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Coenye T, Ahonen M, Anderson S, Cámara M, Chundi P, Fields M, Foidl I, Gnimpieba EZ, Griffin K, Hinks J, Loka AR, Lushbough C, MacPhee C, Nater N, Raval R, Slater-Jefferies J, Teo P, Wilks S, Yung M, Webb JS. Global challenges and microbial biofilms: Identification of priority questions in biofilm research, innovation and policy. Biofilm 2024; 8:100210. [PMID: 39221168 PMCID: PMC11364012 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Priority question exercises are increasingly used to frame and set future research, innovation and development agendas. They can provide an important bridge between the discoveries, data and outputs generated by researchers, and the information required by policy makers and funders. Microbial biofilms present huge scientific, societal and economic opportunities and challenges. In order to identify key priorities that will help to advance the field, here we review questions from a pool submitted by the international biofilm research community and from practitioners working across industry, the environment and medicine. To avoid bias we used computational approaches to group questions and manage a voting and selection process. The outcome of the exercise is a set of 78 unique questions, categorized in six themes: (i) Biofilm control, disruption, prevention, management, treatment (13 questions); (ii) Resistance, persistence, tolerance, role of aggregation, immune interaction, relevance to infection (10 questions); (iii) Model systems, standards, regulatory, policy education, interdisciplinary approaches (15 questions); (iv) Polymicrobial, interactions, ecology, microbiome, phage (13 questions); (v) Clinical focus, chronic infection, detection, diagnostics (13 questions); and (vi) Matrix, lipids, capsule, metabolism, development, physiology, ecology, evolution environment, microbiome, community engineering (14 questions). The questions presented are intended to highlight opportunities, stimulate discussion and provide focus for researchers, funders and policy makers, informing future research, innovation and development strategy for biofilms and microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Coenye
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Belgium
- ESCMID Study Group on Biofilms (ESGB), Basel, Switzerland
| | - Merja Ahonen
- Satakunta University of Applied Sciences, Finland
| | - Skip Anderson
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Miguel Cámara
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, University of Nottingham Biodiscovery Institute, School of Life Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | | | - Matthew Fields
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Ines Foidl
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Kristen Griffin
- Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Jamie Hinks
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Singapore
| | | | | | - Cait MacPhee
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Natasha Nater
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Rasmita Raval
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, Open Innovation Hub for Antimicrobial Surfaces, Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jo Slater-Jefferies
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Pauline Teo
- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Singapore
| | - Sandra Wilks
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Maria Yung
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Singapore
| | | | - Jeremy S. Webb
- National Biofilms Innovation Centre, School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Wang Z, De Soir S, Glorieux A, Merabishvili M, Knoop C, De Vos D, Pirnay JP, Van Bambeke F. Bacteriophages as potential antibiotic potentiators in cystic fibrosis: A new model to study the combination of antibiotics with a bacteriophage cocktail targeting dual species biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2024; 64:107276. [PMID: 39009289 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2024.107276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa co-infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are associated with disease severity. Their treatment is complicated by biofilm formation in the sticky mucus obstructing the airways. We investigated the activity of phages-antibiotics combinations using a dual species biofilm (P. aeruginosa/S. aureus) formed in artificial sputum medium. METHODS Biofilmswere incubated with broad-spectrum antibiotics (meropenem, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, tobramycin) combined with a cocktail of two (bacterio)phages (PSP3 and ISP) proven active via spot tests and double agar on P. aeruginosa PAO1 and S. aureus ATCC 25923. RESULTS At the highest tested concentrations (100 x MIC), antibiotics alone caused a 20-50% reduction in biomass and reduced S. aureus and P. aeruginosa CFU of 2.3 to 2.8 and 2.1 to 3.6 log10, respectively. Phages alone reduced biofilm biomass by 23% and reduced P. aeruginosa CFU of 2.1 log10, but did not affect S. aureus viability. Phages enhanced antibiotic effects on biomass and exhibited additive effects with antibiotics against P. aeruginosa, but not against S. aureus. Following inhibition of bacterial respiration by phages in planktonic cultures rationalised these observations by demonstrating that PSP3 was effective at multiplicities of infection (MOI) as low as 10-4 plaque forming units (PFU)/CFU on P. aeruginosa, but ISP, at higher MOI (> 0.1) against S. aureus. CONCLUSION Pre-screening inhibition of bacterial respiration by phages may assist in selecting those showing activity at sufficiently low titers to showcase anti-biofilm activity in this complex but clinically-relevant in vitro model of biofilm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhifen Wang
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Steven De Soir
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Antoine Glorieux
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium; Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Maya Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Christiane Knoop
- Erasme Hospital, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Daniel De Vos
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Françoise Van Bambeke
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
