Effects of the main extraction parameters on chemical and microbial characteristics of compost tea.

The rising popularity of compost tea as fertilizer or foliar spray against pathogens has encouraged many researchers to evaluate its performance without standardizing its quality, so obtaining inconsistent and controversial results. The fertilizing and pesticide-like effects of compost tea are due to its chemical and microbiological properties. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the best combination of the compost tea extraction parameters for exalting both chemical and microbiological features. A factorial design was adopted to evaluate the effects of compost/water ratio, extraction time, storage duration and storage temperature in different combination on physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of compost tea, and the results were elaborated through different statistical analyses. Compost tea nutrients and microorganisms were influenced by compost/water ratio and extraction time. In addition, the storage duration affected the microbial populations, whereas the storage temperature influenced only the fungal population of compost tea. Results suggested that the best combination of the studied parameters was: 1:2.5 compost/water ratio, 2days of extraction time and the compost tea should be utilized immediately after the extraction, since the storage reduced the microbial populations.

Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from food and wild animal carcasses in Italy.

Following the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ST398 in food-producing animals, both livestock and wildlife, and derived products, are considered potential sources of MRSA in humans. There is a paucity of data on MRSA in foods in Italy, and the data regarding wild animals are particularly scarce. A total of 2162 food samples collected during official monitoring activities in 2008 were analyzed for the detection of S. aureus. Also, samples from 1365 wild animals collected by the National Reference Center for Wild Animal Diseases in 2003-2009 were subjected to anatomopathological examination. S. aureus isolates were processed for phenotypic and molecular methicillin resistance determinations. S. aureus was found in 2.0% of wild animal carcasses and in 3.2% of wild boar lymph nodes: none showed methicillin resistance. The prevalence of S. aureus in food was 17.1%. Two MRSA strains, both from bulk tank milk (prevalence 0.77%) were isolated: the strains were resistant to tetracycline, had spa-type t899, and were negative for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene. The low prevalence of MRSA suggests that the risk of transmission to humans via food is limited. However, attention should be paid to the cattle food chain, which may be a potential route of transmission of LA-MRSA.

Helicobacter pylori and nonulcer dyspepsia in childhood: clinical pattern, diagnostic techniques, and bacterial strains.

BACKGROUND: This is a report of the results of a multicenter study performed in children with dyspepsia from five pediatric centers in Puglia, a region in southern Italy. In the study, clinical features of Helicobacter pylori infection, the reliability of diagnostic techniques, and the involvement of bacterial strains were examined. METHODS: Fifty-three outpatients with dyspepsia enrolled in our study and compiled a diary recording clinical symptoms in patients before they underwent the following diagnostic techniques: endoscopy, biopsy for histologic analysis, rapid urease test, 13C urea breath test, serology specific for immunoglobulin (Ig)G and anti-CagA and VacA. RESULTS: H. pylori showed a prevalence of 30.2% (n = 16). Histologic positivity was seen in all patients at the antral level (H. pylori-associated chronic gastritis). In the gastric body, bacterial chronic active gastritis was present only in six patients (H. pylori-associated chronic pangastritis). Clinical evaluation showed a significant difference in favor of subjects positive for H. pylori only for epigastric burning and/or pain (p < 0.001). The comparison of results of diagnostic tests, using histology as the gold standard, showed sensitivity and specificity of more than 93% for 13C urea breath test and more than 85% for rapid urease test and serology. Anti-CagA antibodies were found in 64.3% and anti-VacA antibodies in 42.8% of H. pylori-positive patients. CONCLUSIONS: H. pylori prevalence in children with dyspepsia from the geographic area studied is comparable with that found in other developed countries. Approximately 50% of the studied patients were infected by cytotoxic strains. The urea breath test was the most reliable noninvasive diagnostic tool and is suitable for routine use, although endoscopy with histologic assessment remains the definitive investigation and is particularly important in patients with positive serology for CagA and VacA. Finally, the frequency of aggressive strains in our region seems to affect the clinical pattern; this emphasizes the importance of definitive diagnosis in children and offers a new role for serology.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on gastric epithelial proliferation. Relationship with ras oncogene p21 expression.

