1,25-Dihydroxy vitamin D and coronary microvascular function.

Purpose: The active form of vitamin D (1,25(OH)(2)D) contributes to blood flow regulation in skeletal muscle. The aim of the present study was to determine whether this hormone also modulates coronary physiology, and thus whether abnormalities in its bioavailability contribute to excess cardiovascular risk in patients with disorders of mineral metabolism.

Methods: As a clinical model of the wide variability in 1,25(OH)(2)D bioavailability, we studied 23 patients (62 ± 8 years) with suspected primary hyperparathyroidism referred for myocardial perfusion imaging because of atypical chest pain and at least one cardiovascular risk factor.

Temperature affects Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor persistence in the aquatic environment via an enhanced expression of GbpA and MSHA adhesins.

Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor attachment to chitin and biofilm formation on polyvinylchloride surfaces via the N-acetylglucosamine-binding protein A (GbpA) and the mannose-sensitive haemagglutinin (MSHA) were investigated under different temperature and salinity conditions simulating those found in the aquatic environment. In vitro tests showed that mshA and gbpA defective V. cholerae N16961 strains displayed a significant reduction (P < 0.

Antimicrobial activity of the ornamental species Salvia corrugata, a potential new crop for extractive purposes.

As a part of our search for biologically active compounds from cultivated Salvia spp. we investigated Salvia corrugata Vahl. The activity of two isolated icetaxane diterpene quinones, fruticuline A and demethylfruticuline A, was assessed against 46 bacterial pathogens, mostly resistant to several primary antibiotics.

Effect of barley coffee on the adhesive properties of oral streptococci.

Some beverages and foods protect tooth surfaces against Streptococcus mutans colonization. Adhesion of S. mutans is a crucial step in the initiation and development of dental caries.

Detection of free-living and plankton-bound vibrios in coastal waters of the Adriatic Sea (Italy) and study of their pathogenicity-associated properties.

Culturable vibrios were isolated from water and plankton fractions collected during an 18-month sampling study performed along the north-central coast of the Adriatic Sea (Italy). Unculturable Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus were detected in plankton fractions by polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA sequences for cytotoxin-haemolysin and thermolabile haemolysin respectively.