Assessing the individual microbial inhibitory capacity of different sugars against pathogens commonly found in food systems.

Highly concentrated sugar solutions are known to be effective antimicrobial agents. However, it is unknown whether this effect is solely the result of the collective osmotic effect imparted by a mixture of sugars or whether the type of carbohydrate used also has an individual chemical effect on bacterial responses, that is, inhibition/growth. In view of this, in this work, the antimicrobial properties of four sugars, namely, glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose against three common food pathogens; Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, were investigated using a turbidimetric approach. The results obtained indicate that the type of sugar used has a significant effect on the extent of bacterial inhibition which is not solely dependent on the water activity of the individual sugar solution. In addition, while it was shown that high sugar concentrations inhibit bacterial growth, very low concentrations show the opposite effect, that is, they stimulate bacterial growth, indicating that there is a threshold concentration upon which sugars cease to act as antimicrobial agents and become media instead. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: In this work, an analysis on the antimicrobial properties of glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose in solution was conducted using a turbidimetric approach. Our findings indicate that while, as expected, all of these sugars exhibit significant antimicrobial effects at high concentrations, at low concentrations they appear to act as substrates for the bacteria which results in enhanced microbial growth instead of inhibition. In addition, the results obtained also suggest that the resultant osmotic stress imparted by the sugar solutions is not the only factor which determines their antimicrobial activity and that other chemical factors may be playing a significant role.

Risso's Dolphin, Grampus griseus, in the Western Ligurian Sea: Trends in Population Size and Habitat Use.

This paper provides a summary of 25 years of research on Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) in the western Ligurian Sea. Seasonal variations in abundance, distribution and habitat use were observed. Photographic mark-recapture methods provided a population size estimate for the period from 1998 to 2012, of about 100 individuals (95% CI of 60-220 individuals). The same methods detected a decline in population size from an average of about 120-150 from 2000 to 2005, to an average of 70-100 during 2010 to 2014. Species occurrence appeared to be significantly decreasing in coastal and continental slope areas, while it seemed to be stable in the most pelagic area. In addition, a dramatic change was observed in the local primary production, which was analysed based on time series of sea surface temperature and chlorophyll data from 1990 to 2014. Based on fisheries landings, there may have been a general decrease in fishery productivity, both in the western Ligurian Sea and in adjacent regions. Environmental variability, depletion of resources by fisheries and possibly interspecies competition may all have contributed to cause changes in Risso's dolphin habitat use and occurrence in the western Ligurian Sea.

Relationship between inflammatory markers, oxidant-antioxidant status and intima-media thickness in prepubertal children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the presence of possible early atherosclerotic changes in a group of prepubertal children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and to establish the potential beneficial effects of 1-year treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, IFN-γ, TNF-α), lipid profile and oxidant-antioxidant status (urinary isoprostanes [PGF-2α]) were assessed in 38 JIA children (12M/26F, mean age 7.05 ± 2.39 years) and compared with 40 controls (18M/22F, mean age 6.34 ± 2.25 years). Carotid intima-media wall thickness (cIMT) was obtained and blood pressure was measured. All parameters were reassessed in JIA children after 1 year of therapy. RESULTS: At baseline JIA children presented compared to controls higher levels of inflammatory markers, proinflammatory cytokines, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and PGF-2α (all p ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, blood pressure and cIMT were significantly increased (both p ≤ 0.01). After a 1-year treatment with non-steroid anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), a significant reduction of all parameters was detected (all p ≤ 0.01). This was associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure and cIMT (both p ≤ 0.01). Within the JIA group, patients requiring etanercept presented worse laboratory values and cIMT measurements at baseline. Nevertheless, the same improvement of all parameters was obtained after a 1-year treatment. In stepwise multiple regression, LDL cholesterol and IL-1ß were mainly related to cIMT. CONCLUSION: Chronic and systemic inflammation seems to lead to early atherosclerotic abnormalities even in pre-pubertal JIA children. Substantial improvement can be obtained with 1-year of appropriate therapy.

Role of growth factors in diabetic kidney disease.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the major microvascular complications of diabetes and one of the leading causes of death among patients with diabetes. DN is characterized by excessive amassing of extracellular matrix with thickening of glomerular and tubular basement membranes and increased amount of mesangial matrix, which ultimately progress to glomerulosclerosis and tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. The high intracellular glucose environment due to an increased cellular uptake of glucose activates several pathways related to the production of advanced glycation endproducts, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, reactive oxidative species, which are all final mediators of renal damage in human and experimental diabetes. Several growth factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of DN, through complex intra-renal systems. Transforming growth factor beta, connective tissue growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factors are among those best known and investigated. There are also data, even though limited, on the involvement of other two growth factors, epidermal growth factor and platelet derived growth factor, in the pathogenesis of DN. These growth factors, which are generally expressed in the normal kidney and whose levels increase in relation to diabetes, have been implicated in the control of renal matrix composition, cell hypertrophy, proliferation and survival, modulation of cells of the immune system, and enzymes involved in glucose metabolism. The development of specific inhibitors of growth factors has provided further evidence for the involvement of growth factors in the development and progression of DN and further studies might help in developing new potential therapeutical interventions.

Anti-phospholipid syndrome: clinical spectrum and therapeutical/prophylactic strategies in the pediatric population.

Anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) is a potentially life-threatening autoimmune condition characterized by the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL) giving rise to increased hypercoagulability, which induces venous or arterial thrombotic events at whatever age and recurrent fetal loss in the fertile age. Antigens that are targeted by aPL include cardiolipin and beta2-glycoprotein I. Primary APS is defined in the absence of an underlying disease, while secondary APS is observed in the context of another established pathological condition. APS has a wide variety of clinical signs and serological characteristics. This paper describes the current approaches towards diagnosis, therapeutic modalities and secondary prevention applied to children.

Unilateral cervical mass as a main clue raising the diagnostic suspicion of Kawasaki syndrome.

Unilateral cervical mass and fever were firstly misdiagnosed as bacterial lymphadenitis in a 6-year-old child and empirically treated with antibiotics. Later the child developed the additional features of Kawasaki syndrome and received intravenous immunoglobulins at the eighth day since fever onset with progressive disappearance of the cervical mass and no cardiac sequel. Kawasaki syndrome should be considered in childhood as a relevant cause of cervical lymphadenopathy unresponding to antibiotics: its recognition at an early stage might contribute to anticipate a proper treatment and abate heart complication rate.

The pharmacologic basis of treatment with colchicine in children with familial Mediterranean fever.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the prototype of auto-inflammatory disorders and is ethnically restricted to people living in the Mediterranean basin and Middle-East. Pyrin, the protein product of the FMF gene, expressed in myeloid cells and fibroblasts, interacts with the cytoskeletal machinery and may modulate leukocyte effector functions. At present colchicine, an alkaloid with antimitotic activity interfering with microtubule formation, which has been used to alleviate acute gout, is the only available drug for patients with FMF to prevent both acute attacks and long-term complications such as amyloidosis. The anti-inflammatory effect of colchicine may be mediated not only through direct interaction with microtubules, but also through changes at the transcriptional level influencing cell cycle regulation and leukocyte migration. Gastrointestinal side effects may occur early and are the most frequent manifestations of colchicine toxicity in children, whilst multiple organ failure is very rarely reported as overdosage expression.