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Purpose. Numerous studies in the literature confirm the importance of the use of probiotics in inflammatory states of the prostate in humans. Our pilot study aimed to test probiotics strains ability to improve urinary bacterial load in male subjects. Methods. Twenty healthy men aged 55-65 years, with recurrent urinatory infections were enrolled and randomized into 2 groups. Urine culturing to detect Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia Coli and Enterococcus faecalis) was performed at baseline and at 12 weeks after the starting of the study. Results. We found that taking the probiotic reduces the bacterial load of E. coli and E. faecalis in urine cultures. The use of the probiotic in these inflammatory states does not affect the change in weight in the tested subjects. Conclusions. Our data confirm and improve the main results reported in the scientific literature on the importance of taking probiotics in prostatitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-resolution infrared spectrum of CHD279Br has been investigated by Fourier transform spectroscopy in the range 540–615 cm−1 at an unapodised resolution of 0.0035 cm−1. This spectral region is characterised by the ν6 fundamental (584.8510 cm−1), corresponding to C–Br stretching mode, and its hot band 2ν6−ν6 (578.4333 cm−1). The spectral analysis resulted in the identification of 3430 transitions (J' ≤ 73 and K'a ≤ 18) for the ν6 fundamental and 1212 transitions (J' ≤ 49 and K'a ≤ 11) for the hot band 2ν6−ν6. The assigned data have been fitted using the Watson's S-reduced Hamiltonian in the Ir representation and new constants for the ground state from about 24,600 combination differences and sets of parameters for the v6 = 1 and 2 vibrational states have been obtained. From spectral simulations the intensity ratio between 2ν6−ν6 and ν6 has been estimated to be 0.15 ± 0.02. High-quality ab initio calculations have also been performed at the CCSD(T) level of theory in order to support the experimental investigation through the calculation of molecular parameters relevant to ro-vibrational spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-resolution infrared spectrum of CHD279Br has been investigated by Fourier transform spectroscopy in the range 700–900 cm−1 at an unapodized resolution of 0.0035 cm−1. This spectral region is characterised by the absorptions of the ν5 (814.5185 cm−1) and ν9 (716.9649 cm−1) fundamental bands, corresponding to H–C–Br deformation and CD2 rocking modes, respectively. The ν5 vibration of symmetry species A′ gives rise to an a-/c-hybrid band with a predominant a-type component, while the ν9 mode of A′′ symmetry produces a b-type envelope. The spectral analysis resulted in the identification of 5290 (J′ ≤ 63 and Ka′ ≤ 13) and 1657 (J′ ≤ 53 and Ka′ ≤ 12) transitions for ν5 and ν9 bands, respectively. The assigned data were fitted using the Watson's S-reduced Hamiltonian in the Ir representation and the v5 = 1 and v9 = 1 state parameters up to the quartic centrifugal distortion terms have been obtained. From spectral simulations the dipole moment ratio |Δμa/Δμc| of the ν5 band has been determined to be 1.4 ± 0.1 while the intensity ratio between ν5 and ν9 fundamentals has been estimated to have a value of 4.3 ± 0.5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. It has been customary to explain the dentally beneficial effects of xylitol and certain other natural compound as lysozyme and seas salt in terms of microbiological effects only. Several studies have tested the use of natural ingredients, alcohol and fluoride free, in mouthwashes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a combined mouthwash formulation containing natural antibiofilm agents in oral care wound healing after routinely oral surgery (extraction) procedures. Methods. Patients were assigned following a blinded randomized controlled trial and divided into two groups, an experimental group (I = 15) and a control (placebo) group (II = 15). Any infectious complications, wound healing, plaque accumulation in the stitches, and presence of trismus and inflammation were evaluated at ten and thirty days after extraction procedure. Pain and swelling were evaluated using the well-known visual analogue scale (VAS) scale throughout study period following extraction. The mean difference in Pre and Post values were compared among the groups. The change in pre-post score was analyzed using the paired t test. Results. An appreciable wound healing was seen in the experimental group when compared to the control sites, with no reported adverse effects. Four weeks postoperative patient's satisfaction level, to subjective and objective outcome measurements in documenting the result of a mouthwash treatment showed an interesting difference between groups. Conclusions. Since combined mouthwash formulations, containing natural/bioactive substances, could provide a cheap, safe and acceptable alternative in oral care, further studies will also be required to study these effects and their mechanism of action in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water temperature directly affects life cycles, reproductive periods, and metabolism of organisms living the oceans, especially in the surface zones. Due to the ocean warming, changes in water stratification and primary productivity are affecting trophic chains in sensitive world areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea. Benthic and pelagic