|
|
|
|
|
| Biol Pharm Bull, 2004 Nov, 27(11), 1814 - 8 Chemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial activities of the essential oils from endemic Psiadia species growing in mauritius; Govinden-Soulange J et al.; The composition of the leaf oils, obtained by hydrodistillation, of five endemic Psiadia species of the Asteraceae family were studied by GC/MS on both polar and non-polar columns . The analysis showed that the volatile components of the oils were made up essentially of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, aliphatics and other shikimic acid derivatives . With respect to the non-volatile components, great variations were observed: P . lithospermifolia contained (E)-isoasarone (51.5%); P . penninervia: eugenol (5.1%); P . terebinthina: eugenyl-acetate (4.0%); P . viscosa: pentyl-4-(1-methylethyl benzoate) (25.8%); P . arguta: isoeugenol (56.5%) . In vitro antimicrobial assays using the agar-well diffusion method, revealed that most of the oils were not very active against the tested microorganisms except for that of P . lithospermifolia, which significantly inhibited the growth of Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aureofaciens, Aspergillus ochraceus, Candida pseudotropicalis, Kluyveromyces lactis and Fusarium moniliforme . This activity has been attributed to the presence of delta-elemene, (E)-farnesene, alpha-curcumene, selina-4,7(11)-diene, (E,Z)-alpha-farnesene, beta-bisabolene some of which have established antimicrobial profiles . Likewise, the fungi toxic action of the oil of P . arguta against Aspergillus ochraceus, Candida pseudotropicalis, and Fusarium moniliforme, may be attributed to the presence of isoeugenol, eugenol being known to be mycotoxic especially against Aspergillus species. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol, 2003 Nov, 136(3), 225 - 33 Effect of lead acetate on the in vitro engulfment and killing capability of toad (Bufo arenarum) neutrophils; Rosenberg CE et al.; Lead is an element of risk for the environment and human health and has harmful effects that may exceed those of other inorganic toxicants . The immune system is one of the targets of lead . Its immunomodulatory actions depend on the level of exposure, and it has been demonstrated that environmental amounts of the metal alter immune function . Very little information is available regarding the effect of the metal on different aspects of the immune system of lower vertebrates, in particular of amphibians . The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sublethal lead (as acetate) on the function of polymorphonuclear cells of Bufo arenarum . The results revealed that phagocytic and lytic functions of the adherent blood cells collected from sublethal lead-injected toads and incubated with suspensions of Candida pseudotropicalis were affected negatively . The decrease of the phagocytic activity was correlated with increased blood lead levels (P < 0.0001) . Additional information referred to the total and differential leukocyte counts was presented; the only difference found was in the number of blast-like cells that resulted augmented in the samples of lead-injected toads . It was concluded that the evaluation of these parameters might be a reliable tool for the biological monitoring of the immune status of amphibians. Z Naturforsch {C}, 2003 May-Jun, 58(5-6), 381 - 5 Influence of the dilution rate on the bioproductivity of lactose-utilizing yeasts: fuzzy logic modeling; Vassileva S et al.; The studied problem is of commercial interest because whey, the cultivation substrate, is a waste by-product from the transformation of milk into cheese and casein . Investigations on the influence of the dilution rate (D) on the bioproductivity of lactose-utilizing yeasts were carried out with two model strains--the oxidative strain Candida blankii 35 and the fermentative strain Candida pseudotropicalis 11 . The increase of D led to the different changes in productivity . The best synthesizing ability of both continuously cultivated strains is established at D = 0.4 {h-1} despite the different type of metabolism . The oxidative strain C . blankii 35 is more effective in comparison with the fermentative strain C . pseudotropicalis 11 because of its ability to synthesize 1.5 fold higher biomass and protein yields . These experimental facts were proved also by simulative research with a Fuzzy