Horse-Specific Cryptosporidium Genotype in Human with Crohn's Disease and Arthritis.

We identified an unusual subtype of a Cryptosporidium sp. horse genotype as the cause of cryptosporidiosis in a 13-year-old girl in Poland who was undergoing immunosuppressive treatment for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. The same subtype was identified in a horse the girl had ridden.

Infects Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease Undergoing Immunosuppressive Treatment.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are susceptible to intestinal opportunistic infections due to both defective mucosal immunity and altered immune response resulting from immunosuppressive treatment. Microsporidia infecting the gastrointestinal tract and causing diarrhoea can potentially affect the course of IBD. Stool samples (90 IBD children and 121 healthy age-matched controls) were screened for spp.

Is it Worth Combining Extract and Antibiotics against Uropathogenic rods? An In Vitro Model Study.

European goldenrod ( L.) has long been applied in traditional medicine and recommended in the prophylaxis of urinary tract infections (UTIs). However, research describing the antibacterial properties of goldenrod is very limited.

Pneumocystis jirovecii Colonization in Preterm Newborns With Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

We describe the prevalence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in mother-infant pairs of very low birth weight newborns <32 weeks gestation. Molecular and microscopic methods were used for detection of P. jirovecii in patients' specimens.

Cryptosporidium baileyi Pulmonary Infection in Immunocompetent Woman with Benign Neoplasm.

Cryptosporidium baileyi, a bird-specific parasite, infects gastrointestinal, pulmonary, and urinary tracts of its host. We report on a C. baileyi infection associated with pulmonary hamartoma in an immunocompetent patient in Poland.

Microbiological, antioxidant and lipoxygenase-1 inhibitory activities of fruit extracts of chosen Rosaceae family species.

Background: Extracts from the Rosaceae family fruits are rich in natural, biologically active polyphenols, but their antibacterial properties are still poorly understood. Therefore, we focused our research on their activity against uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains. This research also concerned the proof of their ability to reduce oxidative stress and modulate the activity of lipoxygenase-1 (LOX-1).

The First Evidence of Infection in a Colon Adenocarcinoma From an Immunocompetent Patient.

The potential linkage between spp. infection and colorectal human cancer was suggested by limited reports showing higher prevalence of and in patients with colon cancer. Here we conducted research concerning presence of spp.

Photodynamic enhancement of the activity of antibiotics used in urinary tract infections.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been proven to kill different microbial cells. However, to our knowledge, none of the available reports describes the modulatory effect of this therapy on the antibacterial activity of antibiotics against Escherichia coli rods being the main causative agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Therefore, the aim of our study was to verify if the PDT can enhance the antibacterial activity of antibiotics recommended in the treatment of UTIs.

Prevalence and genotyping of Pneumocystis jirovecii in renal transplant recipients-preliminary report.

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungus occurring in human lungs. The group at highest risk consists of HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected immunosuppressed individuals. In these patients, P.

Symptomatic respiratory Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in renal transplant recipients.

Objectives: Encephalitozoon spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are intracellular parasitic fungi from the phylum Microsporidia, which initially localize to the intestine. As opportunistic pathogens, Encephalitozoon spp.

Respiratory microsporidiosis caused by Enterocytozoon bieneusi in an HIV-negative hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipient.

A 23-year-old, HIV-negative woman who had undergone a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation was admitted to the hospital with respiratory failure and symptoms of bronchiolitis obliterans. A chest computed tomography scan revealed diffuse ground-glass opacification and fibrous plugs. Due to worsening respiratory failure despite treatment, ventilation was provided through a tracheostomy tube.

Disseminated Infection of Encephalitozoon cuniculi Associated With Osteolysis of Hip Periprosthetic Tissue.

Background: Among patients with hip joint endoprosthesis, periprosthetic osteolysis is the most common complication following primary arthroplasty, and subsequent implant loosening is the leading cause of arthroplasty revision. Causes of stability loss, though not always evident, can be mechanical, allergic, or infectious (bacterial and fungal agents) in nature. Microsporidia, widespread opportunistic fungal pathogens that infect most human tissues, are a potential infectious cause of stability loss.

Genotyping of Pneumocystis jirovecii in colonized patients with various pulmonary diseases.

Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungus causing Pneumocystis pneumonia primarily in immunosuppressed patients. However, immunocompetent individuals may become colonized and, as asymptomatic carriers, serve as reservoirs of the pathogen. Moreover, these asymptomatic carriers are at higher risk of developing pneumonia if favorable conditions occur.

Study of the impact of cranberry extract on the virulence factors and biofilm formation by Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from urinary tract infections.

Drinking of cranberry fruit juice and application of commercial preparations containing the cranberry extracts are recommended in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in women with recurrent UTIs. Many studies focus on the activity of cranberries against uropathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains.

