Clinical benefit associated with idiotypic vaccination in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Background: Follicular lymphoma is considered incurable, although cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) chemotherapy can induce sequential remissions. A patient's second complete response is typically shorter than that patient's first complete response. Idiotype vaccines can elicit specific immune responses and molecular remissions in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Clinical manifestations, treatment and outcome of Paecilomyces lilacinus infections.

The fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus is an emerging pathogen that causes severe human infections, including devastating oculomycosis. Usually, it shows low susceptibility to conventional antifungal drugs in vitro, and variable susceptibility to novel triazoles. A review of the published literature identified 119 reported cases of human infection by P.

Efficacy of voriconazole in a guinea pig model of invasive trichosporonosis.

We have evaluated the efficacy of voriconazole (VRC) in a systemic infection by Trichosporon asahii in immunosuppressed guinea pigs. VRC was more effective than amphotericin B in prolonging survival and reducing tissue burden. The best results were obtained with VRC at 10 mg/kg of body weight/day.

Esterase EstA6 from Pseudomonas sp. CR-611 is a novel member in the utmost conserved cluster of family VI bacterial lipolytic enzymes.

Strain Pseudomonas sp. CR-611, previously isolated from a subtropical forest soil on tributyrine-supplemented plates, displays phenotypic and physiological properties consistent with those described for Pseudomonas fluorescens. However, no complete match to this species could be found after 16S rDNA comparison.

Pectate lyase C from Bacillus subtilis: a novel endo-cleaving enzyme with activity on highly methylated pectin.

The gene yvpA from Bacillus subtilis was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. It encoded a pectate lyase of 221 amino acids that was denominated PelC. The heterologously expressed enzyme was purified by His-tag affinity chromatography and characterized.

Identification of a carboxylesterase-producing Rhodococcus soil isolate.

Subtropical soil microbial isolates were screened for carbohydrate, tributyrin, or olive oil hydrolysis using agar plates supplemented with the corresponding substrates. A heterotrophic, aerobic, Gram-positive strain displaying activity on tributyrin was selected and further characterized. Analysis of the morphological and physiological traits of the strain placed it as a member of the genus Rhodococcus.

Hypothalamic tanycytes: a key component of brain-endocrine interaction.

Tanycytes are bipolar cells bridging the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to the portal capillaries and may link the CSF to neuroendocrine events. During the perinatal period a subpopulation of radial glial cells differentiates into tanycytes, a cell lineage sharing some properties with astrocytes and the radial glia, but displaying unique and distinct morphological, molecular, and functional characteristics. Four populations of tanycytes, alpha(1,2) and beta(1,2), can be distinguished.

[In vitro activity of the echinocandins. How should it be evaluated?].

Echinocandins are a novel class of antifungal drugs. They have good activity against Candida spp and Aspergillus spp. Their low selective toxicity allows their administration at high doses with few secondary side effects.

Activities of flucytosine, fluconazole, amphotericin B, and micafungin in a murine model of disseminated infection by Candida glabrata.

We compared the efficacies of amphotericin B, fluconazole, flucytosine, and micafungin in a systemic murine infection by three isolates of Candida glabrata. Amphotericin B showed the best results, although none of the drugs dramatically reduced mortality or tissue burden in liver or spleen.

In vitro interactions of micafungin with other antifungal drugs against clinical isolates of four species of Cryptococcus.

The combination of micafungin (MFG) with amphotericin B (AMB), fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, or ravuconazole was evaluated against 37 strains of four species of Cryptococcus by the checkerboard method. Antagonism was never seen. Synergy was observed for some isolates for each combination and was most frequent with MFG-AMB.

In vitro interaction of micafungin with conventional and new antifungals against clinical isolates of Trichosporon, Sporobolomyces and Rhodotorula.

Objectives: The infections caused by basidiomycetous yeasts are often difficult to resolve. Combined therapy might be useful in those severe cases where a monotherapy was ineffective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of combinations of micafungin with amphotericin B or fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole and ravuconazole against isolates of Trichosporon, Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces.

Paenibacillus barcinonensis sp. nov., a xylanase-producing bacterium isolated from a rice field in the Ebro River delta.

A Gram-positive, endospore-forming, xylanase-producing bacterium isolated from a rice field was studied taxonomically. The strain grows at 10-40 degrees C and in the presence of lysozyme or 5 % (w/v) NaCl. Chemotaxonomic analysis revealed that MK-7 was the predominant menaquinone of the isolated strain, while the major fatty acid was anteiso-C(15 : 0).

Pectinolytic systems of two aerobic sporogenous bacterial strains with high activity on pectin.

Strains Paenibacillus sp. BP-23 and Bacillus sp. BP-7, previously isolated from soil from a rice field, secreted high levels of pectinase activity in media supplemented with pectin.

Isolation of lipid- and polysaccharide-degrading micro-organisms from subtropical forest soil, and analysis of lipolytic strain Bacillus sp. CR-179.

Aims: To isolate the micro-organisms from three soil samples obtained from a subtropical forest of Puerto Iguazu (Argentina), to analyse them for detection of the biotechnologically interesting enzymatic activities lipase, esterase, cellulase, xylanase and pectinase, and to identify the most active strain.

Methods And Results: A total of 724 strains were isolated using different culture media and temperatures, and 449 of them showed at least one of the hydrolytic activities pursued. Lipolytic activity of the lipid-degrading strains was further determined using MUF-butyrate and MUF-oleate as substrates.

