The Cytotoxicity and Insecticidal Activity of Extracts from Delphinium formosum Boiss. & Huet

Delphinium species are well-known toxic plants with diterpenoid alkaloid contents. There has been no previous investigation on the cytotoxicity of Delphinium formosum. The extracts of the different parts of D. formosum, an endemic species in Turkey, were investigated for their cytotoxic activity against the human liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) and primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). The cytotoxic effects of twelve extracts and subfractions were determined against HepG2 cells using the MTT assay. The only active extract was applied to the HUVEC as a model for healthy cells. Only one of the alkaloidcontaining extracts from the aerial parts was toxic (IC50=244,9 µg/mL against HepG2 and 144,4 µg/mL against HUVEC), while the root extracts were inactive. The results were improbable although it is predicted secondary metabolites, such as diterpene alkaloids (methyllycaconitine, browniine, lycoctonine, avardharidine, antranoyllycoctonine, delsemine A/B and lycoctonine). Based on previous studies in the literature, the cytotoxic plants were also expected to exhibit insecticidal activity. Therefore, the cytotoxic extract of D. formosum was examined for its adulticidal and larvicidal activity against the yellow fever, dengue fever and the Zika virus vector Aedes aegypti L

Photodegradation of carbendazim sensitized by aromatic ketones

Carbendazim (1) is a benzimidazole extensively used as post-harvest fungicide on fruits and vegetables. The aim of the present work is to study the photodegradation of I sensitized by aromatic ketones, with special attention to mechanistic aspects and to the possible detoxification associated with photochemical treatment. Laser flash photolysis (LPF) lambda(exc) = 355 nm of xanthone (XA) and anthraquinone (AQ) was performed in MeCN solutions, in the presence of 1. A new transient absorbing at lambda(max) 500 and 320 nm was obtained and assigned to the semioxidized radical cation 1(+center dot). An exergonic thermodynamics for electron transfer quenching was confirmed by means of the Rehm-Weller equation. The same species was observed by direct LFP of 1 at 266 nm in polar solvents. Conversely, when a deoxygenated solution of 1 was submitted to LFP in cyclohexane the transient spectrum presented a band with maximum at 380 nm; it was assigned to the triplet excited state ((3)1*) on the basis of energy transfer to oxygen and beta-carotene. The photodegradation of 1 was achieved using XA and AQ as electron acceptors in a solar-simulator, in aerated aqueous medium; the reaction was faster with XA. Formation of a new photoproduct was initially observed; its structure was assigned as carbendazim N-C5 dimer (2). A balance of the total organic carbon (TOC) after prolonged irradiation indicated that mineralization does not occur to a significant extent, pointing to oxidative fragmentation of 1 and 2 to give a variety of low molecular weight products. To check whether the observed photodegradation of 1 results in a decreased toxicity, biological assays were performed using an established model based on the inhibition of mobility of Daphnia magna. The results demonstrate that photodegradation leads to a diminished toxicity, indicating that the photoproducts are less toxic than the parent compound. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Financial support from the MICINN (Grant: CTQ2010-19909) and the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo Program) is gratefully acknowledged.Jornet Olivé, MD.; Castillo López, MÁ.; Sabater Marco, C.; Tormos Faus, RE.; Miranda Alonso, MÁ. (2013). Photodegradation of carbendazim sensitized by aromatic ketones. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry. 256:36-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphotochem.2013.02.004S364125

Practical approach for detection and identification of OXA-10-derived ceftazidime-hydrolyzing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases

A practical approach to detect and identify ceftazidime-hydrolyzing extended-spectrum mutants of OXA-10 beta-lactamase is presented. Large numbers of bacteria were screened by colony hybridization, a 720-bp part of bla(OXA) was amplified by PCR from the hybridization-positive isolates, and the products were digested by PvuII and HaeIII

The effects of sucralfate and selective intestinal decontamination on bacterial translocation

Sucralfate is widely used as a cytoprotective agent in patients with peptic ulcer and other intestinal mucosal damage. In this study, the effects of sucralfate and/or selective intestinal decontamination with gentamycin on bacterial translocation (BT) in rats with experimentally-induced mechanical jaundice were investigated. Seventy-five adult male Wistar albino rats were divided into five groups of 15 each. In all except a sham group, we performed ligation of the common bile duct (CBD) via a vertical laparatomy. After surgery, the rats in group 1 were treated with oral sucralfate (5 mg/kg per day); those in group 2 underwent oral gentamycin therapy (5 mg/kg per day) for 5 days. Group 3 rats were treated with sucralfate and gentamycin for 5 days subsequent to the operation. The rats in group 4 served as controls, and received only 0.9% saline solution. Group 5 was a sham group. After 5 days of surgery, all rats were killed; the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), liver, and a segment of terminal ileum were harvested aseptically. The collected tissues were cultured in McCaunkey medium and chocolate agar. For each specimen, the colony-forming units (CFU) were calculated and the percentage of viable translocated micro-organisms was counted. In all rats who had ligation of the CBD, high numbers of bacteria were demonstrated in the liver, MLN, and ileum. In the liver of rats with sucralfate and/ or gentamycin treatment, there was a marked reduction in CFU compared to the control group. Similarly, in the MLN measurements of CFU were higher in the control rats than the study groups. In both McCaunkey and chocolate media, the numbers of bacteria in control rats were significantly higher than in the study groups (P 0.05). Experimentally-induced mechanical jaundice from ligation of the CBD causes significant BT in rats. Sucralfate and/or gentamycin may reduce the degree of BT from the bowel mucosa. We did not find any difference in protection from BT between sucralfate and gentamycin or both in rats with experimentally-induced mechanical jaundice

