Meningococcal meningitis is still the commonest neuroinfection in the community in tropics: overview of 62 cases.

Within last 17 years we went through all charts of bacterial meningitis within our nationwide survey and among 372 cases we found 62 cases of MM, in 12 cases with meningococcal disease (with shock, petechial effusions or disseminated intravascular coagulation or digital gangrenes). MM was usually observed in young adults without any of investigated risk factors like neoplasia, ENT (ear, nose, throat) focuses, elderly age, sepsis, diabetes, alcoholism, trauma, neonatal VLBW etc. Trauma, diabetes mellitus, alcohol abuse and chronic sinusitis/otitis were significantly less frequently found as a risk factor for MM. Mortality was very low, only 4.8% and was lower than overall mortality in CBM (12.4%, NS). Also the proportion of neurologic sequellae (9.7%) and initial treatment failure (8.1%) were comparable or even lower. This positive outcome results are probably because all N. meningitis strains were susceptible to penicillin, chloramphenicol, cefotaxim, cotrimoxazol or ciprofloxacin. Other reason for low mortality was that most cases received oral antibiotic immediately, even before admission (50 of 62). 95.2% of cases survived, 90.3% without any transient neurological residual symptoms.

Meningitis in diabetic patients.

Community acquired bacterial (CBM) meningitis in diabetic patients was analyzed for risk factors and outcome in a cohort of 201 cases of meningitis within last 17 years: 15 patients with diabetes mellitus and meningitis were identified and compared for etiology and mortality as well as for neurologic sequellae with all CBM cases.

Ten years experience with 497 cases of neuroinfections in tropic: in limited laboratory infrastructure initially treat both, cerebral malaria and meningitis.

Review of 497 cases of neuroinfections in 7 tropical clinics in Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan within 2000-2007 was performed. 97.5% of all cases was cerebral malaria (40.1%) and bacterial meningitis (56.4%). TB meningitis, cerebral cryptococcosis and sleeping sickness were very rare.

Metabolites of Pseudevernia furfuracea (L.) Zopf. and their inhibition potential of proteolytic enzymes.

Atranorin (1), physodic acid (2), oxyphysodic acid (3) and virensic (4) acid were identified in P. furfuracea, a lichen species collected in West Tatra. According to HPLC analysis contents of these metabolites in dried material was 0.11-0.19% (1), 1.46-3.78% (2), 1.69 to 3.44% (3), 1.14-1.46% (4). Atranorin was the strongest inhibitor of trypsin as well as of the porcine pancreatic elastase.

Oxidation of brefeldin A.

Oxidation of the macrolide antibiotic brefeldin A with pyridinium chlorochromate adsorbed on alumina afforded [6S, 10E, 11aS, 14E]-6-methyl-2,3,6,7,8,9,11a,12-octahydro-4 H-cyclopent[f]oxacyclotridecin-1,4,13-trione together with 13-oxobrefeldin. These compounds showed higher cytotoxic activity on P388 leukemia cells than brefeldin A, brefeldin A-1,13-diacetate, brefeldin A-13-acetate, tetrahydrobrefeldin or tetrahydrobrefeldin-1,13-dione. 13-Oxobrefeldin exceeded brefeldin A in antifungal activity on Candida albicans.

Vermixocins A and B, two novel metabolites from Penicillium vermiculatum.

Vermixocins A and B, 3-(1'-hydroxy-3'-methylbutyl)- and 3-(1'-acetoxy-3'-methylbutyl)-11-hydroxy-4-methoxy-9-methyl-5H,7H- dibenzo[c,f][1,5]dioxocin-5-one, respectively, were isolated from the mycelium of Penicillium vermiculatum. Both metabolites showed cytotoxic effects on lympholeukemia cells P388.

Regulation of biosynthesis of vermiculin and vermistatin in Penicillium vermiculatum.

Biosynthesis of vermiculin (1) and vermistatin (2) in Penicillium vermiculatum can be controlled by the carbon and nitrogen sources. Glucose and sucrose affect the levels of the two metabolites; cornsteep liquor influences the quality the biosynthesis. The concentrations of Fe3+ and Cu2+ ions also affect the biosynthesis, the effect being dependent on the type of carbon source utilized. The compounds capable of electron transport generally stimulate the production of 1 and 2 but do not influence the biosynthesis qualitatively.

Liposome/saline partition coefficients of low-molecular-weight solutes by gel chromatography.

A chromatographic method for the determination of association constants of rapidly dissociable complexes is described and applied to quantification of liposome/saline partition coefficients using gel chromatography. The approach allows for estimation of the free solute concentration in the sample by simple manual processing of the intact right-hand part of the solute peak deformed due to gradual diffusion of the accumulated solute from the liposomes along the separation column. Validity of the procedure was confirmed by both reasonable agreement with equilibrium dialysis data and model-based deconvolution of the distorted peak into its two components corresponding to initially unbound compound and to that escaped from the liposomes during the separation process.

Diagnostic value of PB/KOH/PAS method for identification of primary cancer from metastases.

The demonstration of 0-acylated sialic acids in the mucin of cancer metastases by Culling's periodic acid-borohydride-potassium hydroxide-periodic acid-Schiff method (PB/KOH/PAS) is helpful in distinguishing between mucin-producing primary colorectal adenocarcinoma (which will be in 60 to 70% positive) and mucin-producing primary lung adenocarcinoma (which will be negative). In addition to colorectal mucin, the 0-acylated sialic acids may be demonstrated in the mucin of some gastric and gallbladder carcinomas, and only exceptionally in pancreatic, ovarian, and prostatic cancers.