Degradation of metalaxyl and folpet by filamentous fungi isolated from Portuguese (Alentejo) vineyard soils

Degradation of xenobiotics by microbial populations is a potential method to enhance the effectiveness of ex situ or in situ bioremediation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of repeated metalaxyl and folpet treatments on soil microbial communities and to select soil fungal strains able to degrade these fungicides. Results showed enhanced degradation of metalaxyl and folpet in vineyards soils submitted to repeated treatments with these fungicides. Indeed, the greatest degradation ability was observed in vineyard soil samples submitted to greater numbers of treatments. Respiration activities, as determined in the presence of selective antibiotics in soil suspensions amended with metalaxyl and folpet, showed that the fungal population was the microbiota community most active in the degradation process. Batch cultures performed with a progressive increase of fungicide concentrations allowed the selection of five tolerant fungal strains: Penicillium sp. 1 and Penicillium sp. 2, mycelia sterila 1 and 3, and Rhizopus stolonifer. Among these strains, mycelium sterila 3 and R. stolonifer presented only in vineyard soils treated with repeated application of these fungicides and showed tolerance >1,000 mg l−1 against commercial formulations of metalaxyl (10 %) plus folpet (40 %). Using specific methods for inducing sporulation, mycelium sterila 3 was identified as Gongronella sp. Because this fungus is rare, it was compared using csM13-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the two known species, Gongronella butleri and G. lacrispora. The high tolerance to metalaxyl and folpet shown by Gongronella sp. and R. stolonifer might be correlated with their degradation ability. Our results point out that selected strains have potential for the bioremediation of metalaxyl and folpet in polluted soil sites

Confirmational Changes of Bovine Serum Albumin in 4M Urea and Ultra High Dilutions of Different Drugs

Conformational changes of bovine serum albumin (BSA) due to homeopathic potencies like Chelidonium 30 Sulphur 30 Nux vomica 30, Santonin 30, Ethanol 30, 90% ethanol (control) and 4M urea (contro were observed by fluorescence emission and electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra, Fluorescence intensities in urea and homeopathic potencies differed markedly from the control (90% ethanol) by 114295 The control showed the highest intensity and 4M urea solution the lowest. The CD maxima and minima varied in different potencies and the control with respect to the wavelength and intensities The results indicate that different potentized drugs produced different conformations of BS

Effect of Three Potentized Homoeopathic Drugs on Alcohol-induced Changes in the Nerve Plexus of Heart and Serum Parameters in Albino Rats

Rats were given 20% alcohol as compulsory drink for 6 months. They were treated separately with Nux vom 30, Chelidonium 30 & Carbon sulph 30, one dose daily for 30 days in the 6th month. After 6 months all the rats were autopsied & their blood samples were taken for serological tests. Atrio- ventricular valves of the rats were taken out, processed & examined for adrenergic nerve plexuses. Treatment with Nux vom 30 & Chelidonium 30 reduced significantly alcohol-induced degeneration of adrenergic nerve plexuses of rats as compared to the untreated control of alcohol fed rats. These two homoeopathic potencies also significantly reduced the alcohol-induced increase in AST, SGOT, total cholesterol & triglyceride in serum as compared to the untreated alcohol-fed control. The results very clearly demonstrate that homoeopathic potencies are capable of changing both anatomical & biochemical parameters in animals

Salicylic acid enhances resistance in cowpea against Meloidogyne incognita

Salicylic acid (10 mM) sprayed on cowpea leaves inoculated with Meloidogyne incognita reduced nematode infection and promoted plant growth. Salicylic acid did not kill nematodes in an in vitro test and induced expression and accumulation of pathogenesis related-1 protein in the leaves of sprayed plants. The presence of Tween-20 enhanced the effect of salicylic acid on the accumulation of pathogenesis related-1 protein

Surgical Explantation of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Bioprostheses: A Statewide Experience

BACKGROUND: Despite the rapid adoption of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) since its initial approval in 2011, the frequency and outcomes of surgical explantation of TAVR devices (TAVR-explant) is poorly understood. METHODS: Patients undergoing TAVR-explant between January 2012 and June 2020 at 33 hospitals in Michigan were identified in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database and linked to index TAVR data from the Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry through a statewide quality collaborative. The primary outcome was operative mortality. Indications for TAVR-explant, contraindications to redo TAVR, operative data, and outcomes were collected from Society of Thoracic Surgeons and Transcatheter Valve Therapy databases. Baseline Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality was compared between index TAVR and TAVR-explant. RESULTS: Twenty-four surgeons at 12 hospitals performed TAVR-explants in 46 patients (median age, 73). The frequency of TAVR-explant was 0.4%, and the number of explants increased annually. Median time to TAVR-explant was 139 days and among known device types explanted, most were self-expanding valves (29/41, 71%). Common indications for TAVR-explant were procedure-related failure (35%), paravalvular leak (28%), and need for other cardiac surgery (26%). Contraindications to redo TAVR included need for other cardiac surgery (28%), unsuitable noncoronary anatomy (13%), coronary obstruction (11%), and endocarditis (11%). Overall, 65% (30/46) of patients underwent concomitant procedures, including aortic repair/replacement in 33% (n=15), mitral surgery in 22% (n=10), and coronary artery bypass grafting in 16% (n=7). The median Society of Thoracic Surgeons Predicted Risk of Mortality was 4.2% at index TAVR and 9.3% at TAVR-explant (P=0.001). Operative mortality was 20% (9/46) and 76% (35/46) of patients had in-hospital complications. Of patients alive at discharge, 37% (17/37) were discharged home and overall 3-month survival was 73±14%. CONCLUSIONS: TAVR-explant is rare but increasing, and its clinical impact is substantial. As the utilization of TAVR expands into younger and lower-risk patients, providers should consider the potential for future TAVR-explant during selection of an initial valve strategy

