Amhezole,A Novel Fungal Secondary Metabolite from Aspergillus terreus for Treatment of Microbial Mouth Infection

Bio‐guided fractionation of Aspergillus terreus extract leads to isolation of a novel terpenoidal secondary metabolite. The isolated compound and the total alcoholic extract of Aspergillus terreus showed a remarkable activity against microbial mouth infections; namely, Candida albicans, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus gordonii, and S. mutan. Moreover, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of the isolated compound was determined and showed low values. The combination of each of the alcoholic extract of A. terreus and the isolated compound Coe‐Comfort tissue conditioner inhibited the growth of Candida albicans at concentrations of 500 and 7.81 µg/mL, respectively, Lactobacillus acidophilus at concentrations of 250 and 7.81 µg/mL, respectively, Streptococcus gordonii at concentrations of 1000 and 62.50 µg/mL, respectively, and S. mutans at concentrations of 1000 and 125 µg/mL, respectively. The oral dosing of the extract and the isolated compound did not show any significant effect on the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspirate aminotransferase, and the levels of blood urea and serum creatinine. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cholera in India: an analysis of reports, 1997�C2006

Objective

To more accurately define the annual incidence of cholera in India, believed to be higher than reported to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methods

We searched the biomedical literature to extract data on the cases of cholera reported in India from 1997 to 2006 and compared the numbers found to those reported annually to WHO over the same period. The latter were obtained from WHO’s annual summaries of reported cholera cases and National health profile 2006, published by India’s Central Bureau of Health Intelligence.

Findings

Of India’s 35 states or union territories, 21 reported cholera cases during at least one year between 1997 and 2006. The state of West Bengal reported cases during all 10 years, while the state of Maharashtra and the union territory of Delhi reported cases during nine, and Orissa during seven. There were 68 outbreaks in 18 states, and 222 038 cases were detected overall. This figure is about six times higher than the number reported to WHO (37 783) over the same period. The states of Orissa, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam and Chhattisgarh accounted for 91% of all outbreak-related cases.

Conclusion

The reporting of cholera cases in India is incomplete and the methods used to keep statistics on cholera incidence are inadequate. Although the data are sparse and heterogeneous, cholera notification in India is highly deficient.     

Measurement of health‐related quality of life with glaucoma: validation of the Glau‐QoL© 36‐item questionnaire

Purpose: To validate a glaucoma‐specific health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) questionnaire: the Glau‐QoL^©. Methods: Patients with ocular hypertension (OHT) or glaucoma took part in a cross‐sectional psychometric validation study (n = 573) and a separate reproducibility study (n = 244). Patients answered the 36‐item Glau‐QoL^©, designed from in‐depth patient interviews. Results: The clinical validity of the Glau‐QoL^© was excellent and clearly demonstrated that as disease severity and visual field impairment increased, HRQoL scores for the Psychological Wellbeing, Self‐image, Daily Life, Driving, Anxiety and Burden of Treatment domains were negatively affected. Increased age and lower visual acuity were also associated with lower HRQoL scores, although to a lesser extent than the previously mentioned criteria. Worsening of HRQoL domains correlated with the clinical stage of glaucoma: Anxiety and Burden of Treatment scores dropped noticeably when patients were first diagnosed and started treatment, followed by a decrease in scores for Driving, Daily Life, Psychological Wellbeing, and Self‐image as clinical conditions worsened. Psychometric validation showed acceptable convergent and discriminant validity of the Glau‐QoL^©, and good reproducibility, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) ≥ 0.69. Internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's α coefficients > 0.70) for the Daily Life, Psychological Wellbeing, Burden of Treatment and Driving domains; acceptable (coefficients of 0.65 and 0.68, respectively) for the Self‐image and Anxiety domains; and weak (coefficient = 0.58) for the Confidence in Health Care domain. Conclusions: The Glau‐QoL^© questionnaire is a valid and specific HRQoL instrument that demonstrates excellent correlations with disease progression in patients with glaucoma and/or OHT.     