cnidarians exhibit complex responses to climatic conditions. For example, the structure and phenology of the Mediterranean hydrozoan community displayed marked changes in species composition, bathymetric distribution, and reproductive timing over the last decades. The regional species pool remained stable in terms of species numbers but not in terms of species identity. When the Scyphozoa group is considered, we observe that Pelagia noctiluca (among the most abundant jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic waters) has increasingly frequent massive outbreaks associated to warmer winters. Variations in metabolic activities, such as respiration and excretion, are strongly temperature-dependent, with direct increment of energetic costs with jellyfish size and temperature, leading to growth rate reduction. Water temperature affects sexual reproduction through changes in the energy storage and gonad development cycles. Anthozoan life cycles depend also on primary productivity and temperature: gonadal production and spawning are tightly related in shallow populations (0–30 m depth) with the spring-summer temperature trends and autumn food availability. Overall, the energy transferred from the mother colonies to the offspring may decrease, negatively affecting their potential to settle, metamorphose and feed during the first months of their lives, eventually impairing the dominance of long-living cnidarian suspension feeders in shallow benthic habitats. In this review, we describe the already ongoing effects of sea warming on several features of cnidarian reproduction, trying to elucidate how reproductive traits and potential dispersion will be affected by the cascade effects of increasing temperature in the Mediterranean Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an uncommon autoimmune intraepithelial blistering disease. In most cases, the oral lesions were the first manifestation of the pathology. We report the case of a 42-year-old woman with a 4-month history of oral ulcerations. The patient reported that the lesions caused considerable discomfort and affected her normal oral function. On intraoral examination, ulcers were observed on the cheek and palatal mucosa and ventral surface of the tongue. No skin lesions were seen on extra oral examination. A diagnosis of PV was made after evaluating the biopsy samples. The main complication of PV is the reduced quality of life related to soreness or pain, particularly in ulcerative/erosive lesions. The presence of lesions among gingival tissues makes oral hygiene procedures very difficult, but plaque control and rigorous oral hygiene are a fundamental requisite for the treatment of any oromucosal disease. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The patchy distribution pattern of benthic hydrozoans reflects high sensitivity of colonies to local and micro-scale environmental factors, which may affect the outcome of biodiversity inventories based on different sampling methodologies. We compared three quantitative sampling methods for benthic hydrozoans, differing for strategy (scraping standardized surfaces or picking visually located colonies) and tactics (extension of examined surface). Each of the three methods consisted of eight replicate samplings to compare relative and absolute method efficiencies, also in terms of minimum sampling area representative of the hydroid diversity in the study site. A single horizontal belt transect on a vertical rocky cliff was chosen at 15 m depth near Otranto (South Adriatic). A total of 37 species were identified by the three methods and their relative abundances were evaluated. The hydroid assemblage was dominated by generalist species with high polyp numbers able to colonize different substrata. We compared the outcomes of each of the three sampling methods, and by a cost-benefit analysis we identified the optimal sampling methods to be adopted according to the different targets of the investigations. On data standardized to the same total sampled areas, the three sampling methods did not originate significant differences in the number of polyps of each recorded species (PDA, Polyp Detection Ability), whereas the visually-oriented collection (VIS) and the scrapings over 20 × 20 cm standard surfaces (S20) were more effective in the detected number of species (SDA, Species Detection Ability) than over 10 × 10 cm squares (S10). For ecological purposes, samplings based on five S20 replicates can be considered an appropriate experimental design to get a statistically robust representation of the studied hydroid assemblage at Punta Palascia. However, variation in depth, exposure and geographical locations may require different sampling approaches, and pre-surveys should be always carried out before addressing taxonomical surveys of sessile organisms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Eudendrium moulouyensis is a zooxanthellate hydroid originally described from the Chafarinas Islands (Alboran Sea, south-western Mediterranean) in summer 1991. According to the original description, this species can be identified due to the occurrence of symbiotic zooxanthellae in the entire endodermal layer of the colony (gastrodermis and tentacle endodermis), a unique feature among the Mediterranean Eudendrium species. However, several aspects of its life cycle and the extent of its phenotypical variability are still unknown. Since winter 2004, colonies of E. moulouyensis were recorded throughout the year from 0.5 m to 30 m depth