Meroditerpenoids and derivatives from the brown alga Cystoseira baccata and their antifouling properties

The brown alga Cystoseira baccata harvested along the Atlantic coasts of Morocco yielded seven new meroditerpenoids (1-4) and derivatives (5-7), whose chemical structures were elucidated mainly by 2D NMR and mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, for all these compounds, which possess a bicyclo[4.3.0]nonane ring system, a trans fusion of the bicyclic system was deduced by stereochemical studies even though such compounds isolated from Cystoseira species are known to have a typical cis orientation for the bridgehead methyls. The antifouling and antibacterial activities of compounds 1-5 and 7 were evaluated, as well as their toxicity toward nontarget species. Compounds 4, 5, and 7 showed antifouling activities against growth of microalgae, macroalgal settlement, and mussel phenoloxidase activity, while being nontoxic to larvae of sea urchins and oysters.     

Planning of an interceptive movement in children

In the present study, we examined the spatio-temporal organization of the walking and reaching behaviour during an interception task in younger (6–9 years old) and older (10–13 years old) children. To this end, eighteen children had to walk towards an interception point to grasp a moving ball under three visual manipulation conditions. Walking and reaching behaviour were analysed during a condition allowing full vision of the ball trajectory and during two conditions in which vision towards the ball was partly occluded (enhanced planning requirement). The velocity of the ball was adapted to 50 or 70% of the maximum walking velocity of the participant. Results revealed that both younger and older children show a less accurate performance when the ball trajectory was occluded, while the walking profile and timing of the reach was not influenced by the occlusion manipulations. The findings seem to suggest that both groups were less accurate when the necessity of planning was enhanced.     

Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy is feasible and effective in ‘fit’ senior men with localized prostate cancer

Study Type – Therapy (case series)
Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of age and comorbidity on short‐term complications, long‐term continence and oncological outcome after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) for localized prostate cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 2048 consecutive men underwent LRP for localized prostate cancer in one institution. Comorbidity was assessed using the Charlson index. Short‐term postoperative complications, transfusion rate, duration of hospital stay, long‐term continence and oncological outcome were analysed by age and comorbidity classes. RESULTS Of the 2048 men, 297 were aged ≥70 years and 281 had a Charlson index of >0 (mainly diabetes 31%, chronic pulmonary disease 26%, prior other nonmetastatic cancer 16%, prior myocardial infarction 12%). Compared with younger men, senior men had significantly higher pathological stages and tumor grades. Of those 297 men aged ≥70 years, 90 (30.3%) developed biochemical relapse, none died from prostate cancer and five (1.7%) died from another cause over a median follow‐up of 5 years. The occurrence and severity of short‐term postoperative complications were more strongly related to comorbidity than chronological age. Multivariate analysis with stepwise regression confirmed that most important predictors of short‐term postoperative complications were a Charlson index of ≥2, prostate weight of >80 g, obesity and age of ≥70 years. Postoperative continence significantly declined with age (ranging from 87% in men aged <60 years to 67.5% in men aged ≥70 years). Predictors of long‐term incontinence were age of ≥70 years, obesity and need for perioperative transfusion. CONCLUSIONS LRP is feasible and effective in fit senior men (aged ≥70 years) with localized prostate cancer, including those at high risk of dying from it.     

Ivermectin, a broad spectrum antiparasitic drug

ACTIVITY: Ivermectine, derived from beta avermectines, monocyclic lactones produced by Streptomyces avermitilis, is a potent oral microfilaricide used by veterinaries since 1981. The anti-filarial activity is two-fold: both microfilaricide and embryotoxic in female adults; it has no activity on the latter. INDICATIONS: Ivermectine is the treatment of choice in onchocercosis, induced by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus, and was included in the onchocercosis control program (programme de contr?le de l'onchocercose (OCP) in 1987. Ivermectine has also demonstrated efficacy on other filaries (Wuchereria bancrofti, Loa loa), in intestinal nematodes (Ascaris lumbrico?des, Strongyloides stercoralis) and in parasite nematodes in man (larva migrans ankylosis). ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF RECENT STUDIES: Its activity has been recently extended to ectoparasitosis: sarcoptes and pediculosis of the scalp.     

Field evaluation of three plant-based insect repellents against malaria vectors in Vaca Diez Province,the Bolivian Amazon

The efficacy of repellents against Anopheles darlingi, the main malaria vector in Bolivia, was evaluated. This mosquito has a peak in biting activity early in the evening. Three natural repellents (1 eucalyptus based, 1 neem based, and 1 containing several repellent essential oils) were tested in comparison with 15% deet in human landing catches in Bolivia. The eucalyptus-based repellent containing 30% p-menthane-diol applied at a dose similar to those used in practice gave 96.89% protection for 4 h. Deet gave 84.81% protection. The other 2 products did not provide significant protection from mosquito bites.     

The incubation period of kuru

BACKGROUND: Kuru is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that was identified in Papua New Guinea in the late 1950s. Several thousand cases of the disease occurred during a period of several decades. Epidemiologic investigations implicated ritual endocannibalistic funeral feasts as the likely route through which the infectious agent was spread. METHODS: We estimated the incubation period distribution of kuru using a back-calculation model and explored the relation among sex, age at infection, and incubation period. Key assumptions in the model were that the number of new kuru infections in a year was proportional to the number of kuru cases dying that year, and that the epidemic arose from a single case of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease occurring around 1900. RESULTS: The mean incubation period of kuru was estimated at between 10.3 and 13.2 years. Point estimates of the 90th percentile ranged from 21.1 to 27.0 years. The incubation period in females was estimated to be shorter than that in males. The shortest incubation periods were estimated in adult women, who may have been exposed to the largest doses of infectious material. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the relatively young age of cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease probably reflects increased levels of exposure in young people, rather than age-dependency in the incubation period.     

Polymorphism of the codon 129 of the prion protein (PrP) gene and neuropathology of cerebral ageing

We studied whether codon 129 polymorphism of the PrP gene modulates the presence of tau- and Abeta-associated lesions among 188 patients over 70 years of age without evidence of dementia. Val allele carriers, either heterozygotes or homozygotes, were more frequently affected by Abeta-associated lesions than non Val allele carriers, whereas there were no differences for tau-positive neurones. Val allele carriers also had more focal and diffuse Abeta deposits. This association was most significant in the highest Braak's stages for neurofibrillary tangles (>/=III). In this group, cases with at least one Val allele had nearly twice as many Abeta-associated lesions. The most affected areas were the entorhinal cortex, TF-TH and the superior temporal cortex, where odds ratios for focal Abeta deposits ranged from 3.5 to 4.6.