Determination of fungal activity in modified wood by means of micro-calorimetry and determination of total esterase activity

Beech and pine wood blocks were treated with 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethylen urea (DMDHEU) to increasing weight percent gains (WPG). The resistance of the treated specimens against Trametes versicolor and Coniophora puteana, determined as mass loss, increased with increasing WPG of DMDHEU. Metabolic activity of the fungi in the wood blocks was assessed as total esterase activity (TEA) based on the hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate and as heat or energy production determined by isothermal micro-calorimetry. Both methods revealed that the fungal activity was related with the WPG and the mass loss caused by the fungi. Still, fungal activity was detected even in wood blocks of the highest WPG and showed that the treatment was not toxic to the fungi. Energy production showed a higher consistency with the mass loss after decay than TEA; higher mass loss was more stringently reflected by higher heat production rate. Heat production did not proceed linearly, possibly due to the inhibition of fungal activity by an excess of carbon dioxide

Remission of refractory lupus nephritis with a protocol including rituximab

Immunosuppression with corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide is the standard of care for lupus nephritis. We report a 19-year old woman with lupus nephritis and nephrotic syndrome who had not achieved complete remission after treatment with 15.7 g cyclophosphamide and 13.7 g prednisone. We planned a consolidation phase with: 1) cyclophosphamide 20 mg/kg i.v. every 28 days for three cycles; 2) anti-CD20 chimeric monoclonal antibody (rituximab) 375 mg/m2 i.v. weekly for four weeks; and 3) slow tapering of prednisone p.o., q.o.d., after a reinduction dose during rituximab administration. At the end of this phase the patient achieved complete remission. An indefinite maintenance treatment with methotrexate, cyclosporin and low-dose prednisone was then started. Twenty-four months later the patient remains in remission. In the immunosuppressive treatment of lupus nephritis the insertion of a consolidation phase with rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide achieves a therapeutically important and lasting deletion of the lymphocyte clone responsible for autoimmunity