In vivo effect of an immunostimulating bacterial lysate on human B lymphocytes.

The aim of the present study is to investigate in humans the mechanism by which the oral vaccine Polyvalent Mechanical Bacterial Lysate (PMBL) can rapidly mobilize specific immune response and evaluate the efficacy of its immunostimulating activity in preventing recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract (URTIs) in a group of patients with a medical history of URTI recurrence. Patients received, by sublingual route, PBML, an immunostimulating lysate obtained by mechanical lysis of the most common bacteria responsible for upper respiratory tract infections. The treatment was administered for 10 consecutive days/month for 3 consecutive months. After the end of the treatment period the patients were followed up for an additional 3 months. The frequency of IgM memory B cells and the expression of the activation marker CD25 in peripheral blood lymphocytes were measured using the flow cytometric method before the start and at days 30 and 90 of the treatment cycle. To correlate clinical results to immunological parameters, the patients were monitored at different time-points during the treatment and at the end of follow-up period. The results showed that PMBL exerts a therapeutic and preventing effect in acute and recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract and that this effect correlated with the activation and enhancement of both IgM memory B lymphocytes (CD24+/CD27+ cells) and IL2 receptor-expressing lymphocytes (CD25+ cells) involved either in humoral or cellular immunity

Role of fosfomycin tromethamine in modulating non-specific defence mechanisms in chronic uremic patients towards ESBL-producing Escherichia coli.

Antimicrobial agents and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) have the potential to interact in such a way that improve the therapy for infectious diseases. In immunocompromised patients highly susceptible to microbial infections with high morbidity and mortality, several metabolic and functional alterations in PMNs, mostly related to microbicidal activity, are observed. Therefore, the antibiotic of choice should have a good antimicrobial effect without impairing host defences. The aim of this study is to evaluate in vitro effects of sub-inhibiting fosfomycin tromethamine (FT) concentrations on the primary functions of PMNs from healthy subjects and immunocompromised patients (haemodialysed and renal transplant recipients), against an ESBL-producing Escherichia coli, the most common aetiological agent in urinary tract infections (UTIs). FT is considered a first line drug in the eradication of UTIs due to its appropriate antimicrobial spectrum, oral bioavailability and minimal risk of microbial resistance. Our results provide evidence that FT is able to induce enhancement of the depressed phagocytic response of PMNs from patients on chronic haemodialysis and from renal transplant recipients, restoring their primary functions in vitro against ESBL-producing E. coll All these data permit the conclusion that uremic-infected patients might additionally benefit from the immunomodulating properties of FT

N-acetylcysteine lacks universal inhibitory activity against influenza A viruses

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been recently proposed as an adjuvant therapeutic drug for influenza pneumonia in humans. This proposal is based on its ability to restrict influenza virus replication in vitro and to attenuate the severity of the disease in mouse models. Although available studies were made with different viruses (human and avian), published information related to the anti-influenza spectrum of NAC is scarce. In this study, we show that NAC is unable to alter the course of a fatal influenza pneumonia caused by inoculation of a murinized swine H1N1 influenza virus. NAC was indeed able to inhibit the swine virus in vitro but far less than reported for other strains. Therefore, susceptibility of influenza viruses to NAC appears to be strain-dependent, suggesting that it cannot be considered as a universal treatment for influenza pneumonia

Synergistic Combination of N-Acetylcysteine and Ribavirin to Protect from Lethal Influenza Viral Infection in a Mouse Model

: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary damage during viral infections. In a previous study we observed a significant improvement of survival of influenza-infected mice with NAC, 1g/kg divided in two daily administrations, for 8 days including a pretreatment on day 1 before infection. In order to test NAC in a more realistic model, we studied the effect of combined treatment with NAC and the antiviral drug, ribavirin. Since in the present work we wanted to test a possible synergistic effect by combination of NAC and ribavirin, we used a different NAC's treatment regimen (1 g/kg, once a day for 4 days) that, alone, did not significantly protect mice from death. Mice (12 per group) infected intranasally with a lethal dose of influenza A virus APR/8. NAC was given as a single daily dose of 1000 mg/kg starting from 4 h after infection and until day 4 after infection, in association with ribavirin (100 mg/kg, i.p.). End-point evaluation was 14-day survival. With this schedule survival in infected mice was 17%, it was not significantly changed by NAC (25%). Survival increased to 58% with ribavirin and to 92% (n=12) with a combined treatment with ribavirin and NAC. This suggest that antioxidant therapy can increase survival by either improving the defenses against virus or by protecting from the pathogenesis of lung inflammation

Synergistic combination of N-acetylcysteine and ribavirin to protect from lethal influenza viral infection in a mouse model

