Curcumin/H2O2 photodynamically activated: an antimicrobial time-response assessment against an MDR strain of Candida albicans.

OBJECTIVE: Human candidiasis is typically treated with antifungal drugs, but the rise of drug-resistant strains of Candida spp. poses a serious problem, making treatment difficult. At the same time, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has drawn increasing attention from researchers for its potential to effectively inhibit multidrug-resistant pathogenic fungi and for its low tendency to induce drug resistance. This study's goal was to examine how a multidrug-resistant oral isolate of Candida albicans responded to a PDT that used a curcumin/H202 formulation as a photosensitizer and was exposed to various light sources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A commercial product containing curcumin/H2O2 3% was used as a photosensitizer and evaluated in a PDT treatment that can use two different light sources: traditional irradiation with 7 W light at λ = 460 nm or a new, never evaluated, polarized light source of 25 W with a wavelength range of λ = 380-3,400 nm. The antimicrobial activity of these procedures was assessed on a clinical oral isolate of Candida albicans, in terms of agar susceptibility test, growth curve behavior, and biofilm inhibition. RESULTS: Both light sources were able to activate the photosensitizer formulation, suggesting a fungistatic activity vs. this C. albicans MDR strain. An interesting difference was observed in the cell-generation-time (CGTOD) after PDT treatment, where the polarized light was more active compared to the source of 460 nm. In fact, CGTOD was 16 and 8 hours, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PDT evaluated here presented an inhibition window time, a crucial point for clinicians, who could activate an additional prophylactic treatment to resolve the clinical management of Candida infections in the oral cavity.

Polycythemia is associated with bone loss and reduced osteoblast activity in mice.

UNLABELLED: Increased fragility has been described in humans with polycythemia vera (PV). Herein, we describe an osteoporotic phenotype associated with decreased osteoblast activity in a mouse model of PV and another mouse of polycythemia and elevated circulating erythropoietin (EPO). Our results are important for patients with PV or those treated with recombinant EPO (rEPO). INTRODUCTION: PV and other myeloproliferative syndromes have been recently associated with an increased risk for fractures. However, the presence of osteoporosis in these patients has not been well documented. EPO, a hormone primarily known to stimulate erythropoiesis, has been shown recently to regulate bone homeostasis in mice. The aim of this study was to examine the bone phenotype of a mouse model of PV and compare it to that of animals with polycythemia caused by elevated circulating EPO. METHODS: Bone mass and remodeling were evaluated by micro-computed tomography and histomorphometry. The JAK2(V617F) knock-in mouse, a model of human PV, manifests polycythemia and low circulating EPO levels. Results from this mouse were compared to wild type (wt) controls and the tg6 transgenic mouse that shows polycythemia caused by increased constitutive expression of EPO. RESULTS: Compared to wt, both JAK2(V617F) and tg6 mice had a decrease in trabecular bone mass. Tg6 mice showed an additional modest decrease in cortical thickness and cortical bone volume per tissue volume (P < 0.01) suggesting a more severe bone phenotype than JAK2(V617F). Decreased osteoblast numbers and bone formation along with normal osteoclast numbers and activity were found in both mice. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that PV is associated with low bone mass and decreased osteoblast activity in mice. Our results support future studies of osteoporosis in affected humans. Polycythemia caused by chronically elevated circulating EPO also results in bone loss, and implications on patients treated with rEPO should be evaluated.

Antiphospholipid antibody profile: implications for the evaluation and management of patients.

According to the classification criteria of antiphospholipid syndrome, lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin and anti-beta(2) glycoprotein I antibody assays are independent risk factors for the occurrence of vascular thrombosis and pregnancy loss. However, it is generally accepted that patients carrying multiple positivity have more a severe disease and higher recurrence rate despite treatment. On the other hand, the diagnostic value of a positive result in one only assay is more controversial, particularly in the presence of clinical manifestations such as deep vein thrombosis or early miscarriages, which are rather common in the general population. In this review we speculate on current and future strategies to interpret different antiphospholipid antibody profiles in the clinical practice.

