Listeriolysin O antibodies detection in pregnant women: results from an Italian pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Listeriosis is a rare infection affecting primarily pregnant women, the elderly and individuals with a weakened immune system and is caused by the ubiquitous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Infection during pregnancy can cause severe consequences especially for the fetus, leading to sepsis, premature delivery, stillbirth and miscarriage. STUDY DESIGN: A pilot observational study has been conducted in order to establish the prevalence of seroconversion of specific antibodies against a peculiar toxin belonging to L. monocytogenes, listeriolysin O (LLO), in a population of pregnant women from Senigallia (Central Italy) and to find correlations between anti-LLO antibodies seropositivity and health and nutritional information. A total of 60 women were screened for anti-LLO antibody positivity and interviewed during their pregnancies. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate antibody prevalence in serum samples and potential risk factors. RESULTS: The seroprevalence resulted 18% (95% CI, 8.2 - 27.7%), corresponding to 11 pregnant women. Categorical principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed a significant correlation between anti-LLO positivity and gastrointestinal pain events and vomit, fever and diarrhea episodes, and a possible association with consumption of pre-cooked meal. No significant correlation was observed in women with a previous miscarriage or with miscarriage cases in their families. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this pilot study will be used to design a wider study focused on the prevalence of Listeria-specific antibodies in pregnant women and could allow to the identification of nutritional and behavioral habits related to Listeria infection which could lead to significant clinical implications.

REST-Dependent Presynaptic Homeostasis Induced by Chronic Neuronal Hyperactivity.

Homeostatic plasticity is a regulatory feedback response in which either synaptic strength or intrinsic excitability can be adjusted up or down to offset sustained changes in neuronal activity. Although a growing number of evidences constantly provide new insights into these two apparently distinct homeostatic processes, a unified molecular model remains unknown. We recently demonstrated that REST is a transcriptional repressor critical for the downscaling of intrinsic excitability in cultured hippocampal neurons subjected to prolonged elevation of electrical activity. Here, we report that, in the same experimental system, REST also participates in synaptic homeostasis by reducing the strength of excitatory synapses by specifically acting at the presynaptic level. Indeed, chronic hyperactivity triggers a REST-dependent decrease of the size of synaptic vesicle pools through the transcriptional and translational repression of specific presynaptic REST target genes. Together with our previous report, the data identify REST as a fundamental molecular player for neuronal homeostasis able to downscale simultaneously both intrinsic excitability and presynaptic efficiency in response to elevated neuronal activity. This experimental evidence adds new insights to the complex activity-dependent transcriptional regulation of the homeostatic plasticity processes mediated by REST.

Cytotoxic activity of [Pt(pyr)(N-Etlm)Cl4].

The [Pt(pyr)(N-Etlm)Cl4] complex, where pyr = pyrimidine and N-Etlm = N-ethylimidazole, previously prepared and characterized, showed an interesting cytotoxicity in vitro on the human ovarian carcinoma (A2780) and on his subline resistant to cis-platinum (A2780/CDDP), in comparison with cis-platinum and carboplatinum.

[Short-term therapy of uterine fibromyomatosis with GN-Rh analog]. / Terapia a breve termine della fibromiomatosi dell'utero con GN-Rh analogo.

A short term therapy of leiomyomata uteri with leuprolide acetate depot 3.75 i.m. every 28 days for 4 months was started in 19 patients. Uterine volume, based on the ultrasound data, was calculated, utilizing the formula for a prolate ellipsoid, before and after treatment. Before the treatment the uterine mean volume was 207.3 cc and decreased to 122.2 cc after therapy. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by means of the "t" test for paired data and showed a p < 0.002.

Longitudinal assessment of behavioural transitions in healthy human fetuses during the third trimester of pregnancy.

A longitudinal study was performed on 35 healthy fetuses in order to evaluate the developmental course of behavioural transitions during the last trimester of pregnancy. A progressive decrease in the duration of transitions as a function of gestational age was evidenced for both transitions from 1F to 2F and transitions from 2F to 1F. Concerning the sequence in change of behavioural variables (fetal heart rate, fetal eye movements and fetal gross body movements) a random distribution was found until 30 weeks for 1F to 2F transitions and until 34 weeks for 2F-1F transitions. After these gestational ages fetal heart rate and fetal gross body movements respectively become the first variable to change during 1F-2F and 2F-1F transitions. Reference values for these parameters are calculated in order to provide a basis for the diagnosis of behavioural abnormalities in high risk fetuses.

Platinum(IV) chloride complexes with heterocyclic ligands.

Platinum(IV) chloride complexes with heterocyclic ligands have been prepared and characterized by infrared and electronic spectra. The compounds are of general formula Pt(L)nCl4, where L = N-ethylimidazole, N-propylimidazole, isoxazole, 3,5-dimethylisoxazole, benzoxazole, 2-methylbenzoxazole, 2,5-dimethylbenzoxazole, ethylenediamine, n = 2, 4, and also Pt(enEt2)3Cl4 X 2H2O, where enEt2 = N,N-diethylethylenediamine. These complexes are hexacoordinate with cis or trans configuration. The antitumoral activity of some complexes in mice inoculated with leukemia L1210 is reported.