Macrolide susceptibility in Streptococcus pyogenes: monitoring of isolates collected from throat swabs for the period november 2003 to september 2006

Background: Streptococcus pyogenes can cause acute suppurative infections (tonsillitis and pharyngitis) and serious complications like rheumatic fever or acute post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Antibiotic treatment of streptococcal infections is recommended and penicillin is the therapy of choice, moreover, macrolides represent an important alternative particularly for patients with ß-lactam-associated allergies. However, increasing resistance of S. pyogenes to macrolides has been observed in some European countries (especially in Spain and Italy) in the last decade.This study was conducted to update our knowledge on this evolution. Materials and methods: A total of 128 clinical strains of S. pyogenes isolated from 933 throat swabs collected in the Clinical Microbiological Laboratory of Ovada (ASL 22) between November 2003 and September 2006 were tested for their susceptibility to erythromycin, clindamycin and rokitamycin. The phenotype of macrolide resistance was determined by the triple-disc diffusion test method (Giovanetti et al, 1999). Results: S. pyogenes strains isolated between November 2003 and December 2005 showed a percentage of macrolide-resistance of 15%; more precisely 9% with phenotype M and 6% with phenotype iMLS. Only 3 of the 28 isolates (10.7%) collected between January-September 2006 were macrolide-resistant (phenotype M).All 128 isolates were fully susceptible to rokitamycin. Conclusion: Macrolide resistance rates determined in the present study were relatively low in comparison to the values registered in our country in the last decade. Efflux of the drug (phenotype M) is the predominating mechanism. This type of resistance does not affect the activity of macrolides 16-membered (e.g. rokitamicin).However, changes of resistance rates and their prevailing mechanisms can occur rapidly. For safe empirical prescription of macrolides, further surveillance studies that include the identification of resistance mechanisms are required to follow current trends

Deep Eutectic Solvents as Effective Reaction Media for the Synthesis of 2-Hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole-Based Scaffolds en Route to Donepezil-Like Compounds

An unsubstituted 2-hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole has recently been included as a scaffold in a series of hybrids (including the hit compound PZ1) based on the framework of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor Donepezil, which is a new promising multi-target ligand in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment. Building upon these findings, we have now designed and completed the whole synthesis of PZ1 in the so-called deep eutectic solvents (DESs), which have emerged as an unconventional class of bio-renewable reaction media in green synthesis. Under optimized reaction conditions, the preparation of a series of 2-hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole-based nuclei has also been perfected in DESs, and comparison with other routes which employ toxic and volatile organic solvents (VOCs) provided. The functionalization of the aromatic ring can have implications on some important biological properties of the described derivatives and will be the subject of future studies of structure-activity relationships (SARs)

Deep Eutectic Solvents as Effective Reaction Media for the Synthesis of 2‐Hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole-based Scaffolds en Route to Donepezil‐Like Compounds

An unsubstituted 2‐hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole has recently been included as a scaffold in a series of hybrids (including the hit compound PZ1) based on the framework of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor Donepezil, which is a new promising multi‐target ligand in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) treatment. Building upon these findings, we have now designed and completed the whole synthesis of PZ1 in the so‐called deep eutectic solvents (DESs), which have emerged as an unconventional class of bio‐renewable reaction media in green synthesis. Under optimized reaction conditions, the preparation of a series of 2‐hydroxyphenylbenzimidazole‐based nuclei has also been perfected in DESs, and comparison with other routes which employ toxic and volatile organic solvents (VOCs) provided. The functionalization of the aromatic ring can have implications on some important biological properties of the described derivatives and will be the subject of future studies of structure‐activity relationships (SARs)

The Ligosullo (UD, Italy) Landslide, Revisiting of Past Data and Prospects from Monitoring Activities

The paper focuses on the analysis of a landslide, located in the northern sector of the Friuli Venezia-Giulia Region (North-Eastern Italy) affecting the village of Ligosullo. Field surveys, geophysical investigations and interferometric analyses, financed by the Geological Survey of Friuli Venezia-Giulia Region in the last 15 years let to recognize a sliding surface up to 70 m deep, causing the mobilization of 7 millions m3 of material. A new phase of studies including geological and geomechanical surveys and monitoring activities has been recently undertaken by the University of Padua (Department of Geoscience) and NHAZCA S.r.l. (Spin-off of \u201cSapienza University of Rome\u201d). The first results we obtained and the future goals are discussed in this paper

HIPK2 is involved in the overexpression of the anti-apoptotic tumour marker galectin-3 in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Genova, Magazzini del Cotone, OC 1

A gas avalanche light detector for multi-kiloton liquid argon TPC

We are developing a photodetector sensitive to liquid noble gas scintillation light which is able to operate down to liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K). It has to be able to produce fast signals for timing and triggering purposes in multi-kiloton liquid argon time projection chambers. We studied the possibility to couple a standard photocathode to a suitable electron multiplication system in gas. In the first part of the programme the gas avalanche multiplication at cryogenic temperature and low pressure was studied. The second part of the programme foresees the production of a photocathode able to operate at low temperature. A complete detector prototype is going to be set up. It will consist of a simple CsSb photocathode and a multiplication stage made of 100μ m stainless steel wires. We present the results of the evaluation of the gain attainable with different gas mixtures

The ICARUS Experiment: a second-generation proton decay experiment and neutrino observatory at Gran Sasso Laboratory

PROPOSTA E PROGETTO DI ESPERIMENT