From Wikipedia

If the target host* of a phage therapy treatment is not an animal the term "biocontrol" (as in phage-mediated biocontrol of bacteria) is usually employed, rather than "phage therapy".

"In silico"
From:"Genomics,Proteomics and Clinical Bacteriology", N.Woodford and Alan P.Johnson

Phrase that emphasizes the fact that many molecular biologists spend increasing amounts of their time in front of a computer screen, generating hypotheses that can subsequently be tested and (hopefully) confirmed in the laboratory.

Saturday, 2 August 2014

The fall of the Florentine Republic: historical connections with some condottieri, Sellano and other Umbria Towns

"L'Assedio di Firenze", the most famous , novel of Francesco Domenico Guerrazzi.
This original book edition is in my bookcase.

Events

Florentine Republic (wikipedia)

Siege of Florence (1529-30)(wikipedia)

Condottieri

Francesco Ferrucci(wickipedia)

Malatesta II Baglioni (1491 – 24 December 1531)
was an Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, Spello and other lands in Umbria.

Giampaolo di Ceri

( Giampolo dell' Anguillara o Giampaolo Orsini)

Sellano's castle destruction and Battle of Gavinana

His father was Renzo di Ceri ( Lorenzo dell' Anguillara) a famous condottiero.
With him, Giampaolo di Ceri arrived to Spoleto in July 1522 with 200 cavaliers and one company of Corsicans.
Frequently the young Giampaolo di Ceri followed his father when he left for the war.

On August 6th,1522 , Renzo di Ceri, the commander in chief of 7000 soldiers ( and his son) left from Spoleto marching in the direction of the rebellious castles: Campello, Pissignano, Acera, Spina,Agliano,Postignano, Camero,Orsano and Sellano.

Sellano's castle after the surrender was destroyed and set on fire.

Giampaolo di Ceri, 8 years after (1530) was the aide-de-camp of Francesco Ferrucci and in the battle of Gavinana was at the rear of the florentine troops. Giampaolo di Ceri and Francesco Ferrucci were captured together but Francesco Ferrucci was killed by Maramaldo while Giampaolo di Ceri, as soldier of fortune, was ransomed.

The Battle of Gavinana

(from the Regione Toscana web site )

Francesco Ferrucci, the commander in chief of 4,000 infantry men and 400 cavalier officers left Pisa on July 31, 1530 in hopes of avoiding a military skirmish with the imperial forces of Carlo V from Maramaldo. Armed with the best of intentions, he chose a trail that wound its way through the mountains of Pistoia, the Val di Bisenzio and the Mugello. Followed by the troops of Marmaldo, Ferrucci arrived in Gavinana, not knowing that the Prince of Orange had already left Florence to meet him, after having sacked San Marcello.

Surrounded and unable to make use of his artillery, the Florentine commander was forced to play his last desperate card in order to squelch the efforts of his adversaries. During the battle of August 3, soldiers participated in full body combat in the surrounding forests. The Prince of Orange himself was killed. Victory seemed guaranteed for the Florentines, yet the tide turned and only a handful of brave men were then left to fight. Fanfulla da Lodi (one of the thirteen knights of the challenge of Barletta) participated in the skirmish. Ferrucci tried to pull together his last defenses. Covered with wounds, but not yet done in, Francesco Ferrucci was executed in the village square. It is estimated that nearly 10,000 men died during this battle, which became a highly appreciated point of reference during the Resurgence for its patriotic value.

Giampaolo dell'Anguillara (Giampaolo di Ceri)

Title: seigneur di Ceri

Deceduto(dead) circa 1560

Genitori ( Parents)

Lorenzo dell'Anguillara (Renzo di Ceri) , seigneur di Ceri e di Capranica , nato nel 1475 o nel 1476 , deceduto il 20 gennaio 1536 (lunedì)
Sposato con
Lucrezia Orsini , deceduta nel 1508

Matrimoni(Marriages), figli e i nipoti (children and nephews)

Sposato con Margherita Orsini (Genitori : Gentile Virginio Orsini , comte di Anguillara 1498-1548 & Giustiniana Orsini ) da cui
- Porzia dell'Anguillara 1542-1590 sposata con Giovanni Orsini , marquis di Lamentana da cui
  - Olimpia Orsini †1616 sposata con Federico Cesi , marquis di Monticelli 1562-1630
  Porzia dell'Anguillara 1542-1590 sposata con Paolo Emilio Cesi , duc di Selci †1611

Fratellastri e sorellastre (half-brothers and half-sisters)

Dalla parte di Lorenzo dell'Anguillara , seigneur di Ceri e di Capranica , nato nel 1475 o nel 1476 , deceduto il 20 gennaio 1536 (lunedì)

con Francesca Orsini
- Lelio dell'Anguillara

Title
Seigneur di Ceri, Vico, Caprarola, Capranica, Vetralla, Carbognano et Ronciglione.

