Variable Susceptibility to Gallium Compounds of Major Cystic Fibrosis Pathogens.

The decreasing efficacy of existing antibiotics against pulmonary pathogens that affect cystic fibrosis (CF) patients calls for the development of novel antimicrobials. Iron uptake and metabolism are vital processes for bacteria, hence potential therapeutic targets. Gallium [Ga(III)] is a ferric iron-mimetic that inhibits bacterial growth by disrupting iron uptake and metabolism.

Aggression expression among League of Legends and Fortnite players - a brief report.

Background And Aims: Our primary goal was to determine and compare the anger expression strategies used by players of the two most popular online games, League of Legends and Fortnite Battle Royale, as well as those used by non-gamers.

Methods: The study sample was comprised of 450 subjects, of whom 338 were males and 112 females. The sample was further divided into four groups: 1.

Gallium maltolate has antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and is a potential treatment for COVID-19.

Background: Gallium has demonstrated strong anti-inflammatory activity in numerous animal studies, and has also demonstrated direct antiviral activity against the influenza A H1N1 virus and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Gallium maltolate (GaM), a small metal-organic coordination complex, has been tested in several Phase 1 clinical trials, in which no dose-limiting or other serious toxicity was reported, even at high daily oral doses for several months at a time. For these reasons, GaM may be considered a potential candidate to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and can result in severe, sometimes lethal, inflammatory reactions.

Bactericidal activity of 3D-printed hydrogel dressing loaded with gallium maltolate.

Chronic wounds are projected to reach epidemic proportions worldwide because of the aging population and the increasing incidence of diabetes. Despite extensive research, infection remains one of the leading sources of complications in chronic wounds, resulting in improper healing, biofilm formation, and lower extremity amputation. To address the limitations of standard treatments, we have developed a hydrogel wound dressing with self-tuning moisture control that incorporates a novel antimicrobial agent to eliminate and prevent infection.

Topical treatment with gallium maltolate reduces Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue burden in primary experimental lesions in a rabbit model of yaws.

Background: Gallium is a semi-metallic element known since the 1930s to have antimicrobial activity. This activity stems primarily from gallium's ability to mimic trivalent iron and disrupt specific Fe(III)-dependent pathways, particularly DNA synthesis (due to inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase). Because of its novel mechanism of action, gallium is currently being investigated as a new antibacterial agent, particularly in light of the increasing resistance of many pathogenic bacteria to existing antibiotics.

Antimicrobial Activity of Gallium Compounds on ESKAPE Pathogens.

ESKAPE bacteria are a major cause of multidrug-resistant infections, and new drugs are urgently needed to combat these pathogens. Given the importance of iron in bacterial physiology and pathogenicity, iron uptake and metabolism have become attractive targets for the development of new antibacterial drugs. In this scenario, the FDA-approved iron mimetic metal Gallium [Ga(III)] has been successfully repurposed as an antimicrobial drug.

Serum and tissue concentrations of gallium after oral administration of gallium nitrate and gallium maltolate to neonatal calves.

Objective: To determine serum and tissue concentrations of gallium (Ga) after oral administration of gallium nitrate (GaN) and gallium maltolate (GaM) to neonatal calves.

Animals: 8 healthy neonatal calves.

Procedures: Calves were assigned to 1 of 2 groups (4 calves/group).

Drug repurposing as an alternative for the treatment of recalcitrant bacterial infections.

Bacterial infection remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the options for treating such infections are decreasing, due the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The pharmaceutical industry has produced few new types of antibiotics in more than a decade. Researchers are taking several approaches toward developing new classes of antibiotics, including (1) focusing on new targets and processes, such as bacterial cell-cell communication that upregulates virulence; (2) designing inhibitors of bacterial resistance, such as blockers of multidrug efflux pumps; and (3) using alternative antimicrobials such as bacteriophages.

Gallium maltolate as an alternative to macrolides for treatment of presumed Rhodococcus equi pneumonia in foals.

Background: Macrolide-resistant isolates of Rhodococcus equi are emerging, prompting the search for clinically effective alternative antimicrobials.

Hypothesis: The proportion of foals with ultrasonographic evidence of pneumonia presumed to be caused by R. equi that had a successful outcome when administered gallium maltolate (GaM) PO would not be more than 10% inferior (ie, lower) than that of foals receiving standard treatment.

Comparison of the antimicrobial activities of gallium nitrate and gallium maltolate against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in vitro.

Johne's disease (JD) is an enteric infection of cattle and other ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). This study compared the antimicrobial activities of gallium nitrate (GaN) and gallium maltolate (GaM) against two field MAP isolates by use of broth culture.

Vagus nerve stimulation therapy randomized to different amounts of electrical charge for treatment-resistant depression: acute and chronic effects.

