Interferon-γ release assay in people infected with immunodeficiency virus

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Essential oils in ocular pathology: an experimental study

Introduction: The antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) has been known for ages; in particular, the EOs of Melaleuca alternifolia, Thymus vulgaris, Mentha piperita, and Rosmarinus officinalis have been used for the treatment of fungal and bacterial infections. Methodology: This study focused on the in vitro cytotoxicity to normal human conjunctiva cells and antimicrobial activity of 20 EOs. Results: The oils tested showed no cytotoxic effect at very low concentrations. Rosmarinus officinalis, Melaleuca alternifolia, and Thymus vulgaris L. red thyme geraniol sel oils had good antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains. Conclusions: The results of this study are of great interest and may have a major impact on public health, providing useful tips to optimize the therapeutic use of some natural drugs

cutaneous mycobacterium chelonae infection in a presumably immunocompetent host

8. Parslew R, Lewis-Jones MS. Localized unilateral hyper13. Mayou SC, Black MM, Russell Jones R. Sudoriferous hamartoma. Clin Exp Dermatol 1988; 13: 107–108. hidrosis secondary to an eccrine naevus. Clin Exp 14. Pippione M, Depaoli MA, Sartoris S. Naevus eccrine. Dermatol 1997; 22: 246–247. Dermatologica 1976; 152: 40–46. 9. Martius I. Lokalisierte ekkrine schweibdrusennavus mit 15. Hong CE, Lee SH. Multiple eccrine nevus with depressed hyperfunktion. Dermatol Wochenschr 1954; 130: 1016. patches. Yosei Med J 1997; 38: 60–62. 10. Chan P, Kao GF, Pierson DL, Rodman OG. Episodic 16. Kopera D, Soyer HP, Kerl H. Human eccrine hamartoma hyperhidrosis on the dorsum of hands. J Am Acad of forearm-antebrachial organ of the ringtailed Lemur Dermatol 1985; 12: 937–942. ( lemur catta). A posssible phylogenetic relationship? Am 11. Bingel G, Ertle T. Naevus sudoriferus. Z Hautch 1985; J Dermatopathol 1994; 16: 275–279. 60: 372. 17. Nightingale KJ, Newman P, Davies MG. A function12. Van de Kerkhof PJCM, Den Arend JAJC, Bousema MT, ing hamartoma associated with Down's syndrome Strolz E. Localized unilateral hyperhidrosis. Br J Dermatol (46,xx,–21,+ t(21q21q). Clin Exp Dermatol 1998; 23: 264–266. 1987; 177: 779–782

Beyond pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacteria disease: do extra-pulmonary forms represent an emerging clinical and public health threat?

Pulmonary and extra-pulmonary diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria: new clinical and public health threats http://ow.ly/87Dm30eMFd9

Diagnostic ‘omics’ for active tuberculosis

The decision to treat active tuberculosis (TB) is dependent on microbiological tests for the organism or evidence of disease compatible with TB in people with a high demographic risk of exposure. The tuberculin skin test and peripheral blood interferon-γ release assays do not distinguish active TB from a cleared or latent infection. Microbiological culture of mycobacteria is slow. Moreover, the sensitivities of culture and microscopy for acid-fast bacilli and nucleic acid detection by PCR are often compromised by difficulty in obtaining samples from the site of disease. Consequently, we need sensitive and rapid tests for easily obtained clinical samples, which can be deployed to assess patients exposed to TB, discriminate TB from other infectious, inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, and to identify subclinical TB in HIV-1 infected patients prior to commencing antiretroviral therapy. We discuss the evaluation of peripheral blood transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to develop the next generation of rapid diagnostics for active TB. We catalogue the studies published to date seeking to discriminate active TB from healthy volunteers, patients with latent infection and those with other diseases. We identify the limitations of these studies and the barriers to their adoption in clinical practice. In so doing, we aim to develop a framework to guide our approach to discovery and development of diagnostic biomarkers for active TB

Antifungal, anti-biofilm and adhesion activity of the essential oil of Myrtus communis L. against Candida species

Candida species belong to the normal microbiota of the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract and vagina. The increasing incidence of drug-resistant pathogens and the toxicity of the antifungal compounds have drawn the attention towards the antimicrobial activity of natural products, an inexpensive alternative. The aim of this work was to evaluate the adhesion activity, the biofilm formation and the action of the Myrtus communis L. essential oil (EO) on the biofilm formation towards three species isolated from clinical samples: Candida albicans, Candida parapsilosis and Candida tropicalis. Furthermore, we evaluated the antimycotic activity of the EO towards the three species, and the results were compared with the minimum inhibitory concentration of six antimycotics. The activity of the EO against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis was better than that obtained against C. tropicalis; moreover, the strains used in the assay were adhesive and biofilm producer, and the effect of myrtle EO on the biofilm formation yielded encouraging results

Essential oils of Daucus carota subsp. carota of Tunisia obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

The essential oils and supercritical CO2 extracts of wild Daucus carota L. subsp. carota from two different sites in Tunisia were investigated. The main components of the essential oil of the flowering and mature umbels with seeds from Sejnane were eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol (8.2 – 8.5%), carotol (3.5 - 5.2%), sabinene (12.0 -14.5%), α-selinene (7.4 – 8.6) and 11-α-(H)- himachal-4-en-1-β-ol (12.7 – 17.4%), whereas the oils from Tunis were predominantly composed of elemicin (31.5 – 35.3%) and carotol (48.0 – 55.7%). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oils were assayed by using the broth dilution method on Escherichia coli ATCC 35218 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 43300, and clinical strains of Candida albicans and C. tropicalis 1011 RM. The MIC values obtained were all > 2.5% (v/v)

Attività antimicotica di oli essenziali di lavanda ed i suoi ibridi nei confronti di ceppi di Aspergillus spp. di isolamento ambientale

Gli aspergilli sono miceti ubiquitari. é stata testata l'attività antimicrobica di diversi oli essenziali