Endemic alveolar echinococcosis in Southern Belgium?

Until now, Belgium has been considered as a low-risk country for alveolar echinococcosis. However it was recently demonstrated by necropsy series that, in some parts of southern Belgium (Wallonia), up to 51% of the red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) may be infected by E. multilocaris. The authors, working in a university hospital in southern Belgium, described in 2002 the first autochthonous Belgian case of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis. More importantly, in 2004, they diagnosed three other patients with alveolar echinococcosis. One underwent surgical resection, but two others had bilateral pulmonary involvement at time of definite diagnosis. Palliative albendazole therapy was initiated. These patients had been diagnosed with hepatic mass from unknown origin for several months. The previous experience with the first case allowed the authors to consider and to confirm alveolar echinococcosis diagnosis, made by pathology and/or serological tests and imaging. These four patients with alveolar echinococcosis were living either in the Liege or the Luxembourg province. Considering the high prevalence of E. multilocaris infection of red foxes and the recent increase of the fox population due to rabies vaccination in southern Belgium, and also the presence of E. multilocaris infection of red foxes in northern Belgium, it is likely that not only Wallonia, but also maybe the whole Belgium, may face endemic alveolar echinococcosis in the next years.     

Reversal of chloroquine and mefloquine resistance in Plasmodium falciparum by the two monoindole alkaloids, icajine and isoretuline

Eight naturally occurring monoindole alkaloids were evaluated in vitro for their ability to inhibit Plasmodium falciparum growth and, in drug combination, to reverse the resistance of a chloroquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. None of these indole alkaloids has significant intrinsic antiplasmodial activity (IC(50) > 10 microM or 5 microg/ml). Nevertheless, three alkaloids (icajine, isoretuline and strychnobrasiline) did reverse chloroquine resistance at concentrations between 2.5 and 25 microg/ml (IF of 12.82 for isoretuline on W2 strain). The Interaction Factor (IF) equals 2, < 2, or > 2 for additive, antagonistic or synergistic effects of alkaloids on chloroquine inhibition, respectively. Icajine and isoretuline were also assessed in vitro for their mefloquine potentiating activity on a mefloquine-resistant strain of Plasmodium falciparum. Only icajine proved to be synergistic with mefloquine (IF = 15.38).     

Detection of Aspergillus species DNA by PCR in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

The usefulness of a nested PCR assay for detection of Aspergillus sp. DNA was evaluated in 177 bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid specimens. This test was accurate both to diagnose culture-negative BAL fluid specimens from patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and to confirm culture-positive samples. However, it did not differentiate between infection and colonization.     

Two distinct truncated variants of ankyrin associated with hereditary spherocytosis

We present two distinct truncated variants of ankyrin associated with mild to moderate hereditary spherocytosis. Ankyrin Saint-Etienne 1 was manifested by an additional band located between bands 2.1 and 2.2. It was associated with a nonsense mutation in exon 39: TGG→TGA; W1721X. Ankyrin Saint-Etienne 2 appeared as two faint bands underlining bands 2.1 and 2.2. It was associated with a nonsense mutation in exon 41: CGA→TGA; R1833X. Overall ankyrin was diminished in splenectomized patients. Messenger RNAs Saint-Etienne 1 and 2 amounted to 20 and 37% of the total ankyrin mRNA, respectively. Ankyrin molecules truncated in their C-terminal region retain some ability to bind to the membrane whereas the bulk of nonsense mutations, located in more upstream regions, result in the mere disappearance of one haploid set of ankyrin. In the present cases, it was not possible to apportion the roles of ankyrin reduction and truncation in the pathogenesis of hereditary spherocytosis. Am. J. Hematol. 58:36–41, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Production of modified sunflowers seed shells for the removal of bisphenol A

In this present study, an abundant, available lignocellulosic biomass, sunflower seed shells, SSS, was used as a precursor to prepare an effective eco-adsorbent by treatment with H₂SO₄. A study of the surface characteristics of raw and acid-treated SSS (ACS) has shown that the addition of H₂SO₄ greatly affected the physicochemical properties of the obtained eco-adsorbent, improving the BET surface area from 6.106 to 27.145 m² g⁻¹ and surface oxygen-rich functional groups. Batch experiments were performed to assess the removal efficiency of a phenolic compound, bisphenol A (BPA), on the adsorbents. Several parameters were evaluated and are discussed (contact time, pollutant concentration, adsorbent dosage, and pH), determining that the adsorption efficiency of BPA onto SSS was notably improved, from 20.56% to 87.81% when a sulfuric acid solution was used. Different canonical and stochastic isotherm models were evaluated to predict the experimental behaviour. A dynamic study was performed based on the models of reaction kinetics and those of mass transfer. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics of BPA obey the fractal like-kinetic model of Hill for all experimental conditions. The equilibrium data are well suited to the Hill–Sips isotherm model with a determination coefficient >0.999. The kinetic modelling also indicates that the adsorption processes of BPA onto ACS are exothermic and proceed through a physical mechanism. A mass transfer study, using simplified models, proved that the process is controlled by intraparticle and film resistances to mass transfer of the BPA.

In this present study, an abundant, available lignocellulosic biomass, sunflower seed shells, SSS, was used as a precursor to prepare an effective eco-adsorbent by treatment with H₂SO₄ (AC75).     

In Vitro Activities of Strychnos Alkaloids and Extracts against Plasmodium falciparum

The in vitro antimalarial activities of 46 alkaloids and extracts from Strychnos species were evaluated. Two types of quasidimeric alkaloids exhibit high and selective activities against Plasmodium. Strychnopentamine and isostrychnopentamine were active against chloroquine-sensitive and -resistant strains (50% inhibitory concentration [IC(50)] approximately 0.15 microM), while dihydrousambarensine exhibited a 30-fold higher activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain (IC(50) = 0.03 microM) than it did against the chloroquine-sensitive strain.