Toxin production by Bacillus cereus in dairy products

Spores of a known toxigenic and psychrotrophic dairy isolate of Bacillus cereus (HRM 44) were unable to grow and produce diarrhoeagenic toxin at 6 degrees C in creams and dairy-based products. These findings suggest that the production of B. cereus diarrhoeagenic toxin is unlikely to occur in creams and dairy-based products maintained within the cold chain. Growth and toxin production were readily demonstrated in creams and some desserts stored at 21 degrees C. Growth in creams was associated with obvious spoilage. However, in the flavoured desserts, spoilage was not always obvious before significant growth of B. cereus and toxin production had occurred. Dairy desserts with high sugar content and/or low pH did not support toxin production and these findings are discussed.     

Hepatotoxicity related to intracavernous pharmacotherapy with papaverine

OBJECTIVES: To determine the incidence of hepatotoxicity related to self-administration of intracavernous papaverine or papaverine/phentolamine (bimix). METHODS: From October 1994 through June 1996, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 71 consecutive patients diagnosed with organic erectile dysfunction (ED) and receiving intracavernous injection therapy. Inclusion criteria were documentation of normal baseline liver function tests (LFTs), a minimum of 6 months of follow-up that included LFTs, at least one self-injection every 2 weeks, and no other prior or concurrent treatment for ED. Thirty evaluable patients satisfied the inclusion criteria and formed group 1. Mean age was 63 years (range 40 to 77), mean follow-up was 18 months (range 6 to 32), and mean number of injections per month was 5.7 (range 3 to 12). An age-matched population of 20 patients (mean age 69 years, range 46 to 90) without ED but with similar comorbid risk factors formed the control group (group 2). All patients in group 2 had routine long-term follow-up of LFTs (mean 52 months, range 10 to 1 14). RESULTS: Two patients (6.67%) from group 1 had elevated LFTs during treatment: one experienced a mild elevation in alanine aminotransferase and the other developed transient elevations of total bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase 6 months after beginning therapy. Both patients reported a history of alcohol abuse. Both patients remained asymptomatic. Neither patient required discontinuation of therapy. One patient (5%) from group 2 developed an elevation of total bilirubin at a follow-up of 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Routine monitoring of LFTs is probably unnecessary during intracavernous pharmacotherapy. Patients with a history of alcohol abuse or liver disease, however, should be followed up more closely when papaverine is selected for intracavernous injection. In these patients, LFTs should be obtained before initiating treatment and at 6-month intervals.     

Structure of a heparin-linked biologically active dimer of fibroblast growth factor

The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) form a large family of structurally related, multifunctional proteins that regulate various biological responses. They mediate cellular functions by binding to transmembrane FGF receptors, which are protein tyrosine kinases. FGF receptors are activated by oligomerization, and both this activation and FGF-stimulated biological responses require heparin-like molecules as well as FGF. Heparins are linear anionic polysaccharide chains; they are typically heterogeneously sulphated on alternating L-iduronic and D-glucosamino sugars, and are nearly ubiquitous in animal tissues as heparan sulphate proteoglycans on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. Although several crystal structures have been described for FGF molecules in complexes with heparin-like sugars, the nature of a biologically active complex has been unknown until now. Here we describe the X-ray crystal structure, at 2.9 A resolution, of a biologically active dimer of human acidic FGF in a complex with a fully sulphated, homogeneous heparin decassacharide. The dimerization of heparin-linked acidic FGF observed here is an elegant mechanism for the modulation of signalling through combinatorial homodimerization and heterodimerization of the 12 known members of the FGF family.     

Effect of permeabilizing agents on antibacterial activity against a simple Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

In 1994, the Malm?-Klaipeda twinning programme was approved by the World Federation of Hemophilia. One of the first steps in the collaboration has been to set up a registry of the haemophilia patients in the Klaipeda area. In order to collect important clinical data the patients have been examined jointly by experts on haemophilia from the two centres. Seventeen out of 25 patients with severe haemophilia known at the Klaipeda centre were examined and compared to a matched cohort of patients from the Malm? centre. The main differences between the cohorts were that home treatment was not available to the Klaipeda patients, they received less treatment in general, had higher joint scores and more frequent bleeds. The pattern of transmission of blood-borne virus was very similar, with a high prevalence of hepatitis C antibodies. We conclude that the twinning programme between Malm? and Klaipeda has resulted in several achievements, including training of staff and a necessary inventory of the patients. This should not only form a suitable platform for the future development of haemophilia care in Lithuania, but could also serve as an example for liaisons between other haemophilia centres.     

Lymphatic mapping and sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a recently developed, minimally invasive technique for staging the axilla in patients with breast cancer. It has been suggested that this technique will avoid the morbidity associated with more extensive axillary dissection. A wide range of different methods and materials has been employed for lymphatic mapping, but there has been little consensus on the most reliable and reproducible technique. METHODS: This is a comprehensive review of all published literature on sentinel node biopsy in breast cancer, using the Medline and Embase databases and cross-referencing of major articles on the subject. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Sentinel node biopsy is a valid technique in breast cancer management, providing valuable axillary staging information. The optimal technique of lymphatic mapping utilizes a combination of vital blue dye and radiolabelled colloid. However, there remain controversial issues which require to be resolved before sentinel node biopsy becomes a widely accepted part of breast cancer care.