The study was aimed to investigate the effect of technologically treated diclofenac (release-active dilutions of diclofenac (RAD of diclofenac)) on anti-inflammatory activity of diclofenac in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model. Ninety male Wistar albino rats (6–8 weeks) divided into nine groups (n = 10) were used. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 h after subplantar injection of carrageenan (0.1 ml of a 1 % solution in normal saline). Diclofenac alone was studied at 5 and 20 mg/kg, RAD of diclofenac alone at 7.5 ml/kg and their combination at 5 and 7.5 ml/kg, respectively. Diclofenac reduced (p < 0.05 at least) paw edema at all time points. RAD of diclofenac enhanced (p < 0.05) anti-inflammatory effect of diclofenac (5 mg/kg) at 2, 4, and 6 h on concurrent and at 2 and 4 h on sequential administration. Moreover at 2 h, anti-inflammatory effect of combination treatment reached values comparable to those of diclofenac (20 mg/kg). In conclusion, RAD of diclofenac enhanced anti-inflammatory effect of diclofenac.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections in clinical practice. The aim of the RESOURCE study was to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile of gram-negative bacteria isolated from outpatient urine samples collected across the Russian Federation. A total of 96,781 urine samples were collected from 520 cities of the Russian Federation between January 1 and December 31, 2017. Antibiotic susceptibility was performed using semi-automated analysers. The mean age of the study population was 40.9 years, 80.2% were female and 19.8% were male. Of the uropathogens isolated, 64.2% were gram-negative bacteria. Among these, Escherichia coli was the most common (49.1%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.5%), Proteus mirabilis (2.9%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1.7%) and Enterobacter spp. (1.0%). Of the antibiotics tested, 50% of the isolated E. coli strains were resistant to ampicillin, followed by co-trimoxazole (30.3%), aztreonam (26.2%), levofloxacin (28.8%) and cefuroxime (21%). Conversely, E. coli were highly susceptible to imipenem (0.7% resistant strains isolated), amikacin (0.9%), nitrofurantoin (4.5%) and fosfomycin (1.2%). The most active antimicrobials against K. pneumoniae were imipenem (6.8% resistant strains) and colistin (0.5%), while piperacillin/tazobactam (4.2%), cefoperazone/sulbactam (3.1%) and imipenem (0%) were the most active agents against P. mirabilis. The antimicrobials showing the highest activity against P. aeruginosa were colistin (10.7% resistant strains) and aztreonam (0%), while piperacillin/tazobactam (7.1%) and cefoperazone/sulbactam (2.3%) showed the highest activity against Enterobacter spp. The prevalence of fluoroquinolone and cephalosporin resistance among common UTI-causing gram-negative bacteria highlights the growing challenge of successfully treating community-onsetUTIs.

In preliminary ELISA studies where released-active forms (RAF) of antibodies (Abs) to interferon-gamma (IFNg) were added to the antigen-antibody system, a statistically significant difference in absorbance signals obtained in their presence in comparison to placebo was observed. A piezoelectric immunosensor assay was developed to support these data and investigate the effects of RAF Abs to IFNg on the specific interaction between Abs to IFNg and IFNg. The experimental conditions were designed and optimal electrode coating, detection circumstances and suitable chaotropic agents for electrode regeneration were selected. The developed technique was found to provide high repeatability, intermediate precision and specificity. The difference between the analytical signals of RAF Ab samples and those of the placebo was up to 50.8%, whereas the difference between non-specific controls and the placebo was within 5%–6%. Thus, the piezoelectric immunosensor as well as ELISA has the potential to be used for detecting the effects of RAF Abs to IFNg on the antigen-antibody interaction, which might be the result of RAF’s ability to modify the affinity of IFNg to specific/related Abs.

During the preparation of high dilutions, repeated external vibration (shaking) is used. We hypothesized that it was the vibration treatment, and not the negligible content of the initial substance, that underlies the activity of highly diluted preparations. In order to test this, the vibration was separated from the dilution process. After vibrating two tubes together on a vortex mixer (one containing water and the other the initial substance) the electrical conductivity and radio frequency radiation intensity of water differed from the unvibrated control, and the ability to exert a modifying effect on the target solution appeared, as assessed using ELISA and terahertz spectroscopy, appeared. Thus, the properties of the neutral carrier (water) changed after non-contact exposure to the initial substance. We have named this process ‘crossing’ and its products ‘aqueous iterations of the initial substance’. Several aqueous iterations with different physical properties were obtained, some of which have a modifying effect and others cause various chemical (catalytic) and biological (antiviral) effects similar to those of the initial substance. This indicates that during crossing, substances enter into post-vibration supramolecular interactions. At the nanoscale level, aqueous iterations and the initial substance are structurally symmetrical, which allows us to assume that the preservation of the symmetry of substances subjected to vibration treatment is the basis of the post-vibration interaction phenomenon.