| 1. |
- Andersen, Toril, et al.
(författare)
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Chitosan-Based Nanomedicine to Fight Genital Candida Infections : Chitosomes
- 2017
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Ingår i: Marine Drugs. - : MDPI. - 1660-3397 .- 1660-3397. ; 15:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vaginal infections are associated with high recurrence, which is often due to a lack of efficient treatment of complex vaginal infections comprised of several types of pathogens, especially fungi and bacteria. Chitosan, a mucoadhesive polymer with known antifungal effect, could offer a great improvement in vaginal therapy; the chitosan-based nanosystem could both provide antifungal effects and simultaneously deliver antibacterial drugs. We prepared chitosan-containing liposomes, chitosomes, where chitosan is both embedded in liposomes and surface-available as a coating layer. For antimicrobial activity, we entrapped metronidazole as a model drug. To prove that mucoadhesivness alone is not sufficient for successful delivery, we used Carbopol-containing liposomes as a control. All vesicles were characterized for their size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and in vitro drug release. Chitosan-containing liposomes were able to assure the prolonged release of metronidazole. Their antifungal activity was evaluated in a C. albicans model; chitosan-containing liposomes exhibited a potent ability to inhibit the growth of C. albicans. The presence of chitosan was crucial for the system's antifungal activity. The antifungal efficacy of chitosomes combined with antibacterial potential of the entrapped metronidazole could offer improved efficacy in the treatment of mixed/complex vaginal infections.
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| 2. |
- Hjelmevoll, Stig Ove, et al.
(författare)
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A fast real-time polymerase chain reaction method for sensitive and specific detection of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae porA pseudogene
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1525-1578 .- 1943-7811. ; 8:5, s. 574-581
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ever since the advent of molecular methods, the diagnostics of Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been troubled by false negative and false positive results compared with culture. Commensal Neisseria species and Neisseria meningitidis are closely related to N. gonorrhoeae and may cross-react when using molecular tests comprising too-low specificity. We have devised a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including an internal amplification control, that targets the N. gonorrhoeae porA pseudogene. DNA was automatically isolated on a BioRobot M48. Our subsequent PCR method amplified all of the different N. gonorrhoeae international reference strains (n = 34) and N. gonorrhoeae clinical isolates (n = 176) but not isolates of the 13 different nongonococcal Neisseria species (n = 68) that we tested. Furthermore, a panel of gram-negative bacterial (n = 18), gram-positive bacterial (n = 23), fungal (n = 1), and viral (n = 4) as well as human DNA did not amplify. The limit of detection was determined to be less than 7.5 genome equivalents/PCR reaction. In conclusion, the N. gonorrhoeae porA pseudogene real-time PCR developed in the present study is highly sensitive, specific, robust, rapid and reproducible, making it suitable for diagnosis of N. gonorrhoeae infection.
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| 3. |
- Hjelmevoll, Stig Ove, et al.
(författare)
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Appropriate Time for Test-of-Cure when Diagnosing Gonorrhoea with a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test
- 2012
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Ingår i: Acta Dermato-Venereologica. - Uppsala : Acta Dermato-Venereologica. - 0001-5555 .- 1651-2057. ; 92:3, s. 316-319
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Culture is commonly regarded as the gold standard for diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. However, nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) have rapidly replaced culture for diagnostics in many settings. The aim of the present study was to investigate the appropriate time for test-of-cure (TOC) when NAATs are used for diagnosis of gonorrhoea. In total, 30 patients (28 men and 2 women) provided urethral, cervical, rectal or pharyngeal specimens for TOC. All included patients, except one who did not return for second TOC before day 19, tested negative within 2 weeks after treatment with cefixime 400 mg x 1. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that 68% of the culture-positive strains were resistant to ciprofloxacin. Thus, the recommended empirical treatment with ciprofloxacin in Norway should be changed immediately. TOC can be performed 2 weeks after treatment when NAATs are used for diagnosis of gonorrhoea.
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| 4. |
- Hjelmevoll, Stig Ove, et al.
(författare)
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Clinical validation of a real-time polymerase chain reaction detection of Neisseria gonorrheae porA pseudogene versus culture techniques
- 2008
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Ingår i: Sexually Transmitted Diseases. - Philadelphia : American Venereal Disease Association. - 0148-5717 .- 1537-4521. ; 35:5, s. 517-520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Diagnosing Neisseria gonorrheae using nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) might increase the sensitivity, compared to cultivation. However, using NAATs has also been problematic mainly due to the close genetic relationships between different Neisseria species, resulting in false positive diagnoses. This study was conducted to clinically validate a previously published real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting the porA pseudogene in N. gonorrheae in comparison to culture techniques.Methods: In total, 360 samples, urethra (n = 109), rectum (n = 84), pharynx (n = 119), and cervix (n = 48) from 185 males and 57 females, were analyzed using porA pseudogene PCR and cultivation. Sequencing of the entire porA pseudogene and the 16S rRNA gene were used to resolve discrepant results.Results: Of the 360 samples, 37 were positive by both culture and PCR, however, the PCR identified 15 additional confirmed positive samples. The PCR method showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100% in a preselected population. The preselected population had a true gonorrhea prevalence of 17.4%.Conclusions: The present porA pseudogene real-time PCR comprises a valuable supplement to the traditional culture techniques for diagnosis of N. gonorrheae, especially for samples from extragenital sites such as pharynx and rectum.
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| 5. |
- Paulsen, Marianne H., et al.
(författare)
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An amphipathic cyclic tetrapeptide scaffold containing halogenated β2,2-amino acids with activity against multiresistant bacteria
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Peptide Science. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1075-2617 .- 1099-1387. ; 24:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study describes the synthesis and biological studies of a small series of head-to-tail cyclic tetrapeptides of the general structure c(Lys‐β2,2‐Xaa‐Lys) containing one lipophilic β2,2-amino acid and Lys, Gly, Ala, or Phe as the Xaa residue in the sequence. The peptides were investigated for antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative reference strains and 30 multiresistant clinical isolates including strains with extended spectrum β-lactamase-carbapenemase (ESBL-CARBA) production. Toxicity was determined against human red blood cells. The most potent peptides showed high activity against the gram-positive clinical isolates with minimum inhibitory concentrations of 4-8μg/mL and low haemolytic activity. The combination of high antimicrobial activity and low toxicity shows that these cyclic tetrapeptides containing lipophilic β2,2-amino acids form a valuable scaffold for designing novel antimicrobial agents.
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