Ispiranje bronha surfaktantom kao metoda liječenja atelektaze u jedinici intenzivnog liječenja djece

The aim of this study was to assess the eff ect of fi beroptic aspiration and diluted surfactant administration on aff ected lungs in children with atelectasis. A convenience sample of 18 mechanically ventilated children were analyzed in this single center prospective study. The children had fi rst been treated unsuccessfully by respiratory physical therapy, after which they underwent fi beroptic aspiration. After aspiration, nine children were randomly selected to receive therapeutic lavage with diluted porcine surfactant; the remaining nine received the same quantity of saline solution. Several parameters of lung function, including positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and oxygenation index (OI), as well as lung x-ray images were determined before aspiration and lavage, then at 6 and 12 h after lavage. In both groups, most of the measured parameters showed improvement from baseline at 6 h after treatment. Improvement was even more signifi cant 12 h after treatment. The surfactant group showed signifi cant improvement in comparison to the saline group. The impact of surfactant administration was most visible on the following parameters 12 h after treatment (p<0.001 in all cases): PEEP 5.22 (SD 0.44) in the saline group vs. 3.44 (SD 0.73) in the surfactant group; OI 3.84 (SD 1.13) vs. 2.1 (SD 0.38); and mean airway pressure (MAP) 8.56 (SD 0.88) vs. 6.33 (SD 0.5). In conclusion, fi beroptic aspiration is an effi cient treatment in pediatric intensive care patients. The observed benefi cial eff ects of therapeutic lavage with diluted surfactant should be confi rmed prospectively in a larger number of patients.Cilj je bio ispitati učinak bronhoskopske primjene razrjeđenog surfaktanta u liječenju atelektaze u djece. U ovu prospektivnu studiju je bilo uključeno 18 djece na mehaničkoj ventilaciji koja su neuspješno liječena fi zikalnom terapijom i bronhoskopskom aspiracijom. U devetoro bolesnika je nakon bronhoskopske aspiracije apliciran surfaktant u bronh zahvaćenog pluća, dok je u drugih devetoro aplicirana jednaka količina fi ziološke otopine. Mjereni su parametri plućne funkcije, PEEP, OI, a radiološka analiza rtg snimki provodila se prije aspiracije te 6 i 12 sati nakon ispiranja. U obje skupine većina mjerenih parametara pokazala je poboljšanje u odnosu na osnovne vrijednosti. Skupina kojoj je apliciran surfaktant pokazala je značajno poboljšanje u usporedbi s drugom skupinom. Najznačajniji učinak surfaktanta pokazao se na mjerenjima provedenim 12 sati nakon aplikacije (p<0,001 u obje skupine): PEEP 5.22 (SD 0,44) u skupini ispiranoj fi ziološkom otopinom prema 3.44 (SD 0,73) u skupini ispiranoj surfaktantom; OI 3,84 (SD 1,13) naspram 2,1 (SD 0,38); srednji talk u dišnom putu (MAP) 8,56 (SD 0,88) naspram 6,33 (SD 0,5). U zaključku, bronhoskopska aspiracija učinkovita je metoda u liječenju atelektaze u jedinici intenzivnog liječenja djece. Terapijski učinak ispiranja bronha razrjeđenim surfaktantom u takve djece mora se potvrditi u daljnjim istraživanjima na većem uzorku

