AE Treatment Research Articles

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Allergic Effects of Adenophora triphylla var. japonica Extract

Asthma is an increasing global health problem, and novel strategies to prevent or ameliorate the condition are needed. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and anti-asthma effects of Adenophora triphylla var. japonica extracts. We investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of 80% ethanol extracts (AE) of A. triphylla on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. AE treatment inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-6 as well as nitric oxide (NO) production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. In particular, NO and pro-inflammatory cytokine production was suppressed more effectively by aerial parts (AE-A) than roots (AE-R) of A. triphylla. Quantitative RTPCR assay showed that AE reduced mRNA levels of iNOS and COX-2. We also evaluated the anti-asthmatic effects of AE-A in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced BALB/c mouse model. AE-A supplementation significantly reduced the amounts of airway eosinophils, IL-4 and IL-13 levels in BALF, and IgE levels in serum as compared with untreated, OVA-induced mice. These results suggest that AE-A can be considered as a therapeutic agent to potentially relieve asthma.

Can early skin care normalise dry skin and possibly prevent atopic eczema? A pilot study in young infants

BackgroundAtopic eczema (AE) affects approximately 20% of children in Northern countries. Onset during early infancy is common and is characterised by altered skin barrier, increased water loss and defective lipid layer. Restoration of skin barrier by emollients and/or oil baths is an important part of AE treatment, but its role in preventing xerosis and AE is unknown.The present pilot study aimed to assess if xerosis, and possibly AE, could be reduced at six months of age by early introduction of frequent oil baths/facial fat cream in infants with dry skin. MethodsA controlled intervention pilot study included 56 six-week-old infants with xerosis, but not AE. Skin quality score ranging from 0 (normal skin) to 4 (probable AE), was assessed at inclusion, three and six months of age, with skin quality at six months as main outcome. One well baby clinic was recruited for intervention, frequent skin care (oil bath (0.5dl) and facial fat cream, five well baby clinics recruited for observation only. ResultsThe intervention group (n=24) had more often normal skin (75%) at six months than the observation group (37.5%) (p<0.001), and less often probable AE (4.0 vs. 19.0%, respectively, ns). Oil baths were performed regularly, 2–4 up to 5–7 times/week in the intervention group, vs. fewer oil baths with sparse volume of oil in the observation group. No adverse reactions were reported. ConclusionRegular oil baths in infants seem to reduce xerosis and may possibly reduce atopic eczema.

Acanthopanax divaricatus var. chiisanensis reduces blood pressure via the endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway in the spontaneously hypertensive rat model

In this study, we investigated the antihypertensive effects of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. chiisanensis extract (AE) and its active compound, acanthoside D (AD), on arterial blood pressure (BP) in vivo and endothelial function in vitro. We hypothesized that AE has antihypertensive effects, which is attributed to enhancement of endothelial function via the improvement of nitric oxide synthesis or the angiotensin II (Ang II) response. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) were randomly divided into 7 groups and then fed the following diets for 14 weeks: WKY fed a normal diet (WN); SHR fed a normal diet (SN); SHR fed a high-cholesterol (HC) diet (SH); SHR fed a HC diet with AE of 150, 300, 600 mg/kg body weight (SH-L, SH-M, SH-H); and SHR fed an HC diet with AD of 600 μg/kg body weight (SH-D). Blood pressure was significantly reduced in the SH-H compared with the SH from week 10 until week 14; BP was also significantly decreased in the SHR fed a HC diet with AE of 300 at week 14. Aortic wall thickness showed a tendency to decrease by AE and AD treatment. The SH-H showed increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression in the intima and media, compared with the SH. Furthermore, a significant increase in intracellular nitric oxide production was induced by AE and AD treatment in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. A significant increase of phospho-eNOS was found with a high dose of AE in human umbilical vein endothelial cells but not with AD. These results suggest that AE can regulate BP and improve endothelial function via eNOS-dependent vasodilation.

