Role of active nanoliposomes in the surface and bulk mechanical properties of hybrid hydrogels.

Nanoliposomes are widely used as delivery vehicles for active compounds. Nanoliposomes from rapeseed phospholipids were incorporated into interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels of gelatin methacryloyl and alginate. The multiscale physicochemical properties of the hydrogels are studied both on the surface and through the thickness of the 3D network. The obtained composite hydrogels exhibited strong mechanical properties and a highly porous surface. The blend ratio, as well as the concentration of nanoliposomes, affects the properties of the hydrogels. Nanofunctionalized hydrogels induced keratinocyte â€‹growth. These advantageous characteristics may open up many applications of the developed hydrogels in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Fungal decay and shelf life of oranges coated with chitosan and bergamot, thyme, and tea tree essential oils.

UNLABELLED: Chitosan coatings, containing or not essential oils (bergamot, thyme and tea tree oil), were applied to oranges (cv. Navel Powell). Antifungal effect was evaluated by applying coatings before and after inoculating the fruit with Penicillium italicum CECT 2294 (10(5) spores/mL), preventive and curative treatments, respectively. The effect of coatings on the quality parameters (acidity, pH, soluble solids, juice percentage, weight loss, firmness, color parameters, and respiration rate) was controlled for the different oranges samples throughout the cold storage time. Preventive antimicrobial treatments with coatings containing tea tree oil were the most effective with a reduction of the microbial growth (expressed as the percentage of infected samples) of 50%, as compared to the uncoated samples. The coatings did not lead to any relevant changes in the development of the sample quality parameters throughout the cold storage, except for a slightly reduced loss of both weight and firmness when the coatings contained bergamot oil. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Results of this study are a useful tool for the development of new environmental friendly and healthier commercial applications in the control of the main postharvest fungal decay of citrus fruits.

[Multilocular cysts. An entity of difficult classification. Apropos of two cases]. / Quiste multilocular. Una entidad de difícil clasificación. A propósito de dos casos.

Renal multilocular cyst continues to be, up-to-date, an entity of unknown pathoetiology. In many occasions, particularly in children, it has been mistaken with a partially differentiated cystic nephroblastoma. Due to the absolute benignancy of the multilocular cyst and the likelihood of preserving the renal parenchyma, we consider of interest to contribute a brief review of the current pathoetiological theories and clinical development, as well as our experience in this disease.