Topical antiinflammatory activity of an innovative aqueous formulation of actichelated propolis vs two commercial propolis formulations

A novel aqueous commercial formulation of a new hydrophilic propolis product (Actichelated((R)) Propolis, contained in 'LeniGola PropolEffect Spray Senza Alcohol'; Pharbenia, Milan, Italy) was evaluated for its topical antiinflammatory activity in comparison with a hydroglyceric propolis spray solution ('Propoli LeniGola Spray Senza Alcool'; Pharbenia, Milan, Italy) and a hydroalcohol preparation ('Propoli LeniGola Spray Forte'; Pharbenia, Milan, Italy). Actichelated propolis (Actimex, Trieste, Italy) is a multicomposite material obtained with a patented technology, mechano-chemical activation, which application led to a new hydrosoluble form of propolis. Each propolis preparation provoked a dose-dependent inhibition of the croton oil-induced ear oedema in mice. Considering the administered doses of flavonoids, 'LeniGola PropolEffect Spray Senza Alcool' (ID(50) = 13.6 microL/cm(2), corresponding to 13.6 microg flavonoids/cm(2)) is slightly more active than the hydroglyceric formulation 'Propoli LeniGola Spray' (ID(50) = 13.7 microL/cm(2), corresponding to 20.6 microg flavonoids/cm(2)) and six times more active than the hydroalcohol preparation 'Propoli LeniGola Spray Forte' (ID(50) = 5.5 microL/cm(2), corresponding to 82.5 microg flavonoids/cm(2)). As a reference, 15 microL/cm(2) of the commercial sprays Tantum Verde and Froben, containing 37.5 or 45 microg of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs benzidamine hydrochloride or flurbiprofen, induced 18% and 35% oedema inhibition, respectively.     

Self-stigma in women with borderline personality disorder and women with social phobia

Little is known about how women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and women with social phobia react to mental illness stigma. The goal of this study was to assess empirically self-stigma and its correlates in these groups. Self-stigma and related constructs were measured by self-report questionnaires among 60 women with BPD and 30 women with social phobia. Self-stigma was inversely related to self-esteem, self-efficacy, and quality of life and predicted low self-esteem after controlling for depression and shame-proneness. Stereotype awareness was not significantly correlated with self-esteem or quality of life. While there was no difference in stereotype awareness between women with BPD and women with social phobia, women with BPD showed higher self-stigma than women with social phobia. Self-stigma is associated with low self-esteem and other indices of poor psychological well-being. In comparison to women with social phobia, women with BPD suffer from more self-stigma. This may reflect intense labeling processes as being mentally ill due to repeated hospitalizations, frequent interpersonal difficulties, and visible scars.     

‘I was cracking more than everyone else’: young adults' daily life experiences of hypermobility and jaw disorders

Most studies on general joint hypermobility (GJH) and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) are quantitative and have concluded that joint hypermobility is a risk factor for development of TMD. The present qualitative study aimed to explore young adults' daily life experiences of GJH, specifically these relating to jaw function, and their experiences of medical and dental care providers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine young adults (18–22 yr of age) and data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The overarching thematic category that emerged was ‘Hypermobility in daily life’, which was broken into six subthemes and three themes: ‘emotional perception’, ‘dealing with symptoms’, and ‘outside influences’. Participants' narratives centred on experiences of complex symptoms, awkward jaw function and joint noises, feeling different, and a lack of support from general medical and dental care providers. The findings show that young adults with joint hypermobility need early support from medical and dental care providers for managing their symptoms and conditions related to GJH. Future studies are warranted to develop guidelines for professionals in medical and dental care to detect and prevent forthcoming problems and to offer relevant support to hypermobile youths.     

Children with tethered cord syndrome of different etiology benefit from microsurgery��a single institution experience

Purpose  

The term “tethered cord syndrome” (TCS) illustrates, according to the literature, both a separate diagnosis, as well as a combination of symptoms in the context of dysraphic conditions. The common denominator is the increased tension and abnormal stretching of the spinal cord, caused by tissue attachments that limit its movement in the spinal canal. In light of the fact that no real data exists regarding the management of these patients, the purpose of this single institutional study is to underscore management strategies and discuss the results, pitfalls, and the treatment of pediatric patients with tethered cord syndrome.     

