Ricerc@Sapienza

Malassezia species are natural inhabitants of the healthy skin. However, under certain
conditions, they may cause or exacerbate several skin diseases. The ability of this fungus
to colonize or infect is determined by complex interactions between the fungal cell and
its virulence factors. This study aims to evaluate “in vitro” the hydrophobicity levels,
the adherence on a plastic surface and the biofilm formation of 16 clinical isolates of
Malassezia furfur. Cellular surface hydrophobicity (CSH) levels were determined by twophase

The genus Malassezia comprises a heterogeneous group of species that cause similar pathologies. Malassezia yeasts were considered as the most abundant skin eukaryotes of the total skin mycobiome. The ability of this fungus to colonize or infect is determined by complex interactions between the fungal cell and its virulence factors. This study aims to evaluate in vitro the hydrophobicity levels, the adherence capacity on a polystyrene surface and the ability to form biofilm of 19 isolates, including M. sympodialis, M. globosa, and M.

In this contribution we explore by means of experiments, theory, and molecular dynamics the effect of pore morphology on the spontaneous extrusion of nonwetting liquids from nanopores. Understanding and controlling this phenomenon is central for manipulating nanoconfined liquids, e.g., in nanofluidic applications, drug delivery, and oil extraction.

Surface nanobubbles are gaseous domains found at immersed substrates, whose remarkable persistence is still not fully understood. Recently, it has been observed that the formation of nanobubbles is often associated with a local high gas oversaturation at the liquid-solid interface. Tan, An and Ohl have postulated the existence of an effective potential attracting the dissolved gas to the substrate and producing a local oversaturation within 1 nm from it that can stabilize nanobubbles by preventing outgassing in the region where gas flow would be maximum.