Recent advances in near infrared upconverting nanomaterials for targeted photodynamic therapy of cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a well-established treatment of cancer that uses the toxic reactive oxygen species, including singlet oxygen (O), generated by photosensitiser (PS) drugs following irradiation of a specific wavelength to destroy the cancerous cells and tumours. Visible light is commonly used as the excitation source in PDT, which is not ideal for cancer treatment due to its reduced tissue penetration, and thus inefficiency to treat deep-lying tumours. Additionally, these wavelengths exhibit elevated autofluorescence background from the biological tissues which hinders optical biomedical imaging.

Recent advances in nanoparticle-based targeting tactics for antibacterial photodynamic therapy.

The rise of antibacterial drug resistance means treatment options are becoming increasingly limited. We must find ways to tackle these hard-to-treat drug-resistant and biofilm infections. With the lack of new antibacterial drugs (such as antibiotics) reaching the clinics, research has switched focus to exploring alternative strategies.

A cost-effective combination of Rose Bengal and off-the-shelf cationic polystyrene for the photodynamic inactivation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Two new photoactive materials have been prepared, characterized and tested against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria (planktonic suspension). The synthesis of the polymeric photosensitizers can be made at a multigram scale, in few minutes, starting from inexpensive and readily available materials, such as Rose Bengal (photosensitizer) and ion exchange resins Amberlite® IRA 900 (macroporous) or IRA 400 (gel-type) as cationic polystyrene supports. The most notable feature of these systems is their notable bactericidal activity in the dark (4-5 log CFU/mL reduction of the population of P.

[Human hydatidosis: general aspects and epidemiological situation in Chile according to hospital discharge and mandatory reporting from 2001 to 2005].

Human hydatidosis in Chile is described using as a source of information the Disease Notification Systems and hospital discharges between 2001 and 2005. To assess the extent of human infection we calculated incidence rates and hospital discharges during this period by geographical region. Incidence rate for the period was 2.

Sublingual immunotherapy in children with allergic polysensitization.

Polysensitization is quite frequent in allergic children and may cause difficulties for the allergist in prescribing allergen-specific immunotherapy. This study aimed at evaluating the clinical effectiveness of 1 year of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in a cohort of Italian allergic children with polysensitization. This open study was performed on 51 polysensitized children (34 boys; mean age, 11.

Comparison of costs of sublingual immunotherapy and drug treatment in grass-pollen induced allergy: results from the SIMAP database study.

Objectives: This analysis is focused on the comparison of costs of allergic rhinitis (R) alone or with allergic asthma (R + A) in grass pollen allergy, for subjects treated with sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) and symptomatic drugs, versus standard care controls.

Methods: The SIMAP (Sublingual IMmunotherapy in Allergic Patients) study is a longitudinal observational database operated by a network of Allergy centers. Patients suffering from grass pollen allergy were included in this analysis and assigned to SLIT (plus drugs as needed) or to treatment with drugs alone.