A study of flavonoid composition and antimicrobial activity of Scutellaria altissima L. from different floristic regions of Bulgaria.

INTRODUCTION: Scutellaria extracts and its constituents, especially the characteristic flavonoids such as baicalein and its glycoside baicalin, exhibit significant antimicrobial activity. AIM: To perform a comparative analysis of flavonoid composition and antimicrobial activity of extracts obtained from aerial parts and roots of Scutellaria altissima from the regions of Mezek and Bachkovo, Bulgaria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 70% ethanol and aqueous extracts of aerial parts and roots of S. altissima were used. HPLC analysis of S. altissima extracts was performed. Microbiological tests were done on clinical isolates of Streptococcus mitis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Minimal bactericidal and minimal bacteriostatic concentrations of S. altissima extracts were determined by the agar method. RESULTS: The ethanol extracts contain flavonoids approximately twice as much in comparison with the aqueous extracts. The baicalin content in the aerial parts of S. altissima from the region of Mezek is 5 times higher than that in the roots. S. altissima extracts have effective antimicrobial activity against S. mitis only. The minimal bactericidal concentration of ethanol extracts of S. altissima aerial parts and S. altissima roots is 2000 µg/ml and 8000 µg/ml at 24 hours, respectively. The bactericidal effect of aqueous extracts occurs at 48 hours at minimal bactericidal concentration of S. altissima aerial parts - 2000 µg/ml and of S. altissima roots - 6000 µg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that extracts of Bulgarian S. altissima possess effective antimicrobial properties against S. mitis suggests that it can be used as a potential source for the development of natural antimicrobial agents to suppress oral pathogens and prevent some oral infections.

A comparative study between children and adults with bacterial neuroinfections.

Abstract.

Immunoregulatory natural compounds in stress-induced depression: An alternative or an adjunct to conventional antidepressant therapy?

The interplay of chronic stress, neuroinflammation and altered immune reactivity has been shown to be important for the pathophysiology of brain disorders such as schizophrenia, depressive disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. This immuno-inflammatory theory has been extensively studied in the past three decades leading to the formation of the integrative discipline of psychoneuroimmunology. Targeting of the central nervous system by conventional pharmacotherapeutic methods is mainly through modulation of neuroendocrine systems such as the dopaminergic, GABA-ergic, adrenergic and serotoninergic systems. In recent years an increasing number of both experimental and clinical studies have shown that antidepressants can affect the immune system by reducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-6 and TNF-α. However, due to the serious adverse effects accompanying the chronic administration of psychoactive drugs there is a continuous need to produce novel therapeutics that are both potent and safe. The present review aims to summarize the current knowledge in the field of psychoneuroimmunology and to delineate the main interactions between stress, inflammation, immunity and the brain. Additionally, this paper explores the use of plant-derived molecules that display a strong anti-stress effect and simultaneously modulate the immune response as an alternative or adjuvant to classical antidepressant drugs.

Fatal Chemotherapy-induced Combined Infection in a Hodgkin's Disease Patient: a Case Report.

Multimodal therapy, used for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD), makes them prone to life-threatening infections, attributed mainly to febrile neutropenia. Herein, we present a case report of fatal combined bacterial and viral infection in a 49-year-old female patient, subject to polychemotherapy for HD. Rapid microbiological diagnosis performed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction elucidated the causes of the infection within hours. Listeria monocytogenes was detected in both the cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples. Nasopharyngeal swabs returned positive for two swine-derived strains of influenza A virus. We aimed to emphasize the importance of these pathogens and draw attention to their association in the aetiology of infections among patients receiving chemotherapy. In conclusion, better surveillance is needed to improve the early diagnosis of infectious complications in these patients.

Oral Microbial Flora in Bulgarian Adolescents with Moderate Plaque-induced Gingivitis.

INTRODUCTION: In children and adolescents, the most common periodontal disease is the plaque-induced gingivitis. AIM: The aim of this study was to reveal the bacterial species associated with supragingival plaque of Bulgarian adolescents diagnosed with plaque-induced gingivitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Supragingival plaque samples from 70 healthy subjects with moderate plaque-induced gingivitis (37 females and 33 males), aged 12-18 years, were obtained and examined microbiologically. RESULTS: A total of 224 microorganisms were isolated. Gram-negative bacteria were predominant compared to Gram-positive [132 (59%) vs. 92 (41%). CONCLUSION: The most frequently isolated microbiota in our study is part of the normal oral bacterial flora. The presence of anaerobes such as.