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Uyttebroek S, Dupont L, Wagemans J, Lavigne R, Merabishvili M, Coenye T, Van Gerven L. Evaluation of antibiofilm agents for treatment of cystic fibrosis-related chronic rhinosinusitis. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol 2024. [PMID: 39212056 DOI: 10.1002/alr.23441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 08/20/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
KEY POINTS Treatment of cystic fibrosis-related chronic rhinosinusitis should target sinonasal biofilms. NaHCO3 salts with/without xylitol have limited antibiofilm properties, whereas rhDNAse has not. Phage effectivity varies and depends on the phage and the combination with antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saartje Uyttebroek
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Rhinology Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lieven Dupont
- Department of Pneumology, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, Respiratory Diseases and Thoracic Surgery, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Wagemans
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rob Lavigne
- Department of Biosystems, Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maya Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology, Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Tom Coenye
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Laura Van Gerven
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, UZ Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Neurosciences, Experimental Otorhinolaryngology, Rhinology Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Allergy and Clinical Immunology Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Chakraborty S, Rohit A, Prasanthi SJ, Chauhan A. A New Casjensviridae Bacteriophage Isolated from Hospital Sewage for Inactivation of Biofilms of Carbapenem Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Clinical Isolates. Pharmaceutics 2024; 16:904. [PMID: 39065601 PMCID: PMC11280391 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16070904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae, a member of the ESKAPE pathogen group, is a prominent cause of hospital-acquired infections. The WHO has recognized carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae as a critical-one priority pathogen. These resilient superbugs have the ability to form biofilms and present a significant global threat. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a bacteriophage SAKp02, from hospital sewage, infectious to carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae patient isolates. SAKp02 could infect 43 of 72 clinical isolates, indicating a broad host spectrum. Whole genome analysis classified SAKp02 within the family Casjensviridae, with a 59,343 bp genome encoding 82 ORFs. Comparative genomic analysis revealed significant differences between SAKp02 and its closest viruses, indicating a distinct genetic makeup positioning it as a novel phage strain within the lineage. The SAKp02 genome comprises bacteriolytic enzymes, including holin, endolysin, and phage depolymerase, crucial for bacterial lysis and biofilm disruption. It reduced biofilm biomass by over threefold compared to the control and eradicated 99% of viable cells within a 4 h treatment period. Scanning electron microscopy corroborated the ability of the phage to dismantle biofilm matrices and lyse bacterial cells. Safe and effective treatments are warranted, and hence, the fully characterized lytic phages with therapeutic potential against drug-resistant clinical isolates of bacteria are needed. Our study is the first to report the antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of Casjensviridae phages, and our discovery of a novel K. pneumoniae phage broadens the arsenal against the bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sambuddha Chakraborty
- Department of Microbiology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, India
- Department of Microbiology, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Jaurez Marg, New Delhi 110021, India
| | - Anusha Rohit
- Madras Medical Mission Hospital, Chennai 600037, India
| | | | - Ashwini Chauhan
- Department of Microbiology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar 799022, India
- Department of Microbiology, University of Delhi South Campus, Benito Jaurez Marg, New Delhi 110021, India
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Gordon M, Ramirez P. Efficacy and Experience of Bacteriophages in Biofilm-Related Infections. Antibiotics (Basel) 2024; 13:125. [PMID: 38391511 PMCID: PMC10886175 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics13020125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial infection has always accompanied human beings, causing suffering and death while also contributing to the advancement of medical science. However, the treatment of infections has become more complex in recent times. The increasing resistance of bacterial strains to antibiotics has diminished the effectiveness of the therapeutic arsenal, making it less likely to find the appropriate empiric antibiotic option. Additionally, the development and persistence of bacterial biofilms have become more prevalent, attributed to the greater use of invasive devices that facilitate biofilm formation and the enhanced survival of chronic infection models where biofilm plays a crucial role. Bacteria within biofilms are less susceptible to antibiotics due to physical, chemical, and genetic factors. Bacteriophages, as biological weapons, can overcome both antimicrobial resistance and biofilm protection. In this review, we will analyze the scientific progress achieved in vitro to justify their clinical application. In the absence of scientific evidence, we will compile publications of clinical cases where phages have been used to treat infections related to biofilm. The scientific basis obtained in vitro and the success rate and safety observed in clinical practice should motivate the medical community to conduct clinical trials establishing a protocol for the proper use of bacteriophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Gordon
- Critical Care Department, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico la Fe, Av. Vicente Abril Martorell 106, 46026 Valencia, Spain
| | - Paula Ramirez
- Critical Care Department, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico la Fe, Av. Vicente Abril Martorell 106, 46026 Valencia, Spain
