Cidofovir for BK Virus-Associated Hemorrhagic Cystitis: A Retrospective Study

Background.BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a severe complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but antiviral treatment for this condition has not been evaluated. Methods.We conducted a retrospective survey on the safety and outcome of cidofovir treatment for patients with BKV-HC in centers affiliated with the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Results.From 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2007, 62 patients received a diagnosis of BKV-HC after a median interval of 35 days after HSCT (range, 3-577 days). Fifty-seven patients (92%) received intravenous cidofovir, whereas 5 patients received cidofovir intravesically. Complete response (CR) was recorded in 38 (67%) of 57 patients with HC treated with intravenous cidofovir, whereas partial response (PR) was documented in 7 patients (12%). CR was documented in 3 patients and PR in 1 patient with HC treated with intravesical cidofovir. A reduction of 1-3 logs in BKV load was documented in 8 of the 10 patients achieving CR. Mild-to-moderate toxic effects were recorded in 18 of 57 patients who received intravenous cidofovir administration. In a multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with response to cidofovir were the stem cell source (P=.01) and the use of total body irradiation (P=.03). After a median follow-up of 287 days, overall survival and total treatment-related mortality rates were 63% and 40% for patients achieving CR, compared with 14% and 72% for patients with PR or no response to cidofovir, respectively (P<.001 and P=.001, respectively). Conclusions.Cidofovir may be a potentially effective therapy for BKV-HC, but evidence supporting its use requires randomized controlled trial

Serum Albumin Is Inversely Associated With Portal Vein Thrombosis in Cirrhosis

We analyzed whether serum albumin is independently associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in liver cirrhosis (LC) and if a biologic plausibility exists. This study was divided into three parts. In part 1 (retrospective analysis), 753 consecutive patients with LC with ultrasound-detected PVT were retrospectively analyzed. In part 2, 112 patients with LC and 56 matched controls were entered in the cross-sectional study. In part 3, 5 patients with cirrhosis were entered in the in vivo study and 4 healthy subjects (HSs) were entered in the in vitro study to explore if albumin may affect platelet activation by modulating oxidative stress. In the 753 patients with LC, the prevalence of PVT was 16.7%; logistic analysis showed that only age (odds ratio [OR], 1.024; P = 0.012) and serum albumin (OR, -0.422; P = 0.0001) significantly predicted patients with PVT. Analyzing the 112 patients with LC and controls, soluble clusters of differentiation (CD)40-ligand (P = 0.0238), soluble Nox2-derived peptide (sNox2-dp; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (P = 0.0078) were higher in patients with LC. In LC, albumin was correlated with sCD4OL (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient [r(s)], -0.33; P &lt; 0.001), sNox2-dp (r(s), -0.57; P &lt; 0.0001), and urinary excretion of isoprostanes (r(s), -0.48; P &lt; 0.0001) levels. The in vivo study showed a progressive decrease in platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and urinary 8-iso prostaglandin F2 alpha-III formation 2 hours and 3 days after albumin infusion. Finally, platelet aggregation, sNox2-dp, and isoprostane formation significantly decreased in platelets from HSs incubated with scalar concentrations of albumin. Conclusion: Low serum albumin in LC is associated with PVT, suggesting that albumin could be a modulator of the hemostatic system through interference with mechanisms regulating platelet activation

Curcumin inhibits Zika and chikungunya virus infection by inhibiting cell binding.

Several compounds extracted from spices and herbs exhibit antiviral effects in vitro, suggesting potential pharmacological uses. Curcumin, a component of turmeric, has been used as a food additive and herbal supplement due to its potential medicinal properties. Previously, curcumin exhibited antiviral properties against several viruses, including dengue virus and hepatitis C virus, among others. Here, we describe the antiviral effect of curcumin on Zika and chikungunya viruses, two mosquito-borne outbreak viruses. Both viruses responded to treatment of cells with up to 5 μM curumin without impacting cellular viability. We observed that direct treatment of virus with curcumin reduced infectivity of virus in a dose- and time-dependent manner for these enveloped viruses, as well as vesicular stomatitis virus. In contrast, we found no change in infectivity for Coxsackievirus B3, a non-enveloped virus. Derivatives of curcumin also exhibited antiviral activity against enveloped viruses. Further examination revealed that curcumin interfered with the binding of the enveloped viruses to cells in a dose-dependent manner, though the integrity of the viral RNA was maintained. Together, these results expand the family of viruses sensitive to curcumin and provide a mechanism of action for curcumin's effect on these enveloped viruses

Apprendimento e riorganizzazione plastica dei network cerebrali in pazienti con demenza di Alzheimer

The aim of the study was to investigate, in patients with AD, the effects of one-month cognitive stimulation training with the repetition of a cognitive task. Reaction times on answers and cortical activity (ERP) were measured during the execution of a trained task and a control task. Pre- and post-training comparisons showed: (1) faster and more accurate responses after the training in both the trained and the control task; (2) different pattern of neural network activation during the trained task. Thus, an intense cognitive training in AD patients modulated learning behaviour as well as plastic re-organizations of cerebral networks

Cheeses curdled with vegetable rennet: high quality dairy productions from Italy and beyond [Formaggi a caglio vegetale: produzioni lattiero-casearie di pregio italiane e non solo]

Cheese is a popular food all over the world, and Italy is one of the major producers in terms of quantity and quality. Rennet is a key ingredient in the manufacturing process because it allows the coagulation of milk, and hence its transformation into curd. Animal rennet is the oldest and most widely employed milk-coagulating agent, but enzymes with milk-clotting activity also occur in some plants. However, the use of vegetable coagulants is mainly restricted to artisan local productions. In recent years, dietary, religious, and even legal factors have driven the research toward the exploitation of animal rennet substitutes thus leading to an increased interest towards vegetable coagulants. The present review describes the current situation on the use of vegetable coagulants in cheesemaking, with a particular focus on Italy, and some typical productions of the Marche Region