Italian survey on comparative levofloxacin susceptibility in 334 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A national survey on susceptibility patterns of 334 Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from intensive care units and hematology and oncology wards from 13 Italian hospitals compared the in vitro activity of levofloxacin, an injectable oral fluoroquinolone, to those of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, ceftazidime, imipenem, amikacin, and gentamicin. Amikacin and imipenem had the best susceptibility profiles. The activity of levofloxacin was superior to those of the other quinolones and was comparable to that of ceftazidime. The effect of levofloxacin in vitro on P. aeruginosa clinical isolates suggests that further clinical investigations are warranted.     

PEDF (pigment epithelium-derived factor) promotes increase and maturation of pigment granules in pigment epithelial cells in neonatal albino rat retinal cultures

AIMS: To clarify the association of p53 and CD34 expression with development of malignant solitary fibrous tumour we have studied 10 cases of solitary fibrous tumour arising in the pleura, retroperitoneum and pelvic cavity with clinicopathological features of malignancy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Tumours were localized solid masses with or without necrosis in eight and they nearly totally occupied the pleural cavity in two. Basic histology of the tumours was the proliferation of spindle cells arranged in 'patternless' pattern or in interlacing bundles with nuclear atypia and mitotic activities of various degree. In two, high-grade foci were present within low or intermediate-grade tumours. Recurrent tumours also showed more atypical features than primary tumours in two. Immunohistochemical studies showed CD34 positivity in seven, but three of them showed marked diminution or complete loss of CD34 expression in high-grade foci or a recurrent tumour. Three high-grade cases showed totally negative staining for CD34. p53 was strongly expressed in cases with fatal outcome, clinical recurrence, nuclear atypia, high mitotic activity or local invasion, whereas almost negative in benign tumours. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant solitary fibrous tumours may occur de novo or by transformation within benign or low-grade tumours and may be associated with p53 mutation. Although CD34 is a useful marker in the diagnosis of solitary fibrous tumour, one should bear in mind that its expression can be lost in high-grade tumours.     

Sensitivity of Aeromonas hydrophila carbapenemase to delta3-cephems: comparative study with other metallo-beta-lactamases

Ceftriaxone and ceftriaxone S-oxide behaved as inactivators against the metallo-beta-lactamase of Aeromonas hydrophila AE036 and as substrates for the zinc beta-lactamase produced by Bacillus cereus (569/H/9) and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia ULA 511. Moreover, RO 09-1428, a catechol-cephalosporin, was not recognized by the A. hydrophila enzyme. Panipenem, cephalosporin C, cephalosporin C-gamma-lactone, and loracarbef were substrates for the three studied beta-lactamases.     

Sclerosis in varicose veins

The authors report their experience in the sclerotherapy of varicose veins. They have used the technique of French school: with the patient half sitting, direct puncture not far from the gulf of saphena without tourniquet, on a weekly basis.     

Perfluorodecalin modifies the pattern of cell arrangement and induces loss of neurites in rat retinal cultures

Perfluorodecalin (PFD), a high specific weight, water-immiscible perfluorocarbon, previously studied as a potential blood substitute, now is used widely in the field of ophthalmic surgery as a tool for maneuvering intraocular tissues and as a short- or medium-term vitreous substitute. In in vivo experiments, several types of lesions in retinal tissue have been described in conjunction with long-term PFD treatment. To better evaluate the biological effects of PFD on retinal cells, we tested it on primary cultures of rat retina seeded on special cyclopore wells that allow the culture to be fed from the bottom side while the top side is in contact with the water-immiscible compound. We found that PFD changed the pattern of cell arrangement and induced loss of neurites. The modification of cell arrangement was less evident at the periphery of the wells where the amount of PFD, and consequently the pressure exerted, was lower. This observation suggests that the changes may be due more to a physical than to a toxic effect of PFD.     

Cadmium concentration in durum wheat grain (Triticum turgidum) as influenced by nitrogen rate,seeding date and soil type

BACKGROUND: Cadmium (Cd) is a trace element that has been associated with various human health problems. Cd enters plants, either by direct absorption through leaves or by uptake from soils, allowing Cd into the food chain. Nitrogen (N) fertilizer management is important in optimizing crop yield and protein content of durum wheat, but may influence Cd availability and hence Cd concentration in crops, with the effects being strongly influenced by environmental conditions and crop cultivar. RESULTS: In field studies, Cd and protein concentration in durum wheat grain differed between cultivars and were strongly affected by N application, with only minor effects of N occurring on concentration and uptake of P and Zn. Protein content increased significantly with N application in five of six site‐years, with the response being generally independent of cultivar and seeding data. Cd concentration also increased with N application in five of six seeding dates, with the response being greater in AC Melita than Arcola in three of the six site‐years. There were large differences in Cd concentration from year to year and with seeding date, indicating a strong environmental influence. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that different cultivars accumulate different levels of Cd in the grain and that seeding date and nitrogen fertilizer management can influence grain Cd concentration, with the magnitude of effects varying with environmental factors. In the future we may be able to manipulate management practices to optimize protein concentration and minimize Cd concentration in durum wheat, which could help to address the health and safety concerns of consumers. © Society of Chemical Industry and Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada     

Microscopic insight into the single step growth of in-plane heterostructures between graphene and hexagonal boron nitride

Graphene-h-BN hybrid nanostructures are grown in one step on the Pt(111) surface by ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition using a single precursor, the dimethylamino borane complex. By varying the deposition conditions, different nanostructures ranging from a fully continuous hybrid monolayer to well-separated Janus nanodots can be obtained. The growth starts with heterogeneous nucleation on morphological defects such as Pt step edges and proceeds by the addition of small clusters formed by the decomposition of the dimethylamino borane complex. Scanning tunneling microscopy measurements indicate that a sharp zigzag in-plane boundary is formed when graphene grows aligned with the Pt substrate and consequently with the h-BN layer as well. When graphene is rotated by 30°, the graphene armchair edges are seamlessly connected to h-BN zigzag edges. This is confirmed by a thorough density functional theory (DFT) study. Angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) data suggests that both h-BN and graphene present the typical electronic structure of self-standing non-interacting materials.

     

Inspecting Marquetries at Different Wavelengths: The Preliminary Numerical Approach as Aid for a Wide-Range of Non-destructive Tests

The present study is based on the non-destructive inspection of two marquetries representing arms’ coats, which were produced by the Technical University in Zvolen (Slovakia) and tested under laboratory conditions. The aforesaid samples were made of traditional European and exotic wood species, while the veneers of the decorative layers were prepared through the technology cutting technique, emphasizing in such a manner the wooden texture. One sample was a defect-free panel, while the second one consisted of three sub-superficial flaws and one superficial putty insert, added during the manufacturing stage. The samples were inspected by different non-destructive techniques, such as visible imaging, ultraviolet testing, near-infrared reflectography and transmittography, infrared thermography, holographic interferometry, digital image correlation, laser speckle contrast imaging and ultrasonic testing. Sometimes a comparison was not performed, by avoiding unnecessary data processing. Numerical simulations focusing on the optimization of the provided thermal flux anticipated the experimental results. The latter analysis proved the necessity for the integration of experimental and numerical testing in similar case studies. A peculiarity of this work is the additional creation of an ad hoc Matlab\(^\circledR \) code, written under the LSCI conditions, which identifies the wooden texture. The interactive methodology applied in the present study verified the synergy of the selected inspection methods enabling the production of a complete view for the preservation state of the inspected marquetry samples, through the comparison and/or the correlation of the individual informative content produced by each inspection procedure.