BACKGROUND: Impaired changes in gastric epithelium proliferation have been described in Helicobacter pylori infection, and a progressive increase of proliferating cells has been shown with the progression of mucosal lesions. AIMS: Purpose of this investigation was to study the effect of eradication on bacterium-induced proliferative changes, evaluated by the proliferating cell nuclear antigen labelling index (PCNA LI) and its relationship to the ras oncoprotein p21, involved in early events of gastric carcinogenesis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective study was performed, before and after therapy, in five different groups of patients with progressive stages of Helicobacter pylori damage (N: normality; HG: histological gastritis with normal endoscopy; EHG: histological gastritis with endoscopic chronic erosions; CIM: complete intestinal metaplasia; IIM: incomplete intestinal metaplasia). RESULTS: Six months after eradication, a normalization of PCNA LI was observed in the areas of gastritis, but not in those of intestinal metaplasia, which showed on unchanged type. Moreover, immunohistochemical membrane expression of ras oncoprotein p21 was only associated to intestinal metaplasia. The protein was also expressed in the cytoplasm in 3 patients with incomplete type. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the development of intestinal metaplasia may be associated with an alteration in the control of gastric epithelium proliferation and could represent an initial stage in gastric carcinogenesis. Nevertheless, further genetic changes are necessary for a complete progression to neoplastic disease. A long-term follow-up on extension, type, proliferative situation and oncoprotein expression in areas of intestinal metaplasia may be helpful to explain whether the present data provide new information on the mechanism of Helicobacter pylori induced gastric carcinogenesis.

Proliferative activity of gastric epithelium in progressive stages of Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection is the main etiopathogenetic agent responsible for inflammatory and ulcerative changes in gastroduodenal mucosa and the basis for both intestinal and diffuse types of gastric carcinoma. In this latter case, intestinal metaplasia is the intermediary between gastritis and cancer. In this study we describe the proliferative activity of gastric epithelium in the progressive stages of HP infection. The expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), which has proven to be a reliable method for this evaluation, was used as a marker. The study was performed on endoscopic biopsies of the gastric antrum of 40 patients, who were divided into five groups, eight in each group: normal histology and endoscopy, HP-; histological HP+ gastritis with normal endoscopy; histological HP+ gastritis with endoscopic evidence of chronic erosions; complete and incomplete intestinal metaplasia in a HP+ stomach. PCNA was detected by immunohistochemistry and expressed as labeling index, ie, percentage of positive nuclei either in the whole or upper third of foveolae. Our data show a progressive increase of epithelial proliferation in the successive stages of HP infection ranging from gastritis alone to the development of incomplete intestinal metaplasia, a well-known precancerous condition. The proliferative pattern tended to expand towards the upper foveolar third, which in normal conditions does not represent a site of epithelial renewal. These alterations may be related to the development of neoplastic transformations of gastric epithelium. It is well known that genetic mutations are facilitated in proliferating cells. Therefore, our results indicate that the high epithelial turnover, expressed by PCNA LI, may be an indicator of increased risk of neoplastic changes in long-standing untreated HP+ chronic gastritis.

[Blood groups of the ABO system and survival rate in gynecologic tumors]. / Gruppi sanguigni del sistema ABO e sopravvivenza nei tumori ginecologici.

A retrospective analysis of 968 women affected by gynecological tumors was conducted to assess the existence of a difference in survival between patients with different blood groups. Data are presented on 237 cases of endometrial cancer, 92 cases of ovarian cancer and 639 cases of invasive cervix cancer, detailing their ABO blood antigenic phenotypes, the stage of neoplasia and the treatment received. With regard to endometrial cancer, a sensibly better 5-year and 10-year survival is associated with blood group 0 if compared with blood group A. This finding is more evident when 5-year survival is considered among patients affected by ovarian cancer. With regard to cervical cancer, analysis showed that a little better than 5-year survival is associated with 0 blood phenotype; on the contrary, when a 10-year or longer survival is considered, a better survival is associated with A blood phenotype. The present study confirms evidence of an association between the A blood group and gynecological tumors. Endometrial and ovarian cancer occur more frequently in women with blood type A than in those with the other blood types, moreover, in the same tumors blood group A is associated with a poor prognosis. The possible reason for these findings are discussed with detailed regard to the possible biological importance that, at present, is conferred to the ABO group system in the complex activities of the immune system.

Chemotherapy and surgery in the treatment of ovarian cancer bulky disease.

Thirty-six patients with stage III-IV ovarian cancer, bulky disease, were treated with adriamycin and cyclophosphamide administered in two different dosages. Three or four cycles of chemotherapy were administered before the first surgery to facilitate the surgical debulking. After surgery, 6 additional cycles of chemotherapy were administered, and a second look was performed. Clinical CR + PR was observed in 19/30 (63%) evaluable patients after the first part of chemotherapy, but pathologic CR + PR was confirmed in only 13 (43%) patients. After the second part of chemotherapy and the second surgery, 5/30 (17%) patients had pathologic CR and 3/30 (10%) showed residual disease. The two regimens demonstrated similar activity (67% vs 56% clinical CR + PR) but a very different toxicity. In fact, 50% of patients treated with higher doses showed severe leukopenia and 25% severe thrombocytopenia, and 2/13 died of sepsis. The significant activity of adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide in ovarian cancer was confirmed, and increasing the dosage of the two drugs did not increase their activity but only their toxicity.