Lactic acid bacteria from fresh fruit and vegetables as biocontrol agents of phytopathogenic bacteria and fungi

This study evaluated the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from fresh fruits and vegetables as biocontrol agents against the phytopathogenic and spoilage bacteria and fungi, Xanthomonas campestris, Erwinia carotovora, Penicillium expansum, Monilinia laxa, and Botrytis cinerea. The antagonistic activity of 496 LAB strains was tested in vitro and all tested microorganisms except P. expansum were inhibited by at least one isolate. The 496 isolates were also analyzed for the inhibition of P. expansum infection in wounds of Golden Delicious apples. Four strains (TC97, AC318, TM319, and FF441) reduced the fungal rot diameter of the apples by 20%; only Weissella cibaria strain TM128 decreased infection levels by 50%. Cell-free supernatants of selected antagonistic bacteria were studied to determine the nature of the antimicrobial compounds produced. Organic acids were the preferred mediators of inhibition but hydrogen peroxide was also detected when strains BC48, TM128, PM141 and FF441 were tested against E. carotovora. While previous reports of antifungal activity by LAB are scarce, our results support the potential of LAB as biocontrol agents against postharvest rot. [Int Microbiol 2008; 11(4):231-236]

Epidemiology of uveitis in children over a 10-year period.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study is to investigate the demographics, aetiologies, complications, treatments and visual outcomes in paediatric uveitis patients in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. METHODS: Chart review of all patients diagnosed with uveitis before the age of 16 years, presenting to two tertiary referral centres (uveitis and paediatric rheumatology clinics) in Lausanne, Switzerland, between 2000 and 2009. RESULTS: Seventy-nine children (37 girls) were identified, 62 living in Switzerland, 15 in Europe and 2 in North Africa. Median age at first symptoms was 9.0 years (range 1.5-15.8 years), with a median follow-up time of 1.8 years (0-8 years). Both eyes were involved in 51 patients (64.6%). The course was acute in 30.4%, chronic in 60.8% and recurrent in 8.9%. Anterior uveitis occurred in 39.2%, intermediate in 32.9%, posterior in 22.8% and panuveitis in 5.1%. The three main diagnoses were idiopathic uveitis (34.2%), JIA-related uveitis (22.8%) and toxoplasmic retinochoroiditis (15.2%). During the last follow-up visit, the visual acuity (VA) was ≥8/10 in 72% of all eyes with a measurable VA. Cataract (8%), ocular hypertension/glaucoma (8%) and macular fibrosis (4%) were the three most common severe complications. Systemic steroids were given to 56% and biological agents to 24% of patients with inflammatory uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: Uveitis in children can be a devastating disease. A strict classification of aetiologies and a tight collaboration between paediatric rheumatologists and ophthalmologists are important to ensure early control of ocular inflammation and improve long-term visual prognosis.

Prophylaxis of experimental endocarditis with antiplatelet and antithrombin agents : a role for long-term prevention of infective endocarditis in humans?

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) mostly occurs after spontaneous low-grade bacteremia. Thus, IE cannot be prevented by circumstantial antibiotic prophylaxis. Platelet activation following bacterial-fibrinogen interaction or thrombin-mediated fibrinogen-fibrin polymerization is a critical step in vegetation formation. We tested the efficacy of antiplatelet and antithrombin to prevent experimental IE. METHODS: A rat model of experimental IE following prolonged low-grade bacteremia mimicking smoldering bacteremia in humans was used. Prophylaxis with antiplatelets (aspirin, ticlopidine [alone or in combination], eptifibatide, or abciximab) or anticoagulants (antithrombin dabigatran etexilate or anti-vitamin K acenocoumarol) was started 2 days before inoculation with Streptococcus gordonii or Staphylococcus aureus. Valve infection was assessed 24 hours later. RESULTS: Aspirin plus ticlopidine, as well as abciximab, protected 45%-88% of animals against S. gordonii and S. aureus IE (P < .05). Dabigatran etexilate protected 75% of rats against IE due to S. aureus (P < .005) but failed to protect against S. gordonii (<30% protection). Acenocoumarol was ineffective. CONCLUSIONS: Antiplatelet and direct antithrombin agents may be useful in the prophylaxis of IE in humans. In particular, the potential dual benefit of dabigatran etexilate might be reconsidered for patients with prosthetic valves, who require life-long anticoagulation and in whom S. aureus IE is associated with high mortality.

