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Biomedical subjects

A Van Zeebroeck

Publications and source records attributed to A Van Zeebroeck.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Biologically active bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids from the root bark of Epinetrum villosum.

Methanol and water extracts of the root of Epinetrum villosum (Exell) Troupin (Menispermaceae) were found to exhibit antimicrobial and antiplasmodial activities. Investigation of the active methanol fraction led to the isolation of four bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids, i.e., cycleanine, cycleanine N-oxide, isochondodendrine and cocsoline. Structures were established by spectroscopic methods. Cocsoline displayed antibacterial and antifungal activities (MIC values of 1000-15.62 and 31.25 microg/ml, respectively). Isochondodendrine was found to have the most potent antiplasmodial activity (IC50 = 0.10 microg/ml), whereas the IC50 on HCT-116 human colon carcinoma cells was 17.5 microg/ml (selectivity index 175). Cycleanine acted against HIV-2 (EC50=1.83 microg/ml) but was at least 10-fold less active against HIV-1. Cycleanine N-oxide showed no activity towards all tested microorganisms.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed2000

In vitro antimicrobial activity of six medicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of dysentery and diarrhoea in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Twenty-four crude extracts derived from six medicinal plants highly valued as antidiarrhoeal agents in Congolese folk medicine were screened for antimicrobial activity against several enteric pathogens. The results of this study indicated that the methanolic and aqueous extracts derived from three of them (Roureopsis obliquifoliolata, Epinetrum villosum and Cissus rubiginosa) possessed prominent antibacterial activity, therefore supporting the ethnomedical uses of these species. In addition, phytochemical analysis of these medicinal plants showed that 1/6 plant sample contained alkaloids, 6/6 triterpenes and/or sterols, 4/6 flavonoids, 3/6 tannins and 5/6 saponins. Anthraquinones were not detected in any of these plants.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1996

Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) cepacia and cystic fibrosis: the epidemiology in Belgium.

Burkholderia cepacia has become an increasingly recognized pathogen among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and its potential role in declining pulmonary function or unexpected fatal outcome has caused widespread concern. Direct person-to-person transmission has been documented and a segregation policy of CF patients colonized with B.cepacia from non-colonized CF patients is widely adopted. Since this policy has a dramatic impact on social behaviour of CF patients it is imperative that clinical laboratories accurately isolate and identify B.cepacia in the respiratory secretions. In order to comprehend the epidemiology of B.cepacia in the Belgian CF population a multicentre study was conducted during a period of 1 year (March'93-February'94). B.cepacia was isolated in only 12 of 465 CF patients (2.6%). Routine biochemical tests identified these strains as authentic B.cepacia. However, the combined data from protein and DNA-DNA hybridization analyses revealed that the Belgian CF "B.cepacia" isolates showed patterns different from reference B.cepacia isolates and belong to 3 different, newly identified Burkholderia genomovars, but not to B.cepacia. Comparative analysis of the selective media used for recovery of these "B.cepacia" strains from respiratory secretions indicated that the commercial medium (Mast) containing polymyxin B and ticarcillin as the selective agents was the best and most user-friendly. Molecular typing of these Burkholderia isolates by arbitrarily-primed PCR (AP-PCR) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) showed that spread of a single strain within a same centre occurred but the mode of transmission remains unknown; inter-centre spread of strains was not observed. Interestingly, neither colonization with a distinct or an epidemic strain (belonging to either of the three newly identified Burkholderia genomovars) nor colonization for a prolonged period of time, led to a rapid deterioration of lung function in these CF patients. It appears essential to determine the prevalence of these "new" Burkholderia genomovars in larger populations of CF patients and to evaluate their virulence and other features as this may have important clinical and practical implications.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Quality control in antimicrobial disk susceptibility testing: a Belgian multicenter study.

A Belgian multicenter trial was conducted to evaluate problems encountered with quality control results of antimicrobial disk susceptibility testing and to compare the performance of BBL disks and Rosco tablets. Over a period of four weeks 18 laboratories daily tested three reference strains against eight antibiotics. A standardised method was used by all participants. For all results together 10.4% and 7.3% of the measurements with BBL disks and Rosco tablets, respectively, were outside the recommended range. Major problems were observed for some specific strain-antibiotic combinations. Standard deviations were similar for both systems; their precision was comparable. The results suggest that cooperation between manufacturers and some reference laboratories could be improved in order to establish optimal quality control limits.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