Effects of fluoroquinolones on bacterial adhesion and on preformed biofilm of strains isolated from urinary double J stents

The activity of levofloxacin and ulifloxacin on biofilm formation and persistence was evaluated on microorganisms isolated from urinary double-J-stents. We analyzed 51 bacterial strains and their susceptibility to different antimicrobial classes was determined. We evaluated the bacterial ability to form biofilm and the effects of different concentrations of levofloxacin and ulifloxacin on bacterial adhesion and biofilm persistence. Most of the strains were biofilm producers with no relevant difference in biofilm production at 24 or 48 hours. The fluoroquinolones were able to prevent biofilm formation, but not to eradicate the preformed biofilm. On the basis of our data we advise that antibiotic prophylaxis with fluoroquinolones may be most helpful if given at the time of stent insertion and at high dosage.

Cloning and characterization of cDNAs expressed during chick development and encoding different isoforms of a putative zinc finger transcriptional regulator

Development proceeds through successive activation of different sets of genes by specific transcription factors as a consequence of cell interactions and signaling. It is thus of primary interest to identify new putative transcriptional regulators. We report here the isolation of chicken clones bearing sequences coding for a chicken zinc finger protein (chZFp) which contains four pairs of zinc fingers of mixed type C2-H-C/C2-H2. At least five chZFp isoforms are produced through differential splicing of four small exons. The amino acid domains encoded by these four exons are highly conserved across species. Northern blot analysis and RNase-protection assays showed that chZFp transcripts are present in brain, heart, skin and liver during chick development. Reverse transcription mediated polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) experiments suggested that the relative amount of some chZFp isoforms increases at critical stages of development and skin morphogenesis. Finally, the main chZFp isoforms are able to directly interact in vitro with the scaffold attachment factor-A (SAF-A, also known as heterogenous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U) through both their aminoterminal and carboxyterminal domains.

Interpretive criteria for disk diffusion susceptibility testing of ulifloxacin, the active metabolite of prulifloxacin

Prulifloxacin, a new fluoroquinolone, is a prodrug whose active compound, ulifloxacin, is derived from its transformation after oral administration and intestinal absorption. Based on early pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data, the following MIC breakpoints have tentatively been proposed: < or = 1 microg/ml, susceptible; 2 microg/ml, intermediate; and > or = 4 microg/ml, resistant. In this report, ulifloxacin MIC vs. zone diameter scattergrams and discrepancy rates were analyzed in 461 freshly isolated clinical strains (237 Enterobacteriaceae, 101 nonfermenters, and 123 Gram-positive bacteria). In agreement with the guidelines of the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards, a modification of the error rate-bounded method was used to select disk diffusion test breakpoints. The following zone diameter breakpoints were chosen and are proposed herein for the interpretation of ulifloxacin disk (5 microg) test results: < or = 15 and > or = 19 mm for Enterobacteriaceae, < or = 16 and > or = 20 mm for nonfermenters, and < or = 14 and > or = 18 mm for Gram-positive bacteria. By applying these breakpoint values, no very major errors were detected, while major and minor errors were largely below the accepted discrepancy rates.

Tumor induction by an Lck-MyrAkt transgene is delayed by mechanisms controlling the size of the thymus

Transgenic mice expressing MyrAkt from a proximal Lck promoter construct develop thymomas at an early age, whereas transgenic mice expressing constitutively active Lck-AktE40K develop primarily tumors of the peripheral lymphoid organs later in life. The thymus of 6- to 8-week-old MyrAkt transgenic mice is normal in size but contains fewer, larger cells than the thymus of nontransgenic control and AktE40K transgenic mice. Earlier studies had shown that cell size and cell cycle are coordinately regulated. On the basis of this finding, and our observations that the oncogenic potential of Akt correlates with its effect on cell size, we hypothesized that mechanisms aimed at maintaining the size of the thymus dissociate cell size and cell cycle regulation by blocking MyrAkt-promoted G(1) progression and that failure of these mechanisms may promote cell proliferation resulting in an enlarged neoplastic thymus. To address this hypothesis, we examined the cell cycle distribution of freshly isolated and cultured thymocytes from transgenic and nontransgenic control mice. The results showed that although neither transgene alters cell cycle distribution in situ, the MyrAkt transgene promotes G(1) progression in culture. Freshly isolated MyrAkt thymocytes express high levels of cyclins D2 and E and cdk4 but lower than normal levels of cyclin D3 and cdk2. Cultured thymocytes from MyrAkt transgenic mice, on the other hand, express high levels of cyclin D3, suggesting that the hypothesized organ size control mechanisms may down-regulate the expression of this molecule. Primary tumor cells, similar to MyrAkt thymocytes in culture, express high levels of cyclin D3. These findings support the hypothesis that tumor induction is caused by the failure of organ size control mechanisms to down-regulate cyclin D3 and to block MyrAkt-promoted G(1) progression.