Measurement of environmental trace-metal levels in Mediterranean coastal areas with transplanted mussels and DGT techniques.

Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) devices were deployed together for three one-month periods in coastal waters of Sardinia (Italy), in order to assess the levels of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Pb in areas differently affected by anthropogenic activities. DGT devices were more sensitive than mussels in detecting differences in metal concentrations between sites, while interpretation of the biomonitoring data revealed difficulties related to the biotic and abiotic factors that can influence the measurements. Regression analysis showed a significant correlation between Cd and Pb concentrations measured in the mussel tissues and bioavailable metal levels in seawater. Moreover transplanted mussels did not accumulate Cu and Ni following pre-exposure, although DGT showed significant concentrations of bioavailable forms of these metals in seawater. The results provided an estimate of the water quality with respect to dissolved metals and pointed out the usefulness of a combination of biomonitoring and DGT techniques for a better understanding of trace metal availability in coastal waters.

Chitosan beads loaded with essential oils in cosmetic formulations.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the stability and release of chitosan beads loaded with volatile molecules of Mentha piperita essential oil (E.O.) in a cosmetic formulation. The ability of the beads to quickly release Mentha piperita E.O. during use of a cosmetic formulation such as a bath foam is also assessed. The chitosan beads were produced with three different chitosan dispersions gelled with two different gelling solutions: (a) a 10% solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and (b) a 4% solution of sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). A few properties of six bead samples loaded with Mentha piperita E.O. are assessed. The properties are morphology, size, swelling ability, encapsulation efficiency, stability in time, and fast release of Mentha piperita E.O. during the use phase of the cosmetic formulation.

Preservative systems containing essential oils in cosmetic products.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of selected essential oils (Laurus nobilis, Eucalyptus globulus and Salvia officinalis), both alone and in combination, in cosmetic preparations characterized by an increasing risk of microbial contamination, i.e. an O/W skin cream, a hydrogel and a non-alcoholic hydrolyte. Their potential synergistic effect in combination with the usual cosmetic preservatives at low concentrations (up to 200-fold less than usual) was also investigated.

New vegetation indices for remote measurement of chlorophylls based on leaf directional reflectance spectra.

Directional reflectance (R) spectra from 380 to 780 nm for nadir illuminated leaves of four different plants (croton, Codiaeum variegatum; spotted eleagnus, Eleagnus pungens Maculata; Japanese pittosporum, Pittosporum tobira and Benjamin fig, Ficus benjamina Starlight) were acquired at a viewing angle of 30 degrees from the nadir direction. Chlorophyll-a and -b content of leaves covered a range of 1-60 and 0.5-21 microg/cm(2), respectively. In contrast with previous results from hemispherical reflectance measurements, directional reflectance data does not correlate well with chlorophyll concentration. This is mainly due to the external reflectance (R(E)) at the leaf epidermis, caused by the mismatch of the refractive index at the air-epidermis and epidermis-inner layer boundary. The external reflectance can be identified with the blue flat reflectance between 380 and 480 nm. The inner reflectance (R(I)), obtained by subtracting the external reflectance from the measured spectra, was found to be linearly related to the logarithm of the chlorophyll content. Good fitting of the log (Chl) versus R(I)(lambda) curves were obtained for R(I) in the green band (around 550 nm) and close to the inflection point in the red edge (around 700 nm). The coefficient of determination, r(2), of curve fitting improved (up to 0.97) when the normalised inner reflectance NR(I)(lambda)=R(I)(lambda)/R(I)(lambda(0)), with lambda(0)>or=750 nm, was used instead of the absolute reflectance. The best indices for Chl, Chl-a and Chl-b determination were R(I)(542)/R(I)(750), R(I)(706)/R(I)(750) and R(I)(556)/R(I)(750), respectively. However, since the content of Chl-a relative to Chl-b was almost constant for the plants investigated, the two last indices must be further validated on leaves with a high variability in the Chl-a:Chl-b ratio. The error in the determination of chlorophyll content was found to be of the order of 10%. This value was lower than those obtained by applying the vegetation indices previously suggested. Therefore, the normalised inner reflectance in the green and in the red edge represents a more suitable index for the chlorophyll determination than those up to now used.

Stability studies of new cosmetic formulations with vegetable extracts as functional agents.

