In vitro effects of levamisole and ivermectin against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces

The in vitro effects of levamisole and ivermectin against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces were studied by means of light and electron microscopy. Both drugs had a protoscolicidal activity that increased proportionally with increasing concentrations of the drugs. Ivermectin showed the more rapid effects and caused contraction and paralysis of protoscoleces. A paralyzing effect was also observed with levamisole, followed by irreversible tissue vacuolation leading to death.     

Sequence-dependent DNA torsional rigidity: a tetranucleotide code

Using fluorescence polarization anisotropy (FPA), we measured the torsional constant of various DNA oligomers in different sequences and calculated the value for each of the 136 unique tetranucleotides. From these values, we obtained a "rigidity profile" for every double-stranded DNA sequence. We tested the code in the analysis of DNA sequences able to form nucleosomes. More than 50% of the sequences studied showed a common 20 and/or 30 bp modulation of the torsional constant. Many other profiles of rigidity were observed in the remaining sequences and this variety in torsional constant modulation may be related to functional differences between nucleosomes.     

Oxidative status in chronic hepatitis C: the influence of antiviral therapy and prognostic value of serum hydroperoxide assay

The effect of alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) treatment on oxidative status in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is unknown. AIM: To study the time course of oxidative status in patients with CHC during alpha-IFN and RBV administration, and to evaluate the role of oxidative status in order to predict the therapeutic response. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty one patients with CHC were studied. All received a combination of alpha-IFN and RBV for 6 or 12 months in relation to the type of response. The hydroperoxides concentration in serum test samples by D-ROM test was measured in all of the patients before therapy. In 27 patients, hydroperoxides were also measured during the treatment and during the 12 subsequent months. RESULTS: Cross-sectional analysis demonstrates that patients with a successive long-term response had a lower basal serum hydroperoxide concentration than non-responders (280 +/- 40.8 vs 337 +/- 83 CARR Units, p < 0.05). This resulted to be an independent factor predictive of long-term response in the multi-varied analysis. Longitudinal observation on 27 patients showed that the mean hydroperoxide concentration decreased significantly during treatment (T0 329 +/- 79.2 vs T12 272 +/- 34.5 CARR Units) and that the decrease in the mean values was mainly due to variations in the relapsers group. CONCLUSIONS: Normal basal hydroperoxide concentration helps to predict long-term response to combination therapy. The D-ROM test may be used for screening patients before treatment.     

Naltrexone plus benzodiazepine aids abstinence in opioid-dependent patients

Naltrexone (NTX) is widely used to prevent relapse of opioid-dependent patients but its association with insomnia and "hyperexcitability" can result in treatment withdrawal. We evaluated whether NTX combined with the benzodiazepine prazepam was more effective than NTX in keeping patients opioid-free. We determined the relapse rate over 6 months in 56 opioid-dependent subjects, divided into 4 equal groups. All groups received psychological support and underwent urine tests for drug metabolites twice weekly. Group 1 did not receive pharmacological treatment (controls). Group 2 received NTX alone (one 50-mg tablet daily); group 3 received NTX (one 50-mg tablet daily) plus placebo (one tablet twice daily); and group 4 received NTX (one 50-mg tablet daily) plus prazepam (one 10-mg tablet twice daily). Ten patients of group 1 relapsed within 3 months, one after 6 months and three remained opioid-free. Six patients of group 2 relapsed within three months, two after 6 months, and six remained opioid-free. Seven patients of group 3 relapsed three months, one after 6 months and six patients remained opioid-free. In group 4, one patient relapsed within 3 months and one patient after 6 months; 12 patients of this group remained opioid-free. At urine tests, a significantly higher percent patients of group 4 remained free of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol versus patients of groups 2 and 3. In conclusion, many patients remained opioid-free on NTX alone or combined with prazepam, with a significant advantage for the NTX plus prazepam group.     

Complex bacterial diversity in the white biofilms of the Catacombs of St. Callixtus in Rome evidenced by different investigation strategies

Roman Catacombs are affected by different kinds of biofilms that were extensively investigated in the last 14 years. In particular, the areas far from the lamps are often covered by white biofilms of different extension, consistency and nature. The aim of this paper is to describe the profile of the microbial community present in two areas of the Ocean's Cubiculum (CSC13), characterized by similar alterations described as white biofilms, by using a multistep approach that included direct microscopy observations, culture‐dependent and culture‐independent methodologies through the extraction of DNA and RNA directly from the sampled areas. In addition to this, we extracted the DNA directly from the Petri dishes containing R2A and B4 media after incubation and growth of bacteria. Our results evidenced that a complex bacterial community (mainly constituted by filamentous Actinobacteria, as well as Firmicutes and Proteobacteria) colonizes the two different white biofilms, and its detection, quantitative and qualitative, could be revealed only by different approaches, each method giving different information that only partially overlap.