{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T18:16:45Z","timestamp":1778696205476,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":107,"publisher":"Walter de Gruyter GmbH","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,1]],"date-time":"2026-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767225600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,23]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"j_med-2026-1426_abs_001\">\n                    <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Upper respiratory tract infections pose a significant challenge for healthcare systems worldwide. Forming biofilms-complex polymicrobial communities encased in an exopolymer matrix plays a pivotal role in the persistence of these infections, contributing to enhanced resistance against conventional treatments and host immune responses. Consequently, developing innovative strategies to disrupt biofilms has become a therapeutic imperative.This study investigated the\n                      <jats:italic>in\u00a0vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      efficacy of a hypertonic solution of salsobromoiodic thermal water, in mitigating biofilm formation by key upper respiratory tract pathogens.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"j_med-2026-1426_abs_002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Biofilm formation by\n                      <jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Moraxella catarrhalis<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Haemophilus influenzae<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Streptococcus pneumoniae<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Candida albicans<\/jats:italic>\n                      ,\n                      <jats:italic>Candida parapsilosis<\/jats:italic>\n                      , and\n                      <jats:italic>Candida tropicalis<\/jats:italic>\n                      was assessed using the MBEC Assay\n                      <jats:sup>\u00ae<\/jats:sup>\n                      system. The effects of the hypertonic salsobromoiodic thermal water solution were compared with standard saline (0.9\u202f% NaCl).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"j_med-2026-1426_abs_003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A significant, concentration-dependent reduction in biofilm biomass was observed in all tested microorganisms when treated with the hypertonic solution. This effect was also evident in polymicrobial biofilms, indicating a broad and consistent antibiofilm potential.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"j_med-2026-1426_abs_004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The hypertonic solution of salsobromoiodic thermal water demonstrated notable\n                      <jats:italic>in\u00a0vitro<\/jats:italic>\n                      activity against biofilm formation by major upper respiratory tract pathogens. These findings highlight its potential as novel therapeutic approach for managing biofilm-associated respiratory infections and enhancing conventional antimicrobial treatments effectiveness.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1515\/med-2026-1426","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,13]],"date-time":"2026-05-13T18:04:07Z","timestamp":1778695447000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Hypertonic thermal solutions as a putative strategy for respiratory biofilm disruption"],"prefix":"10.1515","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7277-1377","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marilina","family":"Falcone","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7636-5581","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Pietrangelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3949-4143","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Guarnieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2203-3327","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Natasha","family":"Brancazio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"},{"name":"Natival S.r.l. , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4952-1889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Noemi","family":"Venditti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Responsible Research Hospital, UO Laboratorio Analisi , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-0116-0308","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Di Naro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5098-7785","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio","family":"Petronio Petronio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. Tiberio\u201d , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi del Molise , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"},{"name":"Consorzio Interuniversitario per l\u2019Ingegneria e la Medicina (CoIIM) , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5075-4597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Di Marco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Consorzio Interuniversitario per l\u2019Ingegneria e la Medicina (CoIIM) , Campobasso , Molise , Italy"},{"name":"Department of Drug and Health Sciences , Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Catania , Catania , Sicily , Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6208-4129","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Attilio","family":"Varricchio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicina e Scienze della Salute \u201cV. 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