Antibacterial synergy of Tritirachium oryzae-produced silver nanoparticles with different antibiotics and essential oils derived from Cupressus sempervirens and Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk)

Purpose: To carry out eco-friendly biosynthesis of fungi-derived silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and investigate their antibacterial synergies with essential oils (EOs) of Asteriscus graveolens (Forssk.) Less. and Cupressus sempervirens. Methods: Biosynthesis of AgNPs was carried out using a cell-free filtrate of Tritirachium oryzae. The biosynthesized AgNPs characteristics were assessed using different methods, including ultravioletvisible spectrophotometry (UV), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results: Obvious synergistic effects were observed between AgNPs and chloramphenicol, vancomycin, nitrofurantoin or tetracycline with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, through increases in fold area of inhibition (IFAs) within the range of 2.4 to 9.0. Synergistic interactions were also seen between AgNPs and the antibiotics used, depending on the strain. Increase in IFA ranged from 1- to 3-fold for S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Similarly, combinations of AgNPs, EO of A. graveolens and cefotaxime, nitrofurantoin or amoxicillin against P. aeruginosa led to 10-, 3- and 10-fold synergy, respectively. In contrast, the use of AgNPs and trimethoprim, tetracycline or amoxicillin against E. coli led to 1 to 6-fold synergy. The best synergistic capacity resulted from AgNPs and the EO of C. sempervirens and trimethoprim against S. epidermidis, which yielded 29-fold increase in IFA. The use of combination of AgNPs and vancomycin against P. aeruginosa led to 16.4-fold enhancement of IFA. Conclusion: The findings can potentially lead to the development of a new perception of antibacterial agents (innovative medications) involving the incorporation of nanoparticles (NPs) or new materials that potentially synergize with antibiotics, NPs and the EOs of different plants

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Onion Seed Germination as Affected by Temperature and Light

Producers need to know whether the germination rate will produce sufficient numbers of seedlings needed for field production of onion (Allium cepa L.). The influence of temperature (5.0, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40°C) and continuous light or continuous dark was tested for effects on percentage germination of normal, abnormal, or diseased seed; production of normal seedlings; and percentage of ungerminated solid and soft seeds of onion. Temperatures from 7.5 to 30°C generally assured a high germination percentage and a high percentage of normal seedlings. The most rapid germination occurred at 25°C in the dark. At 5, 35, and 40°C normal germination was only about 10%. The model from the Weibull function indicated that temperature influenced the time between the beginning of imbibition to germination. Onion seed exposed to temperatures between 10 and 30°C under field conditions could produce a high germination percentage, which should lead to development of normal seedlings

Interaction effects of phosphorus and zinc on photosynthesis, growth and yield of dwarf bean grown in two environments

Two experiments were conducted in a factorial combination of three Zn levels (0, 10 and 40 mg Zn kg-1 soil) and two P levels (0 and 200 mg P kg-1 soil). Experiment 1 was carried out during winter in a heated glasshouse, and experiment 2 during summer under a rain shelter. Plants of dwarf bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. Borlotto nano) were grown in pots filled with sandy soil. In both experiments, leaf Zn concentration was reduced by the addition of P to plants grown at low Zn supply. However, leaf Zn concentration lower than the critical level was observed only during experiment 2, and the main effects of low Zn were reductions of internode length, light use efficiency and maximum photosynthetic rate. In plants with leaf Zn concentration lower than the critical level, saturating irradiance levels fell from ~1000 μmol m-2 s-1 PPFD to ~300-400 μmol m-2 s-1 PPFD. Reduction of net photosynthesis was observed from the beginning of flowering and led to decreased seed production

Management of Concomitant Intrusion and Complicated Crown-Root Fracture Injury of Maxillary Central Incisors in a Child

Dental intrusions are a severe type of injury because they impact the neurovascular supply of the tooth as well as the supporting tissues which predispose the tooth to necrosis and root resorption. Management of these injuries requires repositioning of the teeth under close monitoring to avoid complications. The management becomes more comprehensive when an intrusion is combined with other injuries, such as a crown-root fracture. This case report represents a 4-year follow-up of a child who suffered from a concomitant injury of intrusion and complicated crown-root fracture to the maxillary immature permanent central incisors. The management involved a multidisciplinary approach including endodontics, pedodontics, orthodontics, periodontics, and prosthodontics. Given the guidelines of dental trauma and the circumstances of the case, the fractured teeth were root canal treated, filled with a bioceramic plug and gutta-percha, and then restored with posts/cores and temporary crowns. The intrusion was managed initially by passive eruption followed by an active orthodontic eruption, after which the teeth were restored with permanent ceramic crowns. Throughout the course of treatment, the teeth showed no complications of root resorption or ankylosis, although one tooth developed a periapical infection which was managed by apical surgery. At the 4-year follow-up, the teeth revealed healthy periodontium and good esthetics

The Role of Glutamine-Rich Region of Candida Albicans Tec1p in Mediating Morphological Transition and Invasive Growth

Hyphal growth and the transcriptional regulation to the host environment are key issues during the pathogenesis of C. albicans. Tec1p is the C. albicans homolog of a TEA transcription factor family, which share a conserved DNA-binding TEA domain in their N-terminal. In order to define a structure-function relationship of the C. albicans Tec1p protein, we constructed several mutations on the N terminal, C terminal or in the TEA binding domain itself by homologous recombination technology. The modifications in the open reading frame of TEC1 were tested for reconstitution of the morphogenetic development of the tec1/tec1 mutant strain CaAS12. Mutation in the TEA consensus sequence did not confer transition to hyphae whereas the reconstitution of the full-length Tec1p has reconstituted hyphal development. A deletion in one of glutamine-rich regions either in the Tec1p N-terminal or the C-terminal in regions of 53-212 or 637–744 aa, respectively, did not restore morphological development in mutant CaAS12 strain. Whereas, the reconstitution with Tec1p mutants other than the glutamate-rich region has restored the morphogenetic switch. Additionally, the deletion of the glutamine-rich region has attenuated the invasive growth and the heat shock resistance of C. albicans. In conclusion, we show that a glutamine-rich region of Tec1p is essential for the hyphal development and mediating adaptation to the host environment of C. albicans