Clinical results in patients affected by moderate-severe knee osteoarthritis and treated with micro-fragmented adipose tissue: the therapeutic effects on symptomatology.

Osteoarthrosis is a degenerative musculoskeletal disease that presents a major public health problem, due to the increasing average age of the active population, as well as the increasing percentage of obesity or overweight of the general population. New therapeutic approaches have been developed, such as regenerative medicine that uses mesenchymal stromal cells taken from adipose tissue. This study analyzed the clinical potential benefits of using autologous adipose tissue to treat patients with moderate-severe knee osteoarthritis.In 2021, a total of 50 knees, affected by moderate-severe knee osteoarthritis, were treated with an intra-articular injection of micro-fragmented subcutaneous adipose tissue. Patients were submitted to the KOOS questionnaire before the operation and one year after the operation and VAS pain score at time 0, 3, 6, 12 months.Of the 50 patients treated, 2 patients were excluded from the study. Of the remaining 48 patients, improvements have been achieved in all subclasses of KOOS. In particular, VAS score proves that improvements are more considerable starting from the 3rd month after surgery.The results obtained in this study show the safety and potential benefit of the use of autologous micro-fragmented adipose on people who are affected by moderate-severe knee osteoarthritis.

Cladodes of Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) as a source of bioactive compounds in dairy products.

Recently, the interest in improving livestock product nutraceutical profiles through sustainable feeding systems has increased. In this context, the overall quality and nutraceutical profiles were examined in dairy products obtained from 16 lactating Cinisara cows given an integrated feed in dry season with Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes. Two homogeneous groups of cows (milk yield: 6.3 ± 1.5 kg; body weight: 213 ± 55 kg) were fed with 2 different diets (CON: pasture and wheat bran; OFI: pasture, wheat bran, and cladodes), according to a 2 × 2 Latin square design. The bulk milk produced during the study was used to make Caciotta cheese and was analyzed at 0, 15, and 30 storage days. Milk and cheese samples were analyzed for chemical, physical, and microbiological traits. The nutraceutical and sensorial profiles, as well as the antioxidant capacity, were also determined in the final products. For milk, the urea content in individual samples was reduced in OFI but not in CON. In the cheese, integration of cladodes did not influence the starter cultures development with 2 strains of Streptococcus thermophilus, but it caused a higher content of polyphenols and a consequent greater antioxidant capacity and a change in the fatty acids profile. In particular, the caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, and palmitic fatty acids were higher, as were the petroselinic, vaccenic, rumenic, and α-linolenic fatty acids. In contrast, the oleic and the γ-linolenic fatty acids were lower for OFI. The cheese from the OFI group showed better overall acceptability, and a higher yellow color, odor intensity, and butter flavor. The multivariate analysis well distinguished the cheeses belonging to the 2 groups. Further investigations should be conducted to formulate well-balanced diets that include cladodes for Cinisara lactating cows, but also to determine the content of other important bioactive compounds in fresh and treated cladodes, as well as their effects on animal welfare and production.

Orthopaedic and plastic surgery collaboration in resolution of plantar heloma and metatarsalgia using lipofilling: a retrospective evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Plantar heloma is a keratotic disorder that can be described as a circumscribed area of thickening with a central core that may penetrate the dermis. Although often considered a minor complaint, longstanding lesions can be debilitating and severely impact on person's quality of life. We present the first retrospective case series at long-term follow-up about the use of plantar lipofilling as a treatment for metatarsalgia caused by plantar heloma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six patients affected by plantar heloma associated to external metatarsalgia underwent plantar lipofilling. The surgical session was performed as an outpatient procedure. Clinical evaluation was performed using the AOFAS lesser metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal (MTP-IP) score. RESULTS: Mean AOFAS lesser MTP-IP score improved from a preoperative score of 66.6 ± 3.2 points (range 47-77 points) to a post-operative score of 92.8 ± 2.7 points (range 86-95 points); all patients were satisfied with the outcome at the final follow-up. Post-operative clinical examination at final follow-up showed an increase in thickness of the subcutaneous layer and a decrease of dermal layer thanks to the supporting and trophic action of fat cells. CONCLUSIONS: Plastic regenerative procedures applicated to a typical foot and ankle surgery field, such as metatarsal overloading, metatarsalgia and forefoot problems, should be encouraged to allow new treatment horizons.

