This work reports on the antimicrobial activity in fresh sausage of marjoram (
Origanum majorana L.) essential oil against several species of bacteria. The in vitro minimum inhibitory concentration ...(MIC) was determined for 10 selected aerobic heterotrophic bacterial species. The antimicrobial activity of distinct concentrations of the essential oil based on the highest MIC value was tested in a food system comprising fresh sausage. Batch food samples were also inoculated with a fixed concentration of
Escherichia coli and the time course of the product was evaluated with respect to the action of the different concentrations of essential oil. Results showed that addition of marjoram essential oil to fresh sausage exerted a bacteriostatic effect at oil concentrations lower than the MIC, while a bactericidal effect was observed at higher oil concentrations which also caused alterations in the taste of the product.
Imaging of Magnetic Nanoparticles with Permeability Tomography Veiga, A. L.; Fernandez-Corazza, M.; van Raap, M. B. Fernandez ...
IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering/IEEE transactions on biomedical engineering,
11/2023, Letnik:
PP, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Magnetic nanoparticles are being increasingly used in numerous biomedical applications for diagnosis and therapy. During the course of these applications nanoparticle biodegradation and body ...clearance may occur. In this context, a portable, non-invasive, non-destructive and contactless imaging device can be relevant to trace the nanoparticle distribution before and after the medical procedure. We present a method for <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">in\:vivo</tex-math></inline-formula> imaging the nanoparticles based on the magnetic induction technique, and we show how to properly tune it for magnetic permeability tomography, maximizing the permeability selectivity. A tomograph prototype was designed and built to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. It includes data collection, signal processing and image reconstruction. Useful selectivity and resolution are achieved on phantoms and animals, proving that the device can be used to monitor the presence of magnetic nanoparticles without requiring any particular sample preparation. By this way, we show that magnetic permeability tomography may become a powerful technique to assist medical procedures.
This systematic review (SR) addressed the following common clinical question: What is more effective in reducing or eliminating endotoxin in endodontic infections-single or multiple-session ...treatments using calcium hydroxide medications? Literature searches of Medline/PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scielo, Science Direct, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Two reviewers independently assessed the eligibility for inclusion, extracted data, and evaluated the quality of the studies using the risk of bias tools. Electronic searches resulted in 358 articles, of which 32 studies were included for full-text assessment, and nine were included in this review. Meta-analysis pooling all the nine studies revealed lower levels of endotoxin for multiple-session treatment (P < 0.001). The sub-group analysis indicated no difference between single-session and 7 days of Ca(OH)
medication (SMD - 0.32; P = 0.22). However, 14-days (I
= 80.5%, P < 0.001) and 30-days (I
= 78.9%, P < 0.01) of Ca(OH)
medication was more effective than single-session treatment (both, p < 0.001). Overall, Overall, this SR provides evidence to support that multiple-session disinfection protocols with the placement of Ca(OH)
medications are more effective in reducing the levels of endotoxin from root canal infections compared to single-session when applied for 14 and 30 days.
This study compared the effectiveness of GentleWave system (GWS) and passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) in removing lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from infected root canals after minimally invasive (MIT) ...and conventional instrumentation (CIT) techniques. Sixty first premolars with two roots were inoculated with fluorescent LPS conjugate (Alexa Fluor 594). Of those, twelve were dentin pretreated, inoculated with fluorescent LPS conjugate, and submitted to confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to validate the LPS-infection model. Forty-eight teeth were randomly divided into treatment groups: GWS + MIT, GWS + CIT, PUI + MIT, and PUI + CIT (all, n = 12). Teeth were instrumented with Vortex Blue rotary file size 15/0.04 for MIT and 35/0.04 for CIT. Samples were collected before (s1) and after a root canal procedure (s2) and after cryogenically ground the teeth (s3) for intraradicular LPS analysis. LPS were quantified with LAL assay (KQCL test). GWS + MIT and GWS + CIT were the most effective protocols against LPS, with no difference between them (p > 0.05). PUI + CIT was more effective than PUI + MIT (p < 0.05) but less effective than GWS + MIT and GWS + CIT. GWS was the most effective protocol against LPS in infected root canals using MIT and CIT techniques.
Summary
To assess the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the occurrence of skin cancer in the population living in the province of Ferrara, Italy, a retrospective cohort of patients with ...squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or malignant melanoma (MM), provided by the local cancer registry, was investigated. The SES was expressed through an ecological‐based deprivation index. During the 8‐year study period (2006–2013, total person‐years 2 859 137), 6051 carcinomas (1535 SCCs, 4365 BCCs) and 459 MMs were diagnosed. Both crude and standardized (on the European population) rates and the standardized incidence ratio showed a direct correlation between BCC and SES. Multivariate analysis confirmed these results for BCC and also for MM, while it showed an excess of SCC incidence in the lowest SES subgroup. This study shows, for the first time, to our knowledge, opposite effects of SES on SCC and BCC occurrence. A role of environmental factors conditioned by SES may be hypothesized.
Background
Treatment of moderate‐to‐severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in the elderly may be challenging, due to side‐effects of traditional anti‐inflammatory drugs and to comorbidities often found in ...this age group. Furthermore, efficacy and safety of innovative drugs such as dupilumab are not yet well known.
Objectives
A multicentre retrospective, observational, real‐life study on the efficacy and safety of dupilumab was conducted in a group of patients aged ≥65 years and affected by severe AD. Their main clinical features were also examined.
Methods
Data of elderly patients with severe (EASI ≥24) AD treated with dupilumab at label dosage for 16 weeks were retrospectively collected. Treatment outcome was assessed by comparing objective (EASI) and subjective (P‐NRS, S‐NRS and DLQI) scores at baseline and after 16 weeks of treatment.