Invasive Process and Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys of the Mosquito Aedes japonicus japonicus Establishment in Belgium

When accidentally introduced in a new location, a species does not necessarily readily become invasive, but it usually needs several years to adapt to its new environment. In 2009, a national mosquito survey (MODIRISK) reported the introduction and possible establishment of an invasive mosquito species, Aedes j. japonicus, in Belgium. First collected in 2002 in the village of Natoye from a second-hand tire company, then sampled in 2003 and 2004, the presence of adults and larvae was confirmed in 2007 and 2008. A repeated cross-sectional survey of Ae. j. japonicus was then conducted in 2009 in Natoye to study the phenology of the species on two different sites using three kinds of traps: Mosquito Magnet Liberty Plus traps, BG sentinel traps and CDC Gravid traps. An analysis of the blood meals was done on females to assess the epidemiological risks. Five species of mosquitos were caught using the different kind of traps: Culex pipiens, Cx torrentium, Anopheles claviger, Aedes geniculatus and Ae. j. japonicus, Cx pipiens being the most abundant. The CDC gravid traps gave the best results. Surprisingly Ae. j. japonicus was only found on one site although both sites seem similar and are only distant of 2.5 km. Its population peak was reached in July. Most of the engorged mosquitoes tested acquired blood meals from humans (60%). No avian blood meals were unambiguously identified. Larvae were also collected, mostly from tires but also from buckets and from one tree hole. Only one larva was found in a puddle at 100 m of the tire storage. A first local treatment of Ae. j. japonicus larvae population was done in May 2012 using Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) and was followed by preventive actions and public information. A monitoring is also presently implemented.

Aqueous extract of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. chiisanensis ameliorates blood pressure through a nitric oxide‐dependent mechanism: in vivo and in vitro studies (681.10)

High blood pressure is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Many emerging evidence indicate that an array of plants might have a potential to regulate blood pressure by various mechanisms. In this study, we investigated the antihypertensive effects of Acanthopanax divaricatus var. chiisanensis (AE) and its active compound, Acanthoside‐D (AD), and also their underlying mechanisms on vascular actions in vivo and in vitro. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (n=10/group) were fed high‐cholesterol diet with AE or AD by gavage for 14 weeks, and their blood pressure was recorded weekly. Blood pressure was significantly reduced in the AE group compared to the control group. Consistent with this, we observed a significant reduction in arterial wall thickness by H&amp;E staining and an activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase by immuno‐fluorescence staining in the AE group. The findings in vivo were confirmed by increase of nitric oxide production and activation of PI3‐kinase‐Akt‐eNOS pathway in human umbilical vein endothelial cells after AE treatment. Taken together, the results provide a basis for the use of AE in regulating blood pressure by enhancing endothelial function in a nitric oxide‐dependent mechanism.Grant Funding Source: Supported by MAF/FST Projects (S111111L010000) and MEST/Brain Korea 21 PLUS (22A20130012143).

Autophagy of osteosarcoma MG63 cells induced by aloe emodin-mediated photodynamic therapy

Objective To investigate the autophagy of osteosarcoma MG63 cells induced by aloe emodin-mediated photodynamic therapy,and to discuss the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis.Methods The cultured MG63 cells were divided into 4groups:empty control group,AE group,LED group,and AE-PDT group.MG63 cells in AE-PDT group were treated with aloe emodin combined with photodynamic therapy.The cell viability was measured by CCK-8,the DCFH-DA probe was used to detect cell ROS level,the autophagosomes were examined by MDC staining and electron microscope,the apoptosis of MG63 cells was detected by flow cytometry,and the autophagy-related protein(LC3and Beclin-1)expressions were assessed by Western blotting analysis.Results Photosensitizer aloe emodin-mediated PDT significantly suppressed cell viability in a photosensitizer concentration-and energy density-dependent manner.The ROS level and autophagosomes were significantly increased in the AE-PDT group,with classical autophagosomes found under the electron microscope.AE-PDT induced autophagy and apoptosis of MG63 cells.The apoptosis rate was significantly increased when autophagy was inhibited by3-MA(P0.05).The results of Western blotting analysis showed that ratios of LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ and Beclin-1/β-actin in AEPDT group were higher than those in the single AE treatment group,single light irradiation group,and the empty control group.Conclusion AE-PDT can induce autophagy in the MG63 cells.At the early stage of AE-PDT treatment,autophagy can postpone apoptosis and hence exert a protective effect.

