Invasive aspergillosis in pediatric oncology patients: a rare event with poor prognosis--case analysis to plan better targeted prophylactic or therapeutic measurement

Despite the implementation of new antifungal drugs, invasive aspergillosis (IA) still remains a considerable challenge in pediatric oncology with a severe mortality. Prophylactic and therapeutic measurement have to be evaluated in these rare but poor prognostic patients. Therefore the entire group of patients at risk of developing IA has to be defined before cooperative prospective trials. In a retrospective analysis including all our patients with malignancies we looked for patients with proven/probable IA. Cases of the period from 2003 to 2008 were analyzed in detail.In the period between 2003 to 2008 24 of 755 patients were affected by proven/ probable IA. Compared to former studies incidence increased from 1.3%in 1980 to 3.4% in 2008. AML patients with or without allogeneic/haploidentical stem cell transplantation were at highest risk (24% and 25% respectively, in comparison to 1% in ALL-patients). Survival after 2 years was 50% for patients with AML and IA. In patients with high risk to develop IA the effect of intensified, intravenous antimycotic prophylaxis has to be proven prospectively in a cooperative and randomized setting.     

Haplotype analysis of two X-chromosome STR clusters in the Pakistani population

Haplotype analysis of closely associated markers has proven to be a powerful tool in kinship analysis especially when X-chromosome short tandem repeats fail to resolve uncertainty in relationship analysis. Microsatellites located on the X chromosome show stronger linkage disequilibrium compared with autosomal microsatellites; hence, it is necessary to estimate the haplotype frequencies directly from population studies as linkage disequilibrium is population-specific. Here, we describe five markers residing in two clusters; cluster I harboring three STR markers DXS6801–DXS6809–DXS6789 and cluster II harboring two STR markers DXS7424–DXS101. A total of 302 male DNA samples of Pakistani descent were analyzed. Theoretically, 847 and 160 different combinations of haplotypes are possible in clusters I and II, but genotyping identified only 129 and 75 haplotypes, respectively. No evidence of linkage disequilibrium was detected, except for the pair (DXS6801–DXS6789), consistent with results obtained with the cluster I in a German population. Our results demonstrate that 83% haplotypes of cluster I and 65% haplotypes of cluster II show <1% frequency in the Pakistani population. This strongly suggests that haplotypes of these two clusters provide a powerful tool for kinship testing and relationship investigations. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. This study was supported in part by Higher Education Commission and Ministry of Science and Technology Islamabad, Pakistan.     

Antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extract of Solanum fastigiatum (false "Jurubeba") against paracetamol-induced liver damage in mice

Aim of the study

Solanum fastigiatum is a medicinal plant widely distributed in the south of Brazil and has been used mainly to treat hepatitis, spleen disorders, uterine tumors, irritable bowel syndrome and chronic gastritis. The present research was aimed to evaluate the potential antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity of aqueous extracts of leaves using in vitro and in vivo models to validate the folkloric use of the plant.

Materials and methods

Antioxidant activity was evaluated by different assays, including thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), total antioxidant, 2,2-diphenlyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and metal ion-chelating activities. The hepatoprotective activity of the aqueous extracts was studied on mice liver damage induced by paracetamol (250 mg/kg) by monitoring biochemical parameters.

Results

The extract showed inhibition against TBARS, induced by 10 μM FeSO₄ and 5 μM sodium nitroprusside in rat liver, brain and phospholipid homogenates from egg yolk. The plant exhibited strong antioxidant activity in the DPPH (IC₅₀, 68.96 ± 1.25 μg/ml) assay. The aqueous extract also showed significant hepatoprotective activity that was evident by enzymatic examination and brought back the altered levels of TBARS, non-protein thiol and ascorbic acid to near the normal levels in a dose dependent manner. Acute toxicity studies revealed that the LD₅₀ value of the extract is more than the dose 4 g/kg body weight of mice.

Conclusions

The results indicate that this plant possesses potential antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties and has therapeutic potential for the treatment of liver diseases.     

An inclusive review and perspective on Cu-based materials for electrochemical water splitting

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in developing green and renewable alternate energy sources as a solution to the energy and environmental problems produced by conventional fossil fuel use. As a very effective energy transporter, hydrogen (H₂) is a possible candidate for the future energy supply. Hydrogen production by water splitting is a promising new energy option. Strong, efficient, and abundant catalysts are required for increasing the efficiency of the water splitting process. Cu-based materials as an electrocatalyst have shown promising results for application in the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction (HER) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER) in water splitting. In this review, our aim is to cover the latest developments in the synthesis, characterisation, and electrochemical behaviour of Cu-based materials as a HER, and OER electrocatalyst, highlighting the impact that these advances have had on the field. It is intended that this review article will serve as a roadmap for developing novel, cost-effective electrocatalysts for electrochemical water splitting based on nanostructured materials with particular emphasis on Cu-based materials for electrocatalytic water splitting.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in developing green and renewable alternate energy sources as a solution to the energy and environmental problems produced by conventional fossil fuel use.     

Neuron source energy on resonance absorption

Four different methods are used to study the neutron slowing down and to evaluate the neutron resonance escape probability in an infinite homogeneous medium containing a heavy resonant nuclide [U238] and a light moderator nuclide [H]. Two statistical methods use the Monte Carlo simulation and two deterministic methods are based on the numerical solutions of the neutron slowing down equation and a corresponding adjoint equation with an appropriate adjoint source.This study has been done for several dilutions and for two neutron source energies (E_s = 676.45 eV and E_s = 2 MeV). The cut-off energy is placed at 2.77 eV.We have found that the direct numerical solution of the neutron slowing down equation does not agree with the other three methods. In order to eliminate this disagreement, we have taken account of some corrections concerning the hydrogen cross-section in the thermal region.     

Pesticides in the cultivation of carnations in greenhouses: Part I--Exposure and concomitant health risk.

Respiratory exposure and dermal exposure of the hands and forearms to the pesticides chlorothalonil, thiophanate-methyl, thiram, and zineb during application and during crop activities have been measured on 18 farms for carnation culture in glass-covered greenhouses in the Netherlands. Farms were selected according to a "worst case" strategy with regard to dermal exposure during cutting of flowers. For 94 workers, the geometric mean dermal exposure rate during cutting (measured on long-sleeved cotton glove monitors) was 10.1 mg/hr (active ingredient per unit of actual working time) and during sorting/bundling of these flowers by 35 workers the dermal exposure rate was 7.3 mg/hr. The average concentration in air as measured by personal air sampling during cutting after a pesticide had been dusted was 0.07 mg/m3. For the same area, spraying a pesticide exposed the applicator to a dermal exposure seven times higher than dusting. However, during dusting respiratory exposure was higher. Generally, overall exposure is higher during re-entry activities than during application. From the observed levels of dermal exposure during harvesting (re-entry) and from toxicity data, health risk occurs after application of pesticides that are relatively toxic and show relatively good skin-penetrating properties at relatively high application rates. The respiratory exposure to dusted pesticides after re-entry is about as high as during application of these pesticides and may in some situations also result in health risks. Training and education of greenhouse workers on (personal) hygiene and use of protective gloves are advocated in order to reduce exposure.