Determination of carbamazepine in fingerprints: a feasibility study to evaluate adherence in epilepsy patients.

Fingerprint drug concentrations can be used as a noninvasive and convenient alternative to evaluate adherence to pharmacotherapy. Fingerprints were applied over glass slides, extracted and analyzed by ultra-high performance LC-MS/MS. The assay and drug adherence questionnaires were applied to 30 epilepsy patients.

Characterization of Speech and Language Phenotype in GLUT1DS.

Background: To analyze the oral motor, speech and language phenotype in a sample of pediatric patients with GLUT 1 transporter deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS).

Methods: eight Italian-speaking children with GLUT1DS (aged 4.6-15.

Evaluation of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in a tertiary-level reference hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Introduction: The rapid global spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) is a threat to the health system.

Methods: We evaluated the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of 70 CRE isolated in a tertiary hospital in Brazil between August and December 2015, and determined their resistance mechanisms.

Results: The most prevalent microorganism was Klebsiella pneumoniae (95.

Prolonged grief in caregivers of community-dwelling dementia patients.

Objectives: To estimate the frequency of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in 90 primary caregivers of patients with dementia who live in the community dwelling in Milan and to identify the relationship between grief intensity (GI) and other caregiver variables; another aim was to clarify the role of the objective cognitive and functional impairment of the patients and the level of deterioration perceived by caregivers.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Results: In all, 16.

Inhibition of biofilm maturation by linezolid in meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis clinical isolates: comparison with other drugs.

Biofilm resistance mechanisms are multifactorial and vary from one organism to another. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of linezolid against indwelling device-related meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) biofilm, and compare this with other antimicrobials. MICs, minimum biofilm inhibitory concentrations (MBICs) and minimum biofilm eradication concentrations (MBECs) were determined by the microtitre plate method.

Rifampicin fails to eradicate mature biofilm formed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Introduction: Antimicrobial activity on biofilms depends on their molecular size, positive charges, permeability coefficient, and bactericidal activity. Vancomycin is the primary choice for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection treatment; rifampicin has interesting antibiofilm properties, but its effectivity remains poorly defined.

Methods: Rifampicin activity alone and in combination with vancomycin against biofilm-forming MRSA was investigated, using a twofold serial broth microtiter method, biofilm challenge, and bacterial count recovery.

Enhancement of antistaphylococcal activities of six antimicrobials against sasG-negative methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus: an in vitro biofilm model.

This study was designed to evaluate antimicrobial activities against methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in both sessile and planktonic forms and to detect genes associated with this biofilm phenotype. Minimal biofilm inhibition and eradication concentrations (MBIC and MBEC, respectively) were determined by an in vitro biofilm model, and icaA, atlA, and sasG genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction. Vancomycin and tigecycline presented better biofilm inhibitory activity (MBIC range: 4-8 μg/mL) (P ≤ 0.

An omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrate increases plasma high-density lipoprotein 2 cholesterol and paraoxonase levels in patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia.

A remarkable reduction of plasma concentrations of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), especially of the HDL(2) subfraction, is one of the typical lipoprotein alterations found in patients with familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL). Fourteen FCHL patients received 4 capsules daily of Omacor (an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid [omega3 FA] concentrate providing 1.88 g of eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 1.

Omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters increase heart rate variability in patients with coronary disease.

n-3 Fatty acids may reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death, a property potentially related to their activity on myocardial excitability. We carried out a cross-over trial in which 10 coronary patients were treated with n-3 ethyl esters at two different dosages (3 and 6 g day (-1)) for 4 weeks. Plasma fatty acid composition, lipid profile, and heart rate variability (HRV) were analysed.

Elevated soluble cellular adhesion molecules in subjects with low HDL-cholesterol.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the expression of cellular adhesion molecules (CAMs) is enhanced in individuals with low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Plasma levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and E-selectin (sE-selectin) were measured in subjects with low (below the 10th percentile for the Italian population), average, or high (above the 90th percentile) HDL-C. Average sICAM-1 and sE-selectin levels were significantly higher in two groups of 65 individuals with low HDL levels, either hyperlipidemic (320.