Haemostatic discs demonstrate physical efficacy against microbes commonly associated with central-line-associated bloodstream infections.

BACKGROUND: Vascular access devices form an essential component in the management of acute and chronic medical conditions. Introduction and ongoing management of these devices are linked with bundles of care aimed at reducing associated risks including bleeding and infection. AIM: To evaluate the antimicrobial potential of the potassium ferrate haemostatic disc on Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria and on Candida albicans. METHODS: The impact of the potassium ferrate disc was compared with the often-used chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) impregnated disc to evaluate the potential efficacy of the potassium ferrate disc as an alternative to CHG in cases with an increased risk of active bleeding. RESULTS: In the presence of anticoagulated blood, we observed an inhibitory effect of the haemostatic disc on microbial growth for microbial strains commonly associated with vascular access device related infections. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the potassium ferrate disc may provide dual clinical benefits with both haemostatic and antimicrobial action observed during in-vitro testing.

Re-assessing microbiomes in the low-biomass reproductive niche.

The female reproductive tract represents a continuum between the vagina and the upper genital tract. New evidence from cultivation-independent studies suggests that the female upper genital tract is not sterile; however, the significance of this for reproductive health and disease remains to be elucidated fully. Further, diagnosis and treatment of infectious reproductive tract pathologies using cultivation-independent technologies represents a largely unchartered area of modern medical science. The challenge now is to design well-controlled experiments to account for the ease of contamination known to confound molecular-based studies of low-biomass niches, including the uterus and placenta. This will support robust assessment of the potential function of microorganisms, microbial metabolites, and cell-free bacterial DNA on reproductive function in health and disease. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Molecular microbial studies of low-biomass niches require stringent experimental controls to reveal causal relations in reproductive health and disease.

IFPA meeting 2015 workshop report IV: placenta and obesity; stem cells of the feto-maternal interface; placental immunobiology and infection.

Workshops are an important part of the IFPA annual meeting as they allow for discussion of specialised topics. At the 2015 IFPA annual meeting there were 12 themed workshops, three of which are summarized in this report. These workshops related to various aspects of placental biology and collectively covered areas of obesity and the placenta, stem cells of the feto-maternal interface, and placental immunobiology and infection.

[Satellite systems of the basal ganglia--anatomic position, clinical relevance]. / Satellitensysteme der Basalganglien--Anatomische Einordnung, klinische Relevanz.

The interaction of basal ganglia and other brain regions is more complex regarding anatomic and functional perspectives than previously assumed. Hence, the classical basal ganglia model has to be extended to at least four satellite systems modulating motor-executive, associative and limbic-motivational brain regions: (i) an indirect projection system, (ii) a striato-nigro-striatal loop, (iii) a "hyperdirect" projection system as well as additional projections to the subthalamic nucleus and (iv) multisynaptic connections from the cerebellum exerting influence on the indirect projection system. The investigation of these satellite systems would be invaluable to foster our understanding of basal ganglia circuitries and may yield a better appreciation of largely opaque symptoms like resting tremor in Parkinson's disease; analysis of these anatomic pathways and functional implications may facilitate explanatory model approaches to side effects due to dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation in humans and thereby offer the possibility for new therapeutic approaches in movement disorders.

Treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome with combined carbamazepine and tiapride in a patient with probable sleep apnoe syndrome.

The most frequently used agents for treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome are benzodiazepines and clomethiazole. Both have the main disadvantage of potential misuse and respiratory depression. Therefore their use in patients with respiratory diseases is limited. In recent years a treatment strategy with combined carbamazepine and tiapride was reported to be an effective alternative in alcohol withdrawal without the risk of respiratory depression. We report the successful treatment with carbamazepine and tiapride of a patient with probable sleep apnoe syndrome and history of withdrawal-related epileptic seizures.

Efficacy and tolerability of a new antipsychotic compound (risperidone): results of a pilot study.

Risperidone is a new benzisoxazole derivative displaying a very potent serotonin antagonism and a potent dopamine antagonism in pharmacological studies. These properties suggest the hypothesis that risperidone may exert antipsychotic effects and be superior to classic neuroleptics in its beneficial effects on negative and affective symptoms and its low extrapyramidal side-effect propensity. In an open pilot study 13 patients suffering from acute schizophrenic psychosis were treated with risperidone within an individually adapted dose range from 1 to 10 mg per day. A good antipsychotic efficacy could be demonstrated in 6 of the 8 patients who completed the trial. Risperidone was very well tolerated. The substance possesses a low EPS-inducing profile. Future research has to test the suggested advantage of risperidone over other neuroleptic drugs and its performance in the treatment of chronic schizophrenic patients.

[Persistence of circadian rhythms of plasma ACTH and corticosterone after pinealectomy in sighted or blind rats]. / Persistence des rythmes circadiens de l'ACTH et de la corticostérone plasmatiques après pinéalectomie chez la Ratte voyante ou aveugle.

The possible effects of pinealectomy on the corticotropic system was studied in either sighted or ocular enucleated adult female Rats. Individual ACTH and corticosterone measurements were performed on sequential plasma samples obtained over a 48 hrs period from a carotid implanted cannula. Compared with their respective sighted or blind controls, pinealectomized Rats displayed no alteration in the hormonal rhythms' periodicity, phase, mean level and amplitude. On the other hand, ocular enucleation, whether or not associated with pinealectomy depressed the amplitude and to a lesser extent the mean level of the ACTH rhythm, and paradoxically increased the corticosterone rhythm's mean level. While no pineal factors appear therefore required for a normal corticotropic rhythmicity, the possible regulating role of retinal melatonin may be discussed.