fuel Cell

Bandyopadhyay et al. | Sep 07, 2015

The Effect of Cobalt Biomineralization on Power Density in a Microbial Fuel Cell

A microbial fuel cell is a system to produce electric current using biochemical products from bacteria. In this project authors operated a microbial fuel cell in which glucose was oxidized by Shewanella oneidensis in the anodic compartment. We compared the power output from biomineralized manganese or cobalt oxides, reduced by Leptothrix cholodnii in the cathodic compartment.

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