Superhydrophobic polypyrene films to prevent Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm adhesion on surfaces: high efficiency deciphered by fluorescence microscopy.

A blue luminescent and superhydrophobic coating based on an electropolymerized fluorinated-pyrene monomer and its planktonic bacteria and biofilm repellent properties are reported. Two different pathogenic bacterial strains (Gram-positive and Gram-negative) at two different incubation times (2 h planktonic bacterial and 24 h biofilm adhesion) were studied and monitored (analyzed) using multicolor scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy. The coating was proved to reduce bacterial adhesion by 65%. It is highly effective against biofilm attachment, with 90% reduction of bacteria surface coverage. This blue fluorescent surface provides a facile method to characterize the coating, observe the bacterial distribution and quantify the bacterial coverage rate by fluorescence imaging of different colors. Furthermore, the film does not show significant bacterial toxicity during the working incubation times.

One-pot synthesis of a new antifungal polymerisable monomer and its characterisation by coordination-ion spray mass spectrometry.

We have investigated the synthesis of a new antifungal agent with a polymerisable moiety for the prevention of denture stomatisis. Nystatin (antifungal polyene) is modified in one step by reaction with isocyanatoethylmethacrylate to afford a new polymerisable antifungal agent in good yield (90%). In order to prove the monografting of the acrylate derivative and to localise the new group in the skeleton of the molecule, a rapid and efficient analytical method involving electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was developed for the study. In view of the structures of such antifungal agents, their complexation with metal cations was investigated by Coordination-Ion Spray Mass Spectrometry (CIS-MS). This mass spectrometry study covers two aspects: improving the MS signal to overcome the low ionisation efficiency in ESI-MS and exploring the complexation behaviour of the induced structure to optimise the antifungal properties.

Determinants of elevated blood pressure in women around menopause: results from a cross-sectional study in Italy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the determinants of high blood pressure in women around menopause. METHODS: Eligible women were consecutively identified among patients who asked for a visit of their general practitioner during the period March November 1997. A total of 22919 women aged 44-66 years (median age 55 years), were identified. Women whose mean of the second and third of the three measures of diastolic blood pressure values performed during interview was > 90 mm of mercury and/or reporting any type of current pharmacological treatment for elevated blood pressure were considered hypertensive. RESULTS: In comparison with women aged 40-50 years, the multivariate odds ratio (OR) of elevated blood pressure were 1.4 in women aged 51-55, 2.0 in those aged 56-60 and 2.7 in those aged > or = 61. In comparison with women with a body mass index (kg m(-2)) < 25, the OR of elevated blood pressure was 1.7 and 2.7, respectively, for women with a BMI of 25 28 and > or = 29. In comparison with women reporting a low level of physical activity, the OR of elevated blood pressure were 0.9 (95%, confidence interval, CI 0.7-1.0) and 0.7 (95% CI 0.4-0.9), respectively, for those reporting an intermediate or high level of activity. In comparison with premenopausal women, the OR of elevated blood pressure was, after taking into account the confounding effect of age, 1.6 (95% CI 1.0-1.4) in post menopausal ones. The OR of elevated blood pressure was 0.8 (95% CI 0.7-0.9), for current users of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), but no clear association emerged with duration of HRT pressure. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that, after taking into account the effect of age, post-menopausal women are at higher risk of the condition, and current HRT use decreases the risk. Other main determinants of risk of elevated blood pressure were overweight and low physical activity.

Cross-sectional study of determinants of menopausal age and hormone replacement therapy use in Italian women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to analyze determinants of age at menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use. Women included were identified in a large cross-sectional study into epidemiology of the menopause among a sample of women visiting their general practitioners, conducted in Italy. METHODS: Eligible women were identified among consecutive patients, aged 44-66 years, who visited their general practitioner for a general health check-up during the period May-November 1997. A total of 16,916 postmenopausal women were identified by 1123 general practitioners. RESULTS: Overall, the mean age at menopause was 50.2 (SD 3.8) years. Ever-married women reported a slightly higher age at spontaneous menopause than that of never-married women. The finding was significant, but the difference was small. Smoking women reported a younger age at menopause. No clear association emerged between age at menopause, physical activity and body mass index (BMI). A total of 3515 women (20.8%) reported HRT ever-use; the mean duration of use was 3.6 years. HRT use was more frequent among women of higher socioeconomic status, those with a lower BMI and smokers. In particular, in comparison with women reporting a BMI of < 25 kg/m2, the odds ratio (OR) of HRT use was 0.7 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-0.8) and 0.5 (95% CI 0.4-0.6), respectively, in women with a BMI of 25-28 kg/m2 and > or = 29 kg/m2. No association emerged between alcohol consumption, level of physical activity and HRT use. Diabetic women reported HRT use less frequently than non-diabetic women. Likewise, hypertensive women, and those with a history of cardiovascular disease, were less likely to be HRT users than those not reporting these conditions. Women with a diagnosis of osteoporosis/osteopenia reported HRT use more frequently. CONCLUSION: This study, using a large dataset from an Italian population, has confirmed that smoking is related to age at menopause. It has also demonstrated that HRT is more frequently used by women of higher socioeconomic status, those with low BMI and smokers. Diabetes is associated with less frequent use of HRT; conversely, osteoporosis/osteopenia is associated with more frequent HRT use.

