A multi-element psychosocial intervention for early psychosis (GET UP PIANO TRIAL) conducted in a catchment area of 10 million inhabitants: study protocol for a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Multi-element interventions for first-episode psychosis (FEP) are promising, but have mostly been conducted in non-epidemiologically representative samples, thereby raising the risk of underestimating the complexities involved in treating FEP in 'real-world' services.

Methods/design: The Psychosis early Intervention and Assessment of Needs and Outcome (PIANO) trial is part of a larger research program (Genetics, Endophenotypes and Treatment: Understanding early Psychosis - GET UP) which aims to compare, at 9 months, the effectiveness of a multi-component psychosocial intervention versus treatment as usual (TAU) in a large epidemiologically based cohort of patients with FEP and their family members recruited from all public community mental health centers (CMHCs) located in two entire regions of Italy (Veneto and Emilia Romagna), and in the cities of Florence, Milan and Bolzano. The GET UP PIANO trial has a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled design.

Cytotoxic activity and antioxidant capacity of purified lichen metabolites: an in vitro study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of six lichen metabolites (diffractaic acid, lobaric acid, usnic acid, vicanicin, variolaric acid, protolichesterinic acid) on proliferation, viability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level towards three human cancer cell lines, MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), HeLa (cervix adenocarcinoma) and HCT-116 (colon carcinoma). Cells were treated with different concentrations (2.5-100 μM) of these compounds for 48 h.

Biolarvicidal and pupicidal potential of silver nanoparticles synthesized using Euphorbia hirta against Anopheles stephensi Liston (Diptera: Culicidae).

Vector control is a critical requirement in epidemic disease situations, as is an urgent need to develop new and improved mosquito control methods that are economical and effective yet safe for nontarget organisms and the environment. Mosquitoes transmit serious human diseases, causing millions of deaths every year. Use of synthetic insecticides to control vector mosquitoes has caused physiological resistance and adverse environmental effects in addition to high operational cost.

Variability in the proportion of components of iodoform-based Guedes-Pinto paste mixed by dental students and pediatric dentists.

Objective: Guedes-Pinto paste (GPP) is an iodoform paste used in most dental schools in Brazil. The paste is a composite of medicines (Rifocort , camphorated paramonochlorophenol [PMCC], and iodoform) used for endodontic treatment of primary teeth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion variability of GPP components when mixed by undergraduate dentistry students and pediatric dentists.

In vitro antimicrobial activity of pannarin alone and in combination with antibiotics against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates.

The in vitro antimicrobial activities of pannarin, a depsidone isolated from lichens, collected in several Southern regions of Chile (including Antarctica), was evaluated alone and in combination with five therapeutically available antibiotics, using checkerboard microdilution assay against methicillin-resistant clinical isolates strains of Staphylococcus aureus. MIC(90), MIC(50), as well as MBC(90) and MBC(50), were evaluated. A moderate synergistic action was observed in combination with gentamicin, whilst antagonism was observed in combination with levofloxacin.

Neem cake: chemical composition and larvicidal activity on Asian tiger mosquito.

New pesticides based on natural products are urgently needed, in consideration of their environmental care and lower collateral effects. Neem oil, the main product obtained from Azadiractha indica A. Juss, commonly known as neem tree, is mainly used in medical devices, cosmetics and soaps, as well as important insecticide.

In vitro biological activities of the essential oil from the 'resurrection plant' Myrothamnus moschatus (Baillon) Niedenzu endemic to Madagascar.

The essential oil of the 'resurrection plant' Myrothamnus moschatus (Baillon) Niedenzu endemic to Madagascar, where it is used in traditional medicine, was investigated for the first time for some biological activities. GC-FID and GC-MS analyses revealed trans-pinocarveol (35.6%), pinocarvone (20.

Nutraceuticals and botanicals: overview and perspectives.

