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Background: Panax ginseng is a well-known immune modulator, and there is concern that its immune-enhancing effects may negatively affect patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by worsening symptoms or increasing the risk of adverse effects from other drugs. In this randomized, crossover clinical trial, we evaluated the impact of Korean Red Ginseng (KRG) on disease activity and safety in RA patients. Methods: A total of 80 female RA patients were randomly assigned to either the KRG (2 g/d, n = 40) treatment or placebo (n = 40) groups for 8 wk, followed by crossover to the other treatment group for an additional 8 wk. The primary outcome was the disease flare rate, defined as worsening disease activity according to the disease activity score 28 joints-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR). The secondary outcomes were development of adverse events (AEs) and patient reported outcomes. Outcomes were evaluated at baseline and 8 wk and 16 wk. The outcomes were compared using the Chi-square test. Results: Of the 80 patients, 70 completed the full study. Their mean age was 51.9 yr, and most exhibited low disease activity (mean DAS28-ESR 3.5 ± 1.0) at enrollment. After intervention, the flare rate was 3.7% in each group. During KRG treatment, 10 AEs were reported, while five AEs were developed with placebo; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.16). Gastrointestinal- and nervous system-related symptoms were frequent in the KRG group. Conclusion: KRG is not significantly associated with either disease flare rate or the rate of AE development in RA patients. Keywords: effect, Korean Red Ginseng, rheumatoid arthritis, safety

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and endemic in certain areas of Central and South America. We report a case of a 62-year-old-man with a complex history of tuberculosis and imaging findings of a cerebral lesion and bilateral adrenal enlargement. Biopsy of adrenal gland revealed Paracoccidioides brasiliensis . This case highlights the importance of travel history for diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis in non-endemic areas and emphasizes the clinical and histopathological similarities with tuberculosis.

Background: Social categorization and group identification are essential ingredients for maintaining a positive self-image that often lead to negative, implicit stereotypes toward members of an out-group. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) may be a critical component in counteracting stereotypes activation., Objective: Here, we assessed the causal role of the mPFC in these processes by non-invasive brain stimulation via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)., Method: Participants (n = 60) were randomly and equally assigned to receive anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation over the mPFC while performing an Implicit Association Test (IAT): They were instructed to categorize in-group and out-group names and positive and negative attributes., Results: Anodal excitability-enhancing stimulation decreased implicit biased attitudes toward out-group members compared to excitability-diminishing cathodal and sham stimulation., Conclusions: These results provide evidence for a critical role of the mPFC in counteracting stereotypes activation. Furthermore, our results are consistent with previous findings showing that increasing cognitive control may overcome negative bias toward members of social out-groups., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The aim of the study was to compare and evaluate virulence in five strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, including an isolate carrying New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase-1 (NDM-1). In vivo virulence was assessed using a murine sepsis model and using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans killing model, and in vitro virulence by assessing various virulence factors. The NDM-1 carrying K. pneumoniae isolate was the most virulent in the murine sepsis model but there was no clear cut correlation to in vitro virulence factors or killing in C. elegans. It is concluded that K. pneumoniae carrying NDM-1 have an intrinsic virulence potential, which in coexistence with its multiresistance could promote and partly explain its epidemiological success., (Copyright © 2011 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Glucose metabolism in yeast can be stopped within 0.1 s by spraying the cells in 60% methanol at -40 degrees C. With this procedure the integrity of the cells is not damaged. Using stopped-flow equipment for the incubation with glucose, major changes within a second are shown to occur in intracellular glucose-6-phosphate whereas the fructose-1,6-bisphosphate concentration remains constant. After quenching, the cells can be separated from the medium, washed with cold methanol when required, and extracted using chloroform at -40 degrees C at neutral pH, ensuring minimal degradation of labile metabolites. With partly automated enzymatic methods, a large variety of metabolites, including all glycolytic intermediates, can be determined in the neutral extracts. During the first second after addition of glucose, a significant increase in free intracellular glucose is found.

The ATP hydrolysis activity of purified ATP synthase reconstituted in liposomes was inhibited by triphenyltin in a manner different from that of other thiol-specific reagents. In liposomes containing ATP synthase and bacteriorhodopsin, ATP hydrolysis and ATP-Pi exchange were inhibited by triphenyltin to a greater extent than the ATP synthesis, in contrast to what was found with an F1-specific inhibitor, 8-azido-ATP. The possibility is discussed that ATP hydrolysis and ATP synthesis are differently coupled to proton conduction through F0.

We present two unrelated patients, a boy and a girl, with a progressive neurologic disorder, characterized by psychomotor retardation, seizures and paresis, the illness being exacerbated during stressful periods. Lactate levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid were elevated in both patients. Histopathologic studies of muscle tissue revealed mitochondrial abnormalities in the boy; in the girl, slight neuronal degeneration was observed. A cerebral biopsy in the girl showed abnormalities compatible with progressive poliodystrophy. Autopsy in the boy demonstrated progressive poliodystrophy. Biochemical studies in muscle tissue showed a defect of cytochrome aa3 in both patients, connected with a defect of cytochrome b in the girl. The association of defective pyruvate metabolism and progressive poliodystrophy is discussed.

A thermodynamic control theory previously developed has been applied to mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation with emphasis on the role of delta microH and coupling and within the paradigm of delocalized chemiosmotic coupling. The basis for the observed distribution of flux control over the participating enzymes is shown to lie in the relative magnitudes of so-called delta microH elasticity coefficients, i.e., the delta microH dependencies of the different mitochondrial processes. In particular the relatively strong delta microH dependence of mitochondrial respiration is responsible for the significant role of the adenine nucleotide translocator in the control of oxidative phosphorylation. Uncoupling decreases the control exerted by this translocator on respiration but increases that exerted on phosphorylation.