Successful treatment of antifungal- and cryotherapy-resistant subcutaneous hyalohyphomycosis in an immunocompetent case with topical 5% imiquimod cream

Hyalohyphomycosis is an unusual opportunistic mycotic infection where the tissue morphology of the causative organism is mycelial. Etiological agents, which are not responsible for the otherwise-named infections like aspergillosis, are the species of non-dematiaceous hyaline hyphomycetes including Penicillium, Paecilomyces, Acremonium (formerly known Cephalosporium), Beauveria, Fusarium, and Scopulariopsis. Several cases of Acremonium infection have been described in immunocompromised patients; however it can cause invasive disease in an immunocompetent person very rarely. Optimum therapy of Acremonium infection is unclear because of the limited number of reported cases and conflicting results of therapies. Imiquimod, an imidazoquinoline with potent antiviral, antitumor and immunoregulatory properties, is currently approved for the topical treatment of external anogenital warts and actinic keratosis. Imiquimod has also been found to be effective for other virus-associated dermatologic lesions, including common and flat warts, molluscum contagiosum, and herpes simplex virus type-2 as well as for some cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis. We report herein, for the first time, a case of unusually recalcitrant hyalohyphomycosis of the face due to Acremonium strictum successfully treated with topical 5% imiquimod in an immunocompetent patient, who had failed to respond to various antifungals, including itraconazole, and cryotherapy.     

Glycyrrhetinic acid, the active principle of licorice, can reduce the thickness of subcutaneous thigh fat through topical application

Cortisol is involved in the distribution and deposition of fat, and its action is regulated by the activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Glycyrrhetinic acid, the active principle of licorice root, blocks 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, thus reducing the availability of cortisol at the level of adipocytes. We evaluated the effect of topical application of a cream containing glycyrrhetinic acid in the thickness of fat at the level of the thigh. Eighteen healthy women (age range 20-33 years) with normal BMI were randomly allocated to treatment, at the level of the dominant thigh, with a cream containing 2.5% glycyrrhetinic acid (n=9) or with a placebo cream containing the excipients alone (n=9). Before and after 1 month of treatment both the circumference and the thickness of the superficial fat layer of the thighs (by ultrasound analysis) were measured. The circumference and the thickness of the superficial fat layer were significantly reduced in comparison to the controlateral untreated thigh and to control subjects treated with the placebo cream. No changes were observed in blood pressure, plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone or cortisol. The effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on the thickness of subcutaneous fat was likely related to a block of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 at the level of fat cells; therefore, glycyrrhetinic acid could be effectively used in the reduction of unwanted local fat accumulation.     

Linking the Use of Scented Consumer Products to Consumer Exposure to Polycyclic Musk Fragrances

Synthetic organic chemicals are ingredients of many consumer products used daily. Consumers are therefore constantly exposed to a broad spectrum of synthetic organic chemicals, which might be irritants or have other effects harmful to human health, in the consumption phase of the product life cycle. Relevant examples are the polycyclic musk fragrances that make up an important group of synthetic fragrance compounds. Using a scenario-based approach, we simulate various product uses and calculate the resulting dermal exposure to the musk fragrances 6-acetyl-1,1,2,4,4,7-hexamethyltetraline and hexahydro-hexamethyl-cyclopenta (γ)-2-benzopyran for a wide spectrum of consumer products. The product spectrum was selected from scented personal care products and household cleansing agents. Exposure to musk fragrances is calculated with two dermal exposure models, and results are presented for female and male European consumers. The variability of required inputs is accounted for by assuming minimal, average or median, and maximal values for important model parameters. The study identifies a limited number of types of scented consumer products as significantly contributing to daily dermal consumer exposure to musk fragrances. Exposure levels resulting from the simultaneous use of these products and the number of exposed consumers are investigated.     

Attraction and mortality of oriental fruit flies to SPLAT‐MAT‐methyl eugenol with spinosad†

Studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 in Hawaii, USA to quantify attraction and feeding responses resulting in mortality of the male oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) (Diptera: Tephritidae), to a novel male annihilation treatment (MAT) formulation consisting of specialized pheromone and lure application technology (SPLAT) in combination with methyl eugenol (ME) and spinosad (=SPLAT‐MAT‐ME with spinosad) in comparison with Min‐U‐Gel‐ME with naled (Dibrom). Our approach involved a novel behavioral methodology for evaluation of slow‐acting reduced‐risk insecticides. Methyl eugenol treatments were weathered for 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks in California, USA, and shipped to Hawaii for bioassays. In field tests involving bucket traps to attract and capture wild males, and in toxicity studies conducted in 1 m³ cages using released males of controlled ages, SPLAT‐MAT‐ME with spinosad performed similar to or outperformed the standard formulation of Min‐U‐Gel‐ME with naled for material aged for up to 8 weeks in the 2008 tests. In laboratory feeding tests in which individual males were exposed for 5 min to the different ME treatments, mortality induced by SPLAT‐MAT‐ME with spinosad recorded at 24 h did not differ from that caused by Min‐U‐Gel ME with naled at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Spinosad has low contact toxicity, and when mixed with SPLAT offers a reduced‐risk alternative for control of B. dorsalis, without many of the negative effects to humans and non‐targets of broad‐spectrum contact poisons such as naled. Our results indicate that SPLAT‐MAT‐ME with spinosad offers potential for control of males in an area‐wide integrated pest management (IPM) system without the need for conventional organophosphates.     

