Testing commercial biopreservative against spoilage microorganisms in MAP packed Ricotta fresca cheese.

Ricotta fresca cheese is susceptible to secondary contamination and is able to support the growth of pathogens or spoilage psychotrophic bacteria during storage. The aim of the present study was to evaluate which among three commercial biopreservatives was suitable to be used to control the growth of spoilage microorganisms in sheep's milk MAP ricotta fresca cheese. 144 Ricotta fresca cheese samples were inoculated either with the bioprotective culture Lyofast FPR 2 (including Enterococcus faecium, Lactobacillus plantarum e Lactobacillus rhamnosus) or Lyofast CNBAL (Carnobacterium spp) or the fermentate MicroGARD 430. Not inoculated control and experimental ricotta were MAP packed (30% CO2 and 70% N2) and stored at 4 °C. Triplicate samples were analyzed after 5 h and 7, 14 and 21 days after inoculation for total bacterial count, mesophilic lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas spp, Listeria monocytogenes, moulds and yeasts. Among the tested biopreservatives only Carnobacterium spp was able to control Pseudomonas spp and Enterobacteriaceae. The maximum reduction in the concentration of Pseudomonas spp and Enterobacteriaceae was respectively 1.93 and 2.66 log10 cfu/g, observed 14 days after production. Therefore, Carnobacterium spp was selected as the culture of choice to conduct a challenge study against Pseudomonas spp.

Investigation of the effects of oleuropein rich diet on rat enteric bacterial flora.

OBJECTIVES AND BACKGROUND: Oleuropein is a phenolic compound of olive leaves. Enteric bacterial flora is very important for human health and diet is a directly affecting factor of enteric bacterial flora composition. In this study, it was hypothesized that oleuropein could reduce total aerobic bacterial count in rat caecal flora. METHODS: Twenty adult, male, Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into two groups. Group C (n=10) was fed with standard rat chow and water for 30 days. Group O (n=10) received olive leaf extract 20 mg/kg/day by intragastric gavage in addition to standard rat chow and water for 30 days. One gram of caecal content was collected from each rat and then consecutive 10-fold serial dilutions were prepared with a final concentration of 10-8. Then 0.1 ml of each dilution were spread onto the surfaces of Plate Count Agar and Violet Red Bile Glucose Agar to enumerate the aerobic enteric bacteria. RESULTS: Total aerobic bacterial counts of Group O were significantly lower than of Group C in all agar plates inoculated with ceacal samples for every dilution (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Adding oleuropein to enteral feeding solutions of critically ill patients may be adventageous in the presence of clinical conditions predisposing to bacterial translocation by reducing enteric bacterial counts (Tab. 1, Ref. 32).

Pretransplant serum ferritin level may be a predictive marker for outcomes in patients having undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Iron overload increases the risk of infections, veno-occlusive disease and hepatic dysfunction in post-transplant period. Our objective was to investigate the association of pre-transplant ferritin levels with complications and survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT).We retrospectively analysed 84 patients' data who had undergone allogeneic HSCT into two groups: patients with a serum ferritin level ≥ 1000 ng/ml, and patients with <1000 ng/ml at the time of HSCT.Cox-regression analysis showed that pre-transplant serum ferritin levels were significantly higher in patients who had at least one infectious event compared with those who had no any infectious event in the post-transplant 100 days (p<0.023). Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were significantly higher in patients with a time-to-tx interval 12 months (p=0.002 and p=0.008 respectively). A higher risk of death was observed in high-ferritin group (hazard ratio=2.27, CI:1.01-5.09, p=0.023 for OS and hazard ratio=2.49, CI:1.12-5.53 p=0.039 for DFS). No significant effect on OS and DFS among groups was observed for variables conditioning regimen, gender and diagnosis. Acute GVHD was more common in patients with a ferritin level ≥ 1000 ng /mL, but this was not statistically significant (p>0.05). There was no statistical significance in both groups (ferritin ≥ 1000 ng /mL and ferritin <1000 ng/mL) for relapse rates (p>0.05). Platelet and neutrophil engaftment day was not found statistically significant compared with both groups (p=0.273 and p=0.882, respectively). Pre-transplant ferritin levels may predict poor outcomes in patients who had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

[Video-thoracoscopic sympathectomy in the treatment of Raynaud's disease and palmar hyperhidrosis]. / La simpaticectomia videotoracoscopica nel trattamento del morbo di Raynaud e dell'iperidrosi palmare.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Raynaud's syndrome is a clinical entity characterised by episodic vascular spasm, digital ischemia in response to cold or emotional stimuli and hyperhidrosis. Many patients suffering from Raynaud's syndrome are successfully treated using medical therapy alone. Those patients who do not respond to medical treatment undergo surgery but the indications continue to be a source of controversy. A modern approach to thoracic sympathectomy requires a video-assisted technique. The aim of this study is to attempt to use mini-invasive type surgery to treat Raynaud's disease and hyperhidrosis in order to evaluate the real efficacy of thoracic sympathectomy in a large number of patients. The results of this method were compared for the two different pathologies in question. METHODS: The methodology used by this study is based on instrumental and clinical tests performed before and after surgery on treated patients using a comparative criterion and with a minimum 5-year follow-up. The pre- and postoperative diagnostic tests were performed by the vascular surgery laboratory and using a C.W. Doppler and a reflected light photoplethysmograph. Capillaroscopy and laboratory evaluations relating to secondary Raynaud's disease were carried out by internist type structures. The patients enrolled in the study responded to the following criteria: primary Raynaud's disease, palmar hyperhidrosis and associated syndromes. The population came from a mixed sociodemographic background, albeit within a strictly regional zone (Sardinia). A total of 42 patients were studied. The surgical technique used consisted of the ablation of thoracic ganglia from the 2nd to the 4th. RESULTS: The results showed a resolution of symptoms in 95% of patients treated for hyperhidrosis, whereas a 50% recidivation rate was observed in patients with Raynaud's disease alone, although symptoms were less intense. The results for Raynaud's disease were more disappointing, but it is important to remember that surgery is the ultimate choice for cases with advanced lesions which do not respond to medical treatment. Under these circumstances, the possibility of halting the evolution of the pathology represents an auspicious achievement. CONCLUSIONS: The authors affirm that mini-invasive surgical treatment of hyperhidrosis was resolutive during a mean follow-up of 3 years. It therefore represents a valid method which causes minimum esthetic damage to the patient and the greatest functional benefit. The postoperative period is short (about 3 days) and free of major complications. There is virtually no post-surgical pain.

Study of an ultrafast analog-to-digital conversion scheme based on diffractive optics.

A potentially ultrafast optical analog-to-digital (A/D) converter scheme is proposed and was partly studied experimentally. In the A/D converter scheme the input signal controls the wavelength of a diode laser, whose output beam is incident on a grating. The beam from the grating hits a diffractive optical element in an array. The wavelength determines which element is illuminated. Each element fans out a unique spot-pattern bit code to be read out in parallel by individual detectors. In the experiment all patterns but one from 64 array elements were read out correctly.