Knowledge-Based System (FKBS) developed for modeling the influence of D on several process variables. Rev Iberoam Micol, 2002 Jun, 19(2), 80 - 3 Identification of Candida albicans by polymerase chain reaction amplification of CaYST1 gene intron fragment; Baquero C et al.; A single pair of primers, deduced from the intron nucleotide sequence of the Candida albicans CaYST1 gene, was used in PCR analysis performed with both genomic DNA and whole cells of clinical isolates of Candida species and other microorganisms . All the clinical C . albicans isolates generated the expected 310 bp amplicon; other Candida species as well as laboratory strains belonging to other fungal genera failed to amplify any DNA fragment, except for Candida pseudotropicalis (amplicon of 1200 bp), Kluyveromices marxianus (amplicon of 1250 bp) and Cryptococcus neoformans (several amplicons longer than 1200 bp) . Unusual C . albicans isolates from Africa also yielded the expected 310 bp amplicon . These results indicate that genes containing intron sequences may be useful to design species-specific primers for identification of fungal strains by PCR . The sensitivity of the method was evaluated for C . albicans genomic DNA by using both various DNA concentrations (224 ng to 2.7 pg) and different cell amounts (10(7); to 5 cells) . The results obtained may be useful in earlier detection of candidiasis. Farmaco, 2003 Apr, 58(4), 315 - 22 Synthesis and antifungal activity of (+/-)-1-(5-aryl-3-pyridin-2-yl-4,5-dihydro-pyrazol-1-yl)-2-imidazol-1-yl-ethanone derivatives; Mamolo MG et al.; (+/-)-1-(5-Aryl-3-pyridin-2-yl-4,5-dihydro-pyrazol-1-yl)-2-imidazol-1-yl-ethanone derivatives were synthesized and tested for their in vitro antifungal activity . The compounds showed a moderate activity against strains of Candida parapsilosis, Candida pseudotropicalis and Candida glabrata. Indian J Anim Sci, 1972 Sep, 42(9), 737 - 8 Isolation of Candida pseudotropicalis from cases of abortion among mares: a note; Sikdar A et al.; PIP: Material from 13 cases of abortion in 1 epidemic outbreak of abortion among mares was pooled into 3 lots and injected intraperitoneally into 3 separate sets of mice . The mice died within 5-7 days . Tissues from each set of inoculated mice showed the presence of yeast-like bodies, and pooled material from each of the 3 lots also yielded the yeast in culture . Histopathological examinations of the mare placenta and fetal organs also revealed the presence of the yeast . The organisms appeared round or oval, thin-walled, and about 2-4 microns in diameter and were identified as Candida pseudotropicalis . Urease test was negative . Acid and gas formation was found within 3 days of incubation at 27 degrees C in glucose, lactose, and sucrose, but not in maltose . Clin Microbiol Infect, 1995 Sep, 1(1), 24 - 30 Antifungal Prophylaxis in Severely Neutropenic Patients: How Much Fluconazole is Necessary? Van Delden C, Lew DP, Chapuis B, Rohner P, Hirschel B. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of low dose fluconazole treatment for the prevention of yeast colonization and infection in severely neutropenic patients . METHODS: An open randomized trial, comparing fluconazole (100 mg per day) with nystatin (800,000 IU per day), in a University Hospital setting . RESULTS: Antifungal prophylaxis was given during the period of neutropenia, defined as less than 500 polymorphonuclear cells (PMN)/mm3) . Thirty-six patients were randomly assigned to fluconazole and 33 to nystatin treatment groups . New oropharyngeal colonizations were significantly reduced by fluconazole (P=0.005), and oropharyngeal infections occurred less frequently in the fluconazole group (3% versus 16%, P=0.07) . Stool colonization was identical between both groups . Systemic fungal infections were rare; one fluconazole patient had pulmonary aspergillosis and one nystatin patient developped Candida pseudotropicalis fungemia . Empiric amphotericin B was given with the same frequency in both groups . No side effects were associated with fluconazole . However, the administration of nystatin became impossible for three patients because of vomiting and lack of compliance . CONCLUSIONS: Fluconazole (100 mg per day) is more effective than nystatin for the prevention of oropharyngeal yeast colonization . Comparison with results in the literature suggests that a 100-mg dose of fluconazole has similar effects to 200 