Infectious diseases represent a significant global strain on public health security and impact on socio-economic stability all over the world. The increasing resistance to the current antimicrobial ...treatment has resulted in the crucial need for the discovery and development of novel entities for the infectious treatment with different modes of action that could target both sensitive and resistant strains.
Compounds were synthesized using the classical organic chemistry methods. Prediction of biological activity spectra was carried out using PASS and PASS-based web applications. Pharmacophore modeling in LigandScout software was used for quantitative modeling of the antibacterial activity. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the microdilution method. AutoDock 4.2
software was used to elucidate probable bacterial and fungal molecular targets of the studied compounds.
All compounds exhibited better antibacterial potency than ampicillin against all bacteria tested. Three compounds were tested against resistant strains MRSA,
and
and were found to be more potent than MRSA than reference drugs. All compounds demonstrated a higher degree of antifungal activity than the reference drugs bifonazole (6-17-fold) and ketoconazole (13-52-fold). Three of the most active compounds could be considered for further development of the new, more potent antimicrobial agents.
Compounds
(Z)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-5-((1-methyl-1
-indol-3-yl)methylene)-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one and
(Z)-3-5-(1
-Indol-3-ylmethylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxo-thiazolidin-3-yl-benzoic acid as well as
(Z)-3-(5-((5-methoxy-1
-indol-3-yl)methylene)-4-oxo-2-thioxothiazolidin-3-yl)benzoic acid can be considered as lead compounds for further development of more potent and safe antibacterial and antifungal agents.
Aim
Lactobacillus reuteri is a Gram‐positive bacterium that naturally inhabits the human intestinal tract. This study assessed how effectively the probiotic L. reuteri DSM 17938 managed childhood ...functional abdominal pain (FAP).
Methods
We recruited 54 children with a mean age 9.1 ± 3.8 years, who were diagnosed with FAP in the outpatient clinics of three university hospitals in Greece, Slovenia and Poland, according to the Rome III criteria, from January 2013 to December 2015. They were randomly assigned to receive either 2 × 108 colony‐forming units of L. reuteri (n = 27) or a placebo (n = 27) for four weeks.
Results
Both L. reuteri and the placebo significantly reduced the frequency and intensity of abdominal pain episodes at four and eight weeks compared to baseline (all p < 0.001). L. reuteri decreased the use of pain relieving drugs at four weeks and the number of child school and adult work absences at four and eight weeks, unlike the placebo, which achieved nonsignificant results. However, the difference between the groups did not reach significance. No side effects were recorded.
Conclusion
Both L. reuteri and the placebo were effective in alleviating pain in children with FAP, but only L. reuteri improved the child's and family's normal activities.
IntroductionBinge eating behaviors are associated with psychological, social, and biological factors, while it is suggested that they may be triggered by negative emotions, including depression and ...anxiety, and provide relief from them, which in turn may lead to reinforcement of such behaviors.ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the eating habits and in particular the binge eating behaviors of a sample of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented challenge for public health and communities worldwide with multi-level consequences on people’s lives.MethodsThe sample consisted of 196 individuals residing in Greece aged 18 to 64 years (76.5% women), who completed an anonymous questionnaire from June to July 2021. This included the following psychometric instruments: Fear of COVID-19 Scale to assess the fear related to COVID-19, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale to assess self-esteem, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 to assess anxiety, depression and stress, Binge Eating Scale to assess binge eating behaviors, UCLA Loneliness Scale for the evaluation of the perceived feeling of loneliness and Reflective Functioning Questionnaire for the assessment of reflective functioning (i.e., the ability to understand human behavior in terms of underlying mental states).ResultsThe majority of participants (86.7%) reported that during the pandemic their diet was less healthy than before the pandemic onset, while almost half (46.4%) of the participants stated that they had experiences an episode of binge eating during the past 6 months, and 36.2% that they had used self-induced vomiting in order to control their weight. Of note, the results of a multiple regression analysis revealed that higher levels of fear of the pandemic as well as of depression were independently associated with higher binge eating, with women presenting higher mean scores in the Binge Eating Scale than men. Conversely, higher self-esteem appeared to be independently associated with lower binge eating levels, thus acting as a protective factor, whereas the remaining psychometric factors were not found statistically significantly related.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the findings of the present study highlight the importance of identifying dysfunctional eating behaviors and related psychological factors that may potentially act as risk or protective factors, especially during the pandemic.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Aerobic exercise training is a promising complementary treatment option in migraine and can reduce migraine days and improve retinal microvascular function. Our aim was to elucidate whether different ...aerobic exercise programs at high vs moderate intensities distinctly affect migraine days as primary outcome and retinal vessel parameters as a secondary. In this randomized controlled trial, migraine days were recorded by a validated migraine diary in 45 migraineurs of which 36 (female: 28; age: 36 (SD:10)/BMI: 23.1 (5.3) completed the training period (dropout: 20%). Participants were assigned (Strata: age, gender, fitness and migraine symptomatology) to either high intensity interval training (HIT), moderate continuous training (MCT), or a control group (CON). Intervention groups trained twice a week over a 12‐week intervention period. Static retinal vessel analysis, central retinal arteriolar (CRAE) and venular (CRVE) diameters, as well as the arteriolar‐to‐venular diameter ratio (AVR) were obtained for cerebrovascular health assessment. Incremental treadmill testing yielded maximal and submaximal fitness parameters. Overall, moderate migraine day reductions were observed (ηP2 = .12): HIT revealed 89% likely beneficial effects (SMD = 1.05) compared to MCT (SMD = 0.50) and CON (SMD = 0.59). Very large intervention effects on AVR improvement (ηP2 = 0.27), slightly favoring HIT (SMD=‐0.43) over CON (SMD=0), were observed. HIT seems more effective for migraine day reduction and improvement of cerebrovascular health compared to MCT. Intermittent exercise programs of higher intensities may need to be considered as an additional treatment option in migraine patients.
