In vivo observation of oxygen-supersaturated water in the human mouth and stomach.

In recent years, a rising number of different table waters supersaturated with oxygen have hit the market with claims of both positive health effects and an increase in athletic performance. A scientific validation of these claims needs additional knowledge on the fate of the oxygen supersaturation in the human digestive tract. Taking advantage of the fact that molecular oxygen is paramagnetic, MRI can be applied to observe the behavior of oxygen-supersaturated water after oral uptake. In this contribution we report results obtained on several healthy volunteers. On the basis of these results we can conclude that oral uptake of oxygen-supersaturated drinking water with a low content in CO(2) leads to a considerable increase in the oxygenation in the lumen of the oral cavity and of the stomach. Comparing the observed contrast changes with those brought about by conventional contrast agents, even the highly oxygen-supersaturated waters still perform rather poorly.

Salvage treatment with amphotericin B in progressive human alveolar echinococcosis.

Most patients with alveolar echinococcosis are diagnosed at a late stage when the disease has advanced to unresectable hepatic lesions. These patients require lifelong therapy with benzimidazoles, the only medical treatment currently available. To date, no treatment option remains for patients with benzimidazole intolerance or treatment failure. Amphotericin B was recently shown to exert antiparasitic activity in vitro. Here, we report the efficacy of amphotericin B in human alveolar echinococcosis. In three patients with extensive disease and without further treatment options, disease progression had been documented over several months. They were treated with amphotericin B intravenously at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg of body weight three times per week. Follow-up parameters were physical examination, laboratory parameters, and imaging techniques. Amphotericin B treatment effectively halted parasite growth in all three patients. The antiparasitic effect was most evident by spontaneous closure of cutaneous fistulae in two patients and by constant size of parasitic lesions during treatment, as assessed radiologically. Metabolic activity in parasitic areas was visualized by positron emission tomography and significantly decreased during treatment. However, progressive affection of the heart in one patient could not be stopped. All patients currently continue on amphotericin B and have been treated for 25, 17, and 14 months, respectively. We introduce amphotericin B as salvage treatment for alveolar echinococcosis patients with intolerance or resistance to benzimidazoles, as it effectively suppresses parasite growth. Amphotericin B is not parasitocidal; therefore long-term treatment has to be anticipated.