Application of Chinese Jun-Cao technique for the production of Brazilian Ganoderma lucidum strains

Ganoderma lucidum is a medicinal mushroom traditionally used in China against a wide range of diseases such as cancer and also for its prevention. In this work, commercial Chinese strains G. lucidum were compared to wild Brazilian strains aiming to determine the cultivation potential through the use of Jun-Cao. Six formulations were tested and the strains presented good response to the applied method. In general, the mixture between the grass and wood was well suited for the basidiomycetes, contributing to the preparation of substrates that generated better results in Jun Cao

Alteration of the phospho- or neutral lipid content and fatty acid composition in Listeria monocytogenes due to acid adaptation mechanisms for hydrochloric, acetic and lactic acids at pH 5.5 or benzoic acid at neutral pH

This study provides a first approach to observe the effects on Listeria monocytogenes of cellular exposure to acid stress at low or neutral pH, notably how phospho- or neutral lipids are involved in this mechanism, besides the fatty acid profile alteration. A thorough investigation of the composition of polar and neutral lipids from L. monocytogenes grown at pH 5.5 in presence of hydrochloric, acetic and lactic acids, or at neutral pH 7.3 in presence of benzoic acid, is described relative to cells grown in acid-free medium. The results showed that only low pH values enhance the antimicrobial activity of an acid. We suggest that, irrespective of pH, the acid adaptation response will lead to a similar alteration in fatty acid composition [decreasing the ratio of branched chain/saturated straight fatty acids of total lipids], mainly originating from the neutral lipid class of adapted cultures. Acid adaptation in L. monocytogenes was correlated with a decrease in total lipid phosphorus and, with the exception of cells adapted to benzoic acid, this change in the amount of phosphorus reflected a higher content of the neutral lipid class. Upon acetic or benzoic acid stress the lipid phosphorus proportion was analysed in the main phospholipids present: cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphoaminolipid and phosphatidylinositol. Interestingly only benzoic acid had a dramatic effect on the relative quantities of these four phospholipids

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Prognostic Significance of Complex Karyotype Including del(5q), –7, del(7q) Abnormalities

Aim. To evaluate the prognostic significance of the complex karyotype including del(5q), –7, del(7q) abnormalities in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Materials & Methods. Forty-four AML patients with chromosome 5 and/or 7 abnormalities (22 women and 22 men, aged from 1.2 to 67 years, median 31.2 years) were examined. Analysis of overall (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) predictors after allo-HSCT in patients with different clinical, transplant and cytogenetic characteristics was performed. Results. Prior to allo-HSCT, the complex karyotype (with three or more chromosomal abnormalities) was observed in 19 (43 %) patients, the monosomal karyotype was in 8 (18 %) patients. Univariate analysis demonstrated that OS and EFS differed in patients from different age groups (³ 18 vs. < 18 years; p = 0.01 and p = 0.05, respectively), with different disease status at transplantation (1 remission vs. other clinical status; p = 0.1 and p = 0.008, respectively), with and without complex karyotype (СK– vs. CK+; p = 0.05 and p = 0.002, respectively), with and without monosomal karyotype (МK– vs. MK+; p = 0.009, only for EFS), and with different stem cells source (bone marrow vs. other source; p = 0.03 only for OS). Multivariate analysis confirmed that age of 18 years and more (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively), active disease at allo-HSCT (p = 0.04 and p = 0.005, respectively), complex karyotype (p = 0.04 и p = 0.0008, respectively) and stem cell source other than bone marrow (p = 0.02 only for OS) were independent predictors of OS and EFS deterioration. Conclusion. The study demonstrates that chromosome 5 and/or 7 abnormalities as a part of the complex karyotype is high-risk factor in AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT (unlike the monosomal karyotype), that requires the special therapeutic approach