A 256-channel readout application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) called the very low-noise analog sampling engine (VASE) intended for the readout of column-parallel charge-coupled devices ...(CP-CCDs), is presented. Each channel uses a charge-sensitive amplifier and a first-order dual-gain sigma-delta analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that act as the front end of an extended counting ADC. The extended counting ADC directly implements correlated multiple-sampling as part of its operation. To reduce the noise due to input capacitance and to ensure a compact camera, the VASE input bonding pads are pitch matched to the CP-CCD to allow chip-to-chip bonding with minimal parasitic capacitance. The chip is designed in a modular way with each 16 input channels sharing a single differential analog output and digital serializer. VASE, with a die area of 38.1 mm 2 and fabricated in 180-nm CMOS technology, achieves 22 e − equivalent noise charge (ENC) and a dynamic range of 190 ke − (78.7 dB) at a 4-MHz pixel rate (corresponding to a frame rate of 32 kfps when a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">256\times256 </tex-math></inline-formula> pixel sensor is read out on both sides) while dissipating 10.1 mW per channel. The prototype has been used to successfully image X-ray diffraction at a soft X-ray synchrotron.
The influence of high pressure (HP) treatment (200–600
MPa) on the emulsifying activity index (EAI) and emulsifying stability index (ESI) on the 7S and 11S globulins and soya protein isolate (SPI) at ...pHs 7.5 and 6.5, at different concentrations (0.25–0.75%) was studied. Solubility and surface hydrophobicity were used as indices of the degree of denaturation caused by HP. 7S showed the highest EAI and surface hydrophobicity after treatment at 400
MPa, whereas 11S showed its highest EAI and surface hydrophobicity after treatment at 200
MPa. No significant correlation (
P>0.05) was found between solubility and EAI or hydrophobicity. SPI showed the optimum value of EAI after treatment at 400
MPa although its surface hydrophobicity was low. It is suggested that pressure at 400
MPa dissociated the 7S of the SPI into partially or totally denatured monomers that enhanced the surface activity but at the same time, the unfolding of the polypeptides of the 11S within the hexamer led to aggregation, negatively affecting the surface hydrophobicity of the SPI. The ESI values for the non-treated samples of SPI, 7S and 11S were higher at lower concentrations. At the same pH and concentration, the ESI decreased with increasing HP, except for the 7S at pH 7.5 and a protein concentration of 0.75%.
This European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) position statement provides a comprehensive guide for health care providers to manage percutaneous endoscopic ...gastrostomy tubes in a safe, effective, and appropriate way.
Relevant literature from searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and recent guidelines was reviewed. In the absence of evidence, recommendations reflect the expert opinion of the authors. Final consensus was obtained by multiple e-mail exchange and during 3 face-to-face meetings of the gastroenterology committee of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.
Endoscopically placed gastrostomy devices are essential in the management of children with feeding and nutritional problems. The article focuses on practical issues such as indications and contraindications.
The decision to place an endoscopic gastrostomy has to be made by an appropriate multidisciplinary team, which then provides active follow-up and care for the child and the device.
Stress activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which in turn increases circulating glucocorticoid concentrations and stimulates the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Chronically elevated ...glucocorticoids by repetitive exposure to stress are implicated in major depression and anxiety disorders. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), a molecule essential for nervous system development, function and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, can modulate GR activity through phosphorylation. We examined potential contribution of CDK5 to stress response and pathophysiology of major depression. In mice, acute immobilized stress (AS) caused a biphasic effect on CDK5 activity, initially reducing but increasing afterwards in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIPPO), whereas chronic unpredictable stress (CS) strongly increased it in these brain areas, indicating that AS and CS differentially regulate this kinase activity in a brain region-specific fashion. GR phosphorylation contemporaneously followed the observed changes of CDK5 activity after AS, thus CDK5 may in part alter GR phosphorylation upon this stress. In the postmortem brains of subjects with major depression, CDK5 activity was elevated in Brodmann's area 25, but not in entire PFC and HIPPO. Messenger RNA expression of glucocorticoid-regulated/stress-related genes showed distinct expression profiles in several brain areas of these stressed mice or depressive subjects in which CDK5-mediated changes in GR phosphorylation may have some regulatory roles. Taken together, these results indicate that CDK5 is an integral component of stress response and major depression with regulatory means specific to different stressors, brain areas and diseases in part through changing phosphorylation of GR.
We study the adsorption and mobility of a Li ion on the surface of the Mo2CS2 MXene by means of Density Functional Theory. We find that by substituting the Mo atoms of the upper MXene layer with V ...the mobility of the Li ion can be improved up to 95% while the material retains its metallic character. This fact indicates that MoVCS2 is a promising candidate for anode electrode in Li-ion batteries, where the materials need to be conductive and the Li ion needs to have a small migration barrier.
PDF