Biodiversitat de coleòpters i el seu paper com a plagues i com a agents de control biològic en un conreu de cítrics ecològics

El present treball estudiarà la comunitat d’espècies Coleoptera d’un camp de cítrics situat a la Selva de Camp, Tarragona, durant el període de temps dels anys 2002 fins al 2011. Els Coleoptera és l’ordre animal conegut comunament com els “escarabats” i és el més abundant i variat de tot el regne animal. Els estudis realitzats són pocs i, normalment, de les espècies més abundants (sobretot la família Coccinellidae). Totes les espècies d’aquest ordre presenten unes característiques típiques (García et al., 1989). (1) Presenten una cutícula dura, rígida i quitinitzada, amb el primer parell d’ales endurides (èlitres). Gran protecció als traumes físics. (2) Tenen una gran capacitat per retenir la humitat degut a que els estigmes s’obren els èlitres i eviten la pèrdua d’aigua per transpiració. (3) Presenten mandíbules mastegadores, adaptables i utilitzables per a una gran varietat de funcions (Chinery, 1988). (4) Algunes espècies poden acumular substàncies tòxiques a l’organisme. Presenten un règim alimentari fitòfag o micòfag, per norma general, tot i que també es poden trobar espècies sapròfagues o depredadores. És per aquest motiu que les espècies de Coleoptera podrien presentar un paper important com a potencial plagues o com a possible control biològic (Zahradnik, 1990). Durant moltes dècades, els plaguicides han constituït una lluita química contra les plagues dels cultius agrícoles, obtenint molt bons resultats en quant a manteniment i qualitat de les collites. No obstant, la seva utilització deliberada ha constituït en molts casos una important font de contaminació del territori. La seva gran mobilitat i persistència ha originat efectes de bioacumulació i biomagnificació a les xarxes tròfiques dels essers vius presents en aquestes zones. Actualment, per evitar tots aquests problemes ocasionats pels productes sintètics, el control biològic de plagues constitueix un dels principals pilars de la protecció moderna de cultius (Jacas et al., 2005). Se sap que les formigues tenen un doble rol molt important a les comunitats vegetals (poden ser mutualistes o depredadors generalistes), fent que la presència o absència d’aquestes pugui tenir efectes potencials sobre l’abundància d’altres artròpodes (James et al., 1999). És per aquest motiu que al present treball es realitzen experiments amb dos tipus d’arbres, els que presenten formigues i els que les formigues s’han exclòs experimentalment. Així doncs, els objectius del present treball són: - Descriure quantitativament la Comunitat de Coleoptera no Coccinellidae. - Descriure els canvis que s’han produït en la comunitat de Coleoptera al llarg de 10 anys. - Valorar la importància de les diferents espècies i/o famílies com a components de la biodiversitat d’un conreu ecològic. - Descriure els efectes sobre la comunitat de Coleoptera no Coccinellidae de la presència o absència de formgiues. - Valorar la importància de les diferents espècies i/o famílies com a possibles plagues o com a agents de control biològic.

The interior designer : Can the physiological agents of homeostasis create the appearance of design in nature?

Review of the book: The Tinkerer's Accomplice: How Design Emerges From Life Itself by J. Scott TurnerHarvard University Press: 2007. 304 pp.

Liver, Gastrointestinal, and Cardiac Toxicity in Intermediate Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated With PRECISION TACE With Drug-Eluting Beads: Results From the PRECISION V Randomized Trial.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to evaluate hepatic, gastrointestinal, and cardiac toxicity after PRECISION transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with drug-eluting beads (DEB) versus conventional TACE with doxorubicin in the treatment of intermediate-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Two hundred twelve patients (185 men and 27 women; mean age, 67 years) were randomized to TACE with DEB or conventional TACE. The majority of patients (67% in both groups) presented in a more advanced stage. Safety was measured by rate of adverse events (Southwest Oncology Group criteria) and changes in laboratory parameters. Cardiotoxicity was assessed with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) mainly on MRI or echocardiography.RESULTS. The mean maximum postchemoembolization alanine transaminase increase in the DEB group was 50% less than in the conventional TACE group (p < 0.001) and 41% less in respect to aspartate transaminase (p < 0.001). End-of-study values returned to approximately baseline levels but with greater variability in conventional TACE patients. Treatment-emergent adverse events in the hepatobiliary system organ class occurred in 16.1% of DEB group patients compared with 25% of conventional TACE patients. There were fewer liver toxicity events in the DEB group. There was a small but statistically significant difference in mean change from baseline in LVEF between the two groups of 4 percentage points for the conventional TACE group (95% CI, 0.71-7.3; p = 0.018).CONCLUSION. PRECISION TACE with DEB loaded with doxorubicin offers a safe therapy option for intermediate-stage HCC, even in patients with more advanced liver disease.

