Risk factors for early viral infections after liver transplantation
LANGENBECKS ARCHIVES OF SURGERY
Authors: Busch, Cornelius Johannes; Siegler, Benedikt Hermann; Werle, Heike; Lichtenstern, Christoph; Bruckner, Thomas; Heininger, Alexandra; Mehrabi, Arianeb; Weiss, Karl Heinz; Weigand, Markus Alexander; Hochreiter, Marcel
Abstract
Viral infections represent a serious threat for patients after liver transplantation (LT). The identification of risk factors during the early post-transplant period might help to improve prevention of viral infections after LT. Between 2004 and 2010, 530 adult patients underwent LT at a large university hospital serving a metropolitan region in Europe. This retrospective single-centre study analysed putative risk factors for early viral infections with herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis A/B/C (HAV/HBV/HCV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the first 3 months after LT. The final analysis included 501 patients of whom 126 (25.1%) had documented viral infections after LT. No significant differences could be detected between patients with or without viral infections concerning 30- and 90-day mortality. Risk factors in the early post-transplant period identified by multivariate analysis included female gender (CMV, HSV-1), the post-operative need for continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CMV), septic shock (CMV), detection of fungi (CMV) and the intraoperative amount of transfused blood (EBV). Enhanced vigilance regarding opportunistic infections is crucial in the management of this high-risk population of immunocompromised patients. In particular, attention should be paid to avoidable conditions that increase the risk of renal replacement therapies in the post-LT setting, especially among women. DRKS00010672 on German Clinical Trial Register.
Production of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate by Bacillus subtilis AD35: Isolation, purification, characterization and biological activities
MICROBIAL PATHOGENESIS
Authors: Lotfy, Walid A.; Mostafa, Sahar W.; Adel, Amr A.; Ghanem, Khaled M.
Abstract
The emergence of extensive antibiotics resistant bacteria increased the demands for finding out new sources of antimicrobial agents. Marine niches were reported to be rich in many competent producers of significant bioactive compounds. On the course of screening program for new antimicrobials, a Bacillus strain was isolated from Alexandria sea shores, Egypt. According to the morphological, cultural and biochemical characteristics, 16S rRNA sequence analysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), the strain was identified as Bacillus subtilis and designated as B. subtilis AD35. One phthalate derivative namely Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was purified from the crude extract of B. subtilis AD35 by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the structural elucidation of this compound was confirmed on the basis of gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and UV spectrum. The results of MIC of the purified DEHP were as follow: 16 mu g/ml (Salmonella typhimurium), 32 mu g/ml (Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA), 0.25 mu g/ml (Listeria monocytogenes), 0.5 mu g/ml (Aeromonas hydrophila), 8 mu g/ml (Staphylococcus aureus), 4 mu g/ml (Staphylococcus epidermidis), 4 mu g/ml (Escherichia coli), and 8 mu g/ml (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). DEHP produced by B. subtilis AD35 up to a concentration of 2500 mu g/ml exhibited no cytotoxic effect against normal Vero cells. In addition, it did not show an antiviral activity against HAV or a significant growth inhibitory effect toward human colorectal adenocarcinoma and human mammary gland adenocarcinoma cell-lines.