Experimental study on the role of 5-HT2 serotonin receptors in the mechanism of anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic action of antidepressant fluoxetine.

INTRODUCTION: Fluoxetine is an antidepressant that has anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic effects in experimental models of pain and inflammation. The AIM of the present study was to determine the role of 5-HT2 receptors in the mechanism of anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic action of fluoxetine after single and repeated administration of the drug. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided in five groups (n = 8) treated for 14 days with saline (control), diclofenac (positive control), fluoxetine, cyproheptadine (5-HT2 antagonist), and fluoxetine + cyproheptadine, respectively. We used the experimental model of inflammation induced by intraplantar injection of carrageenan and nociceptive test with mechanical pressure on the inflamed hind paw. RESULTS: Single and repeated administration of fluoxetine showed that it had significant anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic effects when compared with the control (p < 0.05). Cyproheptadine did not change significantly the anti-inflammatory effect of fluoxetine in the first 4 hours, after a single administration. At 24 hours the combination did not differ statistically when compared with the control. Cyproheptadin did not change significantly the anti-inflammatory effect of fluoxetine after repeated administration. After prolonged treatment the group that received fluoxetine + cyproheptadine showed a statistically significant increase in paw pressure to withdraw the hind paw compared with that treated with fluoxetine alone (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fluoxetine has anti-inflammatory and antihyperalgesic effects in the carrageenan model of inflammation. 5-HT2 receptor mediated its anti-inflammatory effect in single dose treated animals. Spinal 5-HT2 receptors are involved in the antihyperalgesic effect of fluoxetine after repeated administration.

Angioedema in progressive muscular dystrophy: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic allergic reactions, which include angioedema, are very common in clinical practice. There is great diversity in the etiological factors known to trigger angioedema, and in the pathogenetic mechanisms defining this condition. Beside the broad spectrum of immuno-allergic reactions involved in the angioedemic pathogenesis, this condition is known to also develop on the background of other disorders. These disorders may be of different etiology and have different pathogenesis (either non-immune or immune) but have one common feature referred to as "serological overlap". From research and clinical perspective, it is interesting to explore the combination of some rare neurological diseases, such as myopathies and in particular muscular dystrophies with systemic allergic reactions such as angioedema, urticaria and others. It is known that progressive muscular dystrophies (PMD) are hereditary diseases with different types of inheritance--X-chromosome recessive, X-chromosome dominant, autosomal dominant and others. In some forms, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an increased expression of perforin in muscle is found which is evidence for involvement of the cellular immune response in the pathogenesis of myopathy. It is in this sense that it is interesting to explore and discuss a clinical case diagnosed as a facioscapulohumeral form of PMD, which also manifests angioedema with urticaria. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 41-year-old male hospitalized in the Division of Occupational Diseases and Allergology at St. George University Hospital in Plovdiv who suffered two incidents of massive angioedema on the face, back and chest, accompanied by an itchy urticarial rash. In 1985, after hospitalization to the Clinic of Neurology, he was diagnosed with PMD of facioscapulohumeral type. The medical history could not reveal any of the most common etiologic factors such as drugs, food, insects and other allergens that may be associated with the systemic allergic reactions. The abnormalities we found (although they are only of specific indices of humoral immunity) give some reasons to assume the hypothesis of possible causation between the primary neurological disorder as a trigger for this kind of allergy. CONCLUSION: The reported case demonstrates that in addition to the cellular immunity abnormalities we identified, the abnormalities in some components of humoral immunity should also be taken into consideration. Good knowledge of the allergic factors and the mechanisms of allergic reactions is of paramount importance for an efficacious approach to the problems faced by patients with such rare pathology.

A study of chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of Bulgarian propolis.

