Environmental and bioclimatic factors influencing yeasts and molds distribution along European shores.

The present study employed data collected during the Mycosands survey to investigate the environmental factors influencing yeasts and molds distribution along European shores applying a species distribution modelling approach. Occurrence data were compared to climatic datasets (temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation), soil datasets (chemical and physical properties), and water datasets (temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a concentration) downloaded from web databases. Analyses were performed by MaxEnt software. Results suggested a different probability of distribution of yeasts and molds along European shores. Yeasts seem to tolerate low temperatures better during winter than molds and this reflects a higher suitability for the Northern European coasts. This difference is more evident considering suitability in waters. Both distributions of molds and yeasts are influenced by basic soil pH, probably because acidic soils are more favorable to bacterial growth. Soils with high nitrogen concentrations are not suitable for fungal growth, which, in contrast, are optimal for plant growth, favored by this environment. Finally, molds show affinity with soil rich in nickel and yeasts with soils rich in cadmium resulting in a distribution mainly at the mouths of European rivers or lagoons, where these metals accumulate in river sediments.

Mycosands: Fungal diversity and abundance in beach sand and recreational waters - Relevance to human health.

The goal of most studies published on sand contaminants is to gather and discuss knowledge to avoid faecal contamination of water by run-offs and tide-retractions. Other life forms in the sand, however, are seldom studied but always pointed out as relevant. The Mycosands initiative was created to generate data on fungi in beach sands and waters, of both coastal and freshwater inland bathing sites. A team of medical mycologists and water quality specialists explored the sand culturable mycobiota of 91 bathing sites, and water of 67 of these, spanning from the Atlantic to the Eastern Mediterranean coasts, including the Italian lakes and the Adriatic, Baltic, and Black Seas. Sydney (Australia) was also included in the study. Thirteen countries took part in the initiative. The present study considered several fungal parameters (all fungi, several species of the genus Aspergillus and Candida and the genera themselves, plus other yeasts, allergenic fungi, dematiaceous fungi and dermatophytes). The study considered four variables that the team expected would influence the results of the analytical parameters, such as coast or inland location, urban and non-urban sites, period of the year, geographical proximity and type of sediment. The genera most frequently found were Aspergillus spp., Candida spp., Fusarium spp. and Cryptococcus spp. both in sand and in water. A site-blind median was found to be 89 Colony-Forming Units (CFU) of fungi per gram of sand in coastal and inland freshwaters, with variability between 0 and 6400 CFU/g. For freshwater sites, that number was 201.7 CFU/g (0, 6400 CFU/g (p = 0.01)) and for coastal sites was 76.7 CFU/g (0, 3497.5 CFU/g). For coastal waters and all waters, the median was 0 CFU/ml (0, 1592 CFU/ml) and for freshwaters 6.7 (0, 310.0) CFU/ml (p < 0.001). The results advocate that beaches should be monitored for fungi for safer use and better management.

Enhanced fluorescence emitted by microdroplets containing organic dye emulsions.

In this paper, laser beam resonant interaction with pendant microdroplets that are seeded with a laser dye (Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G)) water solution or oily Vitamin A emulsion with Rhodamine 6G solution in water is investigated through fluorescence spectra analysis. The excitation is made with the second harmonic generated beam emitted by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser system at 532 nm. The pendant microdroplets containing emulsion exhibit an enhanced fluorescence signal. This effect can be explained as being due to the scattering of light by the sub-micrometric drops of oily Vitamin A in emulsion and by the spherical geometry of the pendant droplet. The droplet acts as an optical resonator amplifying the fluorescence signal with the possibility of producing lasing effect. Here, we also investigate how Rhodamine 6G concentration, pumping laser beam energies and number of pumping laser pulses influence the fluorescence behavior. The results can be useful in optical imaging, since they can lead to the use of smaller quantities of fluorescent dyes to obtain results with the same quality.

Species distribution and susceptibility profile to fluconazole, voriconazole and MXP-4509 of 551 clinical yeast isolates from a Romanian multi-centre study.