Extração de antinutrientes e aumento da qualidade nutricional dos farelos de girassol, canola e soja para alimentação de peixes

Neste trabalho, avaliaram-se as concentrações de ácido fítico, fenóis totais e taninos totais em farelos de canola, girassol e soja, submetidos a diferentes tratamentos químicos, destinados para alimentação de peixes. Os tratamentos foram: A: água acidificada; EMA: etanol P.A. + metanol P.A. + água, na proporção 45:45:10; ET: etanol P.A. acidificado; ETA: etanol P.A. + água acidificada na proporção 70:30; AE: água acidificada e Etanol P.A. utilizados separadamente. No farelo de canola, os tratamentos EMA, ET e ETA aumentaram a concentração de ácido fítico. Os tratamentos AE e ETA foram mais eficientes na remoção de fenóis totais. O teor de taninos foi reduzido em todos os tratamentos, com destaque para ET, ETA e AE. Para o farelo de girassol, os teores de ácido fítico foram reduzidos com os tratamentos A e AE. O tratamento AE removeu a maior quantidade de fenóis totais e taninos totais. Para o farelo de soja, o tratamento A foi o único a reduzir o teor de ácido fítico. O tratamento AE foi mais eficiente na remoção de fenóis totais e taninos totais para esse farelo. O tratamento AE representa a melhor alternativa para extração desses antinutrientes para os farelos de canola, girassol e soja.

Acanthopanax koreanum Nakaimodulates the immune response by inhibiting TLR 4-dependent cytokine production in rat model of endotoxic shock

The hepatoprotective activity of Acanthopanax koreanum Nakai extract (AE) was investigated against D-Galactosamine/Lipopolysaccharide (D-GalN/LPS)-induced liver failure rats compared with that of acanthoic acid (AA) isolated from AE. Although D-GalN/LPS (250 mg/kg body weight/10 µg/kg body weight, i.p.) induced hepatic damage, pretreatments with AE (1 and 3% AE/g day) and AA (0.037% AA, equivalent to 3% AE/g day) alleviated the hepatic damage. This effect was the result of a significant decrease in the activity of alanine transaminase. Concomitantly, both the nitric oxide and IL-6 levels in the plasma were significantly decreased by high-dose AE (AE3) treatment compared to the GalN/LPS control (AE0). This response resulted from the regulation of pro-inflammatory signaling via a decrease in TLR4 and CD14 mRNA levels in the liver. While a high degree of necrosis and hemorrhage were observed in the AE0, pretreatment with AE3 and AA reduced the extent of hepatocyte degeneration, necrosis, hemorrhage and inflammatory cell infiltrates compared to the AE0. In conclusion, these results suggest that especially high-dose AE are capable of alleviating D-GalN/LPS-induced hepatic injury by decreasing hepatic toxicity, thereby mitigating the TLR 4-dependent cytokine release. The anti-inflammatory effect of AE could be contributing to that of AA and AE is better than AA.

Anticipation of a food ball increases short-term activity levels in growing pigs

Analogous to the way in which repeated episodes of stress can lead to a negative emotional state, it is possible that repeated positive emotions could lead to a positive emotional state. Positive emotions can be induced by providing enrichment or by successfully coping with cognitive challenges. The aim of this study was to determine whether limited access to a ball filled with corn is a suitable enrichment for growing pigs and whether they learn to anticipate the enrichment after an acoustic signal. Seventy-two growing pigs were assigned to groups of three and three different treatments: anticipated enrichment (aE), enrichment-only (Eo), and control (C). In the aE and the Eo groups, the ball was presented 10 times per week at different times of day for 10min each during the fattening period. In the aE treatment, the ball was presented 30s after a pen-specific tone sequence was played. In the Eo treatment, pen-specific tone sequences were played also, but the ball was provided without temporal link to these tone sequences. Pigs in the C treatment could hear the tone sequences and see other pigs interacting with the ball, but neither had a pen-specific tone sequence nor ever received the ball. In general, neither activity nor social behaviour was affected by treatment. Pigs in the aE treatment, however, exhibited increased activity during the anticipatory period. In contrast, pigs in the other treatments exhibited no increased activity after hearing tone sequences. Pigs in aE and Eo treatment spent an average of 5min interacting with the ball (1min) or corn (4min). Trial number did not significantly affect the duration of interacting with the ball or number of agonistic interactions while the ball was present in the pen. We conclude that this short-time enrichment, especially when delivered following a period of anticipation, is steadily attractive for growing pigs. The cognitive aspect of the enrichment used in this study may be an additional possibility to improve animal welfare in combination with conventional enrichment strategies.