Background: Major depressive disorder is a prevalent, disabling, and often chronic or recurrent psychiatric condition. About 35% of patients fail to respond to conventional treatment approaches and are considered to have treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Objective: We compared the safety and effectiveness of different stimulation levels of adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy for the treatment of TRD.

Successful treatment of refractory postherpetic neuralgia with topical gallium maltolate: case report.

Introduction: Postherpetic neuralgia is a common sequela of herpes zoster (shingles), in which chronic pain may last for weeks to years. Currently, available treatments include systemic opioid analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, corticosteroids, and anticonvulsants, as well as topical capsaicin and lidocaine. These treatments are commonly unsatisfactory, with fewer than half of treated patients experiencing more than a 50% reduction in pain.

Validity of Amino Terminal pro-Brain Natiuretic Peptide in a Medically Complex Elderly Population.

Background: The routine use of natiuretic peptides in severely dyspneic patients has recently been called into question. We hypothesized that the diagnostic utility of Amino Terminal pro Brain Natiuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) is diminished in a complex elderly population.

Methods: We studied 502 consecutive patients in whom NT-proBNP values were obtained to evaluate severe dyspnea in the emergency department.

Antimicrobial activity of gallium maltolate against Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius: An in vitro study.

Gallium is a trivalent semi-metallic element that has shown antimicrobial activity against several important human pathogens. This antimicrobial activity is likely related to its substitution in important iron-dependent pathways of bacteria. The genus Staphylococcus, which includes human and animal pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality, requires iron for growth and colonization.

Evaluation of the efficacy of gallium maltolate for chemoprophylaxis against pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in foals.

Objective: To determine the chemoprophylactic effect of gallium maltolate on the cumulative incidence of pneumonia caused by Rhodococcus equi infection in foals.

Animals: 483 foals born and raised on 12 equine breeding farms with a history of endemic R equi infections.

Procedures: Group 1 foals were treated with a placebo and group 2 foals were treated with gallium maltolate (approx 30 mg/kg, PO, q 24 h) during the first 2 weeks after birth.

Ataxia and cranial neuropathies from subcutaneously injected elemental mercury.

CONTEXT. Although neurological toxicity from elemental mercury vapor and organic mercury exposure has been commonly reported in the literature, it is rarely reported from soft tissue injection of elemental mercury. We present a case of neurological dysfunction from subcutaneous injection of elemental mercury.

Hepatocellular carcinoma detection by gallium scan and subsequent treatment by gallium maltolate: rationale and case study.

Gallium is antiproliferative to many types of cancer, due primarily to its ability to act as a non-functional mimic of ferric iron (Fe(3+)). Because Fe(3+) is needed for ribonucleotide reductase activity--and thus DNA synthesis--gallium can inhibit DNA production and cell division. Diagnostic gallium scans have shown that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly avid for gallium.

Marked improvement of heart failure upon adequate titration of continuous positive airway pressure in a patient with obstructive sleep apnea.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is frequently present in heart failure (HF), and it may take the form of obstructive (OSA) and central (CSA) sleep apnea. The use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with OSA and HF is associated with an improved neuroendocrine profile and cardiac function. The degree of upper airway obstruction and the airway closing pressure (and the PAP pressure used to relieve it) may all be highly variable in a setting of uncontrolled HF, mostly due to variable airway oedema.

Pharmacokinetics of gallium maltolate after intragastric administration in adult horses.

Objective: To determine the pharmacokinetics of gallium maltolate (GaM) after intragastric administration in adult horses.

Animals: 6 adult horses.

Procedures: Feed was withheld for 12 hours prior to intragastric administration of GaM (20 mg/kg).

In vitro antimicrobial activity of gallium maltolate against virulent Rhodococcus equi.

The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of gallium maltolate (GaM) against Rhodococcus equi. A total of 98 virulent bacterial isolates from equine clinical cases were examined, of which 19 isolates were known to be resistant to macrolides and rifampin. Isolates were cultured with various concentrations of GaM and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined after 24 and 48 h.

Color of smoke from brush fires.

Smoke clouds from brush fires usually appear reddish or brownish when viewed from below in transmission, while a thin smoke cloud or part of a thick cloud near its periphery is noticeably bluish. Yet, when viewed from above in backscatter, the smoke appears bluish-white. We present observations of smoke clouds and explain their varied colors using a simple one-dimensional two-stream multiple scattering/absorbing radiative transfer approach for a model cloud whose particles are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light, the Rayleigh limit.

Successful bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation for segmental dystonia after unilateral pallidotomy.

Background: Several subcortical structures have been targeted for surgical treatment of dystonia, including motor thalamus, internal segment of globus pallidus (GPi), and more recently, the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Deep brain stimulation of GPi is currently the preferred surgical treatment, but it is unclear if targeting other structures would yield better results. Patients who have already had a pallidotomy yet continue to experience dystonic symptoms may be limited in further treatment options.