Meropenem (MEM) and clavulanate potassium have been reported to demonstrate highly effective activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. There have been no reports on research into the complex of these chemotherapeutics concerning their mutually dependent stability or microbiological action on other microorganisms. Stability and compatibility studies of MEM/clavulanate potassium were conducted by using an HPLC-DAD method. The antibacterial activity of MEM/clavulanate potassium was tested in vitro against a selection of indicator bacteria strains by determining the MIC as well as analyzing the kinetics of changes in the concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes caused by the action of MEM/clavulanate potassium. The stability and compatibility of MEM/clavulanate potassium were examined in aqua pro iniectione, 0.9% NaCl and 5% glucose at room temperature and at 5 °C. The degradation rates of MEM/clavulanate potassium depended on the type of infusion solvent used. Although in aqueous solutions of MEM/clavulanate potassium neither compound showed any mutual impact on the rate of degradation, clavulanate potassium was more labile than MEM. The synergy between these two resulted in a significantly lower value of MIC as compared to the values observed for the individual activity of either compound. The infusion solvent in which compatibility is observed between the components of the mixture MEM/clavulanate potassium is aqua pro iniectione. The complex MEM/clavulanate potassium demonstrates synergic antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and L. monocytogenes.
Effectiveness and, by extension, profitability of the second-generation bioethanol production process is dependent on pretreatment. The aim is to develop an inexpensive, easy-to-conduct pretreatment that would highly increase hydrolysis efficiency and, at the same time, maximize the fermentable sugar yield and minimize substrate loss. In this work, optimal conditions of low-cost miscanthus and sorghum biomass pretreatment were determined and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface analysis (BET) was used to characterize specific substrate area. Microscopic structure changes of both substrates were demonstrated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images. Lignin content in pretreated materials was determined according to NREL procedure. While alkali pretreatment had minor effects on the structure, acid pretreatment resulted in the emergence of noticeable pores and fissures in the surface of miscanthus and sorghum fibres. The increase in specific surface area and substrate porosity improved the efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis of polysaccharides. However, the decrease of lignin content turned out to be a key factor in hydrolysis efficiency enhancement.
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