from the southern Adriatic Sea (Otranto Channel) and the Gibraltar Strait (Alboran Sea). Additional specimens were collected from the northern Adriatic (Vis, Croatia), Sicily Channel (Pantelleria and Lampedusa Islands), and western Sardinia (Costa Paradiso). These findings offered the opportunity to describe for the first time the full life cycle and to elucidate several biological aspects related to phenotypical variation of colony morphology, vertical zonation, seasonality, zooxanthellae–polyp relationship, and cnidome morphology and distribution. The number and morphology of male gonophores per reproductive polyp is described here for the first time, providing a useful taxonomic character to easily discriminate Myrionema amboinense from E. moulouyensis. From the available information, the occurrence of M. amboinense in the Mediterranean Sea should be regarded as doubtful, if they are not accompanied by observations of cnidome, male gonophores or distinctly separate tentacles whorls. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background and purpose:Skeletal muscle injury by hypolipidemic drugs is not fully understood. An extensive analysis of the effect of chronic treatment with fluvastatin (5 mgkg-1 and 20 mgkg-1), atorvastatin (10 mgkg-1) and fenofibrate (60 mgkg-1) on rat skeletal muscle was undertaken.Experimental approach:Myoglobinemia as sign of muscle damage was measured by enzymatic assay. Histological and immunohistochemical techniques were used to estimate muscle integrity and the presence of aquaporin-4, a protein controlling water homeostasis. Electrophysiological evaluation of muscle Cl- conductance (gCl) and mechanical threshold (MT) for contraction, index of intracellular calcium homeostasis, was performed by the two-intracellular microelectrodes technique.Key results:Fluvastatin (20 mgkg-1) increased myoglobinemia. The lower dose of fluvastatin did not modify myoglobinemia, but reduced urinary electrolytes, suggesting direct effects on renal function. Atorvastatin also increased myoglobinemia, with slight effects on urinary parameters. No treatment caused any histological damage to muscle or modification in the number of fibres expressing aquaporin-4. Either fluvastatin (at both doses) or atorvastatin reduced sarcolemma gCl and changed MT. Both statins produced slight effects on total cholesterol, suggesting that the observed modifications occur independently of HMGCoA-reductase inhibition. Fenofibrate increased myoglobinemia and decreased muscle gCl, whereas it did not change the MT, suggesting a different mechanism of action from the statins.Conclusions and ImplicationsThis study identifies muscle gCl and MT as early targets of drugs action that may contribute to milder symptoms of myotoxicity, such as muscle cramps, while the increase of myoglobinemia is a later phenomenon.British Journal of Pharmacology (2006) 149, 909–919. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0706917; published online 9 October 2006 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory rearing and reconstruction of Laodicea undulata (Hydrozoa) life cycle led to the discovery for the first time in Leptomedusae of the potential for ontogeny reversal, i.e. the medusa stage can asexually transform back into the polyp stage. In turn, each rejuvenated polyp stage can newly activate the standard developmental programme towards colony morphogenesis and budding of secondary medusae. These can be considered as clonemates of the initial medusa batch, since they originate by asexual processes. In combination with the ordinary medusa budding process, the potential for reverse development might represent a tool to increase jellyfish population growth rate during the favourable season, but eventually it does not avoid jellyfish to die. Comparably to polyembryony, reverse development leads to offspring multiplication from a single fertilization event, with a wider dispersal of each single genotype; eventually, it favours the enhancement of the overall genetic diversity at small spatial scale. The life cycle of L. undulata from the Mediterranean Sea is re-described, linking previously uncoupled descriptions of either the polyp or the early medusa stages. Taxonomic considerations of the genus Laodicea and a comparison among the known Mediterranean species are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Colonies of an athecate hydroid were found at six stations in the high Antarctic (Weddell Sea) growing on dead specimens of Flabelligera mundata (Annelida, Polychaeta). All living specimens of F. mundata at the same stations were free of epibionts. Transplantation experiments showed that hydropolyps did not produce stolons on substrates other than the epidermal jelly coat and chetae of dead F. mundata specimens. The largest colonies (>1,000 polyps) producing medusa buds were cultured until medusa liberation: growth of medusae was then surveyed for the next 5 weeks, but development of adult features was extremely slow. Young medusae were ascribed to the suborder Pandeida by the presence of two main characters, namely (1) hollow marginal tentacles, and (2) a mouth with four simple lips. Considering polyp and young medusa features, this species is acknowledged as newly recorded for the Southern Ocean, and assigned to the genus Neoturris (Hydroidomedusae, Pandeidae). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Early Breast Cancer in Elderly Women: Surgery or Primary Endocrine Therapy?," by N. Rocco and colleagues is presented.