[An analysis of the value of bowel preparation for preventing postoperative complications in endoscopic surgery]. / Análisis de la utilidad de la preparación intestinal en la prevención de complicaciones postoperatorias en cirugía endoscópica.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between mechanical preparation of the bowel before endourological surgery and the occurrence of postoperative complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, randomized study was conducted in 162 patients undergoing TUR of the bladder, TURP, and lase adenomectomy from October 2008 to February 2009. No patient was excluded. An enema was administered before surgery to 66 patients, but not to the remaining patients. Variables analyzed included occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI), fever, acute urinary retention (AUR), postoperative need for enemas or laxatives, surgical field contamination, and mean hospital stay. A descriptive analysis, a means comparison (t test), and a Chi-square test were performed. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 70.5 years (SD+/-10.62), and mean hospital stay 4.8 days (SD+/-3.9). UTI occurred in 6.2% of patients, fever in 3.1%, and AUR in 1.2%, and 15.4% of patients required enemas or laxatives. Fecal contamination of the surgical field was found in one patient (0.6%). There were no statistically significant differences between the study groups in the variables analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: In our series, bowel preparation using enema has shown no value for decreasing postoperative complications of endourological surgery.

[Antiphospholipid antibody: laboratory, pathogenesis and clinical manifestations]. / Gli anticorpi antifosfolipidi: il laboratorio, la patogenesi e la clinica (cosa è utile sapere degli anticorpi antifosfolipidi).

Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) represent a heterogeneous group of antibodies that recognize various antigenic targets including beta2 glycoprotein I (beta2GPI), prothrombin (PT), activated protein C, tissue plasminogen activator, plasmin and annexin A2. The most commonly used tests to detect aPL are: lupus anticoagulant (LAC), a functional coagulation assay, anticardiolipin antibody (aCL) and anti-beta2GPI antibody (anti-beta2GPI), which are enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). Clinically aPL are associated with thrombosis and/or with pregnancy morbidity. Apparently aPL alone are unable to induce thrombotic manifestations, but they increase the risk of vascular events that can occur in the presence of another thrombophilic condition; on the other hand obstetrical manifestations were shown to be associated not only to thrombosis but mainly to a direct antibody effect on the trophoblast.

99Tcm-MIBI uptake in green plants.

Uptake of 99mTcm-sestamibi by biological structures depends on delivery and concentration by electrochemical gradients through the biological membranes and can be simply studied using a green plant model in which photosynthesis tightly modulates water and solute regional flow. Photosynthesis creates electrochemical gradients inside chloroplasts and mitochondria. Moreover, it is the driving force for the movement of water and solutes through induction of pore opening which causes capture of CO2 and loss of water vapour. Thus osmotic pressure increases thereby drawing water from the roots. Hypoestes sanguinolenta was used as an experimental model. This plant displays green zones (with several chloroplasts) and red zones (where they are absent). To detect the uptake differences between these zones we used a new, high-resolution gamma camera. Our results show that (a) 99mTcm-sestamibi is actively transported with water and ions by xylem to leaves where it may diffuse at cellular levels; (b) activation of photosynthesis by light strongly influences the total uptake and the selective compartmentation in green zones; and (c) the green plant's particular physiology tremendously enhances the differences between 99Tcm-sestamibi and 201Tl uptake. We suggest that viable cells, able to create and maintain electrochemical gradients, selectively take up 99Tcm-sestamibi.

Autoradiographic study on [3H]-[D-Ala2]-deltorphin-I binding sites in the rat brain.

Previous biochemical and pharmacological studies have shown that [D-Ala2]-deltorphin-I (DADTI) has a high affinity and selectivity for delta-opioid receptors. In this study, designed to provide morphological details, the distribution of DADTI binding sites was examined by autoradiography on coronal, sagittal and horizontal frozen sections of adult rat brain. The sections were incubated with tritiated DADTI solution and exposed for 12 weeks to a 3H-sensitive film. DADTI labelling clearly demonstrated selective and high affinity binding sites of delta-opioid type in several brain regions, including olfactory system, neostriatum, nucleus accumbens, and cortical layers I-II and V-VI.

Modification of lectin binding in rat gut mucosa during experimental cholestasis.

Glycoconjugate distribution on rat gut mucosa has been studied by using peroxidase-labelled lectins (Lotus tetragonolobus, Dolichos biflorus, Arachis hypogaea and Glycine max) after surgical interruption of the common bile duct. Specimens from cholestatic rats were compared with sham-operated (simple laparotomy) and normal controls to determine which of the observed modifications could be due either to the operation itself or to the cholestasis. Most of the modifications occurred in the duodenum. The operation itself modified some binding properties. Lotus tetragonolobus binding extended both in cholestatic and in sham-operated rats, but returned to normal levels earlier in sham-operated than in cholestatic rats. Conversely, cholestasis induced (1) almost total loss of Arachis hypogaea binding in the Golgi zone of superficial duodenal goblet cells; (2) an increase at the 14th postoperative day of Dolichos biflorus binding in the cytoplasmic calyx of goblet cells which then diminished up until the 28th day; and (3) an increase of Glycine max binding in the Golgi zone of goblet cells.