Contribution of apoptosis in the cytotoxicity of the oxaliplatin-irinotecan combination in the HT29 human colon adenocarcinoma cell line

Interactions between the topoisomerase I inhibitor irinotecan (CPT-11) and the platinum derivative oxaliplatin (L-OHP) were investigated in HT29 colon cancer cell line. Synergism was observed when cells were simultaneously exposed to drugs or when cells were first exposed to CPT-11. Flow cytometric studies showed a G(2)/M accumulation when cells were exposed to the simultaneous and CPT-11-->L-OHP combinations whereas a persistent S phase delay was observed when cells were first exposed to L-OHP. We characterised the cytotoxic effect by assessing the induction of apoptosis. Irinotecan induced substantial DEVDase activity and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage while this activity was moderate and delayed after exposure to L-OHP. Combination experiments showed a sequence-dependent onset of apoptosis, the CPT-11-->L-OHP schedule being the earliest and the most effective; on the other hand the apoptotic signaling generated by CPT-11 was partly inhibited in the simultaneous combination and in the L-OHP-->CPT-11 sequence. Cell death studies using a dual staining technique showed a shift from apoptosis to necrosis when combining these drugs at high concentrations. Synergistic interactions observed using CPT-11 before L-OHP may be linked to an early apoptotic signaling while the L-OHP-induced S phase block could account for the observed additive effect in the reverse sequence. An additional phenomenon might work towards synergism for the simultaneous combination.     

Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction and Their Correlation with Educational Standards among Dental Assistants

A disparity exists in the educational qualifications of dental assistants working in various public and private institutions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of professional and personal characteristics on job satisfaction among dental assistants. A cross-sectional survey was performed among dental assistants using a 24-item self-administered questionnaire. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between overall job satisfaction and other variables. The overall response rate was 72.1%. Factor analysis suggested that five underlying factors were related to job satisfaction. The mean score for overall job satisfaction was 3.86 (satisfied) out of 5. Among the work environment factors, the highest mean score, 4.26 (satisfied), was obtained for quality of service, and the lowest mean score, 2.78 (neutral), was obtained for the perception of income. The income and general prospects of the profession was significantly associated with overall job satisfaction. This study suggests that for dental assistants, professional and personal life, quality of service, perception of income and prestige and self-respect are important factors for job satisfaction. Despite differences in professional formation standards, in general, the study participants were considerably satisfied with their jobs.     

Appraisal of patient-reported outcome instruments available for randomized clinical trials in dry eye: revisiting the standards

Clinical signs in dry eye (DE) often underestimate the severity of the condition, correlating poorly with symptoms and the impact on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL). Patient-reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires are therefore essential to accurately evaluate the health status of DE patients and the severity of their condition. A comprehensive evaluation of HRQL in addition to clinical signs and visual function is necessary to fully characterize the impact of DE on patients' health. Growing interest in PRO measures and their implementation in clinical trials has resulted in more formal guidance on the design and properties of these instruments. To be scientifically sound and accepted by regulatory authorities, an instrument's development process and its appropriateness for use in the target population, its psychometric properties and responsiveness must be described. To address the recent health authority guidance, this review discusses the design, development methodology, and performance of currently available PRO instruments for DE.     

Experimental intrahepatic portacaval anastomosis: use of expandable Gianturco stents

Original Gianturco expandable stents and their modifications were used to create an experimental intrahepatic portacaval anastomosis (EIPCA) in 30 young domestic swine without portal hypertension. The study focused on the design of a suitable stent, the technique of its application, and the evaluation of short-term patency of the EIPCA. A stent with a 2.5-cm-long body and wire skirts on both ends was most suitable for EIPCA creation. Well-positioned stents shunted most of the portal blood in the inferior vena cava circulation and remained patent for 4-6 weeks. Ingrowth of liver parenchyma and abundant proliferation of the intima and connective tissue inside the stent lumen in these rapidly growing animals gradually decreased EIPCA patency, and thrombus formation with diminished blood flow closed them completely.     

Pharmacokinetics of daunorubicin and daunorubicinol in plasma, P388 and B16 tumours. Comparison with in vitro cytotoxicity data

The comparison of pharmacokinetics of DNR in mouse plasma, in the DNR naturally resistant B16 melanoma and in the DNR naturally sensitive P388 leukemia showed that there is no direct correlation between total concentrations of this drug in tumours and the sensitivity resistance of these tissues. A finding which demonstrates the inadequacy of distribution models to select new potential anticancer drugs. Cytotoxicity of DNR and its metabolites to B16 melanoma and P388 leukemia cell lines were determined in vitro. Calculated inhibitory concentrations 50 (IC50) were compared to maximal concentrations determined by pharmacokinetic studies. In all cases in vitro IC50 were lower than Cmax values. Moreover, resistant cells in vivo were found to be sensitive to DNR and metabolites when they are propagated in vitro. Tissue concentrations, as well as in vitro data, were fitted to appropriate models by an original program (FADHA) which uses the simplex method to minimize a non-linear cost function. Best fit models were chosen by statistical criteria.