Remarkable antibiofilm activity of ciprofloxacin, cefoxitin, and tobramycin, by themselves or in combination, against enteroaggregative Escherichia coli in vitro

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC), a biofilm forming pathogen, causes acute and persistent diarrhea worldwide, requiring antimicrobial therapy in severe or persistent cases. To determine the susceptibility of EAEC biofilm to antimicrobials, as single-agent or combined therapy, biofilm formation was investigated using EAEC clinical strains via peg lid. Of the 78 initially analyzed strains, 35 could form biofilms, 15 (42.9%; 15/35) were resistant to at least 1 tested antimicrobial and 20 (57.1%) were susceptible to all of them in the planktonic form. The biofilms of these susceptible strains were challenged against chosen antimicrobials, and displayed resistance to tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone (85%-100%), tobramycin (25%), cefoxitin (20%), and ciprofloxacin (5%). Moreover, ciprofloxacin combined with ampicillin, and tobramycin eradicated the biofilm of 2 of the 4 tested strains. Ciprofloxacin, cefoxitin, and tobramycin maintained their activity well against EAEC biofilm, suggesting their possible effectiveness to treat diarrhea caused by biofilm-forming EAEC strains.

Micropropagation of Melissa officinalis L. through proliferation of axillary shoots

Multiple shoots were differentiated in cotyledonary nodes of 10 d old seedlings of Melissa officinalis, cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP (0-4 mg/l). The production of shoots was further induced in subcultures of the original expiant, after the first harvest of shoots (stump), using similar conditions. The highest average number of shoots in the two inoculations was obtained with 2 mg/l of BAP: 24 axillary shoots per explant, 7 in the first inoculation and 17 in the second one. The maximum elongation of shoots was achieved with BAP at 0.2 mg/l, and higher concentrations of the hormone induced a decrease in their size. A range of BAP concentrations between 0.2-0.5 mg/l allowed the production of more shoots with a size suitable for rooting. Roots were induced in 30 d old shoots, transferred to MS medium individually supplemented with IBA or NAA (0-4 mg/l). Micropropagated plants were successfully transferred to soil.

Cytochemical demonstration of lysosomes in skeletal and cardiac striated muscle of fish and turtles

Skeletal and cardiac striated muscle from two species of fish and turtles were incubated for the cytochemical detection of trimetaphosphatase (TMPase) activity. The results showed that striated muscle from these animals has TMPase-positive structures, which are presumed to be lysosomes.

Long-term treatment of leiomyomas with gestrinone

A prospective randomized study was conducted in 100 women with leiomyomas in order to evaluate the effect of gestrinone, a synthetic derivative of ethynil-nor-testosterone. Patients in group A received capsules containing 2.5 mg of gestrinone three times weekly orally. Those in group B received capsules containing 5.0 mg twice weekly, also orally. In group C, patients used by vaginal route tablets containing 5 mg of gestrinone three times weekly. Reduction in uterine volume occurred in all three groups of patients. Of patients who discontinued treatment at 6 months, uterine volume remained lower than pretreatment values in 89%, 18 months after discontinuation. Of those patients who discontinued at 1 year, uterine volume remained below pretreatment levels in 76% 1 year after discontinuation. In patients treated continuously for 24 months, mean uterine volume decreased from a mean 339 cm3 to 273 cm3, a statistically significant difference. The vaginal route showed statistically more significant volume decreases than the oral route for all treatment intervals.

Regression of uterine leiomyomas after treatment with gestrinone, an antiestrogen, antiprogesterone

Ninety-seven women, aged 18 to 53 years, with uterine leiomyomas diagnosed by bimanual palpation and ultrasonography, were treated for 4 to 13 months with gestrinone, a potent steroidal, antiestrogen, antiprogesterone. Thirteen women were less than 30 years old and six 50 years old or older. Forty-six women were 30 to 40 years old and 32 others were 40 to 50 years old. Sixty-one women were nulliparous. Patients were divided in a random fashion into three groups according to treatment schedule. In group A, 34 patients received capsules containing 5 mg of gestrinone twice weekly. In group B, 36 patients received 2.5 mg capsules three times weekly. In group C, 27 patients were instructed to insert 2.5 mg tablets in the vagina three times weekly. Uterine volume was measured by ultrasonography before and at the end of treatment. At the end of 4 months, uterine volume fell from 303 to 251 cm3 in group A, from 361 to 266 cm3 in group B, but increased from 371 to 387 cm3 in group C. For those patients treated for 10 (+/- 1) months, mean uterine volume fell from 368 to 282 cm3 in group A and from 384 to 327 cm3 in group B, but increased from 262 to 290 cm3 in group C. Mean uterine volume of patients who were treated for 13 (+/- 1) months also fell from 325 to 259 cm3 in group A, from 416 to 268 cm3 in group B, and from 406 to 399 cm3 in group C. Changes in uterine volume measured at the time of discontinuation for the various groups revealed volume decrease in 71 and increase or no change in 26. Differences between groups A, B, and C were statistically significant when comparisons were made at 4 and 13 months. Uterine bleeding ceased by the second month of treatment in half the patients initially complaining of menometrorrhagias. After 4 months of treatment, 95% of the women were amenorrheic. Hemoglobin increased in 85 of 90 patients for whom values were available before treatment began. Both dyspareunia and chronic pain were significantly reduced by the gestrinone treatment. Androgenic side effects such as seborrhea, acne, and hirsutism, whenever they occurred, were benign and reverted soon after discontinuing the medication.

Conception control by vaginal administration of pills containing ethinyl estradiol and dl-norgestrel

One hundred twenty-four women of reproductive age have used vaginal pills containing 50 micrograms dl-norgestrel and 35 micrograms ethinyl estradiol to prevent conception for periods ranging from 6 to 20 months. One thousand four hundred thirty-eight woman-months were recorded. No pregnancies occurred. Cycle control was good. Bleeding usually lasted 3 to 5 days, and the interval between withdrawal bleeding events was 26 to 30 days in 86% of the cycles. Amenorrhea, breakthrough bleeding, and spotting occurred rarely. The continuation rate at 1 year was 64%.