: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary damage during viral infections. In a previous study we observed a significant improvement of survival of influenza-infected mice with NAC, 1g/kg divided in two daily administrations, for 8 days including a pretreatment on day 1 before infection. In order to test NAC in a more realistic model, we studied the effect of combined treatment with NAC and the antiviral drug, ribavirin. Since in the present work we wanted to test a possible synergistic effect by combination of NAC and ribavirin, we used a different NAC's treatment regimen (1 g/kg, once a day for 4 days) that, alone, did not significantly protect mice from death. Mice (12 per group) infected intranasally with a lethal dose of influenza A virus APR/8. NAC was given as a single daily dose of 1000 mg/kg starting from 4 h after infection and until day 4 after infection, in association with ribavirin (100 mg/kg, i.p.). End-point evaluation was 14-day survival. With this schedule survival in infected mice was 17%, it was not significantly changed by NAC (25%). Survival increased to 58% with ribavirin and to 92% (n=12) with a combined treatment with ribavirin and NAC. This suggest that antioxidant therapy can increase survival by either improving the defenses against virus or by protecting from the pathogenesis of lung inflammation

Use of thiamphenicol for the treatment of chlamydia pneumoniae infections

Use of thiamphenicol and derivatives thereof for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions useful for the treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae infections is described

Use of thiamphenicol and derivatives thereof for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions useful in the treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae infections

Use of thiamphenicol and derivatives thereof for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions useful for the treatment Chlamydia pneumoniae infections is described

In Vivo

The aim of the present study is to investigate in humans the mechanism by which the oral vaccine Polyvalent Mechanical Bacterial Lysate (PMBL) can rapidly mobilize specific immune response and evaluate the efficacy of its immunostimulating activity in preventing recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract (URTIs) in a group of patients with a medical history of URTI recurrence. Patients received, by sublingual route, PBML, an immunostimulating lysate obtained by mechanical lysis of the most common bacteria responsible for upper respiratory tract infections. The treatment was administered for 10 consecutive days/month for 3 consecutive months. After the end of the treatment period the patients were followed up for an additional 3 months. The frequency of IgM memory B cells and the expression of the activation marker CD25 in peripheral blood lymphocytes were measured using the flow cytometric method before the start and at days 30 and 90 of the treatment cycle. To correlate clinical results to immunological parameters, the patients were monitored at different time-points during the treatment and at the end of follow-up period. The results showed that PMBL exerts a therapeutic and preventing effect in acute and recurrent infections of the upper respiratory tract and that this effect correlated with the activation and enhancement of both IgM memory B lymphocytes (CD24+/CD27+ cells) and IL2 receptor-expressing lymphocytes (CD25+ cells) involved either in humoral or cellular immunity

Use of BG-sentinel traps for the monitoring of Culicidae in the city of Bologna

The Culicidae family comprises mosquitoes which are involved in the transmission of pathogenic agents among the most dangerous for humans. In particular the sanitary importance of the tiger mosquito is essentially related to its role of potential vector for numerous exotic human pathologies (Dengue, yellow fever) as well as some pathologies characteristic of the Mediterranean basin (West Nile and Dirofiliaria). Because of this we have been charged by the Municipality of Bologna, with a specific convention, to monitor and verify the disinfestation activities as part of a campaign against the tiger mosquito. Quality controls on disinfestations and marking of gutters in public areas as well as inspection of schools premises have been performed. Furthermore, following the 2007 epidemic outbreak of Chikungunya (217 confirmed cases; the first autochthonous CHIKV outbreak in Europe) and the more recent epidemic West Nile Disease in Emilia Romagna, a surveillance plan has been set up which involves the capture of adult insects by BG-SENTINEL traps. These traps have been chosen for this survey because of their innovative insects attraction system, consisting of chemical substances which resemble the human bodies ones. These traps, used for the first time in the area of the City of Bologna, have proven to capture very efficiently different mosquitoes in the territory among which the tiger mosquito, usually difficult to capture with the other traditional systems. Currently 8 monitoring stations are active, evenly distributed in the city of Bologna, but others will be placed in the future. Due to the fragility of the used materials and the need of electric power for the functioning, fenced green areas around communal libraries, schools and retirement houses have been favored to host the monitoring stations. The preliminary results show some differences among the traps, which are due to the micro-environmental characteristics of the chosen sites. In particular: total number of captured mosquitoes; variety of captured species; relationship among the different species. All the traps have captured mainly Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens, with significant differences between traps, but the captures of other species were poorly represented (Culex hortensis, Culiseta longiareolata, Ochlerotatus caspius and Anopheles maculipennis). The traps that have captured a significant percentage of one or both of the examined species allow to observe their different seasonal patterns