UNLABELLED: Propolis is a natural product which exhibits pronounced antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. AIM: To analyze the chemical composition and antimicrobial effect of Bulgarian propolis, p-cumaric acid and ferulic acid on certain Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ethanol extract of Bulgarian propolis (Propolin) and water extract of Bulgarian propolis (Propolstom), ferulic acid and p-cumaric acid were used. The chemical HPLC-analysis of propolis was performed with Varian Prostar system. Microbiological tests were done on isolates of Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans and Escherichia coli. Non-treated and ethanol-treated cultures of the corresponding strains were used as controls. Minimal bactericidal and bacteriostatic concentration of Propolin were determined by agar method. RESULTS: The concentration of p-cumaric acid and ferulic acid in ethanol extract of propolis is about 1%. The minimal bactericidal concentration of Bulgarian propolis against Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus is 281 +/- 89.3 microg/ml, against Enterococcus faecalis--3490 +/- 633.1 microg/ml, against Candida albicans--1375 +/- 255.2 microg/ml, and against Escherichia coli--24306 +/- 1706.4 microg/ml. The minimal bactericidal concentration of p-cumaric acid and ferulic acid against Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus is 212 +/- 6.5 microg/ml and 208 +/- 7.7 microg/ml, against Enterococcus faecalis--3013 +/- 176.6 and 3032 +/- 203.4 microg/ml, against Candida albicans--157 +/- 15.5 microg/ml and 149 +/- 23.2 microg/ml, and against Escherichia coli--798 +/- 7.7 microg/ml and 801 +/- 22.8 microg/ml, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The phenolic compounds p-cumaric acid and ferulic acid are 10 times less extracted in water extraction than in ethanol extraction. The most susceptible strains to the Bulgarian propolis and phenolic compounds are Streptococcus beta-haemolyticus and Candida albicans and the least affected are Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis.

Antimicrobial therapy of salmonelloses--current state and perspectives.

Salmonellosis in humans is most often manifested as a self-limiting gastroenteritis. Antimicrobial therapy is superfluous in the milder forms of the disease and in Salmonella carriage but can be life saving for patients with septic salmonellosis and patients at risk of extraintestinal dissemination of the infection. The therapeutic approach is based on the clinical course of the disease and the patient's immune reactivity. Antimicrobial therapy is usually initiated before the in vitro susceptibility tests of the isolate become available. Currently, the drugs of choice for empiric treatment of acute infectious diarrhea, in which Salmonella spp are etiologically implicated, are fluoroquinolones in adults and third generation cephalosporins in children. Alternative treatment may use azithromycin and imipenem in life-threatening systemic Salmonella infections. Aminoglycosides are considered ineffective in gastrointestinal salmonelloses. The emerging resistance to fluoroquinolones, production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases, and the increase of multidrug resistant Salmonella strains are major problems in the search for efficient antimicrobial therapy of Salmonella infection.

Cytokines in Salmonella infections.

Cytokines are intercellular signal molecules involved in the immune pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Cytokine mediated pathological alterations are mainly attributable to an imbalance in cytokine production. Experimental and clinical studies have documented the fact that Salmonella infections induce a Th1 dependent immune response and interferon-gamma and interleukin-12 are central to its genesis. Salmonella endotoxins, flagellins and porins are among the chief mediators of cytokine release. Lectin binding proteins, Toll-like receptors, transcription factors and various cells also contribute to this process. Serum and local (fecal) cytokine determination in salmonellosis provides evidence on the immune events occurring after antigen challenge. They might also serve as clinical and prognostic markers of disease severity and outcome. Recent studies are focused on the effect and interaction between pro-inflammatory (interleukin-1, interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10).

Guidelines for cultivation and preservation of the serum-free cell line McCoy-Plovdiv.

In this paper, we offer detailed information concerning manipulations with the novel serum-free cell line McCoy-Plovdiv. Guidelines for procedures as trypsinization of the monolayer, subculturing, as well as freezing and thawing conditions are proposed. Our results give us grounds to assume that this is a cell line entirely serum-independent at any step of the process of culturing and preservation. The serum-free cell line McCoy-Plovdiv enriches the collection of mammalian serum-free cell lines. The easier cultivation, the lower expenses and the higher sensitivity in comparison with the serum-supplemented McCoy cells are discussed as possibilities for broad applications of McCoy-Plovdiv cells in different types of laboratory investigations.