Hallux valgus associated to osteoarthritis: Clinical-radiological outcomes of modified SERI technique at mid- to long-term follow-up. A retrospective analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Treatment of hallux valgus deformity associated with mild or moderate osteoarthritis (OA) is still a topic of debate. In the literature, there are few studies concerning the management of patients affected by this condition. This study aims to report the experience at mid- to long-term results of an original joint-preserving surgical technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients affected by mild to moderate hallux valgus deformity and associated to grade 1-2 OA and treated with modified Simple-Effective-Rapid-Inexpensive (SERI) technique from 2008 to 2018 were selected. Inclusion criteria were mild or moderate hallux valgus angle (HVA) <40° and an intermetatarsal angle (IMA) <20° and associated grade 1-2 OA of the first metatarso-phalangeal joint (MTPJ). RESULTS: 128 feet in 120 consecutive patients, undergone modified SERI procedure, have been retrospectively reviewed at a mean follow-up of 5.1 ± 3.8 years (range 2-11). American Orthopaedics Foot Ankle Society (AOFAS) score that was significantly improved from 44.2 ± 13.2 to 88.2 ± 9.6. Pre-operative average HVA and IMA values decreased respectively from 31.6° ± 3.9° to 9.1° ± 4.4° and from 16.2° ± 3.8° to 7.2° ± 3.1°. The average distal metatarsal articular angle (DMAA) value improved from 28.2° ± 6.5° to 7.1° ± 6°. OA of the first MTPJ highlighted a grade 1 in 46 feet and a grade 2 in 82 feet pre-operatively and a grade 0 in 30 feet, grade 1 in 82 feet, and grade 2 in 16 feet at the final follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The modifications to the SERI technique could extend the indications to patients affected by hallux valgus with mild to moderate OA. The wider case series and the longer follow-up of this study make us believe this technique is very useful for improving the quality of life in these patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Comparison of elapegademase and pegademase in ADA-deficient patients and mice.

The absence of adenosine deaminase (ADA) causes severe combined immune deficiency (SCID), which has been treated with PEGylated bovine-extracted ADA (ADAGEN). ADAGEN was recently replaced by a PEGylated recombinant bovine ADA, expressed in Escherichia coli (elapegademase, ELA-ADA). Limited information on ELA-ADA is available.  ADA enzymatic activity of ELA-ADA and ADAGEN was assessed in vitro at diverse dilutions. ADA activity and immune reconstitution in an ADA-SCID patient treated with ELA-ADA were compared with age-matched patients previously treated with ADAGEN. ADA activity and thymus reconstitution were evaluated in ADA-deficient mice following ELA-ADA or ADAGEN administered from 7 days postpartum. In vitro, ADA activity of ELA-ADA and ADAGEN were similar at all dilutions. In an ADA-SCID patient, ELA-ADA treatment led to a marked increase in trough plasma ADA activity, which was 20% higher than in a patient previously treated with ADAGEN. A marked increase in T cell numbers and generation of naive T cells was evident following 3 months of ELA-ADA treatment, while T cell numbers increased following 4 months in 3 patients previously treated with ADAGEN. T cell proliferations stimulation normalized and thymus shadow became evident following ELA-ADA treatment. ADA activity was significantly increased in the blood of ADA-deficient mice following ELA-ADA compared to ADAGEN, while both treatments improved the mice weights, the weight, number of cells in their thymus and thymocyte subpopulations. ELA-ADA has similar in- vitro and possibly better in-vivo activity than ADAGEN. Future studies will determine whether ELA-ADA results in improved long-term immune reconstitution.

Shortening time scale to reduce thermal effects in quantum transistors.

In this article, we present a quantum transistor model based on a network of coupled quantum oscillators destined to quantum information processing tasks in linear optics. To this end, we show in an analytical way how a set of N quantum oscillators (data-bus) can be used as an optical quantum switch, in which the energy gap of the data bus oscillators plays the role of an adjustable "potential barrier". This enables us to "block or allow" the quantum information to flow from the source to the drain. In addition, we discuss how this device can be useful for implementing single qubit phase-shift quantum gates with high fidelity, so that it can be used as a useful tool. To conclude, during the study of the performance of our device when considering the interaction of this with a thermal reservoir, we highlight the important role played by the set of oscillators which constitute the data-bus in reducing the unwanted effects of the thermal reservoir. This is achieved by reducing the information exchange time (shortening time scale) between the desired oscillators. In particular, we have identified a non-trivial criterion in which the ideal size of the data-bus can be obtained so that it presents the best possible performance. We believe that our study can be perfectly adapted to a large number of thermal reservoir models.