Résistance aux antibiotiques chez les pneumocoques [Pneumococcal antibiotic resistance].

In 1875, 7 years prior to the description of the Koch bacillus, Klebs visualized the first Streptococcus pneumoniae in a pleural fluid. Since then, this organism has played a determinant role in biomedical science. From a biological point of view, it was largely implicated in the development of passive and active immunization by serotherapy and vaccination, respectively. Genetic transformation was also first observed in S. pneumoniae, leading to the discovery of DNA. From a clinical point of view, S. pneumoniae is still today a prime cause of otitis media in children and of pneumonia in all age groups, as well as a predominant cause of meningitis and bacteremia. In adults, bacteremia is still entailed with a mortality of over 25%. Although S. pneumoniae remained very sensitive to penicillin for many years, penicillin-resistance has emerged and increased dramatically over the last 15 years. During this period of time, the frequency of penicillin-resistant isolates has increased from &lt; or = 1% to frequencies varying from 20 to 60% in geographic areas as diverse as South Africa, Spain, France, Hungary, Iceland, Alaska, and numerous regions of the United States and South America. In Switzerland, the current frequency of penicillin-resistant pneumococci ranges between 5 and &gt; or = 10%. The increase in penicillin-resistant pneumococci correlates with the intensive use of beta-lactam antibiotics. The mechanism of resistance is not due to bacterial production of penicillinase, but to an alteration of the bacterial target of penicillin, the so-called penicillin-binding proteins. Resistance is subdivided into (i) inter mediate level resistance (minimal inhibitory concentration [MIC] of penicillin of 0.1-1 mg/L) and (ii) high level resistance (MCI &gt; or = 2 mg/L). The clinical significance of intermediate resistance remains poorly defined. On the other hand, highly resistant strains were responsible for numerous therapeutical failures, especially in cases of meningitis. Antibiotics recommended against penicillin-resistant pneumococci include cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, imipenem and in some instances vancomycin. However, penicillin-resistant pneumococci tend to present cross-resistances to all the antibotics of the beta-lactam family and could even become resistant to the last resort drugs mentioned above. Thus, in conclusion, the explosion of resistance to penicillin in pneumococci is a ubiquitous phenomenon which must be fought against by (i) a strict utilization of antibiotics, (ii) the practice of microbiological sampling of infected foci before treatment, (iii) the systematic surveillance of resistance profiles of pneumococci against antibiotics and (iv) the adequate vaccination of populations at risk.

Agents de salut a l’àmbit penitenciari

Actualment el grup d’Addiccions veu la necessitat de seguir abordant el consum de drogues als nostres centres des de l’educació per a la salut i la reducció de danys, però també des de la capacitació personal. Per tal que tot això sigui una realitat, partim de l’Enquesta Estatal sobre Drogues entre els Internats a Presó (ESDIP, 2006). Aquesta evidencia que, per una banda, actualment es duen a terme als centres penitenciaris pràctiques de risc d’infecció per VIH, tant pel que fa a conductes d’injecció, sexuals o de realització de tatuatges, però, per altra banda, també posa de manifest el pobre coneixement de les vies de transmissió de l’VIH/SIDA i de l’hepatitis C, molt sovint ple de mites i/o creences errònies. L’ESDIP destaca el consum o l’abús de les drogues com un factor previ i paral·lel a la presó. La relació entre presó i drogues es produeix en dos dimensions que sovint es confonen, ja que no solament hi ha un problema d’ordre penal sinó també d’ordre social. Per una part, els delictes comesos per un alt percentatge de la població penitenciària estan relacionats amb la venda i/o consum de substàncies il·legals; i, per una altra banda, un nombre elevat d’interns té problemes personals, socials i de salut associats al consum de drogues, des de la pròpia dependència a greus malalties. Els programes de reducció de danys que s’han dut a terme tradicionalment s’han d’adaptar als nous perfils de consumidor; a les noves drogues i a les diferents vies d’administració. S’ha de tenir present que la major part dels problemes associats a l’activitat delictiva són d’índole psicosocial i no es restringeixen als consums problemàtics. Entre els interns podem trobar persones fàcilment influenciables, que presenten baixa tolerància a la frustració, poca capacitat per generar alternatives en situacions de conflicte, dificultats per gestionar el temps d’oci, baixa o nul·la escolarització, mancances a nivell psicoafectiu,

Allergo-immunologie. 2. Faut-il se méfier des agents biologiques [Allergy-immunology. Do we have to be afraid of biological agents?].

