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Abstract Bacteria belonging to Mycobacterium avium complex are organisms of low pathogenicity that infect immunosuppressed individuals. Infection is treated with an antimicrobial macrolide, Clarithromycin (CAM) or Azitromycin, associated with Ethambutol and Rifabutin during 12 months. Regimen long duration and side effects hinder patient's commitment to treatment favoring emergence of antibiotic resistance. In this present study, we evaluated the activity of JVA, an Isoniazid (INH) derivative, against M. avium 2447, a clinical isolate. We demonstrated that JVA reduces M. avium 2447 growth in macrophages, more efficiently than CAM and INH. In order to explore JVA mechanism of action, we investigated compound properties and performed pH-dependent stability studies. Our results suggest an enhanced ability of JVA to cross biological membranes. Furthermore, we suggest that in acidic conditions of macrophages' phagosomes, where mycobacteria replicate, JVA would be promptly hydrolyzed to INH, delivering the adduct INH-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and thus inhibiting M. avium 2447 growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • The characterization of two new polymeric copper(II) complexes bearing 2-chlorobenzhydrazide is reported for first time. • A copper(II) complex has been more active than benznidazole, a drug used in the treatment of Chagas disease. • A complex exhibited a good selectivity index. Abstract We report here the characterization of two new polymeric copper(II) complexes containing 2-chlorobenzhydrazide (2-CH) and two N,N -donor ligands, namely, 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) and 4-4′-dimethoxy-2-2′-bipyridine (dmb). The structure of a new polymeric copper(II) complex in which a perchlorate anion acts as a bridge ligand is discussed in detail. In both complexes, spectral data reveals a bidentate coordination mode for hydrazide, perchlorate and N,N -donor ligand. These metal complexes and their free ligands were evaluated for their trypanocidal and cytotoxic activities and the complex with 1,10-phenanthroline has been much more active than benznidazole, a drug used in the treatment of Chagas disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To establish reference values of heart rate variability (HRV) measures in a cohort of adolescent boys and to determine the relationship between HRV and the clustering of risk factors (RFs) for cardiovascular disease. Study design This cross-sectional study included 1152 adolescent boys (age: 16.6 ± 1.2 years old). Demographic data, health-related habits, obesity indicators, and blood pressure were evaluated. HRV measures of time (SD of all RR intervals, root mean square of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals, and the percentage of adjacent intervals over 50 ms) and frequency domains were assessed (low [LF] and high [HF] frequency). Results The components of HRV were RR interval (827 ± 128 ms), SD of all RR intervals (61.9 ± 23.5 ms), root mean square of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals (54.5 ± 29.4 ms), percentage of adjacent intervals over 50 ms (29.4 ± 20.4%), LF (53 ± 16 nu), HF (47 ± 16), and LF/HF (1.44 ± 1.08). Greater sympathetic and lower parasympathetic modulation at rest were associated with higher adiposity, higher blood pressure and physical inactivity. Adolescents with 2 or more RFs also presented lower HRV than subjects with no RFs (P < .001). Conclusions The study has provided descriptive indicators that help the interpretation of HRV results in adolescents. Lower HRV measures are associated with the clustering of cardiovascular RFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no reported cases of factitious or simulated obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, over the last years, our clinic has come across a number of individuals that seem to exaggerate, mislabel or even intentionally "produce" obsessive and/or compulsive symptoms in order to be diagnosed with OCD. Methods: In this study, experienced clinicians working on a university-based OCD clinic were requested to provide clinical vignettes of patients who, despite having a formal diagnosis of OCD, were felt to display non-genuine forms of this condition. Results: Ten non-consecutive patients with a self-proclaimed diagnosis of OCD were identified and described. Although patients were diagnosed with OCD according to various structured interviews, they exhibited diverse combinations of the following features: (i) overly technical and/or doctrinaire description of their symptoms, (ii) mounting irritability, as the interviewer attempts to unveil the underlying nature of these descriptions; (iii) marked shifts in symptom patterns and disease course; (iv) an affirmative "yes" pattern of response to interview questions; (v) multiple Axis I psychiatric disorders; (vi) cluster B features; (vii) an erratic pattern of treatment response; and (viii) excessive or contradictory drug-related side effects. Conclusions: In sum, reliance on overly structured assessments conducted by insufficiently trained or naïve personnel may result in invalid OCD diagnoses, particularly those that leave no room for clinical judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nine caffeic and gallic acids derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant activity using the DPPH radical scavenging activity assay and for their antiherpes activity against HSV-1. All compounds displayed higher antioxidant activities than α-tocopherol. The most active antioxidant was compound 8 (IC50 =177μM). Five compounds (7, 10, 11, 12 and 14) were found to possess anti-HSV-1 activity with selectivity indices values ranging from 7.0 to 27.1. The most active was compound 10 (IC50 =15.2μM; SI=27.1). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a murine autoimmune disease used to study multiple sclerosis (MS), a human inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Genistein treatment is known to reverse clinical signs of EAE. The present work investigates the use of a genistein analog 7-O-tetradecanoyl-genistein (TDG) in the treatment of EAE. In this study, the genistein analog TDG was obtained by the esterification reaction of genistein. The molecule of TDG was developed based on this previous knowledge, using esterification in vitro to bypass the in vivo processing which favors the biological activity and increasing lipid solubility. The results show that TDG treatment promotes reduction of the clinical signs in EAE animals and it correlates with lower levels of TGF-β, IL-6, IL-17 and IFN-γ in the brain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: According to the Wernicke–Kleist–Leonhard (WKL) School of Psychiatry, human actions could be categorized into spontaneous, expressive, reflex, and reactive. The so-called short-circuit movements represent a pathological exaggeration of immediate reactions to sensory impressions, such as sudden or threatening stimuli. “Short-circuiting” was deemed of utmost importance for the diagnoses of several WKL endogenous psychoses, such as hyperkinetic motility psychosis, periodic catatonia, and proskinetic catatonia. We suggest that short-circuit movements may be an under-reported behavioral phenotype that may cut across different phenotypes of non-psychotic DSM-IV-TR disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Tourette’s syndrome (TS), and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Several features of a neuropsychiatric syndrome seen in the coarse frontal lobe disease (“complex psychomotor release phenomena”) may provide a neurological working model for “short-circuiting” in ADHD, TS, and OCD. Further, short-circuit movements may be associated with different degrees of serotonergic, dopaminergic, and glutamatergic dysfunctions. Indeed, although there are a growing number of studies reporting successful treatment of short-circuit movements with topiramate and other glutamatergic antagonists, treatment response to drugs based on serotonergic or dopaminergic mechanisms of action is more uncertain and, sometimes, detrimental, leading to an aggravation of pathological behavior. A resurgence of the interest on the descriptive psychopathology of the WKL short-circuit movements could provide a new conceptual framework for the studies on the neurobiology of volitional disorders. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigated whether patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and hoarding symptoms can be differentiated from their counterparts with other types of obsessions and compulsions in terms of sociodemographic and clinical features. Ninety-seven patients with OCD were assessed with a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS), and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Fifteen patients who reported hoarding symptoms in the Y-BOCS checklist (15.6% of the total sample) were compared and contrasted with 82 patients without those symptoms using the Mann-Whitney U test for continuous variables and the Pearson's goodness-of-fit chi-square test for categorical ones; Fisher's exact test was employed when indicated. Hoarders were characterized by (1) higher educational levels (x2 = 7.49; df = 2; P = .02); (2) earlier age at onset (Z = -2.99; P = .003); (3) higher rates of symmetry obsessions (X2 = 7.03; df = 1; P = .01); (4) greater frequency of ordering (X2 = 10.08; df = 1; P = .004); (5) rituals repetition (X2 = 4.42; df = 1; P = .03); (6) counting compulsions (X2 = 5.92; df = 1; P = .02); and (7) significantly higher rates of comorbidity with bipolar II disorder (X2 = 10.62; df = 1; P= .02) and (8) with eating disorders (X2 = 7.42; df = 1; P = .02). In conclusion, patients with OCD exhibiting hoarding feature a distinctive sociodemographic and clinical profile. It remains to be investigated whether these phenotypical characteristics are underlined by specific neurobiological mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and side effects of two different misoprostol regimens for second-trimester pregnancy termination.Study Design: We performed a randomized clinical trial in patients who were at 14 to 23 weeks of gestation and who were admitted for medical termination of pregnancy. All patients received 800 microg of vaginal misoprostol and were assigned randomly to 400 microg of oral misoprostol or 400 microg of vaginal misoprostol every 8 hours. Efficacy and side effects were compared. The mean induction time of the study group was compared with that of an historic control group that had received 400 microg vaginally every 12 hours.Results: Forty-three women were assigned randomly, 22 women to vaginal misoprostol and 21 women to oral misoprostol. Induction time and hospital stay were slightly shorter for the oral group; however, the differences were not significant. Side effects were similar for both groups.Conclusion: After an initial 800 microg dose of vaginal misoprostol, a regimen of 400 microg of oral misoprostol every 8 hours is as effective as the same dose of vaginal misoprostol with no additional side effects, which provides a convenient alternative for midtrimester pregnancy termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and side effects of two different misoprostol regimens for second-trimester pregnancy termination. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a randomized clinical trial in patients who were at 14 to 23 weeks of gestation and who were admitted for medical termination of pregnancy. All patients received 800 µg of vaginal misoprostol and were assigned randomly to 400 µg of oral misoprostol or 400 µg of vaginal misoprostol every 8 hours. Efficacy and side effects were compared. The mean induction time of the study group was compared with that of an historic control group that had received 400 µg vaginally every 12 hours. RESULTS: Forty-three women were assigned randomly, 22 women to vaginal misoprostol and 21 women to oral misoprostol. Induction time and hospital stay were slightly shorter for the oral group; however, the differences were not significant. Side effects were similar for both groups. CONCLUSION: After an initial 800 µg dose of vaginal misoprostol, a regimen of 400 µg of oral misoprostol every 8 hours is as effective as the same dose of vaginal misoprostol with no additional side effects, which provides a convenient alternative for midtrimester pregnancy termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Maxillary sinus floor elevation in cases of reduced vertical bone height in the posterior maxilla allows predictable implant placement. The osteotome sinus floor elevation (OSFE) technique has shorter healing and waiting times because the fixture can be placed in the implant recipient site simultaneously with the ridge augmentation. Implant site preparation is more comfortable for the patient when performed with spiral drills than with continuous malleting of the osteotomes. Membrane perforation is the most frequent complication with the OSFE technique; postoperative infection is rare. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) may be a complication of OSFE and may cause stress if not identified correctly and managed properly. The available treatment options, diagnostic strategies and the pathophysiology of this unusual complication are discussed. The authors present a case in which intense BPPV developed during OSFE, focusing on dental and maxillofacial surgery as risk factors for this pathology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]