A formulation study, using increasing amounts of Sepigel 305 as an emulsifier, has been carried out to find new O/W emulsions and value their stability also in presence of vegetable extracts. Stability results have been compared with those obtained from formulations described in the National Formulary of Italian Pharmacopoeia X and functionalised by us with the same vegetable extracts. By using centrifugation and accelerated ageing tests capable of bringing out the gelling and thermostability properties of Sepigel 305, the study emphasised that the new gel emulsions have a greater stability compared to the other formulations.

New cycloalkylpyrazoles as potential cyclooxygenase inhibitors.

In this study some cycloalkyl-3-(N-substituted carbamoyl)-1-phenylpyrazoles have been synthesized in order to screen their capability to inhibit human cyclooxygenase. The synthetic pathway is based on the well known property of nitrilimines to undergo 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions. The structures of all the synthesized compounds have been elucidated by means of both analytical and spectroscopic methods.

Determination of bezafibrate concentration by high performance liquid-chromatography in serum of rats treated with lead nitrate.

In the present study, the bezafibrate levels were measured in serum of rats treated with lead nitrate using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. The results have shown that the peak corresponding to bezafibrate in the chromatogram is reduced in serum of rats treated with bezafibrate plus lead, indicating that lead treatment accelerates the metabolism of bezafibrate in rats.

Synthesis of cis- and trans- 2-arylmethylcycloalkylamines: potential dopaminergic agents.

This paper reports the synthesis and the study of a few new diastereomeric arylmethylcycloalkylamines, tested as potential dopamine receptor active agents. New procedures for the stereospecific synthesis of the arylmethylcycloalkylamines were successfully experimented. All the considered compounds did not show any appreciable dopamine receptor activity.

Effects of in-vitro activity of miconazole and ketoconazole in phospholipid formulations.

Antifungal agents are often used in liposomal formulations in order to improve their pharmacological activity, but how vesicle inclusion can actually affect this is still not fully understood. We report here the results obtained from evaluation of the in-vitro activity against Candida albicans ATCC E10231 of miconazole and ketoconazole in various vesicular and non-vesicular preparations, obtained from egg and soya phospholipids, using time-kill curves. In most cases inclusion of miconazole or ketoconazole in liposomes led to a delayed and decreased activity of the drugs, with detectable differences among the various phospholipid concentrations and different liposomal preparations (small unilamellar vesicle, liposomes, multilamellar aggregates and broken liposomal structures). The results obtained may be helpful in the study of new preparations of antifungal agents entrapped in liposomal structures.

[Human dirofilariasis in Sardinia: 4 new cases. Review of published cases]. / Dirofilariasi umana in Sardegna: 4 nuovi casi. Revisione dei casi pubblicati.

Four new cases of Human Dirofilariasis in Sardinia are described: I subconjunctival and 3 subcutaneous. The patients were men in 3 cases and woman in the other one. The age of the subjects varied from 35 to 58 years. The parasite, Dirofilaria repens, was in all the cases a female. From the review of the literature only 3 other cases were reported in the island. Due to the diffuse presence of both the causal agent, D. repens, in dogs and many species of Culicidae that can transmit the infection to man, it is possible that human cases are more common than reported, many cases passing undiagnosed or simply not published.

[Diagnostic aspects of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in hepatic cirrhosis with ascites]. / Aspetti diagnostici della peritonite spontanea batterica nella cirrosi epatica con ascite.

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a severe complication appearing in 8-22% of hepatic cirrhosis with ascitic decompensation. The authors describe 6 cases of SBP in hepatic cirrhosis. SBP diagnosis has been confirmed by isolation of the aetiological agents in the ascitic fluid, and PMN count above 250/ml in 12% of the studies cases. SBP diffusion and the high mortality risk justify the examine of the ascitic fluid also in asymptomatic patients.

HDL subfractions as altered in cancer patients.

Previous studies from the authors' laboratories have shown that cancer patients are characterized by lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) compared with those of normal subjects. HDLs are a complex class of lipoproteins which can be divided mainly into two categories, HDL2 and HDL3, that have not only different lipid and protein composition but also different functions. Therefore, for a better understanding of the metabolism of HDL during tumour growth, the different subfractions of HDL (HDL2 and HDL3) were analysed in the serum of neoplastic patients using a rapid and simple high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the analysis. The results obtained showed that serum from neoplastic patients exhibits a peculiar pattern in the distribution of HDL subfractions, consisting of a sharp decrease in HDL3 and a consequent increase of the normal HDL2/HDL3 ratio. It is suggested that evaluation of the HDL subfractions may be of clinical relevance for cancer status and that due to its simplicity, short analytical time and small sample volume required, the HPLC technique used in this study can be easily applied to routine analysis in cancer patients.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of new 3,5-diaminoisothiazole derivatives.