or 400 mg per day. Food Addit Contam, 1999 Jan, 16(1), 15 - 24 Biological activities of oligoketide pigments of Monascus purpureus; Martinkova L et al.; Rubropunctatin (1), monascorubrin (2), monascin (3) and ankaflavin (4) were purified from the mycelium of Monascus purpureus by flash chromatography on silica gel or reversed phase . Their embryotoxicity towards chicken embryos decreased in the order 2 > 1 > 3 > 4 . The lower homologues 1 and 3 exhibited teratogenic effects on these organisms . Significant antibiotic activities against Bacillus subtilis and Candida pseudotropicalis were found with compounds 1 and 2 . Immunosuppressive activity on mouse T-splenocytes was most pronounced with compounds 3 and 4 . None of the compounds showed significant cytotoxic activity towards rat hepatocytes in vitro . Incubation of resting cells of M . purpureus with glycine afforded the dark-red compounds 5 and 6 where the pyran moiety of 1 and 2 changed into the N-substituted dihydropyridine moiety by replacement of the O-atom by the amino group of glycine . Compounds 5 and 6 were less biologically active than the major pigments 1-4. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2001 Mar, 45(3), 696 - 700 Sensitive bioassay for determination of fluconazole concentrations in plasma using a Candida albicans mutant hypersusceptible to azoles; Marchetti O et al.; The antifungal agent fluconazole (FLC) is widely used in clinical practice . Monitoring FLC levels is useful in complicated clinical settings and in experimental infection models . A bioassay using Candida pseudotropicalis, a simple and cost-effective method, is validated only for FLC levels ranging from 5 to 40 mg/liter . An extension of the analytical range is needed to cover most yeast MICs . A new bioassay in RPMI agar containing methylene blue was developed using C . albicans DSY1024, a mutant rendered hypersusceptible to FLC constructed by the deletion of the multidrug efflux transporter genes CDR1, CDR2, CaMDR1, and FLU1 . Reproducible standard curves were obtained with FLC concentrations in plasma ranging from 1 to 100 mg/liter (quadratic regression coefficient > 0.997) . The absolute sensitivity was 0.026 microg of FLC . The method was internally validated according to current guidelines for analytical method validation . Both accuracy and precision lied in the required +/-15% range . FLC levels measured by bioassay and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) performed with 62 plasma samples from humans and rats showed a strong correlation (coefficients, 0.979 and 0.995, respectively; percent deviations of bioassay from HPLC values, 0.44% +/- 15.31% and 2.66% +/- 7.54%, respectively) . In summary, this newly developed bioassay is sensitive, simple, rapid, and inexpensive . It allows nonspecialized laboratories to determine FLC levels in plasma to within the clinically relevant concentration range and represents a useful tool for experimental treatment models. Int J Immunopharmacol, 1999 Apr, 21(4), 263 - 70 Neutrophil function in workers exposed to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides; Queiroz ML et al.; Neutrophil function in 40 workers occupationally exposed to carbamate and organophophate insecticides were examined and compared to those of non-exposed individuals . Phagocytosis and intracellular killing of Candida albicans and Candida pseudotropicalis by neutrophils were studied . Two species of Candida were used since in individuals with myeloperoxidase deficiency neutrophils are unable to kill Candida albicans, while Candida pseudotropicalis can be effectively lysed . Phagocytosis of both antigens was normal in all the workers studied . On the other hand, there was a considerable reduction in the ability of neutrophils from exposed workers to kill Candida albicans whereas Candida pseudotropicalis was effectively lysed . This finding indicates some interference with the myeloperoxidase activity in the exposed population . The levels of cholinesterase activity in all workers were normal . These results demonstrate that exposure to carbamates and organophophates insecticides may lead to changes in neutrophil function even in workers presenting no impairment in the cholinesterase activity.
|
© 2005
Transgalactic Ltd (manufacturer of Bioscreen C software) |
Privacy Statement | P.O. Box
1393, 00101 Helsinki, Finland,
Last modified: May 25, 2005
| ||||||