Pancreatitis inducida por drogas / DRUG-INDUCED ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Introducción. Las Reacciones Adversas Medicamentosas (RAM) son una de las principales causas de hospitalización y mortalidad en el sistema de salud (en países desarrollados y en vías de desarrollo), y la relevancia va creciendo año tras año. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar la incidencia de pancreatitis aguda inducida por drogas y los grupos de drogas que más frecuentemente se ven involucrados. Material y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo tomando como fuente una base de datos de farmacovigilancia del Hospital General de Agudos ¨Dr. Cosme Argerich¨ con información de los últimos cinco años. Resultados: Se detectaron siete casos de pancreatitis inducida por drogas de los cuales fueron dos por quimioterápicos (lapatinib e imatinib), tres por antirretrovirales, uno por inmunosupresores y uno por antihipertensivos (enalapril). En cinco casos fue necesaria la hospitalización y un evento fue mortal. Conclusión: De acuerdo a la bibliografía internacional, a pesar de que los fármacos son solo responsables del 1-2% de casos de pancreatitis aguda inducida por drogas, es importante destacar que es difícil encontrar la causalidad entre el fármaco y el cuadro del paciente, lo que lleva muchas veces a un subdiagnóstico como una pancreatitis idiopática. En el presente estudio, estos casos deben considerarse por su impacto, no solo a nivel de la salud del paciente

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) are nowadays an increasing problem in health systems and represents between the 4th and the 6th cause of death in developing countries. Drug induced pancreatitis in a rare ADR but reports are increasing with antiretroviral drugs and new antiviral and anticancer drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of drug ­ induced pancreatitis in a tertiary care hospital. We used a pharmacovigilance database applying de Naranjo Score for drug causality in adverse medical events. From a total of 2990 ADR we detected 7 cases of pancreatitis. Antiretroviral and anticancer drugs were the drugs most frequently involved.

Muerte inducida por medicamentos / FATAL ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS

Introducción. Las Reacciones Adversas Medicamentosas (RAM) son una problemática subvalorada en la actualidad y con el incremento de hospitalizaciones por RAM también se esta percibiendo en el mundo un aumento de la incidencia de eventos fatales de RAM. Esto genera un replanteo sobre el uso racional de medicamentos y los costos que traen aparejados los medicamentos para los sistemas de salud. Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo sobre una base de farmacovigilancia del Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Cosme Argerich con datos de cinco años. Se utilizó el score de Naranjo (tabla 1) para determinar la causalidad de una droga en un evento médico adverso. Fueron incluidos en el trabajo aquellos que fueron determinados como ¨ciertos¨ o ¨probables¨. Resultados. En el perído que involucra la base de farmacovigilancia se detectaron 18 eventos de muertes inducidas por medicamentos. Quimioterápicos, inmunosupresores, corticoides y AINEs fueron las drogas más frecuentemente involucradas. Hemorragia digestiva alta e infecciones las patologías que llevaron a la muerte más frecuentemente. Conclusión. Los grupos de drogas involucrados coinciden con los de la bibliografía internacional. Es preciso contar con sistemas de farmacovigilancia estables y sostenidos para poder determinar y cuantificar con más precisión esta problemática creciente

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) are one of the most common cause of death in developed countries and in developing countries too. New drugs and aging of the population are two of the mail causes of this. Approximately half of ADR are preventable. The aim of this Word was to determine the incidence of ADR ­ related death in a tertiary care hospital from Buenos Aires. A pharmacovigilance database was used and we applied the Naranjo Score to determine drug causality in adverse medical events. From a total of 2990 ADR, we detected 18 drug related ­ death. Anticancer, steroids and NSAIDs were the drugs most frequently involved

Using assistive robots to promote inclusive education.

