Bacterial antibiotic resistance is an alarming global issue that requires alternative antimicrobial methods to which there is no resistance. Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (APDT) is a well-known method to combat this problem for many pathogens, especially Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Hypericin and orange light APDT efficiently kill Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and the yeast Candida albicans. Although Gram-positive bacteria and many fungi are readily killed with APDT, Gram-negative bacteria are difficult to kill due to their different cell wall structures. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important opportunistic, life-threatening Gram-negative pathogens. However, it cannot be killed successfully by hypericin and orange light APDT. P. aeruginosa is ampicillin resistant, but we hypothesized that ampicillin could still damage the cell wall, which can promote photosensitizer uptake into Gram-negative cells. Using hypericin and ampicillin cotreatment followed by orange light, a significant reduction (3.4 log) in P. aeruginosa PAO1 was achieved. P. aeruginosa PAO1 inactivation and gut permeability improvement by APDT were successfully shown in a Caenorhabditis elegans model.

A marine bacterium, strain KME 001^T, was isolated from the siphon tissue of a marine ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi, collected off the coast of Gangneung, Korea. Strain KME 001^T was a Gram-positive, aerobic, non-spore-forming, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterium. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain KME 001^T clustered with the genus Aeromicrobium and was closely related to Aeromicrobium ginsengisoli, Aeromicrobium erythreum and Aeromicrobium ponti with 97.7, 97.6 and 97.5 % sequence similarities, respectively. The strain was capable of growth at a variety of temperatures (10–42 °C) and over a broad pH range (5.0–10.0). NaCl was required for robust growth of the strain. The diagnostic diamino acid of the cell-wall peptidoglycan was ll-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant menaquinone was MK-9(H₄). The predominant fatty acids were C_18 : 1 ω9c, C_16 : 0 and 10-methyl C_18 : 0. The DNA–DNA hybridization analyses showed that DNA–DNA relatedness values between strain KME 001^T and its nearest neighbours, A. ginsengisoli KCTC 19207^T, A. erythreum KCCM 41104^T and A. ponti KACC 20565^T, were 49.6, 57.1 and 63.5 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content of strain KME 001^T was 75.9 mol%. Chemical investigation of the liquid culture medium of strain KME 001^T led to the isolation of taurocholic acid as a major secondary metabolite. On the basis of phylogenetic and phenotypic data, strain KME 001^T is classified as representing a novel species of the genus Aeromicrobium, for which the name Aeromicrobium halocynthiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KME 001^T (=JCM 15749^T=KCCM 90079^T).

A marine bacterial strain, KMD 002^T, was isolated from an Amur starfish, Asterias amurensis, collected in the East Sea of Korea. Strain KMD 002^T was a Gram-negative, beige-pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium. The strain was capable of growth at relatively low temperatures (4–25 °C) and over a broad pH range (pH 4.0–10.0). The major fatty acids were C_16 : 1 ω7c and/or iso-C_15 : 0 2-OH and C_16 : 0 and the predominant isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The DNA G+C content of strain KMD 002^T was 40.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain KMD 002^T belonged to the genus Colwellia. However, various phenotypic properties as well as low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities to members of the genus Colwellia (94.1–96.7 %) suggested that strain KMD 002^T is a representative of a novel species, for which the name Colwellia asteriadis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is KMD 002^T (=KCCM 90077^T =JCM 15608^T).

Gut microbiota performs indispensable functions in the pathophysiology of alcoholic hepatitis (AH). We investigated the effects of Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus R0011 and Lactobacillus helveticus for gut microbial restoration toward eubiosis in patients with AH. A multicenter, double-blind, and randomized trial was conducted. Probiotics (n = 44) and placebo (n = 45) groups received, during 7 days, L. rhamnosus R0011/L. helveticus R0052 at 120 mg/day and placebo. All patients were hospitalized to ensure abstinence. Liver function, lipopolysaccharide level, and stool analysis were evaluated in patients before and after 7 days of treatment. At baseline, the dominant bacteria were Gram-negative in both groups which decreased after the probiotics treatment and exhibited a significant reduction in lipopolysaccharide level (p < 0.001). The probiotics ameliorated the Child–Pugh scores (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the probiotics group showed a decline in the levels of alanine aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (p < 0.05). The probiotics changed the gut microbial composition at various taxonomical levels. The proportion of Bacteroidetes (147%) was increased after 7 days of probiotics supplementation while Proteobacteria (30%) and Fusobacteria (0%) were decreased. Administration of L. rhamnosus R0011 and L. helveticus R0052 conceivably associated with restoration of gut microbiome in AH patients and improved AH by modulating the gut–liver axis.

Diospyros kaki (persimmon) leaves have long been utilized as traditional medicine for the treatment of ischemic stroke, angina, and hypertension and as a healthy beverage and cosmetic for anti-aging. This study aimed to isolate as many compounds as possible from an ethanol extract of the persimmon leaves to identify the biologically active compounds. The antioxidative effect of the ethyl acetate layer from the ethanol extract of the persimmon leaves was demonstrated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and online high-performance liquid chromatography-2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (HPLC-ABTS) analysis. A new flavonoid, kaempferol-3-O-β-d-2″-coumaroylgalactoside (1), and a new natural compound, kaempferol-3-O-β-d-2″-feruloylglucoside (3) were isolated from the ethyl acetate layer, along with 25 previously known compounds, including fourteen flavonoids, one ionone, two coumarins, seven triterpenoids, and one acetophenone. Their structures were determined by the interpretation of spectrometric and spectroscopic data. All isolated compounds were rapidly evaluated using an online HPLC-ABTS assay, and of these, compounds 4–8, 11, 13, 15, and 16 clearly showed antioxidative effects. The amount of these compounds was 0.3–0.65% of the extract.