Biologicals are now fully part of our daily therapeutic strategies. However, even if their high specificity seems to induce less risk compared to older or classical immunosuppressive drugs, there are not harmless especially regarding infectious but also immunological and allergic issues. Recent attempts to better characterize the different types of reactions to biologicals should be reported, allowing us better understanding of the risk to maintain these therapies or defining how to improve the methods to use them.

A Structural Analysis of the Health Expenditures and Portfolio Choices of Retired Agents

Richer and healthier agents tend to hold riskier portfolios and spend proportionally less on health expenditures. Potential explanations include health and wealth effects on preferences, expected longevity or disposable total wealth. Using HRS data, we perform a structural estimation of a dynamic model of consumption, portfolio and health expenditure choices with recursive utility, as well as health-dependent income and mortality risk. Our estimates of the deep parameters highlight the importance of health capital, mortality risk control, convex health and mortality adjustment costs and binding liquidity constraints to rationalize the stylized facts. They also provide new perspectives on expected longevity and on the values of life and health.

Wipe sampling procedure coupled to LC-MS/MS analysis for the simultaneous determination of 10 cytotoxic drugs on different surfaces.

A simple wipe sampling procedure was developed for the surface contamination determination of ten cytotoxic drugs: cytarabine, gemcitabine, methotrexate, etoposide phosphate, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, irinotecan, doxorubicin, epirubicin and vincristine. Wiping was performed using Whatman filter paper on different surfaces such as stainless steel, polypropylene, polystyrol, glass, latex gloves, computer mouse and coated paperboard. Wiping and desorption procedures were investigated: The same solution containing 20% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water gave the best results. After ultrasonic desorption and then centrifugation, samples were analysed by a validated liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in selected reaction monitoring mode. The whole analytical strategy from wipe sampling to LC-MS/MS analysis was evaluated to determine quantitative performance. The lowest limit of quantification of 10 ng per wiping sample (i.e. 0.1 ng cm(-2)) was determined for the ten investigated cytotoxic drugs. Relative standard deviation for intermediate precision was always inferior to 20%. As recovery was dependent on the tested surface for each drug, a correction factor was determined and applied for real samples. The method was then successfully applied at the cytotoxic production unit of the Geneva University Hospitals pharmacy.

Immunosuppresseurs: usages systémiques et neurologiques [Systemic and neurological uses of immunosuppressive agents].

Involvement of the central or peripheral nervous system, frequently present in systemic inflammatory immune disorders, has to be considered a severe threat and requires aggressive immunosuppressive treatment to achieve rapid remission. This is usually obtained with high-dose systemic corticosteroids combined with cyclophosphamide. Once remission is obtained, immunosuppressive agents with a more favorable safety profile are needed to exert a corticosteroid-sparing effect and minimize adverse events. New therapeutic approaches are currently developed to treat autoimmune diseases, mostly linked to the definition of new indications for biological agents such as TNF-alpha antagonists and rituximab.

Disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients at initiation of biologic agents and 1 year of treatment: results from the Swiss SCQM registry.

OBJECTIVE: In Switzerland, the prescription of biologic antirheumatic agents in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is not limited by stringent requirements from health authorities. The goals of this study were to: determine the characteristics of the Swiss patients at the initiation of biologics, compare them with other countries and evaluate whether different disease activity levels at initiation of therapy, resulting from distinct access to these treatment, influence their effectiveness. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of RA patients followed in the Swiss register (SCQM-RA). Two thousand and sixty patients treated with biologics were retrieved. We present the disease characteristics and the patients' demographic data, at initiation and some effectiveness data after 1 year of treatment. RESULTS: Two thousand and sixty patients treated with biologics were retrieved. At initiation of treatment, the mean disease activity DAS (SD): 4.4 (1.4), number of previous antirheumatic treatments: 1.1, functional status HAQ: 1.1 (0.7) and median duration of illness: 5.5 years were significantly lower than in other published registries. The mean DAS: 3.3 (1.4) 1 year after initiation of therapy also appears lower than in other countries. Additionally, patients treated more recently (after 2005) had a significantly higher improvement in mean DAS. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the Swiss RA registry demonstrate that biologics are prescribed at a lower level of disease activity and after fewer prior DMARD failures than in most other countries, a practice that seems to correlate with overall lower absolute levels of disease activity and better patient outcomes after 1 year of treatment.