Different studies described the antibacterial properties of Lavandula angustifolia (Mill.) essential oil and its anti-inflammatory effects. Besides, no data exist on its ability to activate human macrophages during the innate response against Staphylococcus aureus. The discovery of promising regulators of macrophage-mediated inflammatory response, without side effects, could be useful for the prevention of, or as therapeutic remedy for, various inflammation-mediated diseases. This study investigated, by transcriptional analysis, how a L. angustifolia essential oil treatment influences the macrophage response to Staphylococcus aureus infection. The results showed that the treatment increases the phagocytic rate and stimulates the containment of intracellular bacterial replication by macrophages. Our data showed that this stimulation is coupled with expression of genes involved in reactive oxygen species production (i.e., CYBB and NCF4). Moreover, the essential oil treatment balanced the inflammatory signaling induced by S. aureus by repressing the principal pro-inflammatory cytokines and their receptors and inducing the heme oxygenase-1 gene transcription. These data showed that the L. angustifolia essential oil can stimulate the human innate macrophage response to a bacterium which is responsible for one of the most important nosocomial infection and might suggest the potential development of this plant extract as an anti-inflammatory and immune regulatory coadjutant drug.

We observe that, when ZnIn2S4 monocrystals at a temperature below 170°K are illuminated by light of the gap energy, the dark resistance, after illumination, is lowered by about nine orders of magnitude. This high-conductivity state persists until the crystals are either (a) warmed to room temperature, (b) exposed to light of a definite energy less than the gap width, or (c) placed in an electric field. We propose a level 1.76 eV above the valence band, with a repulsive barrier of 0.11 eV, which an electron must penetrate to enter this level and recombine.

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SYNOPSISRubbers of different kind were tested as toughening agents of poly(ethy1ene terephthalate) (PET), noting significant morphological and mechanical differences. In particular, good results were obtained by using an ethylene-ethyl acrylate-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer. The resulting blend evidenced good particle distribution, and the latter was related to chemical interactions between the rubber epoxy groups and PET terminal groups, including the effect of low molecular weight and polymeric amine catalysts, and to extrusion conditions.