Comparison of single-dose oral grepafloxacin with cefixime for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in men. The STD Study Group

In a randomized open study, 351 male patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea were given single oral doses of grepafloxacin (400 mg) or cefixime (400 mg). In the 299 microbiologically evaluable patients, urethral infections were cured in 99% (147 of 149) of those receiving grepafloxacin and 97% (145 of 150) of those given cefixime. Eradication rates for both regimens were 100% in the 16% (47 of 299) of participants who were infected with penicillin-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae and 97% in the 21% (62 of 299) of participants infected with tetracycline-resistant strains. Grepafloxacin is a well-tolerated alternative to cefixime for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea in males.     

Prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi infection in Ixodes ricinus in central Italy

A scalp tumor from a 24-year-old male presenting unusual histological finding is described. The tumor was mostly composed of corpuscles resembling Meissner tactile bodies and contained almost no other components. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the tumor cells to be positive for S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase, so we considered the tumor to be an unusual nevocellular nevus mostly comprised of nevic corpuscles.     

Silver nanoparticles synthesis using Wedelia urticifolia (Blume) DC. flower extract: Characterization and antibacterial activity evaluation

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), synthesized by green methods with the property to kill microbes, are highly valuable in medical sciences. So, the current study was aimed at using the flower extract of Wedelia urticifolia for synthesizing AgNPs with antibacterial properties. The AgNPs were produced by adding the extract to three different AgNO₃ concentrations (1, 10, and 100 mM) in nine possible flower extract to metal salt ratios (9:1, 8:2, 7:3, 6:4, 5:5, 4:6, 3:7, 2:8, and 1:9). The formation of brown color and the presence of a peak at 431 nm in the UV–Vis spectrum of the colloidal solution indicates the synthesis of AgNPs, which were also characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. The DLS results exposed that the smallest sized AgNPs were obtained in 10 mM AgNO₃ solution and 4E6M was the optimized extract to metal salt solution ratio. The characterization techniques revealed that the synthesized AgNPs were spherical shaped and crystalline with a diameter of less than 30 nm. Furthermore, the synthesized nanoparticles were tested against two Gram‐positive (Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus) and two Gram‐negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacterial strains for their antibacterial efficiency. Although the studied strains showed limited growth, overall, the effect of nanoparticles was found to be insignificant. It is concluded that the current study is advantageous over other previous studies because the AgNPs were synthesized at room temperature from 10 mM AgNO₃ concentration in only 2 hours. Additionally, the present work is simple, ecofriendly, and in‐expensive.