Vitamin D a new drug against Candida albicans.

Objective: In this study, we demonstrate that vitamin D had fungicidal activity against Candida albicans.

Material And Methods: The susceptibility of the yeast strain to the vitamin D was investigated by the antimicrobial screening using modified agar diffusion method, minimum fungistatic concentrations (MFC) and minimum fungicide concentrations (MFC) of the vitamin D were determined by the broth dilution method.

Results: The antifungal activity indicted that 100μg/ml of vitamin D had a power inhibition in the growth of C.

Expression of integrin and CD44 receptors recognising osteopontin in the normal and LPS-lesioned rat substantia nigra.

The multifunctional protein osteopontin (OPN) is expressed in the substantia nigra (SN) and protects nigral dopaminergic neurones against toxic insult in animal models of Parkinson's disease, although the mechanisms involved are uncertain. In the periphery, OPN regulates inflammatory processes by interacting with integrin and CD44 receptors but the presence and distribution of these sites in SN is unknown. We investigated the expression of integrin receptor subunits and CD44 receptors in the normal SN and after induction of inflammation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and their interaction with OPN.