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In this work, the intensification of the extraction of flavonoids from dry onion skin wastes (DOSW) by Ultrasound Assisted Extraction (UAE) was investigated. Conventional stirred tank extraction was used to find the optimal temperature (37 °C) and solvent (ethanol 70%, v/v), providing 20.7 ± 0.4 mg QE/g DOSW after 1 h. In the UAE process, the amplitude of oscillation and the solvent-to-solid ratio were key parameters to control the specific energy used. Energies above 10 kJ/g OSW did not increase the extraction yield (maximum flavonoids content was 23.9 ± 0.2 mg QE/g DOSW), which could be obtained using amplitudes of 40%, high solvent-to-solid ratios (30 mL/g DOSW) and extraction times below 5 min. Although both extraction techniques provided similar profiles of phenolic compounds, being quercetin and quercetin-4′-O-glucoside the main flavonoids (7.4 mg/g DOSW and 10.4 mg/g DOSW, respectively), UAE increased the productivity up to 11.6 mg QE/(g DOSW·min), seven times higher than conventional extraction. The extraction kinetics was modeled and studied. The optimum extract was freeze-dried resulting in a solid powder rich in flavonoids (21%) which kept 90% of the antioxidant activity after 180 days of storage at temperatures below 4 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candida tropicalis is an emerging virulent species. The aim of this study is to determine the biofilm-forming ability of 29 strains of C. tropicalis isolated from inpatients, and to examine its relation with other virulence factors such as cellular surface hydrophobicity (CSH), immediate (15 min, IA) and late (24 h, LA) plastic adherence and filamentation ability. The study was performed in parallel using two incubation temperatures - 37 and 22 °C - to determine the effect of growth temperature variations on these pathogenic attributes of C. tropicalis. Biofilm formation (BF) was measured by optical density (OD) and by XTT reduction (XTT); Slime index (SI), which includes growth as a correction factor in BF, was calculated in both methods. All strains were hydrophobic and adherent - at 15 min and 24 h - at both temperatures, with higher values for 22 °C; the adhered basal yeast layer appears to be necessary to achieve subsequent development of biofilm. Filamentation ability varied from 76.2% of strains at 37 °C to 26.6% at 22 °C. All C. tropicalis strains were biofilm producers, with similar results obtained using OD determination and XTT measurement to evaluation methods; SI is useful when good growth is not presented. BF at 37 °C was similar at 24 h and 96 h incubation; conversely, at 22 °C, the highest number of biofilm-producing strains was detected at 96 h. CSH is an important pathogenic factor which is involved in adherence, is influenced by the filamentation of yeast, and plays a critical role in BF. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correlation between mucosal colonization by Candida albicans and the subsequent development of invasive respiratory infection has been previously described. The aim of this study was to evaluate different enzymatic activities in vitro and to determine the capacity to form biofilms by 17 C. albicans isolates from bronchial aspirates of mechanically ventilated patients hospitalized in intensive care units. All the C. albicans clinical isolates tested were biofilm producers and displayed detectable levels of proteinase and hemolytic activities, although phospholipase activity was not detected in one strain. The correlation noted among the virulence factors studied suggests that the presence of more than one concurrent factor could facilitate the spread of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secretion of hydrolytic enzymes is considered a virulence factor in Candida spp. Extracellular enzymatic activities in 29 clinical isolates of Candida tropicalis were analyzed by plate assays. C. tropicalis, similar to Candida albicans, showed elevated hemolytic and esterase activities. However, unlike C. albicans, low aspartyl protease and very low phospholipase activities were detected in C. tropicalis isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The effect of ritonavir and saquinavir, HIV proteinase inhibitors, on the secreted aspartyl proteinase (Sap) activity of Candida parapsilosis was studied. In a proteinase-inducing medium (yeast carbon base-bovine serum albumin), Sap activity in all clinical isolates of C. parapsilosis (n = 20) was observed at 37°C but not at 22°C. The presence of ritonavir at a concentration of 8 μg/ml produced an inhibition close to 50% albumin consumption and also delayed yeast growth; however, saquinavir did not have any effect on growth or on Sap activity. In Sabouraud broth, which does not induce Sap production, no effect was shown on yeast growth by either of the two HIV proteinase inhibitors studied. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of various concentrations (0.003-8 mg/mL) of N-acetylcysteine on the formation of biofilms by 15 strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis has been studied. A dose-related decrease in biofilm formation was observed, except with the lowest concentrations. The 'slime' index relative to the control was 63%, 55%, 46%, 34%, 26% and 26% in the presence of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mg/mL of N-acetylcysteine, respectively. These data are statistically significant. The inhibitory effect of 2 mg/mL of N-acetylcysteine on slime formation was also verified by electron microscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The in-vitro antimicrobial action of therapeutic concentrations of metronidazole against Bacteroides fragilis and six different strains of Enterobacteriaceae in pure and mixed cultures have been studied. Under anaerobic conditions, metronidazole suppressed the growth of pure cultures of the Enterobacteriaceae. A reduction in the viable counts from 10(9) cfu/ml, in the 24 h controls, to 10(8), 10(7) and 10(5) cfu/ml in the presence of 10, 50 and 100 mg/l of metronidazole respectively, was observed. These concentrations of drug produced a marked bactericidal effect against B. fragilis, as expected. The antimicrobial activity of metronidazole on mixed cultures of B. fragilis and each one of the Enterobacteriaceae studied was greater against both micro-organisms than the corresponding effect on their respective pure cultures, under the same experimental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myiasis is the term used to describe infestations, both obligatory and accidental, in vertebrate animals and humans by dipteral larvae. The oral cavity is rarely affected by this infestation and the circumstances which can lead to oral myiasis include persistent mouth opening together with poor hygiene, or facial traumatism. We present a case of oral myiasis by larvae of Lucilia sericata, a species present in the Iberian Peninsula, in a hospitalized patient with surgical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study has been conducted to asses the in vitro activity of the novel triazole antifungal agent posaconazole against 123 clinically important isolates of yeasts. Susceptibility was tested using the Sensititre YeastOne microdilution commercial method. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined at the recommended endpoints and time intervals. The activity of posaconazole against Candida glabrata was compared with those of fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole and voriconazole. The most susceptible species to posaconazole were C. albicans, C. parapsilosis, C. tropicalis and C. dubliniensis. Candida glabrata was the least susceptible. The percentage of strains with MIC for posaconazole >or= 1 mg/L was 9%, all of them were C. glabrata. The species with MIC for itraconazole >or= 0.5 mg/L were 36% (41 C. glabrata, 1 C. krusei, 1 C. guilliermondii, 1 C. ciferrii). Candida glabrata strains resistant to fluconazole, ketoconazole and voriconazole were 8%, 4% and 4%, respectively. Posaconazole exhibited good activity to the majority of Candida species. However, it was similar to itraconazole and less active than ketoconazole and voriconazole against C. glabrata.

Psoriasis in plaques is a chronic disease that requires systemic treatment in its moderate and severe forms. Because the need for treatment is generally prolonged, many medications indicated for its treatment cannot be used continuously and have to be replaced by other different drugs, but also with a limited use, both due to their possible side effects, their teratogenicity, the time of use and accumulated dose, among other reasons. The biological drugs have been designed for middle and long term control of the disease. Efalizumab is a drug that has been shown to be effective and safe in patients who have moderate-to-severe psoriasis. We present our results in a group of 50 patients, our special cases, the form in which we have treated the side effects due to Efalizumab and those due to the disease.