ABSTRACT
A chemotaxonomic study on the marine brown alga Cystoseira schiffneri collected from the Tunisian marine coast allowed us to identify kjellmanianone (1) and a new isololiolide derivative named schiffnerilolide (2). The structure elucidation and the assignment of relative configurations of the isolated natural products were based on advanced mass spectrometric and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. This outcome suggested a close phylogenetic relationship of C. schiffneri with brown algae belonging to genus Sargassum C. Agardh. Molecular characterization using the nuclear small subunit rRNA (SSU rRNA) gene (18S) sequence as genetic marker was made. Pigment analysis showed a significant seasonal change of carotenoids, in particular of fucoxanthin and fucoxanthinol. Also galactolipids, the main constituents of the thylakoid membranes, showed remarkable seasonal changes.
Subject(s)
Phaeophyceae/chemistry , Phaeophyceae/classification , Carotenoids/metabolism , Classification , Galactolipids/metabolism , Isomerism , Molecular Structure , Phylogeny , Seasons , TunisiaABSTRACT
Tissue calcification is a common complication in patients on continuous hemodialysis (HD) for chronic renal failure; however, severe calcification is unusual. Three distinct clinical types of extraosseous calcifications are found in uremic patients: vascular calcification, periarticular (tumoral) calcification, and visceral calcification (heart, lung, and kidney). We report a case of a young chronic HD patient who presented with extensive metastatic calciï¬ cations both vascular, visceral specially localized in the lungs, and periarticular with progressively increasing multiple subcutaneous swellings. This evolution was secondary to noncompliance of the patient to the treatment of a malignant hyperparathyroidism with a marked elevation of phosphocalcium product.
Subject(s)
Calcinosis , Renal Dialysis , Humans , Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary , Kidney Failure, ChronicABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Late onset neonatal sepsis (LOS) has a high mortality and the optimal management is poorly defined. We aimed to evaluate new expert panel-derived criteria to define LOS and characterize the current management and antibiotic susceptibility of LOS-causing organisms in Europe. A prospective observational study enrolled infants aged 4 to 90 days in five European countries. Clinical and laboratory findings as well as empiric treatment were recorded and patients were followed until the end of antibiotic therapy. Failure was defined as a change of primary antibiotic, no resolution of clinical signs, appearance of new signs/pathogens or death. Antibiotic therapy was considered appropriate if the organism was susceptible to at least one empiric antibiotic. 113 infants (median age 14 days, 62 % ≤1500 g) were recruited; 61 % were culture proven cases (28 CoNS, 24 Enterobacteriaceae, 11 other Gram-positives and 6 Gram-negative non-fermentative organisms). The predictive value of the expert-panel criteria to identify patients with a culture proven LOS was 61 % (95 % CI 52 % to 70 %). Around one third of Enterobacteriaceae were resistant to ampicillin + or cefotaxime + gentamicin but only 10 % to meropenem. Empiric treatment contained a total of 43 different antibiotic regimens. All-cause mortality was 8 % with an additional 45 % classified as failure of empiric therapy, mainly due to change of primary antibiotics (42/60). CONCLUSIONS: The expert panel-derived diagnostic criteria performed well identifying a high rate of culture proven sepsis. Current management of LOS in Europe is extremely variable suggesting an urgent need of evidence-based guidelines.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacteremia/diagnosis , Bacteremia/drug therapy , Bacteremia/microbiology , Bacteremia/mortality , Europe , Female , Gram-Negative Bacteria/drug effects , Gram-Negative Bacteria/isolation & purification , Gram-Positive Bacteria/drug effects , Gram-Positive Bacteria/isolation & purification , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Prospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Phytochemical investigation of chloroform extract from the leaves of the marine plant Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile (Posidoniaceae), yielded posidozinol, a new methylated sesquiterpene along with ß-sitosterol and four known fatty acids: palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic and linoleic acids. The structure elucidation has been established on the basis of 1D- and 2D-NMR spectroscopy, GS/MS and ES mass spectrometry. Antibacterial effects of crude extracts from P. oceanica were evaluated against: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Micrococcus luteus microorganisms.