Results
Two hundred and seventy‐six patients were enrolled in the study. They represented 11.37% of all patients with severe AD. Flexural eczema was the most frequent clinical phenotype, followed by prurigo nodularis. The coexistence of more than one phenotype was found in 63/276 (22.82%) subjects. Data on the 16‐week treatment with dupilumab were available for 253 (91.67%) patients. Efficacy of dupilumab was demonstrated by a significant reduction of all the scores. No statistically significant difference regarding efficacy was found in elderly patients when compared to the group of our AD patients aged 18–64 years, treated with dupilumab over the same period. Furthermore, only 18 (6.52%) patients discontinued the drug due to inefficacy. Sixty‐one (22.51%) patients reported adverse events, conjunctivitis and flushing being the most frequent. One (0.36%) patient only discontinued dupilumab due to an adverse event.
Conclusions
Therapy with dupilumab led to a significant improvement of AD over a 16‐week treatment period, with a good safety profile. Therefore, dupilumab could be considered as an efficacious and safe treatment for AD also in the elderly.
Summary
Background
A 3‐month topical application of clobetasol propionate (CP) represents the recommended and accepted first‐line treatment for vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS); however, to date, no ...randomized controlled trials have compared the efficacy and safety of CP with other topical corticosteroids.
Objective
To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of two different topical corticosteroids, CP 0·05% ointment and mometasone furoate (MMF) 0·1% ointment, in the treatment of VLS.
Methods
Fifty‐four patients with VLS were enrolled in a 12‐week active treatment phase (ATP) and randomized to apply either CP or MMF in a tapering regimen. The main efficacy parameters were the response rate, the rate of patients achieving an improvement from baseline of ≥ 75% in the subjective and objective scores, and the mean reduction in subjective and objective scores throughout the treatment.
Results
By the end of the 12‐week ATP, 24 (89%) patients were considered to be responders among the CP patients and 24 (89%) among the MMF patients; 59% and 37% of patients in the CP group and 67% and 48% in the MMF group achieved an improvement of at least 75% in subjective and objective scores, respectively. The decrease in mean symptom and sign scores was significant compared with baseline with both treatments. No significant differences were found in any of the assessed efficacy endpoints between CP and MMF. Both treatments were well tolerated.
Conclusions
Clobetasol propionate and MMF appeared similarly efficacious and well tolerated for the treatment of VLS and both may represent the first‐line treatment for the disease.
What's already known about this topic?
Currently, a 3‐month topical application of the ultrapotent corticosteroid clobetasol propionate (CP) represents the first‐line treatment for vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS)
To date there are no randomized clinical trials comparing the efficacy and safety of CP with other topical corticosteroids in treating VLS.
What does this study add?
Our results show that CP and mometasone furoate have similar efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of VLS.
Consistent with this, both corticosteroids could equally represent the first‐line treatment for the disease.
As Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) development matures, the demand grows for rapid characterisation of degradation and application of Quantitative Accelerated Life Tests (QALT) models to predict and ...improve reliability. To date, most accelerated testing on OPVs has been conducted using ISOS consensus standards. This paper identifies some of the problems in using and interpreting the results for predicting ageing based upon ISOS consensus standard test data. Design of Experiments (DOE) in conjunction with data from ISOS consensus standards are used as the basis for developing life test models for OPV modules. This is used to study their temperature-humidity and light-induced degradation, which enables failure rates during accelerated testing to be assessed against the typical outdoor operational conditions. The life test models are used to assess the relative severity of the ISOS standards and the impact of geographic and seasonal climatic changes on OPV degradation.
•Development of life tests models for OPVs.•Used as the basis for predictive ageing.•Simulated life compared to experimental data.•Accelerated factors of ISOS tests calculated.•Effect of climatic change on stability estimated.
Summary
Background
The chronic and relapsing nature of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) represents a challenge for its long‐term management after an effective treatment with topical corticosteroids.
...Objectives
To assess the effectiveness of proactive, twice‐weekly application of mometasone furoate 0·1% ointment, compared with daily topical vitamin E or cold cream, in keeping VLS in remission and reducing the risk of relapse after 3 months of treatment with topical corticosteroid.
Methods
In total, 27 patients affected with VLS were enrolled into a 12‐week active treatment phase (AP) with topical mometasone furoate 0·1% ointment once daily. Those who achieved disease remission entered a 52‐week maintenance phase (MP) in which patients were randomized to apply either mometasone furoate 0·1% ointment twice weekly, a cold cream once daily or topical vitamin E once daily. The primary efficacy parameters were the relapse rate and the mean time to relapse.
Results
Twenty‐five patients considered to have been completely or almost completely healed after the AP entered the MP. By the end of the 52‐week MP, 10 patients (40%) experienced a relapse: five in the vitamin E group (56%) and five in the cold cream group (62%), while no patient in the mometasone furoate 0·1% ointment group had a relapse. The occurrence of VLS relapse for patients in therapy with both vitamin E and cold cream was significantly higher than for those in proactive therapy with topical corticosteroid. The median time to relapse was the same (21·6 weeks) for the vitamin E and the emollient groups.
Conclusions
Once VLS has been stabilized with topical corticosteroids, twice‐weekly proactive application of mometasone furoate 0·1% ointment over 56 weeks was found to be an effective and safe therapy option in maintaining VLS remission and in preventing the occurrence of relapse.
What's already known about this topic?
Despite the chronic relapsing nature of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS), to date no guidelines are available for the long‐term maintenance of this disease after an effective treatment with corticosteroids.
What does this study add?
Our results appear to indicate that proactive treatment with a topical corticosteroid twice weekly may be an effective, safe and reliable therapy for the long‐term prevention of relapse in VLS previously treated with topical corticosteroid, and for maintaining VLS remission.
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