Efficacy of micafungin in combination with other drugs in a murine model of disseminated trichosporonosis.

Using a murine model of disseminated infection caused by Trichosporon asahii, we have evaluated the efficacies of amphotericin B (AMB; 1 mg/kg of body weight/day), fluconazole (FLC; 20 mg/kg/twice a day), and micafungin (MFG; 5 mg/kg/twice a day). We tested these drugs alone and in combination (MFG with AMB and MFG with FLC). MFG with AMB showed a synergistic effect and demonstrated a higher degree of efficacy in prolonging survival and reducing the kidney fungal burden than either agent alone.

Interaction of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and high doses of liposomal amphotericin B in the treatment of systemic murine scedosporiosis.

Because human infections by Scedosporium prolificans are difficult to treat and show a very poor outcome, new therapeutic strategies are needed. Liposomal amphotericin B (LAMB) (40 mg/kg/day) increased significantly the mean survival time in immunosuppressed mice compared with a control group (22.6 vs.

A novel murine model of cerebral scedosporiosis: lack of efficacy of amphotericin B.

Objectives: Cerebral scedosporiosis is a life-threatening infection that is difficult to treat. The aim of this work was to develop a murine model of cerebral infection by Scedosporium apiospermum using intracranial inoculation and to use this model to evaluate the efficacy of amphotericin B deoxycholate and liposomal amphotericin B.

Methods: Mice were rendered neutropenic by intraperitoneal cyclophosphamide and intravenous (iv) 5-fluorouracil administration.

Lipopolysaccharide needs soluble CD14 to interact with TLR4 in human monocytes depleted of membrane CD14.

Toll-like receptors recognize specific patterns of microbial components and regulate the activation of both innate and adaptive immunity. TLR4 recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in monocytes/macrophages with the help of other molecules like CD14 and MD-2, which indicates that the functional LPS receptor forms a large complex. The functional relationship between the components has been the subject of debate, as have the modifications induced by the ligand in the expression of some of these components.

Synergistic activity of Paenibacillus sp. BP-23 cellobiohydrolase Cel48C in association with the contiguous endoglucanase Cel9B and with endo- or exo-acting glucanases from Thermobifida fusca.

Cellobiohydrolase Cel48C from Paenibacillus sp. BP-23, an enzyme displaying limited activity on most cellulosic substrates, was assayed for activity in the presence of other bacterial endo- or exocellulases. Significant enhanced activity was observed when Cel48C was incubated in the presence of Paenibacillus sp.

Polarized endocytosis and transcytosis in the hypothalamic tanycytes of the rat.

Four types of tanycytes can be distinguished in the rat hypothalamus: alpha(1) and alpha(2) tanycytes establish an anatomical link between the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the arcuate nucleus, whereas beta(1) and beta2 tanycytes establish a link between CSF and portal blood. Endocytosis and transcytosis in these cells have been investigated by (1) immunocytochemistry with antibodies against molecular markers of the endocytotic and transcytotic pathways; (2) the administration of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) into the ventricular or subarachnoidal CSF and following its internalisation by and its routing through tanycytes. The four populations of tanycytes show marked differences concerning the expression and subcellular location of proteins involved in endocytosis and transcytosis, such as clathrin, caveolin-1, Rab4 and ARF6.

In vitro interactions of approved and novel drugs against Paecilomyces spp.

We have evaluated the in vitro activity of 15 combinations of antifungal drugs (amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole, albaconazole, ravuconazole, terbinafine, and micafungin) against four isolates of Paecilomyces variotii and three of P. lilacinus. The interaction of terbinafine with the four azoles was synergistic for 53% of the combinations, while the interactions of both amphotericin B and micafungin with the rest of antifungal agents were mainly indifferent.

In vitro antifungal susceptibilities of uncommon basidiomycetous yeasts.

The in vitro activities of eight antifungal drugs against 50 isolates of basidiomycetous yeasts were determined by a microdilution method. In general fluconazole and micafungin were inactive. Terbinafine was active only against Sporobolomyces salmonicolor.

Activation and inhibition of Candida rugosa and Bacillus-related lipases by saturated fatty acids, evaluated by a new colorimetric microassay.

Research on lipase inhibitors could help in the therapy of diseases caused by lipase-producing microorganisms and in the design of novel lipase substrate specificities for biotechnology. Here we report a fast and sensitive colorimetric microassay that is low-cost and suitable for high-throughput experiments for the evaluation of lipase activity and inhibition. Comparison of Candida rugosa activity and inhibition with previous HPLC results validated the method, and revealed the importance of the reaction mixture composition.

Anti-inflammatory cytokines induce lipopolysaccharide tolerance in human monocytes without modifying toll-like receptor 4 membrane expression.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) participates in innate immunity by detecting lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Gram-negative bacterial cell walls. TLR4 macrophage expression in mice is modulated by LPS. This fact constitutes, at least partially, the molecular basis for LPS tolerance.

Cloning and characterization of xylanase A from the strain Bacillus sp. BP-7: comparison with alkaline pI-low molecular weight xylanases of family 11.

The xynA gene encoding a xylanase from the recently isolated Bacillus sp. strain BP-7 has been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant xylanase A showed high activity on xylans from hardwoods and cereals, and exhibited maximum activity at pH 6 and 60 degrees C.