Pneumocystis jirovecii--from a commensal to pathogen: clinical and diagnostic review.

Pneumocystis pneumonia is an opportunistic disease caused by invasion of unicellular fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. Initially, it was responsible for majority of morbidity and mortality cases among HIV-infected patients, which later have been reduced due to the introduction of anti-retroviral therapy, as well as anti-Pneumocystis prophylaxis among these patients. Pneumocystis pneumonia, however, is still a significant cause of mortality among HIV-negative patients being under immunosuppression caused by different factors, such as transplant recipients as well as oncologically treated ones.

Biological activity of the methanol and water extracts of the fruits of anthocyanin-rich plants grown in south-west Poland.

In this study we focused on the chemical composition, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties of methanol and water extracts of fruits of six species grown in south-west Poland: blackberry, blackcurrant, chokeberry, cherry, gooseberry and raspberry. No general correlation could be drawn between extract chemical properties (i.e.

The bactericidal activity of normal human serum against Enterobacteriaceae rods with lipopolysaccharides possessing O-antigens composed of mannan.

Background: The susceptibility of bacteria to the bactericidal activity of serum depends on the structure and organization of the bacterial outer membrane. It is known that the structure of the O-specific polysaccharide chain of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plays an important role in the resistance of bacteria to host immune defenses.

Objectives: The susceptibility of rods belonging to Enterobacteriaceae family to the bactericidal activity of the normal human serum (NHS) was examined.

Study on the influence of cranberry extract Żuravit S·O·S(®) on the properties of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains, their ability to form biofilm and its antioxidant properties.

Consumption of cranberries is known to exert positive health effects, especially against urinary tract infections. For this reason, presumably, they are widely used in folk medicine. Different aspects of cranberry phenolics activity were studied in individual papers but complex study in this matter is missing.

Comparison of the effects of subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin and colistin on the morphology of cardiolipin domains in Escherichia coli membranes.

Membrane domains characterized by unique protein and lipid composition allow for compartmentalization and regulation of various biological processes. In Escherichia coli cardiolipin domains play a key role in the dynamic organization of bacterial membranes, and their distribution depends on the stage of the cell cycle. We studied the influence of subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin and colistin on the morphology and distribution of E.

Anthocyanins as antimicrobial agents of natural plant origin.

Anthocyanins are particularly abundant in different fruits, especially in berries. The beneficial effects of these compounds for human health have been known from at least the 16th century. Despite the great number of papers devoted to the different biological effects exerted by anthocyanins only a limited number of studies is focused on the antimicrobial activity of these compounds.

Direct visualization of phase separation induced by phenothiazine-type antipsychotic drugs in model lipid membranes.

Lipid rafts constitute dynamic assemblies within a bilayer, engaged in, e.g., signal transduction, membrane trafficking and cell polarization.

Giant unilamellar vesicles - a perfect tool to visualize phase separation and lipid rafts in model systems.

Model systems such as black lipid membranes or conventional uni- or multilamellar liposomes are commonly used to study membrane properties and structure. However, the construction and dimensions of these models excluded their direct optical microscopic observation. Since the introduction of the simple method of liposome electroformation in alternating electric field giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) have become an important model imitating biological membranes.

Perturbation of the lipid phase of a membrane is not involved in the modulation of MRP1 transport activity by flavonoids.

The expression of transmembrane transporter multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) confers the multidrug-resistant phenotype (MDR) on cancer cells. Since the activity of the other MDR transporter, P-glycoprotein, is sensitive to membrane perturbation, we aimed to check whether the changes in lipid bilayer properties induced by flavones (apigenin, acacetin) and flavonols (morin, myricetin) were related to their MRP1 inhibitory activity. All the flavonoids inhibited the efflux of MRP1 fluorescent substrate from human erythrocytes and breast cancer cells.

Genistein derivatives decrease liposome membrane integrity--calcein release and molecular modeling study.

The ability of newly synthesized genistein benzyl and glycosylated derivatives to permeabilize the liposome membrane was studied by calcein-leakage method. All studied derivatives appeared to be more effective than their parent compound--genistein. Comparing the experimental results with theoretical calculations we found that in the case of benzyl derivatives the dipole moment of added benzene ring (with its substitutions) might be important for the strength of flavonoids-lipid interactions.

Phase separation is induced by phenothiazine derivatives in phospholipid/sphingomyelin/cholesterol mixtures containing low levels of cholesterol and sphingomyelin.

Lipid rafts are membrane structures enriched in cholesterol, sphingomyelin and glycolipids. In majority raft-mimicking model systems high contents of cholesterol and sphingomyelin (approximately 30 mol%) are used. Existence of raft-like structures was, however, reported also in model and natural membranes containing low levels of cholesterol and sphingomyelin.