Serum heart-type fatty acid binding protein levels in acromegaly patients

WOS: 000298720800002PubMed ID: 20834198Background: Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) is a major cytoplasmic low molecular weight protein and released into the circulation when the myocardium is injured. Previous studies have demonstrated that H-FABP is closely associated with acute coronary syndrome, hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy, heart failure, stroke, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and pulmonary embolism. The aim of this study was to investigate serum H-FABP value in patients with acromegaly. Methods and results: We measured serum H-FABP levels in 30 consecutive patients with acromegaly, and 55 age-matched control subjects by using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum H-FABP levels were significantly higher in patients with acromegaly than in control subjects (17.40 +/- 10.70, and 8.30 +/- 7.20, respectively) (p<0.001). A significant positive correlation was found by Spearman's correlation test between serum H-FABP levels and left ventricular end-systolic diameter (r=0.483, p=0.004). Conclusion: Patients with acromegaly have increased levels of H-FABP. Serum H-FABP levels might be a marker of myocardial performance in patients with acromegaly. (J. Endocrinol. Invest. 34: 576-579, 2011) (C) 2011, Editrice Kurti

Antimicrobial resistance patterns of the pathogenic bacteria isolated from stool cultures of patients with acute diarrhea in Istanbul, Turkey

We isolated 1153(24.8%) pathogenic bacteria from 4741 stool samples of diarrheic patients. The distribution of bacteria were as follows: 531(46%) Shigella spp., 197(17.1%) non-typhoid Salmonella, 10(0.86%) S. typhi, 140(12%) Aeromonas spp., 120(10.4%) EPEC and 155(13%) Campylobacter. spp. Antimicrobial resistance of these strains except Campylobacter spp. were assessed by disc diffusion method. Many strains of Salmonella, Shigella, Aeromonas genera and EPEC were resistant to ampicillin and sulbactam-ampicillin(20-97%), cotrimoxazole(10-45%). The strains were variably resistant to cefotaxime or ceftriaxone(0-34%), gentamicin(0-30%), tetracycline(20-53%), chloramphenicol (20-48%). All of them were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and imipenem. Our results show that multi-drug resistant Salmonella and Shigella strains are becoming prevalent in Istanbul and that quinolones may be preferred for empirical therapy

Intraoperative Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in patients with complex benign biliary tract pathologies A case series

WOS: 000454671300008PubMed ID: 30246701INTRODUCTION: This study presents data about the intraoperative performance of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for different types of cases with acute, complex pathologies of the biliary tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled cases with intraoperative ERCP performed for different acute complex bile duct pathologies (including injury and cystic stump leak). All patients were analyzed according to demographic findings, etiologies, management and results. RESULTS: Intraoperative ERCP was performed in 4 patients of whom 2 (50%) were female and 2 (50%) were male with different diagnoses. The median age of patients was 468 (range of 28-75) years. The diagnosis was bile duct injury in three patients and one had a complicated hydatid cyst with jaundice (T Bil: 18 mg dl(-1)). All patients were in septic condition. Patients underwent laparotomy and intraoperative ERCP was performed successfully by using the Rendezvous technique. For the last patient, intraoperative ERCP was used for diagnosis and management of bile leak in the cavity. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is a safe and effective method for treatment of acute complex bile duct pathologies

APRI, the FIB-4 score, and Forn's index have noninvasive diagnostic value for liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of serum transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), fetuin-A, and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in the detection of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The value of the noninvasive fibrosis models - that is, the aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI), the fibrosis index based on the four factors (FIB-4) score, and Forn's index - was also examined.Materials and methods CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy for the evaluation of fibrosis were included in the study. A total of 73 patients were divided into two groups according to their METAVIR scores (F0-1, no/minimal fibrosis; F2-4, significant fibrosis). Serum levels of TGF-1, TIMP-1, fetuin-A, and FGF21 were measured besides APRI, FIB-4, and Forn's scores. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was measured for each parameter, followed by calculation of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values.Results APRI, FIB-4, and Forn's index scores were significantly higher in patients with significant fibrosis (P0.05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for TGF-1, TIMP-1, fetuin-A, FGF21, APRI, FIB-4, and Forn's index were 0.445, 0.483, 0.436, 0.585, 0.662, 0.687, and 0.680, respectively.Conclusion Our results suggest that serum TGF-1, TIMP-1, fetuin-A, and FGF21 are not useful for the assessment of the extent of liver fibrosis in CHB in this patient group. However, APRI, FIB-4, and Forn's index have a better diagnostic value in patients with significant fibrosis than in those with no/minimal fibrosis. (C) 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins