Antimicrobial activity of essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea sintenisii Hub. Mor. (Asteraceae)

The essential oil, obtained by Clevenger distillation, and water-soluble and water-insoluble parts of the methanol extracts of Achillea sintenisii Hub. Mor. were individually assayed for their antimicrobial activities against 12 bacteria and two yeasts, Candida albicans and C. krusei. No activity was exhibited by the water-soluble subfraction, whereas both the water-insoluble subfraction of the methanol extracts and the essential oil were found to be active against some test microorganisms studied. Since the essential oil possessed stronger activity than the other extracts tested, it was further fractionated and the fractions were evaluated for their antimicrobial activity, followed by GC-MS analysis, resulting in the identification of 32 compounds which constituted 90.2% of the total oil. The GC-MS analysis of the oil and its fractions revealed that the main components of the oil, e.g. camphor and eucalyptol, possessed appreciable activity against C. albicans and Clostridium perfringens. The fi ndings presented here also suggest that the other constituents of the oil, e.g. borneol and piperitone can also be taken into account for the activity observed.     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae)

The in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the essential oil and methanol extracts of Achillea millefolium subsp. millefolium Afan. (Asteraceae) were investigated. GC-MS analysis of the essential oil resulted in the identification of 36 compounds constituting 90.8% of the total oil. Eucalyptol, camphor, alpha-terpineol, beta-pinene, and borneol were the principal components comprising 60.7% of the oil. The oil strongly reduced the diphenylpicrylhydrazyl radical (IC(50)=1.56 micro g/ml) and exhibited hydroxyl radical scavenging effect in the Fe(3+)-EDTA-H(2)O(2) deoxyribose system (IC(50)=2.7 micro g/ml). It also inhibited the nonenzymatic lipid peroxidation of rat liver homogenate (IC(50)=13.5 micro g/ml). The polar phase of the extract showed antioxidant activity. The oil showed antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, Clostridium perfringens, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Acinetobacter lwoffii and Candida krusei while water-insoluble parts of the methanolic extracts exhibited slight or no activity. This study confirms that the essential oil of Achillea millefolium possesses antioxidant and antimicrobial properties in vitro.     

Rituximab in combination with vinorelbine/gemcitabine chemotherapy in patients with primary refractory or early relapsed T cell rich B cell lymphoma. A pilot study

Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to the CD20 antigen expressed in most B cell lymphomas. As single agent or in combination with chemotherapy rituximab has shown significant activity in patients with relapsing or refractory aggressive lymphomas. Because T cell rich B cell lymphomas (TCRBCL) also express the CD20 antigen, we decided to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab combined with chemotherapy in four patients with either primary refractory or early relapsed TCRBCL. The chemotherapy regiment consisted of vinorelbin and gemcitabine, a combination with known efficacy in patients with refractory aggressive lymphomas. The patients received 6 cycles of rituximab at the dose of 375 mg/m², combined with vinorelbine 25 mg/m² and gemcitabine 800 mg/m² at 3-week intervals. Three complete responses and one partial response were observed among our four patients with refractory or early relapsed TCRBCL without significant adverse effects, indicating considerable efficacy of this combination. Therefore, rituximab should be tested in combination with chemotherapy in the front line treatment of patients with TCRBCL.     

The sero-epidemiology of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8) in adults with cancer in Uganda

The association between the prevalence of antibodies against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or human herpesvirus 8 [HHV-8]) and sociodemographic, sexual, reproductive and lifestyle factors was investigated in a study of adults presenting with cancer at hospitals in Kampala, Uganda. Patients were interviewed and tested for antibodies against KSHV (using an indirect immunofluorescent assay). Data are presented for 607 patients who were not infected with the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) and who did not have Kaposi's sarcoma (these included people with cancers of the uterine cervix [140], breast [58], liver [41], oesophagus [36], lymphoma [47], other cancers [285] and benign tumours [63]). The prevalence of anti-KSHV antibodies was 50% overall (302/607) and did not differ significantly by cancer site (p = 0.4) or sex (p = 0.2), but increased linearly with age from 35% in those under 25 years to 55% in those 45 years and over (chi(2) trend [1 df] = 9.1; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, anti-KSHV antibodies were more common in tribal groups other than the Baganda tribe (54% vs. 45% among Baganda; p = 0.02), but there was no significant (p > 0.05) variation in seroprevalence by district of birth, region of residence prior to becoming ill or various measures of wealth. The prevalence of anti-KSHV antibodies decreased with increasing number of older siblings, although this may be due to chance (p = 0.05) and was higher among people who had ever been married (p = 0.03). There was no significant association (p > 0.05) between the presence of antibodies against KSHV and other sexual and reproductive factors. Among the 302 patients with anti-KSHV antibodies, the proportion with high titres increased linearly with increasing age (p = 0.03) and was higher among those reporting having had a blood transfusion (p = 0.03). In conclusion, in this population in Uganda, where KSHV is relatively common, the prevalence of anti-KSHV antibodies increased with age but showed little association with nearly 50 other factors studied.     

Risk factors for Kaposi's sarcoma: a case-control study of HIV-seronegative people in Uganda

As part of a larger investigation of cancer in Uganda, we conducted a case-control study of Kaposi's sarcoma in human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV)-seronegative adults presenting at hospitals in Kampala. Cases comprised 117 HIV-seronegative patients with Kaposi's sarcoma and controls comprised 1,282 HIV-seronegative patients with a provisional diagnosis of cancer other than Kaposi's sarcoma. Study participants were interviewed about social and lifestyle factors, tested for HIV and, if there was sufficient sera, for antibodies against Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or human herpesvirus 8 [HHV8]), using an immunofluorescent assay. Independent effects of these factors were identified using unconditional logistic regression, after adjusting for age group (<30, 30-44, 45+) and sex. Antibody status for KSHV was available for 68% (80) of cases and for 45% (607) of controls. Among cases, 78% (91) were male and 57% (66) were over the age of 35. Cases were more likely than controls to be from tribal groups other than the Baganda (p = 0.05), to have higher household incomes (p = 0.003), to have left their home region at younger ages (p < 0.001), to own goats or pigs (p = 0.02) and to rarely or never use shoes (p < 0.001). Similar results were obtained when analyses were restricted to cases and controls with anti-KSHV antibodies. The seroprevalence of KSHV was 79% (63/80) in those with Kaposi's sarcoma as compared to 50% (302/607) in those without (chi(2) heterogeneity (1 df) = 21.0; p < 0.001) and the risk of the tumour increased with increasing anti-KSHV antibody titres (chi(2) trend (1 df) = 29.7; p < 0.001). The risk of Kaposi's sarcoma is clearly linked to antibody status for KSHV, but it would seem that in Uganda other factors are also important in the development of the tumour.     

Novel thiazolyl,thiazolinyl and benzothiazolyl Schiff bases as possible lipoxygenase's inhibitors and anti-inflammatory agents

In continuation of our previous research, several new thiazolyl/thiazolinyl/benzothiazolyl Schiff bases have been designed, synthesized and identified. The referred compounds are reported to act as lipoxygenase inhibitors affecting inflammation and/or psoriasis. The compounds were screened for their reducing activity (with the stable free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl, DPPH) and for inhibition of soybean lipoxygenase (LOX). Anti-inflammatory activity was examined in vivo using the carrageenin induced mice paw edema (32.6-75%). The results are discussed in terms of structural and physicochemical characteristics of the compounds. Compound 2d possessed the highest inhibition 75%.     

Seroepidemiology and molecular epidemiology of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus among Jewish population groups in Israel

BACKGROUND: The incidence of classic Kaposi's sarcoma among Jews in Israel is among the highest in the developed world. Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV or human herpesvirus 8) is causally linked to Kaposi's sarcoma. Very little is known about the prevalence of KSHV in the Middle East or about the modes of transmission in Mediterranean countries. METHODS: From 1992 through 1995, sera were obtained from 1648 adults who had tested positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen 20 years earlier at blood donations; sera were also obtained from 2403 of their family members. All sera were tested for anti-KSHV antibodies with the use of an indirect immunofluorescence assay. To analyze the effects of various factors on the risk of KSHV infection for both the HBV-positive cohort and their families, logistic regression for cluster data and generalized estimating equations were used. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Among family members, the seroprevalence of antibodies against KSHV was 9.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.7% to 11.1%); among the former blood donors who had tested positive for hepatitis B, it was 22% (95% CI = 19.9% to 24.1%). Overall, the best predictor of KSHV status was the place of birth. The most important risk factors found for both husband and wife to test KSHV positive were their own places of birth and their spouse's seropositivity. For a child to test positive, the most important risk factor was maternal seropositivity. CONCLUSIONS: The crude prevalence rate of KSHV among the Jewish population in Israel is 9.9%. Important routes of KSHV transmission in the families studied are spouse to spouse and mother to child. The presence of KSHV in Jews in Israel of all ethnic origins and their high incidence of reported Kaposi's sarcoma suggest that KSHV was introduced into the Jewish population prior to the major Diaspora.     

Diaforodiagnostic dilemma of a breast tumor in a patient with known history of chest sarcoidosis: a diagnostic approach

Breast sarcoidosis is extremely rare, substantially less frequent than other extrapulmonary manifestations of sarcoidosis. It can mimic a benign or malignant tumor of the breast. We describe the case of a patient with a history of pulmonary sarcoidosis referred to our hospital for a screening mammography. Mammographic findings raised the suspicion for a breast mass. An additional breast ultrasound and fine -needle aspiration biopsy were performed. Finally, patient underwent a excisional biopsy of the left breast and the histopathological report revealed sarcoidosis.     

How trust affects performance of interprofessional health-care teams.

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional teamwork in health-care settings is considered a valuable means of enhancing patient management. Literature has highlighted the importance of trust in building effective health-care teams. The present study aimed to investigate and further understand the perceptions of health-care professionals regarding trust and performance within their working team, as well as to assess the association between them and team performance. “TRUST” questionnaire, a valid instrument for measuring the relationship of trust and team performance was distributed to the members of the perioperative teams located in two different hospitals (a University and a General Hospital) in Greece. Two multivariate linear regression models were developed to reveal the significant predictors of high performance per hospital. Among the major findings revealed were 1) trust and performance were closely related 2) slight yet significant variations were observed between the University and the General Hospital and 3) trust level, years of previous experience and number of team members were among the key predictors of effective team performance. This study conveys new knowledge on trust and performance within health-care settings with limited resources and is expected to guide future interventions aiming to enhance team performance.