Protective effect of the fruits of Terminalia arjuna against cadmium-induced oxidant stress and hepatic cell injury via MAPK activation and mitochondria dependent pathway

Cadmium (Cd), a highly toxic environmental pollutant, induces hepatic disorders. The present study has been undertaken to investigate the protective role of the fruit extract of Terminalia arjuna (AE) against Cd-induced oxidative liver impairment using a murine model. Cadmium reduced hepatocytes viability, activated MAPKs, disturbed Bcl-2 family protein balance, increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and induced apoptotic cell death by mitochondria dependent caspases-3 activation. AE treatment, however, suppressed all the apoptotic actions of cadmium. Similarly, mice treated with cadmium altered a number biomarkers related to hepatic oxidative stress and other apoptotic indices. Oral administration of AE both pre and post prevented all the Cd-induced hepatic damages. Results suggest that Cd-induced hepatic dysfunction and apoptosis might be triggered by the ROS formation and mediated via the activation of MAPK family proteins. AE treatment however, reduced Cd-induced oxidative stress, attenuated the changes in MAPK families and mitochondrion-dependent apoptotic signaling pathways.

Antitumor Activity of the Aqueous Extract from Sedum sarmentosum Bunge In Vitro

Sedum sarmentosum Bunge, a Chinese herb, is mainly used for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis in China, The aim of this work was to examine the cytotoxic activity of S. sarmentosum (aqueous extract, AE) against a human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) in culture. Cell-proliferation ability was determined by the MTT method. Cell-cycle changes and earlier period apoptotic rate of HepG2 cells were detected by flow cytometry. Apoptosis of cultured HepG2 cells induced by AE were observed with a classic laddering pattern on agarose gel electrophoresis. The mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were determined by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. The protein expressions of Bcl-2, VEGF, and p-STAT3 were valued by immunocytochemistry. The application of AE to the HepG2 cell culture caused a significant, dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth. It was found that the AE treatment induced apoptosis of the cancer cells, although no changes were found after AE treatment for 48 hours in the HepG2 cell cycle. The mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 and VEGF and the protein level of p-STAT3 were significantly decreased after the AE treatment for 48 hours. This study suggests that AE of S. sarmentosum has potential in preventing and inhibiting effects on hepatocellular carcinoma, which is associated with apoptosis of the cancer cells.

AE treatment cheaper with bevacizumab in lung/renal cancer

AE treatment cheaper with bevacizumab in lung/renal cancer

Hypertension (HTN) in National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group study BR.24: A randomized, double-blind phase II trial of carboplatin (C) and paclitaxel (P) with either daily oral cediranib (CED), an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, or placebo, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer

3527 Background: CED 30 mg/d with C+P increased response rate (RR: 38 vs 16% p &lt; 0.0001) and median progression free survival (PFS: 5.6 vs 5 m, hazard ratio [HR] 0.77) over C+P alone. HTN is a known effect of angiogenesis inhibitors (AI). For BR.24, we describe the incidence of HTN, effects on drug delivery, predictors of its development/worsening, and assess the predictive effect of HTN on efficacy. Methods: Pts received C+P plus either placebo (n =146) or CED (n = 148). HTN as an adverse event (HTN AE: defined as either new onset HTN, or worsening grade HTN in a previously hypertensive pt), was managed with a protocol-defined algorithm. Exploratory analyses characterized the relationship between HTN AE and baseline characteristics and treatment arm. Kaplan Meier curves summarized time to event outcomes and Cox regression models with time dependent covariates correlated HTN AE to outcomes. Results: Rate of pts with a history of HTN were similar: CED 26 %, placebo 33 %. CED pts had significantly higher HTN AE (any: 38 vs 12%, p &lt; 0.0001; grade 3 or 4: 19 vs 2 %). With the treatment algorithm, HTN AE had minimal impact on drug delivery (1 pt interrupted C+P, 11 pts [3.7%] reduced /discontinued CED / placebo). Headache was the only other AE that correlated with HTN AE. Predictors of HTN AE included: CED arm (p &lt; 0.0001), good ECOG (p = 0.02), female (p = 0.006), history of HTN (p = 0.06). CED pts with HTN AE had significantly higher RR (51.8 vs 32.6%, p = 0.025) and PFS (8.5 vs 5.1 m; HR 0.45, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.72, p = 0.0007); similar but not significant findings were observed with placebo (RR 35.3 vs 17.2%, p= 0.098; PFS 5.6 vs 4.9 m; HR 0.84, 95 % CI 0.45–1.54); the interaction term by treatment arm was not significant. Conclusions: CED pts had greater HTN AE, but this did not impact drug delivery. Certain baseline characteristics predicted HTN AE in all pts. Unexpectedly, development of on-study HTN predicted improved outcome in all pts, although to a greater extent for those on CED. Additional evaluation of the role of HTN AE as a predictor of efficacy of both AI and cytotoxics is warranted. [Table: see text]

Identification of Genes Differentially Expressed During Heat Shock Treatment inAedes aegypti

Temperature is important for mosquito development and physiological response. Several genes of heat shock protein (HSP) families are known to be expressed in mosquitoes and may be crucial in responding to stress induced by elevated temperature. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was used to identify target transcripts to heat shock treatment in female Aedes aegypti. Subtraction was performed in both directions enriching for cDNAs differentially expressed between a non-heat shock control and heat shock treatment. Heat shock treatment of female Ae. aegypti was carried out for 1 h at 42 degrees C. Clones from differentially expressed genes were evaluated by sequencing. Target transcripts up-regulated by heat shock included five different HSP gene families and 27 other genes, such as cytochrome c oxidase, serine-type endopeptidase, and glutamyl aminopeptidase. Additionally, some novel genes, cytoskeleton and ribosomal genes, were found to be differentially expressed, and three novel up-regulated sequences belonging to a low-abundance class of transcripts were obtained. Up-regulated/down-regulated transcripts from heat shock treatment were further confirmed and quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). High temperatures can alter the gene expression of a vector mosquito population, and further characterization of these differentially expressed genes will provide information useful in understanding the genetic response to heat shock treatment, which can be used to develop novel approaches to genetic control.

Effects of indomethacin and dexamethasone on mechanical scratching‐induced cutaneous barrier disruption in mice

Effects of indomethacin and dexamethasone on recovery of cutaneous barrier disruption induced by mechanical scratching were examined. Cutaneous barrier was disrupted by scratching using a stainless-steel wire brush (mechanical scratching) and compared to cutaneous application of acetone/ether (1:1) mixture (AE) and tape-stripping. Increase of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), as an indicator of a broken skin barrier, and recovery period for mechanical scratching were higher and longer than those for AE treatment and tape-stripping and we also confirmed the severity of skin damage in a histological study. Topical application of moisturizers showed a temporal effect, rapidly decreased TEWL on mechanical scratching- or AE treatment-induced cutaneous barrier disruption, and gradually increased base levels from 4 to 12 h after treatment. Topical application of indomethacin or dexamethasone prolonged the recovery period for the cutaneous barrier, and concomitant use further worsened the status of the barrier. Additionally, we examined the effects of prostaglandins (PGs) and inflammatory cytokine on mechanical scratching-induced cutaneous barrier disruption pretreated with indomethacin and dexamethasone. As a results, PGD2 and interleukin (IL)-1beta significantly accelerated the recovery of cutaneous barrier disruption by mechanical scratching but such was not the case with PGE2, IL-1alpha, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment. These results suggest that indomethacin and dexamethasone prolonged the recovery period caused by inhibition of PGD2 and IL-1beta. Mechanical scratching-induced cutaneous barrier disruption may be a useful method for evaluating means of recovery from skin damage.