Ionic liquids as potentially new antifungal agents against Alternaria species

The fungal genus Alternaria Nees 1816 includes the most prevalent pathogenic species that can cause crop diseases such as blight, black spot, and dark leaf spot. In accordance with the aim of developing modern sustainable approaches in agriculture for the replacement of synthetic and toxic substances with environmentally friendly alternatives, the objective of this study was to examine thein vitro antifungal activities of 18 newly synthesized ionic liquids (ILs) against three Alternaria strains: A. padwickii, A. dauci and A. linicola. The antifungal activities of the ILs were estimated via a microdilution method to establish minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) values. The results confirmed that 17 of the 18 ILs showed strain specificity, including good antifungal activity toward Alternaria strains, with MIC and MFC values in the range of 0.04 to 0.43 mol dm(-3). The strongest antifungal effects toward all analyzed Alternaria strains were displayed by the compounds with long alkyl chains: [omim][Cl] (MIC/MFC: 0.042 mol dm(-3)), [dmim][Cl] (MIC/MFC: 0.043 mol dm(-3)), [ddmim][Cl] (MIC/MFC: 0.053 mol dm(-3)), [ddTSC][Br] (MIC/MFC: 0.053 mol dm(-3)), and [Allyl-mim][Cl] (MIC/MFC: 0.054 mol dm(-3)). The introduction of oxygen as a hydroxyl group resulted in less-pronounced toxicity towards Alternaria compared to the introduction of an ether group, while the contribution of the hydroxyl group was shown to be a more determining factor than the prolongation of the side-chain, resulting in overall fungicidal activity decrease. Our results indicate the possibility that the most effective ILs ([Allyl-mim][Cl], [omim][Cl], [dmim][Cl], [ddmim][Cl], [bTSC][Br], [hTSC][Br], [oTSC][Br], [dTSC][Br], and [ddTSC][Br]) could be applied to the control of plant diseases caused by Alternaria species, based on their potential as an environmentally friendly crop protection approach. Since salts based on TSC cations are significantly cheaper to synthesize, stable under mild conditions, and environmentally friendly after degradation, thiosemicarbazidium-based ILs can be a suitable replacement for commercially available imidazolium ILs

Molecular characterization of some lignicolous species from fungal culture collection

Culture collections of microorganisms, including fungi, are strain deposits recognised as Biological Resource Centers (BRCs) with a great importance in science, industry and education. Their objective is to preserve the purity, viability and genomic integrity of every single strain as a member of such collection. Since improvement of molecular methods nowadays brought many novel approaches in manipulation with strains of microorganisms, they can also be useful for characterization of existing stored strains. ITS1 region in nuclear DNA is preferred barcoding marker for taxon identification, which can be explained by its great inter-species variability. This paper presents results from analysing ITS1 region sequences (17) obtained from fungal DNA of culture collection of autochthonous, lignicolous genera Piptoporus, Pleurotus, Ganoderma and Schizophyllum cultured on malt agar plates for 14 days at 25°C. BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) was used for comparison with online databases, while alignment of sequences was made with MEGA 5.10 software. Morphological determination of species or genus was confirmed for 13 cultures, while the others were disproved. The resulting alignment indicated small intra-species variability of ITS1 region and pointed to it as an ideal marker for verification of fungal culture collections' authenticity. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III43002 and by the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development, Vojvodina, Serbia APV 114-4513592/2013-03: Molecular and phenotypic diversity of taxa of economical and epidemiological importance, and endangered and endemic species in Europe

Morfološke i patogene odlike izolata Fusarium proliferatum prouzrokovača truleži belog luka (Allium sativum L.) - u Srbiji

