Biomaterials can be used as implantable devices or drug delivery platforms with a significant influence on a patients’ quality of life. Indeed, every year a substantial number of new biomaterials and scaffolding systems are engineered and introduced in the biomedical field with increased potential for biomedical uses. However, their long-term use can be threatened by the adhesion and proliferation of microorganisms, which can interact and form biofilms, or the formation of fibrosis, with cytotoxic responses being very common. Pathogenic microorganisms may cause local infection and consequent implant failure; furthermore, they can hinder the delivery of therapeutic molecules by specialized delivery platforms, turning them ineffective. Many alternatives have been proposed over the years to prevent such events, including the use of antiseptics and antibiotics or the physical modification of the biomaterial surface, with the incorporation of biomolecules of interest. From specialized polymers and functional groups to silver and, more recently, antimicrobial peptides and natural extracts, different functionalization/modification techniques have been employed in this fight against pathogenic agents.

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Antimicrobial resistance is the intrinsic capability of microorganisms to survive unfavorable conditions; such traits are mainly transferrable through movable genetic elements, enabling the rapid and homogeneous diffusion of resistance genes over diverse ecosystems and sectors including human medicine, veterinary medicine, and the environment. In this view, the One Health approach allows for a comprehensive depiction of the mechanisms responsible for the onset and spread of antimicrobial resistance traits, as well as enabling a clear definition of the dynamics that occurs among microbial members harboring diverse ecological niches that favor the orthogonal diffusion of antibiotic resistance between apparently separate milieus.

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Phages have shown a high biotechnological potential with numerous applications. The advent of high-resolution microscopy techniques aligned with omic and molecular tools have revealed innovative phage features and enabled new processes that can be further exploited for biotechnological applications in a wide variety of fields. The high-quality original articles and reviews presented in this Special Issue demonstrate the incredible potential of phages and their derived proteins in a wide range of biotechnological applications for human benefit. Considering the emergence of amazing new available bioengineering tools and the high abundance of phages and the multitude of phage proteins yet to be discovered and studied, we believe that the upcoming years will present us with many more fascinating and new previously unimagined phage-based biotechnological applications.

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Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the oldest biotechnological processes and originally referred to biomass degradation under anoxic conditions in both natural and engineered systems. It has been used for decades to treat various waste streams and to produce methane-rich biogas as an important energy carrier, and it has become a major player in electrical power production. AD is a popular, mature technology, and our knowledge about the influencing process parameters as well as about the diverse microbial communities involved in the process has increased dramatically over the last few decades. To avoid competition with food and feed production, the AD feedstock spectrum has constantly been extended to waste products either rich in recalcitrant lignocellulose or containing inhibitory substances such as ammonia, which requires application of various pre-treatments or specific management of the microbial resources. Extending the definition of AD, it can also convert gases rich in hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane that can substitute natural gas, which opens new opportunities by a direct link to traditional petrochemistry. Furthermore, AD can be coupled with emerging biotechnological applications, such as microbial electrochemical technologies or the production of medium-chain fatty acids by anaerobic fermentation. Ultimately, because of the wide range of applications, AD is still a very vital field in science. This Special Issue highlights some key topics of this research field.

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of ozonated Aloe Vera gel on the growth inhibition of Enterococcus faecalis according to application time. It was quasi-experimental, longitudinal and applicative. In a first instance, the Aloe Vera gel was collected. Once obtained, it was subjected to ozonation, for which the ozonation patterns of the water are taken. It was then applied to Enterococcus faecalis samples by means of diffusion disks and applied directly. The results were not very encouraging, showing inhibition halos no larger than 10 mm and 0 mm in diameter in several cases. For this reason, Aloe Vera gel was diluted in 70° alcohol and chloroform, obtaining better results. The sample consisted of Petri dishes incubated with Enterococcus faecalis, at a rate of 35 Petri dishes for each study group and application time. The gel was applied to the samples by diffusion of filter discs and by direct application. After several tests, the ozonated gel at 24 hours showed the best results with inhibition halos of 40-45 mm. In conclusion, the Ozonized Aloe Vera gel is a product that demonstrated a high effectiveness when applied on Enterococcus faecalis to extract its greatest properties, it is necessary to dilute them in 70° alcohol and chloroform, so it presents a high level on the bacteria.

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The need for constant improvement to reach a high standard of safety and to make nanomaterials accessible for marketing has generated a considerable number of scientific papers that highlight new important aspects to be considered, such as synthesis, stability, biocompatibility, and easy manipulation. In order to provide a comprehensive update on the latest discoveries concerning nanomaterials, this reprint presents 14 scientific papers, 10 research articles and 4 reviews, that deal with biomedical and biotechnological applications of nanomaterials.

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[Increasing evidence suggests that microbiota and especially the gut microbiota (the microbes inhabiting the gut including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi) plays a key role in human physiology and pathology. Recent findings indicate how dysbiosis—an imbalance in the composition and organization of microbial populations—could severely impact the development of different medical conditions (from metabolic to mood disorders), providing new insights into the comprehension of diverse diseases, such as IBD, obesity, asthma, autism, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Given that microbial cells in the gut outnumber host cells, microbiota influences human physiology both functionally and structurally. Microbial metabolites bridge various—even distant—areas of the organism by way of the immune and hormone system. For instance, it is now clear that the mutual interaction between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain (gut–brain axis), often involves gut microbiota, indicating that the crosstalk between the organism and its microbial residents represents a fundamental aspect of both the establishment and maintenance of healthy conditions. Moreover, it is crucial to recognize that beyond the intestinal tract, microbiota populates other host organs and tissues (e.g., skin and oral mucosa). We have edited this eBook with the aim of publishing manuscripts focusing on the impact of microbiota in the development of different diseases and their associated treatments.]

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