Trends in Medicare Payments for Beneficiaries With Aortic Stenosis

BACKGROUND: Aortic stenosis (AS) is the most common form of valvular heart disease with an increasing prevalence. Management of AS has changed dramatically with the introduction of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (AVR). The shift in management of AS, combined with an aging population, may increase the cost of patients with AS in the US health care system. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective cohort study, using inpatient, carrier, and outpatient data from a 20% Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries’ sample from 2008 to 2019 and included beneficiaries, aged ≥65 years. We identified beneficiaries with a diagnosis of AS and stratified the sample into 3 age groups: 66 to 74, 75 to 84, and ≥85 years. We evaluated the crude and adjusted changes in annual Medicare payments (total and component) per beneficiary. We identified 1 887 340 (1.6%) Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with AS. The average annual spending for Medicare beneficiaries with AS was $19 241 in 2010 and increased annually by$301 to $23 174 in 2019 (P1.7 billion dollars. Inpatient spending increased 1.1% per year, with the highest increase in patients aged ≥85 years (1.9%). The percentage of beneficiaries undergoing surgical AVR decreased from 3.7% to 1.6%, and annual spending on surgical AVR decreased an average of 7.2% per year. The percentage of beneficiaries undergoing transcatheter AVR increased from 0% in 2010 to 3.8% in 2019, and annual spending for transcatheter AVR increased by 458.7% per year. CONCLUSIONS: Although average annual Medicare spending per beneficiary modestly increased over the study period, the increase in the prevalence of AS and the proportion of beneficiaries undergoing (transcatheter) interventions for AS led to a substantial increase in overall Medicare spending among patients with AS

Rat models of acute inflammation: a randomized controlled study on the effects of homeopathic remedies

BACKGROUND: One of the cardinal principles of homeopathy is the "law of similarities", according to which patients can be treated by administering substances which, when tested in healthy subjects, cause symptoms that are similar to those presented by the patients themselves. Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of pre-clinical (in vitro and animal) studies aimed at evaluating the pharmacological activity or efficacy of some homeopathic remedies under potentially reproducible conditions. However, in addition to some contradictory results, these studies have also highlighted a series of methodological difficulties. The present study was designed to explore the possibility to test in a controlled way the effects of homeopathic remedies on two known experimental models of acute inflammation in the rat. To this aim, the study considered six different remedies indicated by homeopathic practice for this type of symptom in two experimental edema models (carrageenan- and autologous blood-induced edema), using two treatment administration routes (sub-plantar injection and oral administration). METHODS: In a first phase, the different remedies were tested in the four experimental conditions, following a single-blind (measurement) procedure. In a second phase, some of the remedies (in the same and in different dilutions) were tested by oral administration in the carrageenan-induced edema, under double-blind (treatment administration and measurement) and fully randomized conditions. Seven-hundred-twenty male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 170–180 g were used. Six homeopathic remedies (Arnica montana D4, Apis mellifica D4, D30, Atropa belladonna D4, Hamamelis virginiana D4, Lachesis D6, D30, Phosphorus D6, D30), saline and indomethacin were tested. Edema was measured using a water-based plethysmometer, before and at different times after edema induction. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Student t test. RESULTS: In the first phase of experiments, some statistically significant effects of homeopathic remedies (Apis, Lachesis and Phosporus) were observed (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging from 10% to 28% at different times since edema induction). In the second phase of experiments, the effects of homeopathic remedies were not confirmed. On the contrary, the unblinded standard allopathic drug indomethacin exhibited its anti-inflammatory effect in both experimental phases (the reduction in paw volume increase ranging from 14% to 40% in the first phase, and from 18% to 38% in the second phase of experiments). CONCLUSION: The discrepancies between single-blind and double-blind methods in animal pharmacological research are noteworthy and should be better investigated, also in non-homeopathic research

Greater cardiac response of colloid than saline fluid loading in septic and non-septic critically ill patients with clinical hypovolaemia