During the past few years, symptoms of garlic clove rot have appeared in storage facilities at different localities in Serbia. Thirteen fungal isolates were isolated from samples of decayed garlic cloves (Allium sativum L.). Based on the colony and fungal morphology, isolated fungi were tentatively identified as F. proliferatum. Pathogenicity of 13 F. proliferatum strains were confirmed by inoculating garlic cloves of Allium sativum (spring cv. Labud, Sedef; winter cv. Bosut, Ranko) and Allium ampeloprasum (cv. Biser). Isolate JBL532 was classified as the most aggressive, while isolate B3 was the least pathogenic. To confirm morphological identification of 13 Fusarium isolates, amplification of TEF-1α gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the primer pair: EF1 and EF2. All isolates were cryopreserved at -80°C and deposited in the NCBI GenBank.Tokom proteklih godina u skladištima na različitim lokalitetima u Srbiji pojavili su se simptomi truleži i popadanja belog luka (Allium sativum L.). Izolacijom je dobijeno 13 izolata gljiva roda Fusarium koji su na osnovu morfoloških karakteristika identifikovani kao F. proliferatum. Patogenost izolata je potvrđena inokulacijom različitih genotipova belog luka Allium sativum (prolećne sorte Labud, Sedef, jesenje sorte Bosut, Ranko) i Allium ampeloprasum (sorta Biser). Na osnovu ocene patogenosti, izolat JBL532 se izdvojio kao najagresivniji, dok se izolat B3 pokazao kao najmanje patogen. Morfološka identifikacija potvrđena je amplifikacijom TEF-1α gena, korišćenjem prajmera EF1 i EF2. Svi izolati se čuvaju na -80°C i deponovani su u NCBI bazu gde su im dodeljeni jedinstveni pristupni brojevi

Antifungalna aktivnost prirodnih Bacillus spp. izolata iz zemljišta

Biocontrol using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) represents an alternative approach to disease management, since PGPR are known to promote growth and reduce diseases in various crops. Among the different PGPR, members of the genus Bacillus are prefered for most biotechnological uses due to their capability to form extremely resistant spores and produce a wide variety of metabolites with antimicrobial activity. The objective of this research was to identify antagonistic bacteria for management of the plant diseases. Eleven isolates of Bacillus spp. were obtained from the soil samples collected from different localities in the Province of Vojvodina. The antifungal activity of bacterial isolates against five fungal species was examined using a dual plate assay. Bacillus isolates exhibited the highest antifungal activity against Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae and Alternaria padwickii, while they had the least antagonistic effect on Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium graminearum. Molecular identification showed that effective bacterial isolates were identified as Bacillus safensis (B2), Bacillus pumilus (B3, B11), Bacillus subtilis (B5, B7) and Bacillus megaterium (B8, B9). The highest antagonistic activity was exhibited by isolates B5 (from 39% to 62% reduction in fungal growth) and B7 (from 40% to 71% reduction in fungal growth). These isolates of B. subtilis could be used as potential biocontrol agents of plant diseases.Biokontrola fitopatogena predstavlja alternativu primeni pesticida, s obzirom da bakterije označene terminom PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria) stimulišu biljni rast i štite biljke od bolesti. Zahvaljujući sposobnosti da formiraju veoma rezistentne endospore i produkuju širok spektar antimikrobnih supstanci, vrste roda Bacillus su veoma zastupljene u zemljištu i pogodne za primenu u biotehnologiji. Cilj istraživanja bio je da se utvrdi antifungalna aktivnost jedanaest Bacillus spp. izolata iz zemljišta s različitih lokaliteta u Vojvodini. Sposobnost bakterijskih izolata da inhibiraju rast pet izolata gljiva ispitana je metodom dvojne kultivacije. Izolati Bacillus spp. ispoljili su najveću antifungalnu aktivnost prema Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae, i Alternaria padwickii, dok je najmanji antagonistički efekat utvrđen prema Fusarium verticillioides i Fusarium graminearum. Efektivni izolati identifikovani su kao Bacillus safensis (B2), Bacillus pumilus (B3, B11), Bacillus subtilis (B5, B7) i Bacillus megaterium (B8, B9). Najveću antifungalnu aktivnost ispoljili su izolati B. subtilis B5 (39-62%) i B7 (40-71%). Ovi izolati mogu se koristiti kao potencijalni agensi za biološku kontrolu biljnih bolesti

