The rise in resistance and changes in the spectrum of Candida infections have generated enormous interest in developing new antifungal drugs using natural molecules such as plant essential oils (EOs). Antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms has been reported for EOs. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of Mentha × piperita essential oil (EO) on C. albicans growth, transition (change from blastospore to hyphae forms), and biofilm formation as well as on the expression of certain virulent genes. We show that whole EO and its vapor attenuated the yeast’s growth, compared to that in the control. The effect of the EO was comparable to that of amphotericin-B (AmB). The EO and its vapor significantly decreased the morphological changes of C. albicans, reduced biofilm formation, and disrupted mature C. albicans biofilms. The effect produced by whole EO on biofilm formation/disruption was notably comparable to that observed with AmB. Exposure of C. albicans to EO and its vapor downregulated the expression of various genes, such as secreted aspartyl proteinases (SAP 1, 2, 3, 9, 10) and hyphal wall protein 1 (HWP1). Altogether, these results provide new insight into the efficacy of Mentha × piperita EO against C. albicans and suggest the potential of Mentha × piperita EO for use as an antifungal therapy in multiple applications.

Since antiquity, honey has attracted interest across cultures for its nutritional and health-promoting values. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the phenolic contents, physicochemical and microbiological qualities and biological activities of two monofloral kinds of honey (arbutus and heather)...

Nosocomial infections constitute a significant public health problem but are poorly controlled in our health structures, especially those associated with resuscitation care. The first objective of this study was to identify the different microbial strains present in different biological samples taken from patients staying in the resuscitation unit of the Annaba University Hospital Center. The second objective was to assess the antimicrobial sensitivity of isolated microbes from the patients’ samples, to determine the risk factors, the most incriminated microbial agents in nosocomial infections. During the study period from January 2013 to December 2016, we collected 1,151 biological samples from 1,938 patients admitted to Resuscitation Medical Service. The samples were subjected to different microbiological analyses. Our results showed that over 59% of the collected samples were microbiologically positive. The identified species include Candida albicans (115 cases) and Candida.sp (81 cases). The Gram-negative bacterial strains found in the samples included Acinetobacter baumannii (108 cases), Klebssiella pneumoniae (99 cases) Pseudomonas aeruginosa (79 cases), and Escherichia coli (73 cases). Gram positive bacteria included Staphylococcus aureus (94 cases) and Enterococcus faecalis (53 cases). The antibiogram analyses showed significant antibiotic resistance reaching 93.75% for ampicillin, but sensitivity to colistin reaching 81.81%. Moreover, the fungal strains are represented by the genus albicans, showing a significant resistance to antifungals, reaching 80% with miconazole. Conclusion. The nosocomial infections in the medical unit were caused by the candida genus and multi-resistant bacteria to various antibiotics and antifungals. The most important factor associated with these infections was the use of medical devices.

In this work, a dual-ring, co-planar waveguide (CPW) fed antenna is suggested for use in the ISM band. The suggested antenna is extremely flexible achieving a body isolation using a biocompatible RO4350 (εr = 3.6) substrate. CST Microwave Studio software is used to obtain the simulation results for the proposed antenna's return loss, impedance matching, gain, and radiation pattern. Results are presented and discussed.

A fast and efficient synthesis was carried out to obtain a new derivative of an organometallic complex. This synthesis involved the complexation of a sulfonamide derived from phenylpiperazine with copper (II). The synthesis of this complex was achieved using an innovative and environmentally friendly method that used microwave irradiation as the energy source. The resulting complex was obtained as a green powder with a yield of 82%. The identification of the final compound was performed through infrared spectroscopy, UV-Visible spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and cyclic voltammetry. The obtained complex exhibited noteworthy activity against the tested bacterial and fungal strains. Regarding the anti-inflammatory activity, the highest percentage of inhibition of BSA denaturation (0.2%) was recorded in the fraction at a concentration of 5000 ppm, which was 67.32%.