Essential oils composition of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Labill.) Markgraf (Apocynaceae-Periplocoideae).

The essential oil of roots, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits of Periploca laevigata Aiton subsp. angustifolia (Apocynaceae) from Lampedusa Island has been obtained by hydrodistillation and its composition analysed. The analyses allowed the identification and quantification of 86 volatile compounds. Branches showed the higher diversity with 57 compounds followed by fruits with 33, roots with 23, flowers with 16 and leaves with six compounds, respectively. In the matrices examined three constituents, heneicosane, docosane and tricosane are in common, although with different percentages. At least the most abundant compounds found in the matrices have been reported to have several biological activities. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde identified in the roots as the most abundant component (70.7%) and present with 8.3% in the branches is a potent tyrosinase inhibitor present in several African medicinal plants, and thus being used as an ingredient in cosmetic and other medicinal products, primarily in relation to hyperpigmentation. Among the compounds identified, several play a role as semiochemicals for many animals, and 28 allomones, 43 pheromones, 21 kairomones have been identified. P. laevigata subsp. angustifolia in Lampedusa Island is host to a community of visitors, and the possible ecological role of the volatiles found is briefly discussed.

Evaluation of the migration of mutagens/carcinogens from PET bottles into mineral water by Tradescantia/micronuclei test, Comet assay on leukocytes and GC/MS.

This study monitored the release of mutagenic/carcinogenic compounds into mineral water (natural and carbonated) from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, using a plant mutagenicity test which reveals micronuclei formation in Tradescantia pollen cells (Trad/MCN test), a DNA damage assay (Comet assay) on human leukocytes and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for the characterisation of migrants. The water samples were collected at a bottling plant and stored in PET bottles for a period ranging from 1 to 12 months. Every month some samples were randomly collected and lyophilised, the residual powders were extracted with organic solvents and then analysed by GC/MS and tested for DNA damage in human leukocytes, or reconstituted with distilled water to obtain concentrates for the exposure of Tradescantia inflorescences. Micronuclei increase in pollen was found only in natural mineral water stored for 2 months. DNA-damaging activity was found in many of the natural and carbonated water samples. Spring water was negative in the plant micronuclei test and the Comet assay, whereas distributed spring water showed DNA-damaging effects, suggesting a possible introduction of genotoxins through the distribution pipelines. GC/MS analysis showed the presence in mineral water of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, a nongenotoxic hepatocarcinogenic plasticizer, after 9 months of storage in PET bottles.

Effect of drought stress on the yield and composition of volatile oils of drought-tolerant and non-drought-tolerant clones of Tagetes minuta.

A drought-tolerant clone of Tagetes minuta L. (Asteraceae) was selected in vitro on a medium containing 60 mM mannitol. In the greenhouse, a decrease in soil field capacity (FC) from 100 to 40 % reduced oil yield by 49, 71 and 71 % for drought-tolerant, non-drought tolerant cloned and seed-grown plants, respectively. In soil at 40 % FC, the drought-tolerant clone had the highest leaf dry weight and oil yield. At 100 % FC, there was no significant difference in leaf dry weight, but the drought-tolerant clone had a significantly higher percentage oil content and yield than seed-grown plants. The main components of the oil were monoterpenes of which trans- and cis-tagetone together were 52.3 % - 64.2 %. Drought significantly altered the content of some oil components.

Increased immunogenicity of the MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccine compared to a conventional subunit vaccine in elderly subjects.

Three-hundred and eight outpatient elderly subjects (> or = 65 years) were randomly assigned to receive the MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccine (FLU-AD; n = 204) or a conventional subunit influenza vaccine (AGRIPPAL S1; n = 104) in order to compare the safety and immunogenicity of the two vaccines. Although mild pain at the injection site was reported more frequently by subjects immunised with the adjuvanted vaccine, both vaccines were shown to be safe and well tolerated. The adjuvanted vaccine was more immunogenic as indicated by higher post-immunisation geometric mean titres (GMTs) and by higher proportions of subjects with post-immunisation > or = four fold increases of antibody titres or subjects with > or = 1/160 post-immunisation HI titres. These differences, statistically significant for all three strains after immunisation, indicated that, by addition of the MF59 adjuvant emulsion, conventional subunit influenza antigens acquire an enhanced immunogenicity without any clinically significant increase of their reactogenicity.

[Diabetes mellitus and spontaneous hypoglycemia. Report of a clinical case with extrainsular neoplasm]. / Diabete mellito ed ipoglicemia spontanea. Osservazione di un caso clinico da neoplasia extrainsulare.

The authors report a case of hypoglycemia in a subject with NIDDM and CAD. The clinical syndrome, which was diagnosed as an induced form for a long time, was found to be spontaneous and caused by metastasised kidney neoplasm. This led to considerable problems of differentiated diagnosis owing to the concomitance of diabetes and vascular pathology. An adequate assessment of the clinical findings and the instrumental and biohumoral tests would have enabled a more rapid diagnosis, thus allowing a correct therapeutic approach to be adopted.