PURPOSE: This paper describes the development and test of physical and virtual integrated augmentative manipulation and communication assistive technologies (IAMCATs) that enable children with motor and speech impairments to manipulate educational items by controlling a robot with a gripper, while communicating through a speech generating device. METHOD: Nine children with disabilities, nine regular and nine special education teachers participated in the study. Teachers adapted academic activities so they could also be performed by the children with disabilities using the IAMCAT. An inductive content analysis of the teachers' interviews before and after the intervention was performed. RESULTS: Teachers considered the IAMCAT to be a useful resource that can be integrated into the regular class dynamics respecting their curricular planning. It had a positive impact on children with disabilities and on the educational community. However, teachers pointed out the difficulties in managing the class, even with another adult present, due to the extra time required by children with disabilities to complete the activities. CONCLUSIONS: The developed assistive technologies enable children with disabilities to participate in academic activities but full inclusion would require another adult in class and strategies to deal with the additional time required by children to complete the activities. Implications for Rehabilitation Integrated augmentative manipulation and communication assistive technologies are useful resources to promote the participation of children with motor and speech impairments in classroom activities. Virtual tools, running on a computer screen, may be easier to use but further research is needed in order to evaluate its effectiveness when compared to physical tools. Full participation of children with motor and speech impairments in academic activities using these technologies requires another adult in class and adequate strategies to manage the extra time the child with disabilities may require to complete the activities.

EFFICIENCY STUDY OF A LEGe DETECTOR SYSTEM FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF 241Am IN SKULL AT CIEMAT WHOLE BODY COUNTER.

(241)Am incorporation due to an incident or chronic exposure causes an internal dose, which can be evaluated from the total activity of this isotope in the skeleton several months after the intake. For this purpose, it is necessary to perform in vivo measurements of this bone-seeker radionuclide in appropriate counting bone geometries with very low attenuation of surrounded tissue and to extrapolate to total activity in the skeleton (ICRP 89, Basic anatomical and physiological data for use in radiological protection: reference values. 2001. 265). The work here presented refers to direct measurements of americium in the Cohen skull phantom at the CIEMAT Whole Body Counter (WBC) using low-energy germanium (LEGe) detectors inside a shielding room. The main goal was to determinate the most adequate head counting geometry for the in vivo detection of americium in the bone. The calibration of the in vivo LEGe system was performed with four detectors with 2 cm of distance to Cohen phantom. Two geometries were measured, on junction of frontal to parietal bones and frontal bone. The efficiencies are very similar in both geometries, the preferred counting geometry is the most comfortable for the person, with the LEGe detectors in the highest part of the frontal bone, near the junction with the parietal bone, CIEMAT WBC participated in a skull intercomparison exercise organised by WG7 of EURADOS (European Radiation Dosimetry Group e.V.). Efficiencies using three different skull phantoms were obtained. Measurements were performed for different head counting positions, four of them in the plane of symmetry and others over the temporal bone. The detector was placed in parallel with the calibration phantom at a distance of 1 cm. The main gamma emission of (241)Am, 59.5 keV (36 %), was used for comparing efficiency values. The lower efficiency was obtained over the frontal and occipital bones. Measurement with one LEGe detector over the parietal bone is the most efficient. The activity of each skull phantom was calculated using CIEMAT head calibration. Results of the EURADOS intercomparison are presented here for discussion.

CO2 capture systems based on saccharides and organic superbases.

In this report, novel systems, based on highly abundant saccharides, D-mannose, D-glucose, ß-cyclodextrin, alginic acid and mannitol, in combination with an organic superbase, tetramethylguanidine (TMG) or 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU), are studied for carbon dioxide capture. With D-mannose and D-glucose, several ratios of equivalents of alcohol groups of saccharide : superbase were tested: 1, 0.625, 0.5 and 0.25. High wt% values of CO2 uptake were obtained with TMG-based systems. However, TMG itself can react directly with CO2, and, in the presence of D-mannose, competition between carbonate and carbamate based products was established. In order to circumvent this competition and obtain exclusively the carbonate-based product, DBU was used instead as an organic superbase. In the D-mannose series the highest result was obtained with a D-mannose : DBU ratio eq. = 0.625 (13.9% CO2 uptake, 3.3/5 alcohol groups converted into carbonates). A more effective stirring system, designed to overcome the high viscosity of the products, allowed the use of a D-glucose : DBU = 1 : 1 ratio with 11.5 wt% of CO2 uptake and 2.47/5 alcohol groups converted into carbonates. Additionally a DSC thermal study was performed in order to study the stability/reversibility of the CO2 loaded systems.

T lymphocytes possess the machinery for 5-HT synthesis, storage, degradation and release.