In vitro penetration and subchronic toxicity of alpha-methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-propionaldehyde.

alpha-Methyl-1,3-benzodioxole-5-propionaldehyde (methyl-3,4-methylene-dioxy-hydrocinnamic Aldehyde, MMDHCA) is a widely used commercially available fragrance material. Because of the wide range of product availability, there is dermal exposure associated with its use. The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro human skin absorption of (14)C MMDHCA and subchronic toxicity of the material. Twenty mL of a 1% solution of radiolabeled MMDHCA in ethanol was applied to the surface of epidermal membranes isolated from full thickness human skin samples and placed in diffusion cells. Samples of the receptor fluid (50% ethanol/water) were harvested at 2, 8, 24, and 48 h and analyzed by liquid scintillation chromatography to assess dermal absorption. At 24 and 48 h, respectively, 42% and 50% of the applied dose of MMDHCA had permeated the human skin in vitro. Only 67% of the applied dose was recovered by 48 h. For the subchronic toxicity, MMDHCA was applied dermally once daily to male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (15/sex/group) at 50, 150, or 300 mg/kg/day (0.043, 0.129, or 0.259 mL/kg/day applied neat to 5 cm(2) dorsal skin) for at least 90 consecutive days. A control group (15/sex) was given vehicle (reverse osmosis water) at 0.259 mL/kg/day for a similar duration. Rats were necropsied at the end of treatment (10/sex/group) or following a 4-week recovery period (5/sex/group). The following parameters were evaluated: dermal irritation, estrous cycle, ophthalmologic examinations, body weight, feed consumption, hematology, blood coagulation, serum chemistry, organ weights, macroscopic and histopathologic examinations, and male reproductive assessment. No test article-related mortalities or effects on, estrous cycles, ophthalmic exams, mean body weights, mean body weight change, feed consumption, absolute or relative organ weights, macroscopic observations, or male reproductive morphology/function were observed. MMDHCA-related dermal irritation was observed across all dose levels with increased incidence and severity at 300 mg/kg/day. Dermal irritation that initially ranged from slight to marked improved to slight or resolved completely during the recovery phase. Based on the findings in this study, it can be concluded that (1) MMDHCA exhibits moderately high human skin permeation; (2) the NOEL for dermal irritation is below 50mg/kg/day when applied undiluted to 5 cm(2) dorsal skin and (3) the NOEL for systemic toxicity is greater than 300 mg/kg/day. During the 4-week recovery period of the 90-day study, the animals had largely recovered from MMDHCA induced dermal irritation and the associated microscopic findings.     

Efficacy and renal toxicity of one daily dose of amikacin versus conventional dosage regime

This study assessed the efficacy and renal toxicity of one daily dose of amikacin versus several doses in infected full-term newborns. A clinical trial was conducted with 120 patients who were divided into two groups: group A (n = 60), infants who received amikacin 20 mg/kg/d in one dose; and group B (n = 60), infants who received amikacin 10 mg/kg/d every 12 hours. Both groups also received ampicillin 100 mg/kg/day. Blood levels of amikacin, urinary beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)-m), serum creatinine (SCr), and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured in each patient. No significant difference was found in demographic characteristics as well as in their beta(2)-m, SCr, and GFR levels. Infection was resolved in 96% for infants of group A and 91% for group B ( P = 0.254). Renal toxicity was present in 20 versus 31.6%, respectively ( P = 0.211). In both groups no significant difference was found in peak amikacin levels, whereas trough levels were higher for group B ( P = 0.004). No significant difference was found in efficacy or renal toxicity in either group. We recommend using amikacin in one daily dose. It could diminish the manipulation of intravenous access, reducing the risk of nosocomial infections.     