The 3,5-diaminoisothiazole derivatives 23-42 were synthesized in excellent yields by oxidative cyclization of 3-amino-3-(dialkylamino)propenethioamide derivatives. These intermediates and the isothiazole derivatives were tested in vitro for their antimicrobial activity.

Characteristics of alcoholics attending "Alcoholics in treatment" clubs in northeastern Italy.

A study on the characteristics of alcoholics attending the "Alcoholics in treatment" clubs, a community and family-oriented programme against alcoholism, has been conducted in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, Northeastern Italy. A total of 598 individuals (93% of those contacted) completed the questionnaire, 431 (72%) were males and 167 (28%) were females. With respect to marital status, never married men and widows seemed to be at high risk of alcoholism. Total alcohol consumption in males significantly exceeded that in females (X2(1) trend 18.86 p < 0.001) and this excess mainly seemed to be primarily associated with wine (X2(1) trend 32.81 p < 0.001). Younger individuals (< 50 yrs) tended to begin drinking earlier and to report higher intake from alcoholic beverages other than wine as compared to older individuals (< 50 yrs) (X2(1) trend = 25.25 p < 0.001). A high percentage of males (30%) reported heavier alcohol intake in their father as compared to themselves while only 12 of females reported heavier intake in their mother as compared to themselves. Health complaints seemed to be the chief reason which prompted individuals, particularly above age 50, to attend "Alcoholics in treatment" clubs but awareness of alcohol-related health problems played a substantial role, as shown by the very common overestimation of alcohol as the primary cause of death in Italy by the individuals attending the club.

Macrocyclic polyesters. I. A novel class of 1,3-butandiol derivatives as potential antimicrobial agents.

This paper reports the synthesis of a novel class of macrocyclic tetraesters containing 1,3-butandiol sub-units by reacting the stannolan derivative of the diol with diacyl chloride. The structure of the possible isomers was assigned by spectroscopic data and comparison with samples otherwise prepared. Preliminary screening revealed that these compounds have low antimicrobial activity, although it is higher than that of the starting diol.

A case of lingual and palatine localization of a viscerotropic Leishmania infantum zymodeme in Sardinia, Italy.

An autochthonous case of leishmaniasis of tongue and palate is reported from Sardinia, Italy. The parasite isolated from the lingual lesion was typed through the electrophoretic analysis of 14 isoenzymes and it was identified as Leishmania infantum zymodeme MON 27.

[Unreliability of the clinical diagnosis in deep venous thrombosis of the lower limbs]. / Inaffidabilità della diagnosi clinica di trombosi venosa profonda degli arti inferiori.

277 patients subjected to phlebography for clinically suspect acute deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities have been examined. Instrumental examination evidenced the presence of thrombosis in 140 of them (50.5%) while in the remaining 137 (49.5%) in whom venography proved negative, it was possible to define the pathologies responsible for the clinical picture in 89% of cases. In out-patients, the incidence of thrombosis proved lower (46%, 65/141 patients) than that presented by patients already hospitalised for other pathologies (55%, 75/136 patients). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of clinical symptoms and signs between patients with thrombosis and patients without at phlebography, while as regards the distribution of risk factors, there was a greater incidence of the following: age over-65, cancers, recent surgery and fractures of the lower extremities in the group of patients suffering from thrombosis. Personal experience would therefore appear to point to the total fallibility of the clinical diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis of the lower extremities and the consequent need for a constant objective instrumental diagnostic approach to this type of pathology.

Synthesis and antimicrobial activity of some 1-arylideneamino-2-mercaptoimidazole derivatives.

A new series of 1-arylideneamino-2-mercaptoimidazole derivatives obtained by condensation of 1-amino-2-mercaptoimidazole derivatives with variously substituted aromatic aldehydes is described. Investigation of their antimicrobial properties showed a good antibacterial activity for some of the tested compounds on some gram-positive micro-organisms.