AIM: Although activated T lymphocytes express tryptophan hydroxylase 1 and produce 5-HT, the metabolic fate and cellular handling of this 5-HT is unclear. Here, we investigated key proteins in T cells linked to 5-HT metabolism and storage and compare differences in 5-HT synthesis and metabolism between T-cell subsets. METHODS: We cultured human Jurkat T cells and mouse splenic CD3(+) , CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells with or without T-cell activators (phorbol ester/ionomycin, concavalin A or plate-bound anti-CD3 antibody). Subsequently, we measured mRNA and/or protein for monoamine oxidase A and B, vesicular monoamine transporter 1 and 2, N-acetyl transferase and tryptophan hydroxylase 1. In addition, we measured the release of exogenously loaded [(3) H]5-HT and endogenously synthesized 5-HT from CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell subsets. RESULTS: Human and mouse T cells selectively express monoamine oxidase A. Following T-cell activation, mRNA levels of MAO-A increase robustly in parallel with tryptophan hydroxylase 1. Concomitant with these changes, T cells increase the expression of the type 1 vesicular monoamine transporter. Raised intracellular [Ca(2+) ] rapidly releases preloaded [(3) H]5-HT from CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells indicating that these cells have the capacity for the storage and regulated secretion of 5-HT. Notably, both the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 1 and monoamine oxidase A, and 5-HT production are significantly greater in CD8(+) compared with CD4(+) T cells. CONCLUSION: These data reveal coordinated changes in 5-HT production, metabolism and storage that may optimize 5-HT secretion from the CD8(+) T cell subset in response to activation stimuli.

Family informed consent to organ donation--who performs better: organ procurement organizations, in-hospital coordinators, or intensive care unit professionals?

Successful organ donation in countries adopting informed consent legislation depends on adequate interviewing of potential donors' families. As the number of both referral and effective donors in Brazil increases, health care managers argue whether educational efforts should be directed toward training in-hospital coordinators (IHC)--based on the "Spanish model"--or on the creation of extra-hospital-based professionals (Organ Procurement Organizations [OPOs], the "American model"). Meanwhile, many potential donor families are still approached by intensive care unit (ICU) professionals not trained in donation interviews. The aim of our study was to compare performances in obtaining informed consent from potential donors' families, according to the type of health care professional conducting the interviews: OPO, IHC, or ICU staff. In this retrospective 2-year study performed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we observed an increase in referrals (285 to 411) and consent rates (48.1% to 55.7%). Each year, OPO professionals conducted most family interviews (58.6% and 60.4%, respectively) and obtained better consent rates (63.5% and 64.5%, respectively), when compared to IHC (41.8% and 53.7%, respectively) or untrained ICU professionals (22.1% and 13.4%, respectively). Our results show that adequate professional training is necessary for obtaining family consent for organ donation. Both established international policies for organ procurement and donation, namely the "Spanish model" with its IHCs or the "American model" of extra-hospital OPOs, may equally achieve this task. However, family interviews performed by untrained ICU professionals result in low donation rates and should be discouraged.

Grand rounds to provide feedback on procurement activities.

INTRODUCTION: The Argentine Society of Transplants has set in motion an activity called Grand Rounds to Provide Feedback on Procurement Activities with the purpose of informing, training, and creating awareness by providing information about the evolution of transplanted patients. OBJECTIVE: To measure, describe and analyze the impact that the transplant results presented at the rounds had on participants. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-eight surveys were conducted. The respondents' average age was 40.06 years (95% confidence interval [CI 95%] 38.39-41.73) including 52.08% women (CI 95%: 43.92%-60.24%); 77.14% physicians (CI 95%: 84.09%-70.18%); 7.85% nurses (CI 95%: 3.4%-12.31%;) and 4.28% surgical nurses and other professional (CI 95%: 0.93%-7.64). When asked how comforted they felt when they learnt about a transplantation, the score prior to the round was 4 (CI 95%: 3.79-4.20) and after it, 4.8 (CI 95%: 4.69-4.90; P < .05). When asked about the transparency of the donation process, the average score before the round was 4.16 (CI 95%: 3.96-4.36) and after it, 4.76 (CI 95%: 4.67-4.86; P < .05). When asked how proactive they considered themselves before, before the average score was 3.54 (CI 95% 3.30-3.78) and post-round, 4.53 (CI 95%: 4.38-4.67; P < .05). When asked if they thought that this activity might be useful for them to manage future donors, 97.41% (CI 95%: 89%-96.98%) of respondents answered affirmatively. The answers to the question whether they thought this activity might increase donation were affirmative in 92.99% of cases; "Don't know", 6.36%; and negative in less than 1%. When consulted about their feelings, the preferred one was "happiness" for 46.82% of respondents; followed by "satisfaction" for 29.36% and "emotion" for 23.80%. The analysis of the open-ended questions revealed that the rounds were perceived as closure of the procurement-transplantation process. CONCLUSIONS: This widely accepted tool was viewed as a vehicle to interconnect links in the work process from organ procurement to transplantation.

