Fibrillin is a large evolutionarily ancient extracellular glycoprotein that assembles to form beaded microfibrils which are essential components of most extracellular matrices. Fibrillin microfibrils have specific biomechanical properties to endow animal tissues with limited elasticity, a fundamental feature of the durable function of large blood vessels, skin and lungs. They also form a template for elastin deposition and provide a platform for microfibril-elastin binding proteins to interact in elastic fibre assembly. In addition to their structural role, fibrillin microfibrils mediate cell signalling via integrin and syndecan receptors, and microfibrils sequester transforming growth factor (TGF)β family growth factors within the matrix to provide a tissue store which is critical for homeostasis and remodelling.

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is incriminated in septicemia, significant economic losses in the poultry production sector, and severe respiratory infections in humans. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence, oprL sequencing, antimicrobial resistance patterns, virulence-determinant, Quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance genes of P. aeruginosa retrieved from broiler chickens. Methods: Two hundred samples were collected from 120 broiler chickens from broiler farms at Ismailia Governorate, Egypt. Consequently, the bacteriological examination was conducted and the obtained P. aeruginosa strains were tested for oprL gene sequencing, antibiogram, and PCR screening of virulence, Quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance genes. Results: The overall prevalence of P. aeruginosa in the examined birds was 28.3%. The oprL gene sequence analysis underlined that the tested strain expressed a notable genetic identity with various P. aeruginosa strains isolated from different geographical areas in the USA, India, China, Chile, and Ghana. PCR evidenced that the obtained P. aeruginosa strains, carrying virulence-related genes: oprL, toxA, aprA, phzM, and exoS in a prevalence of 100%, 100%, 42.5%, 33.3%, and 25.9%, respectively. Moreover, the recovered P. aeruginosa strains possessed the Quorum sensing genes: lasI, lasR, rhlI, and rhlR in a prevalence of 85.2%, 85.2%, 81.5%, and 81.5%, respectively. Furthermore, 40.7% of the isolated P. aeruginosa were XDR to seven antimicrobial classes, possessing sul 1, bla_TEM, tetA, bla_CTX-M, bla_OXA-1, and aadA1 genes. Conclusion: As we can tell, this is the first report emphasizing the evolution of XDR P. aeruginosa strains from broiler chicken in Egypt, which is supposed to be a serious threat to public health. The emerging XDR P. aeruginosa in poultry frequently harbored the oprL, toxA, and aprA virulence genes, the lasI, lasR, rhlI, and rhlR Quorum sensing genes, and the sul 1, bla_TEM, tetA, bla_CTXM, bla_OXA-1, and aadA1 resistance genes.

As essential components of our connective tissues, elastic fibres give tissues such as major blood vessels, skin and the lungs their elasticity. Their formation is complex and co-ordinately regulated by multiple factors. In this review, we describe key players in elastogenesis: fibrillin-1, tropoelastin, latent TGFβ binding protein-4, and fibulin-4 and -5. We summarise their roles in elastogenesis, discuss the effect of their mutations on relevant diseases, and describe their interactions involved in forming the elastic fibre network. Moreover, we look into their roles in wound repair for a better understanding of their potential application in tissue regeneration.

Wilson’s disease causes copper accumulation in the liver and extrahepatic organs. The available therapies aim to lower copper levels by various means. However, a potent drug that can repair the damaged liver and brain tissue is needed. Silymarin has hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and cytoprotective properties. However, poor oral bioavailability reduces its efficacy. In this study, a “thin film hydration method” was used for synthesizing silymarin-encapsulated liposome nanoparticles (SLNPs) and evaluated them against copper toxicity, associated liver dysfunction and neurobehavioral abnormalities in Wistar rats. After copper toxicity induction, serological and behavioral assays were conducted to evaluate treatment approaches. Histological examination of the diseased rats revealed severe hepatocyte necrosis and neuronal vacuolation. These cellular degenerations were mild in rats treated with SLNPs and a combination of zinc and SLNPs (ZSLNPs). SLNPs also decreased liver enzymes and enhanced rats’ spatial memory significantly (p = 0.006) in the diseased rats. During forced swim tests, SLNPs treated rats exhibited a 60-s reduction in the immobility period, indicating reduced depression. ZSLNPs were significantly more effective than traditional zinc therapy in decreasing the immobility period (p = 0.0008) and reducing liver enzymes, but not in improving spatial memory. Overall, SLNPs enhanced oral silymarin administration and managed copper toxicity symptoms.

The beneficial microorganisms represent a new and hopeful solution for a sustainable environment and development. In this investigation, Trichoderma asperellum ZNW, isolated from seeds, was domiciliated within the pea plant for improving growth, disease management, and enhancement of productivity. Globisporangium ultimum NZW was isolated from deformed pea seeds, representing the first record of the pathogen caused by pea damping-off. Both fungi were molecularly identified. T. asperellum ZNW produced several lytic enzymes and bioactive metabolites as detected by GC-MC. The SEM illustrated the mycoparasitic behavior of T. asperellum ZNW on G. ultimum NZW mycelia. In the pot experiment, T. asperellum domiciliated the root and grew as an endophytic fungus, leading to root vessel lignification. Under soil infection, T. asperellum reduced damping-off, by enhancing peroxidase, polyphenol, total phenols, and photosynthetic pigments content. The vegetative growth, yield, and soil dehydrogenase activity were improved, with an enhancement in the numerical diversity of the microbial rhizosphere. This work may enable more understanding of the plant-fungal interaction, yet, working on domiciliation is recommended as a new approach to plant protection and growth promotion under various ecological setups.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with unmet medical need, and is the leading cause of age-related dementia affecting millions of people worldwide. This work aims at developing small, high-drug loading capacity (DL) and -entrapment efficiency (EE) memantine hydrochloride (MEM)/chitosan nanocrystals (CS-NCs) to treat moderate to severe dementia associated with AD. MEM-loaded chitosan nanocrystals (MEM/CS-NCs, further abbreviated as MEM-NCs) were prepared by the ionic gelation method. Different formulations were prepared by varying the concentrations of CS and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP). The prepared MEM-NCs formulations (n = 8) were evaluated for their particle size (PS), polydispersibility index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), DL, EE and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, in vitro (i.e., release behavior, cytotoxicity) and ex vivo studies (i.e., histopathology) studies were carried out. The results show that the DL was over 92% and the EE was higher than 73%, while the particles were relatively small with nanometric PS (152.63 ± 12.95 to 310.23 ± 10.49 nm), uniform with acceptable PDI (0.336 ± 0.05 to 0.534 ± 0.02), and stable with positive ZP (23.8 ± 0.4 mV to 54.0 ± 0.5 mV). The optimal formulation (MEM-NC3) was selected mainly based on the PS (152.63 ± 12.95 nm), DL (98.44 ± 3.31%), and EE (78.7 ± 3.11%). Interestingly, it does not elicit any cytotoxic and tissue damage when examining at goat nasal mucosa. The selected formulation was subjected to surface morphological studies such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that the NCs were spherical in shape and small (100 nm). Interestingly, the selected formulation was able to sustain the drug release for up to 24 h with an initial burst release (86.51 %). We conclude that the prepared MEM-NCs represent a promising drug formulation for further in vivo studies (in animal models and in a clinical setting) to prevent and treat AD.