Norbert Weber

Garlic (Allium sativum) has been shown to have antiviral activity, but the compounds responsible have not been identified. Using direct pre-infection incubation assays, we determined the in vitro virucidal effects of fresh garlic extract, its polar fraction, and the following garlic associated compounds: diallyl thiosulfinate (allicin), allyl methyl thiosulfinate, methyl allyl thiosulfinate, ajoene, alliin, deoxyalliin, diallyl disulfide, and diallyl trisulfide. Activity was determined against selected viruses including, herpes simplex virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 2, parainfluenza virus type 3, vaccinia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and human rhinovirus type 2. The order for virucidal activity generally was: ajoene > allicin > allyl methyl thiosulfinate > methyl allyl thiosulfinate. Ajoene was found in oil-macerates of garlic but not in fresh garlic extracts. No activity was found for the garlic polar fraction, alliin, deoxyalliin, diallyl disulfide, or diallyl trisulfide. Fresh garlic extract, in which thiosulfinates appeared to be the active components, was virucidal to each virus tested. The predominant thiosulfinate in fresh garlic extract was allicin. Lack of reduction in yields of infectious virus indicated undetectable levels of intracellular antiviral activity for either allicin or fresh garlic extract. Furthermore, concentrations that were virucidal were also toxic to HeLa and Vero cells. Virucidal assay results were not influenced by cytotoxicity since the compounds were diluted below toxic levels prior to assaying for infectious virus. These results indicate that virucidal activity and cytotoxicity may have depended upon the viral envelope and cell membrane, respectively. However, activity against non-enveloped virus may have been due to inhibition of viral adsorption or penetration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Postoperative complications associated with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) surgery and extracorporeal circulation (ECC) procedures are still a major clinical issue. Improving the hemocompatibility of blood contacting devices used for ECC procedures may ameliorate various postpump syndromes. In a simulated CPB model using human blood, we investigated the hemocompatibility, fibrinogen adsorption, and platelet receptor (GPIIb-IIIa) binding capacity of surface-modified membrane oxygenators (Jostra Quadrox). Three groups were compared: (i) biopassive protein coatings (SafeLine), (ii) bioactive heparin coatings (BioLine), and (iii) noncoated controls. During the 2 h recirculation period, plasma concentrations of activation markers for platelets (beta-thromboglobulin), inflammation (elastase), complement (C5a), and coagulation (prothrombin fragment 1+2, thrombin-antithrombin III) were lower in the groups with biopassive and bioactive coatings compared to the noncoated group (p < 0.01). These parameters did not significantly differ between the two surface-coated groups, except for complement activation: C5a levels were higher in the biopassive group compared to the bioactive group (p < 0.01). Moreover, surface-coated oxygenators showed less fibrinogen adsorption, GPIIb-IIIa binding, and platelet/leukocyte adhesion (p < 0.01). We assume that fewer fibrinogen and platelet receptor molecules bound to the surface-coated oxygenator surfaces results in fewer platelet adhesion and activation, which will significantly contribute to the improved hemocompatibility of the biopassive and bioactive oxygenators. Our results suggest that the application of bioactive oxygenators (BioLine) during CPB surgery may reduce postoperative complications for the patient more effectively than biopassive oxygenators (SafeLine).

The rising performance of broadband connections for residential users, particularly in conjunction with fiber to the home, will present a new challenge for telecom operators in the short and medium terms: how to deliver the high bit rate digital signals with high quality-of-service to all consumer devices scattered inside the building of final users? Among the many different solutions for the home network, we review in this article the use of polymer optical fibers for short-reach and high-capacity optical communications for residential customer premises. POF is an easy-to-install, low-cost, and eye-safe solution for these networks, with the potential of being future-proof. In this article the state of the art in POF technology is presented by summarizing significant results achieved in the European project POF-ALL. Data transmission rates of more than 1 Gb/s over 50+ m and 100 Mb/s over 200+ m of standard step-index POF have been shown.