Flavonoid glycosides of Barbarea vulgaris L. (Brassicaceae).

Seven flavonoid derivatives were for the first time isolated from aerial parts of an alimentary and medicinal plant of the Brassicaceae family, Barbarea vulgaris L. The products were characterized on the basis of spectroscopic NMR ((1)H, (13)C, COSY, HMQC, HMBC) and FAB-MS data. The occurrence of flavonoids in this plant is interesting for their important nutritional properties and for chemotaxonomical pourposes.

Carica candicans Gray (Mito), an alimentary resource from Peruvian flora.

In addition to some histological observations, the chemical composition of Carica candicans Gray (Caricaceae) fruit and seeds, a plant common in Peruvian nutritional habits, was determined. The fruit contains high amounts of total proteins (8.2% on dry weight basis) and carbohydrates (70.1%) and appreciable contents of vitamin C and minerals. The oil extracted from seeds is in high amount (41. 6%). The fatty acid composition, with a prevalence of oleic, palmitic, and linoleic acids, suggests a possible use of this oil in alimentation.

Safety and immunogenicity of MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccine in the elderly.

Safety and immunogenicity of the influenza vaccine adjuvanted with MF59 (FLUAD) were compared to those of a non adjuvanted subunit vaccine in elderly subjects during three consecutive influenza seasons. Geometric mean titres and proportions of subjects with either a > or = four-fold increase in antibody titres or with an HI titre > or = 128 after immunisation were higher in FLUAD recipients. The adjuvant effect on the magnitude of the responses was most pronounced in subjects with pre-vaccination titres < or = 40. Although associated with more frequent mild local reactions, the adjuvanted vaccine was well tolerated. Thus, the addition of MF59 increased the immunogenicity of the subunit influenza vaccine in elderly persons with low pre-vaccination titres, who are at greatest risk of developing severe influenza disease and vaccine failure, without a clinically important increase in reactogenicity.

Safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated subunit influenza virus vaccine combined with MF59 adjuvant emulsion in elderly subjects, immunized for three consecutive influenza seasons.

A clinical trial to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a new influenza adjuvanted vaccine (FLUAD, Chiron Vaccines), compared with a conventional non adjuvanted influenza vaccine, was conducted in elderly ambulatory patients. Subjects were vaccinated with one dose of either vaccine each year for three consecutive years; 92 subjects received the first immunization, 74 subjects received the second and 67 subjects received the third. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of repetitive injections of the adjuvanted vaccine in elderly subjects. There were no reports of any vaccine-related serious adverse event or of safety concerns related to study vaccines after the first, second or third immunization. The adjuvanted vaccine induced more local reactions than the conventional vaccine; however, the reactions were normally mild and limited to the first 2-3 days after immunization. No statistically significant difference between groups in systemic postimmunization reactions was reported except for a mild, transient malaise after the first immunization. Compared with the first immunization, no increase in postimmunization reactions was seen after the second and third immunizations. Despite the small sample size of the trial, which was not powered to test immunogenicity differences, the antibody response was tested and resulted higher in the adjuvanted vaccine recipients, not only against the current season's vaccine strains, but also against heterologous vaccine strains.

Medicinal plants and phytotherapy in the Amalfitan Coast, Salerno Province, Campania, southern Italy.

This paper reports the results of an investigation carried out from April 1990 to October 1991 in the Amalfitan Coast, Salerno Province (Southern Italy). One hundred and twenty-five species are used in traditional medicine, belonging to 53 families; some of these were unknown in Italian phytotherapy or present an unknown therapeutic use. For each species, the vernacular name, the formulation and the popular use are presented.

Variation of nitrogen oxide contents in the streets of Naples.

Nitrogen oxides were determined in streets of Naples with different density of vehicular traffic. Ventilation allows a dilution of concentration in windy streets but not in protected ones. Streets with a scanty level of vehicular traffic suffer the pollution of contiguous areas. Observed values suggest measures to reduce air pollution.

Some gaseous pollutants in the industrial area at east of Naples.

Nitrogen oxides, ozone, sulphur dioxide and hydrogen sulphide were determined in the industrial area at east of Naples. Emission from vehicular traffic are added to those from fixed sources, but the breeze effect avoids pollution accumulation. Obtained values are low enough if compared with those of other towns.

Traditional phytotherapy in the Peninsula Sorrentina, Campania, southern Italy.

A study on the wild and cultivated medicinal plants used in the Peninsula Sorrentina (southern Italy) is reported; 129 plants distributed among 53 different families beloning to Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms are used in the treatment of various human diseases. The use of some species is reported for the first time in this paper.

Effect of soluble and immobilized plasmin on fibrinogen and platelets.