The discovery, development and marketing of food supplements, nutraceuticals and related products are currently the fastest growing segments of the food industry. Functional foods can be considered part or borderline to these products and may be defined as foods or food ingredients that have additional health or physiological benefits over and above the normal nutritional value they provide. This trend is driven by several factors, mainly due to the current consumer perceptions: the first and dominant being 'Natural is good', and other secondary, such as the increasing cost of many pharmaceuticals and their negative secondary effects, the insistent marketing campaign, the increasing perception of the need of a healthy diet and its importance in the health and homeostasis organism conditions.

Does anxiety increase impulsivity in patients with bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder?

The objective of this study was to examine whether anxiety increases impulsivity among patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Subjects comprised 205 BPD (mean age ± SD 36.6 ± 11.

Cytotoxicity evaluation of Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe fluid extract used in oral hygiene products.

Objective: This in vitro study evaluated the cytotoxic effects of the Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe (popular name: zedoary) fluid extract, as used in preparations for oral hygiene, mostly for anti-septic purposes.

Materials And Methods: The cell viability and cell growth were assessed by Trypan blue dye exclusion assay using the LMF cell line derived from oral mucosa.

New cholinesterase inhibiting bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids from Abuta grandifolia.

The phytochemical study of the stem bark and wood of Abuta grandifolia (Mart.) Sandwith led to the identification of four bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BBIQs), namely (R,S)-2 N-norberbamunine (1), (R,R)-isochondodendrine (2), (S-S)-O4″-methyl, Nb-nor-O6'-demethyl-(+)-curine (3), and (S-S)-O4″-methyl, O6'-demethyl-(+)-curine (4), together with the aporphine alkaloid R-nornuciferine (5), all obtained by countercurrent distribution separation (CCD) and identified on the basis of their spectroscopic data. Alkaloids 3 and 4 were new.

In vitro interaction of usnic acid in combination with antimicrobial agents against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates determined by FICI and ΔE model methods.

The in vitro antimicrobial activities of usnic acid were evaluated in combination with five therapeutically available antibiotics, using checkerboard microdilution assay against methicillin-resistant clinical isolates strains of Staphylococcus aureus. MIC₉₀, MIC₅₀, as well as MBC₉₀ and MBC₅₀, were evaluated. A synergistic action was observed in combination with gentamicin, while antagonism was observed with levofloxacin.

Natural daucane sesquiterpenes with antiproliferative and proapoptotic activity against human tumor cells.

Plants of the genera Ferula and Ferulago are known for their complex content in bioactive secondary metabolites such as coumarins, phenylpropanoids, and sesquiterpenes. We used the ground parts of Ferula communis subsp. communis, Ferula glauca subsp.

Association between prior alcohol use disorders and decreased prefrontal gray matter volumes in bipolar I disorder patients.

Up to 50% of bipolar disorder (BD) patients present a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorders (AUD). BD patients with comorbid AUD, even when in remission from the AUD, have a poorer outcome and functional impairment than patients with BD alone. The neurobiological abnormalities that potentially characterize this severe subgroup of BD patients are unknown.

Chemical fingerprinting of Equisetum arvense L. using HPTLC densitometry and HPLC.

Equisetum arvense L. is a herbaceous medicinal plant, commonly known as horsetail, whose extracts have been reported to possess diuretic and haemostatic properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of fingerprint chromatographic methods on commercially available raw materials or preparations of E.

Identification of thiosildenafil in a health supplement.

The presence of a sildenafil derivative, the thiosildenafil, in an herbal product has been evidenced first by HPTLC and later determined by isolation and analysis of spectroscopic data. The analyzed product is nowadays marketed as dietary supplement containing herbal extracts and claimed for male and female sexual improvement. This report is noteworthy since it is clear that adulterated materials can cause serious health problems if they are consumed as herbal "natural" products, generally considered deprived of toxicity by the consumers.

New structural brain imaging endophenotype in bipolar disorder.

Neuroimaging studies suggest anterior-limbic structural brain abnormalities in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), but few studies have shown these abnormalities in unaffected but genetically liable family members. In this study, we report morphometric correlates of genetic risk for BD using voxel-based morphometry. In 35 BD type I (BD-I) patients, 20 unaffected first-degree relatives (UAR) of BD patients and 40 healthy control subjects underwent 3 T magnetic resonance scanner imaging.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) analysis of six Italian populations of Ephedra nebrodensis Tineo ex Guss. subsp. nebrodensis.

Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with GC/FID and GC/MS was applied for the first time in the analysis of the volatile fraction of an Ephedra species. Notably, six Italian populations (Marche, Abruzzo, and Sardinia) of Ephedra nebrodensis subsp. nebrodensis, covering almost the entire Italian area, were investigated to examine the chemical variability and to support the taxonomy of the species.

Lower N-acetyl-aspartate levels in prefrontal cortices in pediatric bipolar disorder: a ¹H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

Objective: The few studies applying single-voxel ¹H spectroscopy in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) have reported low N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and high myo-inositol / phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr) ratios in the anterior cingulate. The aim of this study was to evaluate NAA, glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC+PC) and PCr+Cr in various frontal cortical areas in children and adolescents with BD. We hypothesized that NAA levels within the prefrontal cortex are lower in BD patients than in healthy controls, indicating neurodevelopmental alterations in the former.

Structural equation modeling and principal component analysis of gray matter volumes in major depressive and bipolar disorders: differences in latent volumetric structure.

Abnormalities of the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) and the limbic-cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (LCSTC) circuits have been hypothesized in mood disorders. We performed principal component analysis (PCA) to identify latent volumetric systems on regional brain volumes and correlated these patterns with clinical characteristics; further, we performed exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a priori hypotheses about the organization among the structures comprising the CSTC and LCSTC circuits, and to investigate differences among subjects with bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and healthy controls (HC). Participants included 45 BD and 31 MDD patients, and 72 HC.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains from cystic fibrosis patients: genomic variability and molecular characterization of some virulence determinants.

The genetic relatedness of 52 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains, collected from various environmental and clinical sources, including cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, as well as the presence and the expression of some virulence-associated genes were studied. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis identified 47 profiles and three clusters of isolates with an identical PFGE pattern considered to be indistinguishable strains. Restriction fragment length polymorphism of the gyrB gene grouped the 52 strains into nine different profiles.

Disruption of white matter integrity in bipolar depression as a possible structural marker of illness.

Background: Diffusion tensor imaging allows the study of integrity of white matter (WM) tracts. Literature suggests that WM integrity could be altered in bipolar disorder. Heterogeneity of brain imaging methods, the studied samples, and drug treatments make localization, nature, and severity of the WM abnormalities unclear.

Reduced medial prefrontal N-acetyl-aspartate levels in pediatric major depressive disorder: a multi-voxel in vivo(1)H spectroscopy study.

There is increasing evidence of a reciprocal fronto-limbic network in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Prior in vivo proton ((1)H) spectroscopy studies provide evidence of abnormal neurochemical levels in the cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of adult subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD). We examined whether similar abnormalities occur in children and adolescents with MDD.

Chlamydia pneumoniae infection as a risk factor for accelerated atherosclerosis in hemodialysis patients.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the main cause of morbidity and mortality for end-stage renal disease patients undergoing chronic haemodialysis (HD). Several studies in recent years have identified Chlamydia pneumoniae, a respiratory pathogen, as risk factor for cardiovascular diseases in the general population. The aim of our study is to evaluate chlamydial load, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of HD patients.

Polyketides from Eleutherine bulbosa.

Four new polyketides, (R)-4-hydroxyeleutherin, eleuthone, eleutherinol-8-O-β-D-glucoside and isoeleuthoside C (dihydroisoeleutherin-5-O-β-D-gentiobioside) were isolated from the bulbs of Eleutherine bulbosa, to join eleutherin, isoeleutherin, eleutherinol, eleutherol, eleuthoside B (eleutherol-4-O-β-D-gentiobioside), eleuthoside C (dihydroeleutherin-5-O-β-D-gentiobioside), hongconin (4-oxodihydroisoeleutherin) and elecanacin, which have already been isolated from the same plant. The structures of the new polyketides, based on oxydated cyclic systems, have been elucidated by chemical and spectroscopic methods.