Oral administration of yessotoxin stabilizes E-cadherin in mouse colon

YTX has been shown to disrupt the E-cadherin-catenin system in cultured epithelial cells, raising some concern that ingestion of seafood contaminated by YTX might favour tumour spreading and metastasis formation in vivo. In order to probe whether YTX might affect cadherin systems in vivo, we have set up a study involving repeated oral dosing of the toxin in mice (1mg/kg/day, for 7 days) and analysis of E-cadherin and N-cadherin in tissue extracts obtained at the end of the dosing scheme, as well as 1 and 3 months after YTX administration. We found that the E-cadherin pools obtained from lung and kidney were not altered by YTX in any of our experimental conditions. Extracts from mouse colon contained intact E-cadherin and an E-cadherin fragment of about 90 kDa (ECRA(90)), displaying a molecular alteration resembling that caused by YTX in cultured cells. We found that the relative proportion of ECRA(90), as compared to intact E-cadherin, was higher in colon extracts from control mice than from YTX-treated animals, indicating that oral administration of YTX to mice stabilizes E-cadherin of mouse colon. No significant difference could be detected in samples prepared from colons obtained 30 or 90 days after termination of YTX treatment. Oral administration of YTX to mice did not lead to a significant increase in the fragments of E-cadherin detectable in serum, neither it altered the N-cadherin pool of mouse heart. Electron microscopy analysis showed no substantial ultrastructural differences between controls and YTX-treated mice. Our findings show that ingestion of food contaminated by YTX poses a low risk of disruption of the E-cadherin system in vivo.     

Accidents with exposure to biological material contaminated with HIV in workers at a third level hospital in Madrid

BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an occupational hazard among healthcare professionals accidentally contaminated with HIV-positive blood. This study is aimed at describing the characteristics of the accidents involving blood of HIV-positive patients recorded over a sixteen-year period at a general hospital. METHODS: Epidemiological study of the accidents reported in 2001 involving biological material from an HIV-positive source by the healthcare personnel of a general hospital throughout the 1986-2001 period entailing the presence of biological material from HIV-positive serology individuals. Individual, time and place-related variables, in addition to the initial serologies and those throughout the protocolized follow-up were studied for those individuals involved in these accidents. RESULTS: A total 550 accidents entailing an HIV-positive source were reported. The average number of accidents was 34.4/year. The accidental exposure rate for the period under study was 7.5/1000 workers/year. The professional group showing the highest accident rate was the nursing staff (54.4%). Percutaneous injuries were the most frequent (80.2%). The mean exposure rate was 2.6/100 beds/year. The anatomical areas involved to the greatest degree were the fingers (75.6%). A total 53.4% of those injured completed the serological follow-up without having shown any seroconversion. CONCLUSIONS: Throughout the sixteen-year period under study, the annual incidence of accidents involving an HIV-positive source increased from the 27 accidents reported in 1986 to the 60 accidents reported in 1990, there having been a downward trend as of that point in time, to the point of 12 accidents having been recorded in 2001.     

Analysis of mammalian septin expression in human malignant brain tumors

Septins are a highly conserved subfamily of GTPases that play an important role in the process of cytokinesis. To increase our understanding of the expression and localization of the different mammalian septins in human brain tumors, we used antibodies against septins 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 11 in immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses of astrocytomas and medulloblastomas. We then characterized the expression and subcellular distribution of the SEPT2 protein in aphidicolin-synchronized U373 MG astrocytoma cells by immunofluorescence and fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. To determine the role of SEPT2 in astrocytoma cytokinesis, we inducibly expressed a dominant-negative (DN) SEPT2 mutant in U373 MG astrocytoma cells. We show variable levels and expression patterns of the different septins in brain tissue, brain tumor specimens, and human brain tumor cell lines. SEPT2 was abundantly expressed in all brain tumor samples and cell lines studied. SEPT3 was expressed in medulloblastoma specimens and cell lines, but not in astrocytoma specimens or cell lines. SEPT2 expression was cell cycle-related, with maximal levels in G2-M. Immunocytochemical analysis showed endogenous levels of the different septins within the perinuclear and peripheral cytoplasmic regions. In mitosis, SEPT2 was concentrated at the cleavage furrow. By immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry, we show that a DN SEPT2 mutant inhibits the completion of cell division and results in the accumulation of multinucleated cells. These results suggest that septins are variably expressed in human brain tumors. Stable expression of the DN SEPT2 mutant leads to a G2-M cell cycle block in astrocytoma cells.