DSpace Collection:
https://hdl.handle.net/10171/19116
2024-03-29T14:51:14ZAntifungal activity against Candida biofilms
https://hdl.handle.net/10171/68953
Title: Antifungal activity against Candida biofilms
Abstract: Candida species have two distinct lifestyles: planktonic, and surface-attached communities called
biofilms. Mature C. albicans biofilms show a complex three-dimensional architecture with extensive
spatial heterogeneity, and consist of a dense network of yeast, hyphae, and pseudohyphae encased
within a matrix of exopolymeric material. Several key processes are likely to play vital roles at the dif-
ferent stages of biofilm development, such as cell-substrate and cell-cell adherence, hyphal devel-
opment, and quorum sensing. Biofilm formation is a survival strategy, since biofilm yeasts are more
resistant to antifungals and environmental stress. Antifungal resistance is a multifactorial process that
includes multidrug efflux pumps, target proteins of the ergosterol biosynthetic pathway. Most studies
agree in presenting azoles as agents with poor activity against Candida spp. biofilms. However, recent
studies have demonstrated that echinocandins and amphotericin B exhibit remarkable activity against
C. albicans and Candida non-albicans biofilms. The association of Candida species with biofilm for-
mation increases the therapeutic complexity of foreign body-related yeast infections. The traditional
approach to the management of these infections has been to explant the affected device. There is a
strong medical but also economical motivation for the development of novel anti-fungal biofilm strate-
gies due to the constantly increasing resistance of Candida biofilms to conventional antifungals, and
the high mortality caused by related infections. A better description of the extent and role of yeast in
biofilms may be critical for developing novel therapeutic strategies in the clinical setting.2012-01-01T00:00:00ZPneumococcal Serotypes Causing Acute Otitis Media Among Children in Barcelona (1992–2011): Emergence of the Multiresistant Clone ST320 of Serotype 19A
https://hdl.handle.net/10171/68949
Title: Pneumococcal Serotypes Causing Acute Otitis Media Among Children in Barcelona (1992–2011): Emergence of the Multiresistant Clone ST320 of Serotype 19A
Abstract: Background: There is scarce information about changes in serotypes
and clonal types of Streptococcus pneumoniae causing acute otitis media
(AOM) in recent years, particularly in European countries.
Methods: Pneumococcal serotypes and clones from S. pneumoniae strains
isolated from children with AOM who were attended at Hospital Sant Joan
de Déu, Barcelona (1992 to 2011), were studied. Heptavalent pneumococ-
cal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) was introduced in June 2001. We defined 3
periods: prevaccine period 1992 to 2001, early vaccine period 2002 to 2006
and late vaccine period 2007 to 2011.
Results: There were 376 pneumococcal strains causing AOM, and 373
(99.2%) of them were serotyped. AOM caused by PCV7 serotypes declined
significantly: 161 of 245 (65.7%) episodes in 1992 to 2001 versus 22 of
67 (32.8%) in 2002 to 2006 versus 8 of 61 (13.1%) in 2007 to 2011 P <
0.001. In the last period (2007 to 2011), the potential serotype coverage for
the PCV10 was 16.4% and for the PCV13 was 68.9% (P < 0.001). Sero-
type 19A increased from 5.7% in 1992 to 2001 to 42.6% in 2007 to 2011
(P < 0.001). Among strains with penicillin minimal inhibitory concentra-
tion ≥0.12 μg/mL (n = 241), serotype 19A rose from 2.3% in the first period
to 57.9 % in the last period (P < 0.001). The clonal-type ST320 was initially
detected in 2005, and in the period 2007 to 2011, the ST320 was found in
72.7% of nonsusceptible serotype 19A isolates.
Conclusions: Among children with AOM, a rapid expansion of the mul-
tiresistant clone ST320 expressing serotype 19A has been observed in Bar-
celona. The implementation of PCV13, which includes this serotype, may
decrease the prevalence of AOM and reduce antimicrobial resistance.2013-01-01T00:00:00ZLifestyles and the risk of depression in the “Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra” cohort
https://hdl.handle.net/10171/68878
Title: Lifestyles and the risk of depression in the “Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra” cohort
Abstract: Background: Lifestyles are involved in the pathogenesis of depression and many of these factors can be
modified for the potential prevention of depression. Our aim was to assess the association between a
healthy-lifestyle score, that includes some less-studied lifestyle indicators, and the risk of depression.
Methods: We followed 14,908 participants initially free of any history of depression in the “Seguimiento
Universidad de Navarra” (SUN) cohort. Information was collected biennially from 1999 to December
2016. We calculated a healthy-lifestyle score (0–10 points), previously associated with cardioprotection,
by giving one point to each of the following components: never smoking, physical activity (> 20 METs-h/
week), Mediterranean diet adherence ( 4 points), healthy body mass index ( 22 kg/m2
), moderate
alcohol consumption (women 0.1–5 g/d; men 0.1–10 g/d of ethanol), avoidance of binge drinking (never
more than 5 alcoholic drinks in a row), low television exposure ( 2 h/d), short afternoon nap ( 30 min/
day), time spent with friends (>1 h/d) and working at least 40 h/week.
Results: During a median follow-up of 10.4 years, we observed 774 new cases of major depression among
participants initially free of depression. The highest category (8–10 factors) showed a significant inverse
association with a 32% relative risk reduction for depression compared to the lowest category (0–3
factors) (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio: 0.68; 95% CI:0.49-0.95) (p for trend = 0.010).
Conclusions: Adopting a healthy-lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of incident depression in the
SUN cohort. This index, including ten simple healthy lifestyle habits, may be useful for a more integrative
approach to depression prevention.2019-01-01T00:00:00ZEvaluation of the SediMax automated microscopy sediment analyzer and the Sysmex UF-1000i flow cytometer as screening tools to rule out negative urinary tract infections
https://hdl.handle.net/10171/68856
Title: Evaluation of the SediMax automated microscopy sediment analyzer and the Sysmex UF-1000i flow cytometer as screening tools to rule out negative urinary tract infections
Abstract: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are highly prevalent in nosocomial and community settings, and their diagnosis is
costly and time-consuming. Screening methods represent an important advance towards the final UTI diagnosis,
diminishing inappropriate treatment or clinical complications. Automated analyzers have been developed and
commercialized to screen and rule out negative urine samples. The aim of this study was to evaluate two of
these automated analyzers (SediMax, an automatic sediment analyzer and UF-1000i a flow cytometer) to predict
negative urine cultures. A total of 1934 urine samples were analyzed. A very strong correlation for white blood
cells (WBC) (rs: 0.928) and a strong correlation for bacteria (BAC) (rs: 0.693) were obtained. We also calculated
optimal cut-off points for both autoanalyzers: 18 WBC/μL and 97 BAC/μL for SediMax (sensitivity = 96.25%,
specificity = 63.04%, negative predictive value = 97.97%), and 40 WBC/μL and 460 BAC/μL for UF-1000i
(sensitivity = 98.13%, specificity = 79.16%, negative predictive value = 99.18%). The use of SediMax and UF-
1000i resulted in a 46.33% and 57.19% reduction of all samples cultured, respectively. In conclusion, both ana-
lyzers are good UTI screening tools in our setting.2016-01-01T00:00:00Z