Quantitative analysis of the isoflavone content and biological growth of soybean (Glycine max L.) at elevated temperature, CO2 level and N application

AbstractEffects of ambient and elevated CO2 levels (360 and 650 µmol mol−1 respectively), ambient and high (5 °C above ambient) temperatures and their interactions with N application on soybean (Glycine max L.) were studied in 2001. Overall, total isoflavones in whole soybean seeds were highest (1383.0 µg g−1) in the elevated CO2 (AE) treatment without N application and lowest (414.1 µg g−1) in the elevated temperature (EA) treatment with N application. Malonylgenistin (449.2 µg g−1) and malonyldaidzin (435.9 µg g−1) concentrations in the AE treatment without N application were highest among the 12 individual isoflavones, while aglycon and acetyl conjugates showed lower concentrations (below 10 µg g−1) than glucoside and malonyl conjugates in all treatments. Overall, N application had no effect on total isoflavone concentration, while both temperature and CO2 level had a higher effect on increasing isoflavones, including aglycon and acetyl conjugates (P = 0.001). In the biological growth analysis, total dry weight was highest (100.9 g) in the elevated temperature and CO2 (EE) treatment with N application, while leaf area was more affected by CO2 than by temperature and increased with N application. There were larger numbers of pods (99) and seeds (176) per plant in the EE treatment with N application, and generally the AE treatment showed a greater increase in 100‐seed weight (g per 100 seeds) and in pods and seeds per plant than other treatments. Overall, total dry weight was highly affected (P = 0.001) by three main factors, temperature, CO2 and N application, but the interactions temperature × N and temperature × CO2× N did not affect total dry weight. Also, total dry weight tended to increase with increasing numbers of pods (r2 = 0.93***) and seeds (r2 = 0.93***) and larger leaf area (r2 = 0.85***). In addition, numbers of pods and seeds were significantly affected (P = 0.01–0.001) by temperature, CO2 and temperature × CO2. Generally, elevated CO2 and temperature did not affect N, P and K concentrations in the seeds but did decrease the concentrations of Ca and Mg, which were increased in the AE treatment. Among the nutrients, Ca and Mg were highly correlated with temperature and CO2 level. N concentration in the seeds increased with applied N and in particular showed a high increase with elevated temperature and ambient CO2 (EA treatment). The variation in isoflavones was correlated with temperature (r2 = −0.70**) and CO2 (r2 = 0.67**), while N application was not correlated with isoflavone concentration. Also, Ca (r2 = −0.85***) and Mg (r2 = −0.57*) in the seeds were correlated with variation in isoflavones. This indicated that isoflavones were in higher concentrations under conditions of low temperature and increasing CO2, which also resulted in low Ca and Mg concentrations in the seeds. The results of this study suggest that the long‐term adaptation of the soybean to growth at elevated CO2 level and high temperature might potentially increase its isoflavone content, growth and yield. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry

In vitro parasiticidal effect of Nitazoxanide against Echinococcus multilocularis metacestodes.