甘肃南部野生铁线莲属植物种质资源及观赏应用

对甘肃南部野生铁线莲植物的资源状况、分布、生态习性和生物学特性等进行了调查研究,表明甘肃南部有野生铁线莲属植物30种,分布于小陇山、白龙江、西秦岭林区各林场及甘南、陇南、天水地区.花(萼)大色彩艳丽,攀援性、适应性强,观赏价值高,并提出多种观赏利用的形式.     

A family of glutamatergic,excitatory channel types at the crayfish neuromuscular junction

Summary Outside-out patches from membrane of muscles of crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) were excised, and L-glutamate (glu) was applied to these patches in pulses of different duration, performing a concentration step within about 0.2 ms. While a uniform population of cationic channels is seen in equilibrium applications of glu, four kinetically different channel types were revealed by the pulse applications of glu. All these channel types had the same single channel conductance and durations of elementary short single channel openings and closings, and they thus form a family of channels. Type I, incompletely desensitizing channels reacted to a pulse of 10 mM glu with a peak open probability of 0.7 within 0.3 ms. Thereafter open probability decayed with a time constant of desensitization of about 5 ms, reaching a plateau of about 1/20 peak probability which was maintained as long as 10 mM glu were present. The peak probabilities of channel opening were proportional to approximately power 2.5 of the glu concentration, for low concentrations. Type II, completely desensitizing channels also were activated very rapidly by glu pulses, but their time constant of desensitization was 1–2 ms, and no channel openings were observed after more than 10 ms presence of a high glu concentration. The peak probabilities of channel opening rose with about the 5th power of glu concentration (for low concentrations). Type III, non-desensitizing channels, were observed relatively rarely. They were activated much more slowly and reached much lower probabilities of opening than type I and II channels. They did not show appreciable desensitization. Type IV, short-opening channels, develop sometimes from type I channels while recording, and may revert to the type I. Type IV channels show an additional open time component of 0.08 ms average duration, and a relatively long additional closed time of on average 1.3 ms. In addition to channel measurements, distributions of amplitudes and time courses of macroscopic quantal currents were determined. It is discussed in which way the different channel types may contribute to the quantal currents.     

增施钾肥对大棚蟠桃品质及营养生长的影响

该研究以蟠桃品种‘金霞蟠桃’和‘玉霞蟠桃’为试材,分别在2个品种成熟前3周(3W)、2周(2W)和1周(1W)每树环施钾肥(K2O)1 000g,比较不同时期施肥处理蟠桃果实外观品质、内在品质以及营养生长的变化。结果表明:(1)在蟠桃果实成熟前2W和3W尤其是2W施用钾肥,蟠桃果实单果重和体积总体较大,‘金霞蟠桃’2W处理果实单果重、横径和侧径分别显著高于1W处理11.48%、3.51%和3.03%,‘玉霞蟠桃’2W处理则分别显著高于1W处理56.86%、14.97%和3.67%;(2)不同时期增施钾肥对‘玉霞蟠桃’果实颜色的变化影响总体较小,‘金霞蟠桃’2W和3W处理果实的a*值分别显著高于1W处理55.02%和44.49%,但2W和3W处理之间差异不显著;(3)增施钾肥后,2个蟠桃品种果实可溶性固形物含量、蔗糖含量从高到低依次为2W3W1W,可溶性糖总量大小也依次为2W3W1W,但2W和3W处理间差异不显著;不同时期增施钾肥对2个蟠桃品种果实有机酸总量和枝叶营养生长总体影响不大。研究认为,在蟠桃果实成熟前2周左右施用钾肥,成熟时果实体积、单果重增大,果肉可溶性固形物、蔗糖、可溶性总糖含量以及糖酸比高,果实综合品质得到有效改善,但增施钾肥过早或过晚都无法达到最佳效果。     

线粒体DNA及其应用

线粒体DNA是在真核生物中普遍存在的一种核外遗传物质,具有分子小、结构简单、进化速度快、母性遗传、无组织特异性等特点。本综述了线粒体DNA在人类遗传疾病、动植物的亲缘关系、种群分化、群体多样性及植物细胞质雄性不育等研究领域中的应用情况。