This is the first multi-centre study regarding yeast infections in Romania. The aim was to determine the aetiological spectrum and susceptibility pattern to fluconazole, voriconazole and the novel compound MXP-4509. The 551 isolates were identified using routine laboratory methods, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and DNA sequence analysis. Susceptibility testing was performed using the European Committee for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST) method and breakpoints. The yeasts originated from superficial infections (SUP, 51.5 %), bloodstream infections (BSI, 31.6 %) and deep-seated infections (DEEP, 16.9 %), from patients of all ages. Nine genera and 30 species were identified. The 20 Candida species accounted for 94.6 % of all isolates. C. albicans was the overall leading pathogen (50.5 %). Lodderomyces elongisporus is reported for the first time as a fungaemia cause in Europe. C. glabrata and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as well as the non-Candida spp. and non-albicans Candida spp. groups, showed decreased fluconazole susceptibility (<75 %). The overall fluconazole resistance was 10.2 %. C. krusei accounted for 27 of the 56 fluconazole-resistant isolates. The overall voriconazole resistance was 2.5 % and was due mainly to C. glabrata and C. tropicalis isolates. Fluconazole resistance rates for the three categories of infection were similar to the overall value; voriconazole resistance rates differed: 4 % for BSI, 3.2 % for DEEP and 1.4 % for SUP. The antifungal activity of MXP-4509 was superior to voriconazole against C. glabrata and many fluconazole-resistant isolates. There was a large percentage of non-albicans Candida isolates. A large part of the high fluconazole resistance was not acquired but intrinsic, resulting from the high percentage of C. krusei.

Properties of polidocanol foam in view of its use in sclerotherapy.

Foam sclerotherapy is a widely used method to treat varicose veins disease. It is easy to use and apply, affordable, and has high efficiency that depends on foam stability upon injection. Since sclerotherapy is usually applied in a medical doctor's office, one of the most employed methods to generate foam is based on the Tessari technique which uses pumping cycles of liquid and air in-and-out of a double syringe system. Finally, the produced foam exits through a small orifice (∼2mm) at the output of a three-way valve. The present work shows results regarding the factors that may influence foam stability (liquid to air ratio, type of connector, syringe diameter, number of pumping cycles, etc.) of a commonly used sclerosing agent (polidocanol). Furthermore, an effort is made to evaluate the effect of adding different substances on the stability of polidocanol foams (0.5% w/w) by altering the surface tension or/and the bulk and interfacial rheological properties of the fluids. It is shown that adding small concentrations of nonionic surfactants can increase foam stability with just a very small variation of the mean bubbles size.

New hydrazines with sulphonamidic structure: synthesis,characterization and biological activity.

UNLABELLED: Infections caused by bacterial species are common in immunocompromised patients and carry significant treatment costs and mortality. The emerging resistance of microorganisms to some synthetic antimicrobial agents makes it necessary to continue the research for new antimicrobial drugs. AIM: To design new sulphonamide compounds with potential antibacterial and antioxidant activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: New N-hydrazino acetyl-sulphonamides were prepared by condensation of some sulphonamides with chloroacetyl chloride and amination of intermediate compounds with hydrazine hydrate. RESULTS: The synthesized compounds were screened for their antibacterial activity against Gram positive (Klebsiellapneumoniae. Proteus vulgaris, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram negative bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli). Some of them were found to have good antibacterial activity. The antioxidant activity of these compounds was also tested using different methods: total antioxidant capacity, reducing power, and DPPH radical scavenging activity. CONCLUSIONS: Chemical modulations performed on sulphonamide structure have a good influence on the biological activity of the synthesized compounds, especially on their antioxidant effects.

Rapid, laser-induced conversion of 20-hydroxyecdysone and its diacetonide -- experimental set-up of a system for photochemical transformation of bioactive substances.

BACKGROUND: Photochemical transformation of certain bioactive compounds for the purpose of obtaining derivatives with increased bioactivity is a prospective area of synthetic chemistry. Ecdysteroids, analogs of the insect molting hormone, which can also exert several beneficial effects in mammals including humans, contain an enone moiety in their B ring, and, as such, are good candidates for photochemical transformations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), the most common ecdysteroid in Nature, and the easily obtained derivative 20-hydroxyecdysone 2,3;20,22-diacetonide (20ED), at different concentrations, were exposed to a 266 nm laser beam at an energy level of 6.5 mJ for different periods of time and evaluated for fluorescence emission during the process of irradiation. The products of irradiation were scanned from 200 to 1500 nm and then subjected to one-dimensional and two-dimensional thin layer chromatography. RESULTS: During irradiation, progressive significant changes in the fluorescence emission spectra were noted for both compounds with time that were accompanied by changes in their UV-Vis spectra. Full conversion of both compounds was reached within 14 minutes, and both compounds yielded several major products and several minor ones representing a wide polarity range. CONCLUSION: The photo-transformation system described here was proven to be a useful and flexibly adjustable tool for the laser-catalyzed conversion of bioactive compounds. Due to the multi-drug resistance reversal activity of the less polar ecdysteroids, several new products are promising for being tested against various cancer cell lines. Fractionation, isolation and characterization of the irradiated products are currently in process.