Anteprima dell’albero ( Family tree)

Lorenzo Orsini , seigneur di Monterotondo 1410-1452

Clarice Orsini

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10

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11

Giovanni dell'Anguillara , seigneur di Ceri †ca 1510

Giovanna Orsini

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4

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5

Lorenzo dell'Anguillara , seigneur di Ceri 1475/1476-1536

Lucrezia Orsini †1508

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2

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3

Giampaolo dell'Anguillara , seigneur di Ceri †ca 1560

Albero d'ascendenza (ancestors)

Albero di discendenza ( descendants)

Monitoring

Year 2010 (2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018..)

- At present there are Strict rules about Drugs.

Positive and continuous trend in the request of new anti-bacterial drugs.

Year 2025?- Drug regulations changes by a swing in public Opinion and Phage Therapy Units starting inside the Hospitals.

I have read a lot of scientific studies concerning different topics about Phage Therapy and many opinions from the academic world. These comments about the use of Phages in therapy are often sceptical and also sarcastic.
I share some their opinion but the trend of antibiotic resistance is characterising by a relentless advance. In the absence of new antibiotics we are obliged to act with fairness and to weigh the pros and cons of Phage therapy.

Phage Therapy is better than nothing.

Sellano is touched by History

Potential application of Mycobacterium phages in Buruli disease

I have been studying since January 2009 if Phage Therapy could be considered in Buruli ulcer. Patients shed large numbers of bacilli from their wounds.
"In the first stage of disease Mycobacterium ulcerans bacilli are typically found extracellularly, where it might be immediately accessible by phages."
Children under the age of 15 years ( range 2-14 years) are predominantly affected.
After my trip in Ivory Coast it is my personal project and I am exploring if this working hypothesis is possible.

Theory and Practical Applications of Phage Therapy in Human Field.

I must remember that Phage Therapy is not equivalent to the Antibiotic Therapy but in some pathological situations, with well definite circustances and when we have a bacterial infection caused by bacteria resistant to all antibiotics, in that case Phage Therapy would remain the unique and possible treatment with a tangible chance of succes.

A complete and schematized process for working with Phages by Phage Cocktails. Phage Therapy is praticable both in Veterinary Science and in Agricultural and Food Industry. Phage Therapy in Human field is, on the contrary, a demanding job.

I'd like to explain several key points of Phage Therapy, for example:

How to prepare Phages
How to select Phages
How to purify Phages
How to administer Phages

Patenting Issues and Defense of Intellectual Property
One relevant factor in the development of all bacteriophage-based therapies is their intellectual property status, because the idea of using bacteriophages as therapeutic tools is almost a hundred years old, and as such , unpatentable.

Main Obstacles to Phages Therapy

• Pervasive fixation on chemical antibiotics within the clinical establishment.

• Resistance of the pharmaceutical sector, which is heavily invested in chemical antibiotics.

• Physicians' reluctance to forego wide-spectrum antibiotics in favor of the highly specific phages.

• Structural and functional reorganization required for a coordinated and responsive diagnosis-production-administration chain.

• Pervasive aversion within the biotech research establishment to revert to "archaic" microbiology.

• Need to constantly adapt and refresh phage preparations in response to pathogen evolution.

• Delay between clinical presentation and antibacterial administration.

• General disregard for Russian research and clinical practices.

• Concerns with bacterial evolution of resistance to phages.

• Lack of a regulatory reference basis.

Phage therapy subjects from Sellano town

information

Phage therapy is influenced by:

From Wikipedia

Saturday, 2 August 2014

The fall of the Florentine Republic: historical connections with some condottieri, Sellano and other Umbria Towns

The Battle of Gavinana

(from the Regione Toscana web site )

Giampaolo dell'Anguillara (Giampaolo di Ceri)

Genitori ( Parents)

Matrimoni(Marriages), figli e i nipoti (children and nephews)

Fratellastri e sorellastre (half-brothers and half-sisters)

Anteprima dell’albero ( Family tree)

Albero d'ascendenza (ancestors)

Albero di discendenza ( descendants)

The authentic Sellano's gonfalon (the year of 1936)

Sellano's gonfalon

The last story from Selllano's castle and its territory.Click on this image:

Phage Therapy Light and Shade

Potential application of Mycobacterium phages in Buruli disease

Plagiarism?No!But,from the Net to the Net!

Sellano's coat of arms.Click on this image:

Subject index

Links List

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