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De Soir S, Parée H, Kamarudin NHN, Wagemans J, Lavigne R, Braem A, Merabishvili M, De Vos D, Pirnay JP, Van Bambeke F. Exploiting phage-antibiotic synergies to disrupt Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms in the context of orthopedic infections. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0321923. [PMID: 38084971 PMCID: PMC10783084 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.03219-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Biofilm-related infections are among the most difficult-to-treat infections in all fields of medicine due to their antibiotic tolerance and persistent character. In the field of orthopedics, these biofilms often lead to therapeutic failure of medical implantable devices and urgently need novel treatment strategies. This forthcoming article aims to explore the dynamic interplay between newly isolated bacteriophages and routinely used antibiotics and clearly indicates synergetic patterns when used as a dual treatment modality. Biofilms were drastically more reduced when both active agents were combined, thereby providing additional evidence that phage-antibiotic combinations lead to synergism and could potentially improve clinical outcome for affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven De Soir
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Hortence Parée
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nur Hidayatul Nazirah Kamarudin
- Department of Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Rob Lavigne
- Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Annabel Braem
- Department of Materials Engineering, Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Research Group, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maya Merabishvili
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Daniel De Vos
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Jean-Paul Pirnay
- Laboratory for Molecular and Cellular Technology (LabMCT), Queen Astrid Military Hospital, Neder-over-Heembeek, Belgium
| | - Françoise Van Bambeke
- Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire, Louvain Drug Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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Letarov AV. Bacterial Virus Forcing of Bacterial O-Antigen Shields: Lessons from Coliphages. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17390. [PMID: 38139217 PMCID: PMC10743462 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In most Gram-negative bacteria, outer membrane (OM) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules carry long polysaccharide chains known as the O antigens or O polysaccharides (OPS). The OPS structure varies highly from strain to strain, with more than 188 O serotypes described in E. coli. Although many bacteriophages recognize OPS as their primary receptors, these molecules can also screen OM proteins and other OM surface receptors from direct interaction with phage receptor-binding proteins (RBP). In this review, I analyze the body of evidence indicating that most of the E. coli OPS types robustly shield cells completely, preventing phage access to the OM surface. This shield not only blocks virulent phages but also restricts the acquisition of prophages. The available data suggest that OPS-mediated OM shielding is not merely one of many mechanisms of bacterial resistance to phages. Rather, it is an omnipresent factor significantly affecting the ecology, phage-host co-evolution and other related processes in E. coli and probably in many other species of Gram-negative bacteria. The phages, in turn, evolved multiple mechanisms to break through the OPS layer. These mechanisms rely on the phage RBPs recognizing the OPS or on using alternative receptors exposed above the OPS layer. The data allow one to forward the interpretation that, regardless of the type of receptors used, primary receptor recognition is always followed by the generation of a mechanical force driving the phage tail through the OPS layer. This force may be created by molecular motors of enzymatically active tail spikes or by virion structural re-arrangements at the moment of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Letarov
- Winogradsky Institute of Micrbiology, Research Center Fundamentals of Biotechnology RAS, pr. 60-letiya Oktyabrya 7 bld. 2, Moscow 117312, Russia
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Moryl M, Różalski A, de Figueiredo JAP, Palatyńska-Ulatowska A. How Do Phages Disrupt the Structure of Enterococcus faecalis Biofilm? Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:17260. [PMID: 38139094 PMCID: PMC10744153 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Biofilms are composed of multicellular communities of microbial cells and their self-secreted extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The viruses named bacteriophages can infect and lyze bacterial cells, leading to efficient biofilm eradication. The aim of this study was to analyze how bacteriophages disrupt the biofilm structure by killing bacterial cells and/or by damaging extracellular polysaccharides, proteins, and DNA. The use of colorimetric and spectrofluorimetric methods and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) enabled a comprehensive assessment of phage activity against E. faecalis biofilms. The impact of the phages vB_Efa29212_2e and vB_Efa29212_3e was investigated. They were applied separately or in combination on 1-day and 7-day-old biofilms. Phages 2e effectively inhibited the growth of planktonic cells with a limited effect on the biofilm. They did not notably affect extracellular polysaccharides and proteins; however, they increased DNA levels. Phages 3e demonstrated a potent and dispersing impact on E. faecalis biofilms, despite being slightly less effective than bacteriophages 2e against planktonic cells. Phages 3e reduced the amount of extracellular polysaccharides and increased eDNA levels in both 1-day-old and 7-day-old biofilm cultures. Phage cocktails had a strong antimicrobial effect on both planktonic and biofilm-associated bacteria. A significant reduction in the levels of polysaccharides, proteins, and eDNA in 1-day-old biofilm samples was noted, which confirms that phages interfere with the structure of E. faecalis biofilm by killing bacterial cells and affecting extracellular polymer levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Moryl
- Department of Biology of Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Antoni Różalski
- Department of Biology of Bacteria, Institute of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Immunology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland;
| | | | - Aleksandra Palatyńska-Ulatowska
- Department of Endodontics, Chair of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland;
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