Nifedipine GITS versus diltiazem in chronic stable angina: a randomised multicentre study.

In order to compare the efficacy of nifedipine gastrointestinal therapeutic system (GITS) with diltiazem, 99 patients with chronic stable angina were studied in a parallel-group randomised trial. According to the results of the two exercise tolerance tests (ETTs) performed during the placebo run-in, patients were divided into a fixed threshold group if the variability in time to 1 mm ST-segment depression was 20%, or a variable threshold group if it was higher. Efficacy was assessed by comparing the time to 1 mm ST-depression on a bicycle ETT after 4 weeks of treatment, adjusting for the baseline value. The adjusted means were 7.44 min for nifedipine GITS and 7.68 min for diltiazem; the difference was -0.24 min, with a lower 90% confidence limit of -0.90, which is within the stated interval for equivalence. The same result was confirmed by the 'intention-to-treat' analysis, and comparable results were obtained both in fixed and in variable threshold groups. The incidence of side effects was 12% with nifedipine GITS and 8.2% with diltiazem. Nifedipine GITS and diltiazem were found to be equally effective in increasing exercise tolerance in chronic stable angina patients.

A preliminary open trial with nimodipine in patients with cognitive impairment and leukoaraiosis.

We treated, in a preliminary open trial, 31 patients presenting with cognitive impairment, progressive bilateral motor dysfunction, and leukoaraiosis on computed tomography (CT) with a 90-mg daily dose of nimodipine for a period as long as 1 year (minimum: 96 days, maximum: 424 days), to study the safety and possible effects on functional and cognitive conditions throughout this period. Of the 29 patients who had been followed for at least 9 months, most (82%) remained stable or improved as evaluated by the Global Deterioration Scale. A significant improvement was observed in the total Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric scale score (44.66 +/- 7.17 at baseline vs. 36.86 +/- 9.34 at exit, analysis-of-variance time effect, p < 0.0001). These data indicate that nimodipine, chronically administered in patients presenting with cognitive impairment, progressive bilateral motor dysfunction, and leukoaraiosis on CT, is safe and might have beneficial effect, to be confirmed by a randomized trial.

Nimodipine in acute ischemic stroke: a double-blind controlled study.

Nimodipine (BAY e 9736), a new dihydropyridine derivative, has been shown to reduce neurological deficits and mortality induced by acute cerebral ischemia in experimental studies. We investigated the effects of this calcium antagonist in patients with acute ischemic stroke through a randomized, double-blind, parallel-designed trial in which nimodipine was compared with placebo. Forty-one of 54 screened cases were found to fulfil the inclusion criteria (sudden occurrence of a focal neurological deficit secondary to an acute ischemic event in the carotid area diagnosed after a complete neurological work-up) and entered the study. Nineteen of them were treated with nimodipine (40 mg t.i.d. administered for 28 days) and the remaining 22 with placebo, given in identical tablets. In all patients the treatment started within 12 h after the onset of the symptoms. Course and intensity of the neurological deficit were evaluated by the Mathew Scale (slightly modified). Forty patients concluded the trial. Nimodipine was withdrawn in one case following the occurrence of a skin rash whose causative relation with the test drug could not be clarified. Altogether, however, nimodipine was well tolerated and no severe cardiovascular adverse reactions were observed. In terms of efficacy, the scores obtained by the Mathew Scale showed a higher rate of improvement on nimodipine than on placebo, thus indicating that patients receiving the latter drug did not fare as well as those receiving the test medication. Our data suggest that nimodipine may be beneficial in the treatment of acute stroke.

The psychopharmacological properties of pinazepam, a new benzodiazepine derivative.

The pharmacological differences between the behavioural effects of 7-chloro-1-propargyl-5-phenyl-3H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one (pinazepam) and diazepam were investigated in rats. Pinazepam was more than twice as active as diazepam at a dose range between 1.25--10 mg/kg in reducing the conditioned emotional response (CER). Only at doses of 2.5 and 5 mg/kg prevented pinazepam the disruption of the avoidance responses induced by inverting the conditioned stimulus (CS). On the other hand pinazepam was less active than diazepam in reducing the number of avoidance responses in a conditioned avoidance situation. Neither pinazepam nor diazepam disrupted the conditioned responses in a fixed-interval operant behaviour.