Listeria monocytogenes: maternal-foetal infections in Denmark 1994-2005.

Maternal-foetal infection by Listeria monocytogenes is a rare complication in pregnancy. In the period 1994-2005, 37 culture-confirmed cases of maternal-foetal Listeria monocytogenes infections were reported in Denmark. We examined 36 patients' files in order to evaluate risk factors, clinical and laboratory findings, response to therapy, and outcome for maternal-foetal listeriosis. Patient data and bacteriological findings were divided into 2 groups for comparison: 1 group with children born alive (n=24) and another group with abortion or stillbirth (n=12). 23 of the 36 children survived the acute infection, as did all the mothers. The mothers were generally only mildly affected by the infection. In contrast, among the children born alive, 15 were diagnosed with bacteraemia/septicaemia, 3 children with pneumonia, 3 with neonatal meningitis, and 3 were unaffected. Despite the high frequency of illness only 1 of the live-born children died from the infection and none of the surviving children showed signs of permanent damage at the time they were discharged from hospital. Listeriosis during pregnancy is a serious threat to the unborn child. One-third of culture-confirmed cases of maternal-foetal infections resulted in abortion or stillbirth; however, the prognosis for live-born children is good, even in severely ill newborns.

Case of bacteraemic cellulitis by a non-haemolytic strain of Streptococcus pyogenes.

Erysipelas and bacteraemia with what initially was diagnosed as a non-haemolytic streptococcus is reported. As neither colony morphology nor clinical picture was characteristic of non-haemolytic streptococci, the isolate was sent to a reference laboratory. 16S rRNA sequencing and phenotypic characterization identified the strain as a streptolysin S-deficient S. pyogenes..

Enhanced sampling by multiple molecular dynamics trajectories: carbonmonoxy myoglobin 10 micros A0-->A(1-3) transition from ten 400 picosecond simulations.

The utility of multiple trajectories to extend the time scale of molecular dynamics simulations is reported for the spectroscopic A-states of carbonmonoxy myoglobin (MbCO). Experimentally, the A0-->A(1-3) transition has been observed to be 10 micros at 300 K, which is beyond the time scale of standard molecular dynamics simulations. To simulate this transition, 10 short (400 ps) and two longer time (1.2 ns) molecular dynamics trajectories, starting from five different crystallographic and solution phase structures with random initial velocities centered in a 37 A radius sphere of water, have been used to sample the native-fold of MbCO. Analysis of the ensemble of structures gathered over the cumulative 5.6 ns reveals two biomolecular motions involving the side chains of His64 and Arg45 to explain the spectroscopic states of MbCO. The 10 micros A0-->A(1-3) transition involves the motion of His64, where distance between His64 and CO is found to vary up to 8.8 +/- 1.0 A during the transition of His64 from the ligand (A(1-3)) to bulk solvent (A0). The His64 motion occurs within a single trajectory only once, however the multiple trajectories populate the spectroscopic A-states fully. Consequently, multiple independent molecular dynamics simulations have been found to extend biomolecular motion from 5 ns of total simulation to experimental phenomena on the microsecond time scale.

Drug induction and experimental cholestasis.

The occlusion of bile duct reduced the microsomal cytochrome P-450 activity in the liver of rats. However, the effects of the inducer drug, phenobarbital, were not abolished.

[Experimental analysis of some cardiovascular effects of Verapamil]. / Analisi sperimentale di alcuni effetti cardiovascolari del Verapamil

In vivo and in vitro experiments showed that Verapamil dilates the coronaries, prevents coronary spasm, produces Ca++-antagonism, offers protection against myocardial necrosis, prevents arrhythmia, reduces pressure, increases the purinergic reactivity and produces inhibition of platelet aggregation. It was devoid of competitive-adrenolytic activity in the heart and vessels. A methoxy derivative of the drug (D-600) had a negative inotropic and chronotropic action and was more hypotensive than Verapamil.