Plasmin was immobilized on collageno-elastic tubes (CET) using carbodiimide as the cross-linking agent. The effects of plasmin-CET grafts and corresponding soluble plasmin on fibrinogen, thrombin-mediated fibrinogen activation, and platelet activity, were investigated. There was a significant increase in fibrinogen deposition on plasmin-CETs over non-plasmin (i.e. control) CETs. Furthermore, exposure of fibrinogen to plasmin CETs enhances its deposition to control grafts situated downstream. Plasmin-bound CETs retained higher platelet deposition when preliminarily coated with fibrinogen. Finally, plasmin exerted a positive effect on thrombin-mediated fibrinogen activation at low plasmin concentrations. A mechanistic hypothesis aimed at interpreting this finding is proposed.

In vitro and in vivo studies of heparinized-collageno-elastic tubes.

Heparin was covalently coupled to collageno-elastic grafts (CET) derived from lamb carotid arteries, by using the crosslinking agent 1-ethyl-3 (3-dimethyl-aminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). The collagenous grafts were pretreated with various aminating agents in order to enhance the number of available binding sites on the collagen surface. By varying the EDC/heparin weight ratio, the pH of the immobilization media, and the pretreatment agent, a global search pattern maximized heparin loading at 3.90 +/- 0.36 USP heparin/cm2 collagenous graft surface when the EDC/heparin ratio was 2:1 at a pH of 1.5 with 1 M hydroxylamine sulfate as the pretreatment agent. Heparinized CETs were superior to nonheparinized CETs by exhibiting both enhanced antiplatelet activity in using an in vitro differential recirculation reactor with chromium-51 tagged platelets and enhanced patency when interposed in canine carotid arteries. Both antiplatelet activity and patency duration for heparinized CETs were independent of heparin loading.

Co-immobilization and interaction of heparin and plasmin on collageno-elastic tubes.

Heparin and plasmin were co-immobilized on collageno-elastic tubes (CETs) in order to develop a thromboresistant and fibrinolytic vascular prosthesis. The mutual interaction between heparin and plasmin both in the soluble and in the immobilized state was studied. The immobilization condition rendering maximum co-immobilized heparin and plasmin activity was identified to require heparin immobilization followed by plasmin immobilization. Soluble heparin exerts a positive synergistic effect on soluble plasmin. Immobilized heparin enhances plasmin loading on the CET as compared to the heparin-free graft. Heparin, in both the soluble or immobilized state, significantly decreases the Michaelis-Menten (M-M) parameter Km for immobilized plasmin over heparin-free immobilized plasmin. Furthermore, the M-M parameter Vmax for the immobilized plasmin in the presence of heparin decreases over heparin-free immobilized plasmin. These results suggest a decrease in the kinetic constant k3 for heparin-modified immobilized plasmin over the heparin-free form. Co-immobilized heparin-plasmin collagenous grafts represent a unique advance in the development of fibrinolytically active prostheses.

Steroidal constituents and anti-inflammatory activity of the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.) bark.

The content and the composition of sterols in the bark of the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum L., have been examined. Stigmasterol and alpha-spinasterol were, with the beta-sitosterol, the most abundant sterols. The petrol extract from bark shows anti-inflammatory activity.

Iridoids and secoiridoids from Guettarda platypoda.

A reinvestigation of the roots of Guettarda platypoda afforded in addition to morronoside and sweroside isolated previously further two iridoids, loganic acid and loganin and a rare secoiridoid, secoxyloganin. The structures were elucidated by NMR techniques. This is the first report of the isolation of such compounds from G.platypoda. Some chemotaxonomic conclusion can be drawn.

Inhibitory effects of fungi on aggregation of rabbit platelets and rat polymorphonuclear leucocytes in vitro.

Fungi of six families, encompassing 28 species, have been screened for their inhibitory effects on adenosine-5'-diphosphate (ADP), acetyl-glyceryl-phosphorylcholine (PAF) or collagen-induced rabbit platelet aggregation. Some fungi have also been studied for their ability to inhibit neutrophil aggregation induced by calcium ionophore A 23187. The results suggest that fungi may be a potential source of inhibitors of platelet and neutrophil aggregation.

Enhanced in vitro fibrinolytic activity of immobilized plasmin on collagen beads.

Plasmin was immobilized on collagenous substrates using carbodiimide as a linking agent. The kinetics of soluble and immobilized plasmin were monitored by reacting them with the chromogenic substrate S-2251 (H-D-Val-Leu-Lys-pNA) in the presence and absence of a2-antiplasmin (a2-PI). The ability of immobilized plasmin to lyse synthetic clots formed from fibrinogen and thrombin was determined by detecting the formation of fibrin degradation products (FDP). The activity of immobilized plasmin was 0.02 casein units (CU)/mg of collagen. The kinetic analysis of soluble and immobilized plasmin in the presence and absence of a2-PI shows that while soluble plasmin activity was inhibited by the presence of a2-PI, the plasmin inhibitor did not interfere with the ability of immobilized plasmin to attack fibrin. In the absence of a2-PI, the ability of the immobilized plasmin to lyse synthetic clots was the same as that of soluble plasmin. In the presence of a2-PI, immobilized plasmin produced twice the amount of FDP as did soluble plasmin. The immobilized plasmin activity was stable for a period of at least 3 months.