New derivatives of m-nitrobenzoyl-asparagic acid and m-nitrobenzoyl-asparagine with anti-inflammatory action.

In order to obtain new biologically active compounds some derivatives of 1-[N-(m-nitrobenzoyl)-alpha-D,L-asparaginyl]-2-benzyl-benzimidazole have been synthesized by ring opening reactions of 2-(m-nitrophenyl)-4-(beta-amidomethyl)-delta 2-oxazolin-5-one and 2-(m-nitrophenyl)-4-(beta-carboxymethyl)-delta 2-oxazolin-5-one with 2-benzylbenzimidazole (dibazole).

Research concerning the radioprotective and immunostimulating effects of deuterium-depleted water.

Mice fed for 15 days with Deuterium-Depleted Water (30 ppm deuterium) had a statistically significant increased survival rate compared with control groups fed with normal distilled water (150 ppm deuterium), after 8.5 Gy irradiation (61% survival in the test group versus 25% in the control group). The hematological picture showed that normal WBC, RBC and platelet counts were maintained in the test groups. Immunological parameters (serum opsonic and bactericidal capacity, bactericidal capacity of the peritoneal macrophages) showed a marked increase in the test groups compared to a severe decrease in the control groups. Auxiliary tests using chemical radiomimetics (hydrochloric embihine) and immunosuppressors (cyclophosphamide) showed a strong protective effect of deuterium-depleted water against the decrease of the leukocyte counts and other immunologic parameters. In conditions of experimental inflammation induced with subcutaneous-implanted pellets, deuterium-depleted water feeding resulted in a statistically significant increase of the inflammatory response, demonstrated by increased percentages of PMN and lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and the increased phagocytic capacity of the peripheral blood PMN. Experimental infections induced with K. pneumoniae 506 and S. pneumoniae 558 in mice irradiated or treated with cyclophosphamide showed increased, non-specific immunity parameters. All results show a marked intensification of the immune defenses and increased proliferation of the peripheral blood cells, probably accounting for the radioprotective effects.

[The presence of detergents in surface water sources and their health and ecological implications]. / Cercetarea prezentei detergentilor în unele surse de apa de suprafata si implicatiile sanitare si ecologice ale acestora.

The presence of anionic detergents in some surface waters (the Danube River in its inferior sector, the Prut River and its affluents, and the lakes on the Bistrita River) which are sources of drinking water for some towns was investigated. The presence of the anionic detergents is due to the discharge of industrial and household waste waters. Although the anionic detergents levels are low they raise health problems as these substances may favor the digestive absorption of some noxious or carcinogenic substances concomitantly present in the water source.

[Environmental pollution studies of fluorine coming from industry]. / Cercetarea poluarii mediului ambiant cu fluor provenit din industrie.

Fluorine in optimal concentration prevents dental caries, while an excess or deficiency in it may lead to pathologic alterations which make fluorine be one of the environmental pollutants the concentration of which is limited by health standards. This investigation, carried out in the area of an aluminium plant, showed the presence in excess of fluorine and fluorine-containing dusts in the atmospheric air, determining an increased fluorine content in the ground and vegetal cultures of the respective area. Negative effects of these noxae upon vegetation and animals were noticed.

[The determination of vitamin A in vegetable food products]. / Contributii la determinarea vitaminei A în produse alimentare de natura vegetala.

Vitamin A was determined by the Sb trichloride colorimetric method in different types of margarine samples, results which observe the legislation being obtained. In order to estimate the stability of vitamin A in margarine an experiment aimed at determining the concentration in margarine samples preserved in different ways for 90 days was initiated. The obtained results point out the maintainance of vitamin A at high values, between 63 per cent and 85 per cent of the initial content, as compared to the control, in which only 50 per cent of the added quantity was found.