Bacillus isolates as potential biocontrol agents of Fusarium clove rot of garlic

Clove rot caused by Fusarium spp. is a very important disease of common garlic (Allium sativum L.) occuring in many areas of the world. However, there is a lack of data about biocontrol of these pathogens. Bacillus species are attractive for research due to their potential use in the biological control of fungal diseases. The aim of this study was to select effective biocontrol agents from a series of indigenous Bacillus spp. isolated from soil. Bacterial isolates positive for hydrolytic enzymes production were screened for antifungal activity against Fusarium spp. isolated from infected garlic cloves. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses were used for molecular identification of bacterial (16S rDNA gene) and fungal (EF-1 alpha gene) isolates, and detection of biosynthetic genes for antimicrobial lipopeptides (surfactin, iturin, bacillomycin D and fengycin) in Bacillus spp. The obtained results confirmed the presence of Fusarium tricinctum, F. oxysporum f. sp. cepae, F. proliferatum, F. acuminatum and F. verticillioides as the causal agents of garlic clove rot. Four bacterial isolates identified as Bacillus subtilis exhibited the highest antagonistic effect during in vitro testing of antifungal activity (up to 71% reduction in fungal growth), and caused a significant suppression of garlic clove infection (up to 58% reduction in rot symptoms) in situ. Analysis of the antifungal compounds involved in the antagonistic activity of the examined isolates revealed their ability to produce the antibiotic lipopeptide surfactin. The most effective isolates of B. subtilis could be used as potential biocontrol agents of garlic clove rot

Bacillus strains as potential agents for the biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi Alternaria spp.

Plant diseases caused by fungal pathogens can lead to major economic losses in agriculture. Th e genus Alternaria includes saprobic, endophytic and pathogenic species that may cause various plant diseases such as blight disease. Symptoms of Alternaria blight include the presence of irregular, oft en circular, brown to dark brown coloured leaf spots. Alternaria spp. also cause collar rots, stem lesions, tuber and fruit rots of their respective hosts. In addition, bacteria are one of the most frequently biocontrol agents used to protect plants from diseases. Bacillus species control disease through a variety of mechanisms. Bacterial antagonists might act as inhibitors of growth, development and reproduction of pathogen, or as inducers of host resistance in plant. Th e objective of this study was to examine in vitro antifungal activity of ten antagonistic Bacillus strains from collection of Department for Microbiology of Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad. Strains were originally isolated from the soil samples collected from several localities of Vojvodina Province. Antifungal activity of Bacillus strains against Alternaria padwickii, A. dauci and A. linicola, obtained from rice, carrot and linseed, respectively was tested using a dual plate assay. Th e results confi rmed that all tested Bacillus strains showed antifungal acivity against Alternaria spp. Th e highest antagonistic activity was exhibited by B. pumilus B11 (45.71% to 51.25%), B. subtilis B13 (45.71% to 49.37%) and B. subtilis B32 (45.71% to 52.08%), while B. pumilus B23 had the weakest antifungal activity. B. safensis B2 (35.24% to 48.33%), B. pumilus B21 (40.95% to 48.75%) and B. pumilus B22 (33.50% to 49.17%) also demonstrated good antifungal potential. A. dauci was the most sensitive fungus, while the most resistant was A. linicola. Obtained results indicate the possibility of usage of the most eff ective Bacillus strains as potential biocontrol agents of plant diseases caused by Alternaria sp

Variation of vascular ring as a cause of extubation failure

We report on an unexpected extubation failure in a two year old boy. In our patient, failure of extubation led to a diagnostic examination. The result of our examination was discovery of a congenital anomaly of the aortic arch and great vessels (vascular ring) with compression of the trachea. The presence of this anomaly in this patient was unknown to us before. A successful surgical procedure eliminated the underlying cause of the persistent extubation failures

Variation of vascular ring as a cause of extubation failure

We report on an unexpected extubation failure in a two year old boy. In our patient, failure of extubation led to a diagnostic examination. The result of our examination was discovery of a congenital anomaly of the aortic arch and great vessels (vascular ring) with compression of the trachea. The presence of this anomaly in this patient was unknown to us before. A successful surgical procedure eliminated the underlying cause of the persistent extubation failures