Effects of human serum albumin, ibuprofen and N-acetyl-L-cysteine against biofilm formation by pathogenic Escherichia coli strains.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of human serum albumin (HSA), ibuprofen sodium (IBU) and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) against biofilm formation by seven biofilm-producing strains of Escherichia coli. Biofilm formation was studied using polystyrene microtitre plates in static conditions. The impact of the three compounds on bacterial growth and biofilm formation was tested by applying each compound in solution and as pre-treatment (coating) of polystyrene wells. When studied in solution, the minimum biofilm inhibitory concentrations of HSA, IBU and NAC were 8 mg/L (all strains), 2-125 mg/L (five strains) and 30-125 mg/L (five strains), respectively. Pre-treatment of polystyrene plates with HSA at 8 and 32,000 mg/L significantly reduced biofilm formation by all strains, whereas coating with 125 mg/L IBU and 1000 mg/L NAC did not. When HSA at 8 and 32,000 mg/L was combined with either 125 mg/L IBU or 1000 mg/L NAC in pre-treatment assays, more potent inhibition of biofilm was observed for some strains. Our results suggest that biofilm formation by E. coli may be prevented by coating medical devices with HSA alone or in combination with IBU or NAC. In addition, IBU and NAC could be useful in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli due to their inhibitory effect on both bacterial growth and biofilm formation.

Central Composite experimental design applied to removal of lead and nickel from sand.

The aim of this study was to apply Central Composite experimental design in the removal of lead and nickel ions from sand by electrokinetic remediation. Sand was used for an initial study since it is inert, thus making it possible to analyze the parameters influencing the process. Central Composite Design was used to create an experimental program to provide data to model the effects of various factors on removal efficiency. The variables chosen were ion concentration (C), applied potential (E) and time (t). The mathematical relationship between removal efficiency and three significant independent variables can be approximated by a second-order quadratic model. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was used to describe the individual and interactive effects of three variables at five levels, combined according to a Central Composite Design. This study has shown that Central Composite Design can be applied to the removal of lead and nickel ions from sand, and it is an economical way of obtaining the maximum amount of information with the fewest experiments.

Attenuation of massive cytokine response to the staphylococcal enterotoxin B superantigen by the innate immunomodulatory protein lactoferrin.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a pyrogenic exotoxin and a potent superantigen which causes massive T cell activation and cytokine secretion, leading to profound immunosuppression and morbidity. The inhibition of SEB-induced responses is thus considered a goal in the management of certain types of staphylococcal infections. Lactoferrin (LF) is a multi-functional glycoprotein with both bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities. In addition, LF is known to have potent immunomodulatory properties. Given the anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties of this protein, we hypothesized that LF can modulate T cell responses to SEB. Here, we report that bovine LF (bLF) was indeed able to attenuate SEB-induced proliferation, interleukin-2 production and CD25 expression by human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR4 transgenic mouse T cells. This inhibition was not due to bLF's iron-binding capacity, and could be mimicked by the bLF-derived peptide lactoferricin. Cytokine secretion by an engineered SEB-responsive human Jurkat T cell line and by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors was also inhibited by bLF. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized property of LF in modulation of SEB-triggered immune activation and suggest a therapeutic potential for this naturally occurring protein during toxic shock syndrome.

Measurement of biofilm formation by clinical isolates of Escherichia coli is method-dependent.

AIMS: In this study, we have evaluated the impact of methodological approaches in the determination of biofilm formation by four clinical isolates of Escherichia coli in static assays. METHODS AND RESULTS: The assays were performed in microtitre plates with two minimal and two enriched broths, with one- or two-steps protocol, and using three different mathematical formulas to quantify adherent bacteria. Different biofilm formation patterns were found depending on the E. coli strain, culture medium and reading optical density on one- and two-steps protocol. Strong or moderate biofilm formation occurred mostly in minimal media. The mathematical formulas used to quantify biofilm formation also gave different results and bacterial growth rate should be taken into account to quantify biofilm. CONCLUSIONS: Escherichia coli forms biofilms on static assays in a method-dependent fashion, depending on strain, and it is strongly modulated by culture conditions. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: As verified in the studied E. coli strains, biofilm formation by any organism should be cautiously interpreted, considering all variables in the experimental settings.