When humans serve as inadvertent intermediate hosts for Echinococcus multilocularis, disease (alveolar echinococcosis [AE]) may result from the expanding parasite metacestode in visceral organs, mostly in the liver. Benzimidazole carbamate derivatives such as mebendazole and albendazole are used for chemotherapeutic treatment of AE. However, these treatments are, in most cases, parasitistatic rather than parasiticidal. As treatment is discontinued, a recurrence of parasite growth has been observed in many AE patients with nonradical resections. The only curative treatment for AE is radical surgical resection of the parasite tissue and support by chemotherapy. As there is a need for new treatment options for AE, the in vitro efficacy of nitazoxanide (NTZ), a broad-spectrum drug used against intestinal parasites and bacteria, was investigated. We showed that in vitro treatment of E. multilocularis metacestodes with NTZ induced high levels of alkaline phosphatase activity in the medium. Concurrently, distinct morphological and ultrastructural alterations were detected. Most significantly, two distinct types of alterations were observed as soon as after 3 h of NTZ treatment. At first, the drug induced a peripheral output of membranous vesicles from the tegumental membrane into the laminated layer. Simultaneously, germinal layer-associated undifferentiated cells produced large vacuoles filled with lipid-like and often electron-dense membranous segments. Other alterations were observed at later time points, including vacuolization of the germinal layer, accumulation of lipid droplets, and lastly, loss of microtriches and separation of the laminated and germinal layers. The pattern of damage induced by NTZ was different from the alterations earlier observed in albendazole sulfoxide-treated vesicles. The nonviability of NTZ-treated metacestodes was confirmed through bioassay, i.e., inoculation of treated and untreated parasites into mice. These experiments demonstrate the in vitro parasiticidal effect of NTZ on E. multilocularis metacestodes.

A novel technique for removing Wolbachia infections from Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae).

Intracellular bacteria of the genus Wolbachia often behave as reproductive parasites by manipulating host reproduction to enhance the vertical transmission of infections. Wolbachia infections in Aedes albopictus (Skuse) cause a reproductive manipulation known as cytoplasmic incompatibility, which can reduce brood hatch. Because field populations of Ae. albopictus are naturally infected, studies of Wolbachia-induced effects on Ae. albopictus reproduction and fitness require that Wolbachia be artificially removed. Although simiple techniques for clearing Wolbachia infections from other host insects have been developed, removal of Wolbachia bacteria from Ae. abopictus is difficult. Here we describe an improved method for removing Wolbachia infections Ae. albopictus. This method differs from earlier techniques in that it relies upon the tetracycline treatment of adults instead of larvae. We demonstrate that tetracycline treatment of adult Ae. albopictus can predictably generate uninfected individuals, simplify the procedure required for Wolbachia removal, and reduce the level of inbreeding required to produce uninfected lines.

Tratamento cirúrgico da ectasia ânulo-aórtica com interposição de tubo sintético e conservação da valva aórtica

A ectasia ânulo-aórtica é lesão cujo tratamento preferencial compreende a substiuição da aorta ascendente dilatada por tubo sintético, acompanhada da substituição da valva aórtica. Essa substituição geralmente ocorre pela disfunção da valva graças à dilatação do anel e a prótese empregada nesses casos e, preferencialmente, mecânica. Dentre os vários autores empenhados na resolução dessa lesão, Cabrol vem contribuindo com inovações nesse campo. Os autores relatam sua experiência de dois pacientes do sexo masculino (34 e 62 anos), operados para correção de ectasia ânulo-aórtica, sendo o primeiro portador de síndrome de Marfan e dissecção aórtica crônica associada. A técnica cirúrgica empregada constou da substituição da aorta ascendente por tubo de "Dacron double velour". A valva aórtica foi preservada realizando-se, inicialmente, a ressecção das paredes aórticas comprometidas dos seios de Valsalva. O tubo de Dacron era implantado externamente à valva, sendo suturado abaixo do plano da valva com suspensão da valva aórtica no interior do tubo. Os ósticos coronarianos foram reimplantados no tubo, de maneira habitual. Os dois pacientes apresentaram boa evolução pós-operatória, encontrando-se assintomáticos após 45 e 120 dias de pós-operatório. Esta técnica vem se somar às outras para tratamento dessas doenças, devendo-se enfatizar a conservação da valva aórtica.

Temperature measurements under exposure to nuclear radiations

When we analyze Table i, we must recall that for a particular thermocouple, various absolute values and even different signs of AE were obtained in various investigations. The differences in the treatment of AE are also remarkable. In order to obtain an idea of AE which eliminated the apparent discrepancies of the results listed, it appears logical to single out (on the basis of these results) processes accounting for AE so that the processes contribute in various ways to AE and that their ~ influence upon AE depends upon the design features of the thermocouple.