ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis are rare fungal infections occurring chiefly in the lung or the rhinocerebral compartment, particularly in patients with immunodeficiency or mellitus diabetes. We report the case of an elderly patient with cutaneous mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An 89-year-old man presented a skin lesion of the forearm rapidly becoming inflammatory and necrotic. The patient had been treated for 2months with oral corticosteroids for idiopathic thrombocytopenia. Histological and mycological examination of the skin biopsy revealed the presence of a filamentous fungus, R. microsporus. The outcome was unfavorable, despite prescription of high-dose liposomal amphotericin B. DISCUSSION: Mucormycosis are infrequent opportunistic infections caused by angio-invasive fungi belonging to the Mucorales order. Cutaneous presentations are rare, and in rare cases the species R. microsporus is isolated in clinical samples. Diagnosis is based on histological examination highlighting the characteristic mycelium within infected tissue, together with ex vivo mycological identification using morphological and molecular methods. Treatment consists of liposomal amphotericin B combined with debridement surgery. CONCLUSION: R. microsporus is a marginal fungal species rarely isolated in clinical practice, and even less in dermatology departments. This clinical case report highlights the severity of infection with this fungus, particularly in the absence of early surgery.
Subject(s)
Dermatomycoses/diagnosis , Dermatomycoses/microbiology , Mucormycosis/diagnosis , Mucormycosis/microbiology , Opportunistic Infections/diagnosis , Opportunistic Infections/microbiology , Rhizopus , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/adverse effects , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , Aged, 80 and over , Amphotericin B/administration & dosage , Biopsy , Dermatomycoses/drug therapy , Dermatomycoses/pathology , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Humans , Male , Mucormycosis/drug therapy , Mucormycosis/pathology , Necrosis , Opportunistic Infections/drug therapy , Opportunistic Infections/pathology , Palliative Care , Rhizopus/ultrastructure , Skin/pathology , Thrombocytopenia/drug therapyABSTRACT
Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) is an attractive model system for studying ripening in non-climacteric fruit, because of its small diploid genome, its short reproductive cycle, and its capacity for transformation. We have isolated eight ripening-induced cDNAs from this species after differential screening of a cDNA library. The predicted polypeptides of seven of the clones exhibit similarity to database protein sequences, including acyl carrier protein, caffeoyl-CoA 3-O-methyltransferase, sesquiterpene cyclase, major latex protein, cystathionine gamma-synthase, dehydrin and an auxin-induced gene. A ninth cDNA clone that was constitutively expressed is predicted to encode a metallothionein-like protein. None of these proteins appear to be directly related to events generally associated with ripening such as cell wall metabolism or the accumulation of sugars and pigments, rather, their putative functions are indicative of the wide range of processes upregulated during fruit ripening.
Subject(s)
Fruit/genetics , RNA, Messenger/genetics , DNA, Complementary/chemistry , DNA, Complementary/genetics , Fruit/chemistry , Fruit/growth & development , Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Genes, Plant/genetics , Molecular Sequence Data , RNA, Messenger/isolation & purification , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , RNA, Plant/genetics , RNA, Plant/metabolism , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
The in vivo isoprenaline (50 microgram/kg) induced tachycardia (beta 1 adrenergic stimulant effect) was decreased in pregnant (20th day) Rats compared to non pregnant Rats. The in vitro positive chronotropic effect of isoprenaline (10 ng/ml) on cultured Rat heart cells was abolished by pregnant Rat serum whereas progesterone (0.10 to 5 microgram/ml) or oestradiol (0.1 to 25 microgram/ml) were ineffective. The decreased beta 1 adrenergic responsiveness in pregnant Rats could be related to a seric factor, different from these two hormones.