Background and objective: The haemodynamics of crystalloid and colloid fluid loading may depend on underlying disease, i.e. sepsis versus non-sepsis. Design and setting: A single-centre, single-blinded, randomized clinical trial was carried out on 24 critically ill sepsis and 24 non-sepsis patients with clinical hypovolaemia, assigned to loading with normal saline, gelatin 4%, hydroxyethyl starch 6% or albumin 5% in a 90-min (delta) central venous pressure (CVP)-guided fluid loading protocol. Transpulmonary thermodilution was done each 30 min, yielding, among others, global end-diastolic volume and cardiac indices (GEDVI, CI). Results: Sepsis patients had hyperdynamic hypotension in spite of myocardial depression and dilatation, and greater inotropic/vasopressor requirements than non-sepsis patients. Independent of underlying disease, CVP and GEDVI increased more after colloid than saline loading (P < 0.018), so that CI increased by about 2% after saline and 12% after colloid loading (P = 0.029). The increase in preload-recruitable stroke work was also greater with colloids and did not differ among conditions. Conclusion: Fluid loading with colloids results in a greater linear increase in cardiac filling, output and stroke work than does saline loading, in both septic and non-septic clinical hypovolaemia, in spite of myocardial depression and presumably increased vasopermeability potentially decreasing the effects of colloid fluid loading in the former. © The Author(s) 2010

Occurrence, Distribution, and Ecological Risk of Fluoroquinolones in Rivers and Wastewaters

The use of fluoroquinolones for the treatment of infections in humans and animals has increased in Argentina, and they can be found in large amounts in water bodies. The present study investigated the occurrence and associated ecological risk of 5 fluoroquinolones in rivers and farm wastewaters of San Luis, Santa Fe, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, and Buenos Aires provinces of Argentina by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to fast-scanning fluorescence detection and ultra–high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole mass spectrometry detection. The maximum concentrations of ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, ofloxacin, enoxacin, and difloxacin found in wastewater were 1.14, 11.9, 1.78, 22.1, and 14.2 μg L–1, respectively. In the case of river samples, only enrofloxacin was found, at a concentration of 0.97 μg L–1. The individual risk of aquatic organisms associated with water pollution due to fluoroquinolones was higher in bacteria, cyanobacteria, algae, plants, and anurans than in crustaceae and fish, with, in some cases, risk quotients >1. The proportion of samples classified as high risk was 87.5% for ofloxacin, 63.5% for enrofloxacin, 57.1% for ciprofloxacin, and 25% for enoxacin. Our results suggest that the prevalence of fluoroquinolones in water could be potentially risky for the aquatic ecosystem, and harmful to biodiversity.Fil: Teglia, Carla Mariela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Desarrollo Analítico y Quimiometría; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Florencia Antonella. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Desarrollo Analítico y Quimiometría; ArgentinaFil: Michlig, Nicolás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Investigación y Análisis de Residuos y Contaminantes Químicos; ArgentinaFil: Repetti, María Rosa. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ingeniería Química. Programa de Investigación y Análisis de Residuos y Contaminantes Químicos; ArgentinaFil: Goicoechea, Hector Casimiro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Desarrollo Analítico y Quimiometría; ArgentinaFil: Culzoni, Maria Julia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas. Laboratorio de Desarrollo Analítico y Quimiometría; Argentin

Sorption and Photodegradation Processes Govern Distribution and Fate of Sulfamethazine in Freshwater−Sediment Microcosms

The antibiotic sulfamethazine can be transported from manured fields to surface water bodies. We investigated the degradation and fate of sulfamethazine in pond water using 14C-phenyl-sulfamethazine in small pond water microcosms containing intact sediment and pond water. We found a 2.7-day half-life in pond water and 4.2-day half-life when sulfamethazine was added to the water (5 mg L–1 initial concentration) with swine manure diluted to simulate runoff. Sulfamethazine dissipated exponentially from the water column, with the majority of loss occurring via movement into the sediment phase. Extractable sulfamethazine in sediment accounted for 1.9–6.1% of the applied antibiotic within 14 days and then declined thereafter. Sulfamethazine was transformed mainly into nonextractable sediment-bound residue (40–60% of applied radioactivity) and smaller amounts of photoproducts. Biodegradation, as indicated by metabolite formation and 14CO2 evolution, was less significant than photodegradation. Two photoproducts accounted for 15–30% of radioactivity in the water column at the end of the 63-day study; the photoproducts were the major degradates in the aqueous and sediment phases. Other unidentified metabolites individually accounted for \u3c7% of radioactivity in the water or sediment. Less than 3% of applied radioactivity was mineralized to 14CO2. Manure input significantly increased sorption and binding of sulfamethazine residues to the sediment. These results show concurrent processes of photodegradation and sorption to sediment control aqueous concentrations and establish that sediment is a sink for sulfamethazine and sulfamethazine-related residues. Accumulation of the photoproducts and sulfamethazine in sediment may have important implications for benthic organisms