Combined antimicrobial use of essential oils and bacteriocin bacLP17 as seafood biopreservative to control Listeria monocytogenes both in planktonic and in sessile forms

The antilisterial activity of Thymus vulgaris, Salvia officinalis essential oils (EOs) and bacteriocin bacLP17 (previously isolated from seafood) was determined, using the compounds alone and in combination. The Disk Diffusion, Minimal Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Agar Well Diffusion assays were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the compounds against 12 Listeria monocytogenes in planktonic form, whereas the anti-Listeria biofilm activity was determined against the same strains in optical density (O.D.) at 570 nm, with crystal violet staining method. The lowest MIC values resulted for T. vulgaris EO and bacLp17 (0.5 μl/ml and 2 μl/ml, respectively). The combinations with the best results, expressed as FIC-Index, were T. vulgaris/S. officinalis EOs and EOs/bacLp17. The anti-biofilm activity of single EOs and bacLP17 was similar, whereas the combined use of the two kinds of EOs led to a synergistic activity. Lastly, the best anti-biofilm effect was observed with the combination bacLP17/S. officinalis and bacLP17/T. vulgaris, compared to both control and the single use of the EOs. The present study suggests that the combination of natural compounds such as T. vulgaris, S. officinalis EOs and bacLp17 may be a useful approach to the control of planktonic and sessile cells of L. monocytogenes in seafood products

Ready-to-eat sandwiches as source of pathogens endowed with antibiotic resistance and other virulence factors

The aim of this study was to evaluate and characterize the bacterial load present in twenty-four Ready-To-Eat (RTE) sandwiches, purchased at refrigerated vending machines and supermarkets in the province of Modena (Italy). We isolated 54 bacterial strains, including pathogens of interest in food safety, such as Listeria, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Yersinia, Aeromonas and Acinetobacter spp. Phenotypic tests have been performed on these pathogens to detect the presence of virulence factors, such as gelatinase production and hemolytic capability. To test their antibiotic resistance features, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against eight commonly used antibiotics (Amikacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ampicillin, Oxacillin, Imipenem, Tetracycline, Erythromycin and Vancomycin) was also evaluated. The results showed that among the 54 isolates, fifty percent (50%) belonged to harmless microorganisms (Leuconostoc and Lactococcus), whereas the remaining fifty percent (50%) included pathogenic bacteria (Listeria ivanovii, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia, and Citrobacter spp.), species responsible for pathologies often difficult to treat due to the presence of antibiotic resistance features. This study demonstrates the importance of thorough controls, both during the production and marketing of RTE food like sandwiches, to avoid reaching the infectious load and the onset of pathologies, particularly dangerous for old and immunocompromised patients

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for residual rectal polyps embedded in tissue scar: a "rescue therapy" to prevent surgical intervention?

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An Italian prospective multicenter study on colonoscopy practice and quality: What has changed in the last 10 years

Background: A relevant number of adenomas can be missed during colonoscopy. Aims: Assess the current status of colonoscopy procedures in Italian centers. Methods: A prospective observational study involving 17 hospitals (34 endoscopists) included consecutive patients undergoing standard colonoscopy. In the first phase, endoscopists performed consecutive colonoscopies. In the second phase, retraining via an online learning platform was planned, while in the third phase data were collected analogously to phase 1. Results: A total of 3,504 patients were enrolled. Overall, a BBPS score ≥6 was obtained in 95.6% of cases (94.8% and 96.9% in the pre- and post-training phases, respectively). 88.4% of colonoscopies had a withdrawal time ≥6 min (88.2% and 88.7% in the pre- and post-training phases). Median adenoma detection rate (ADR) was 39.1%, with no significant differences between the pre- and post-training phases (40.1% vs 36.9%; P = 0.83). In total, 81% of endoscopists had a ADR performance above the 25% threshold. Conclusion: High colonoscopy quality standards are achieved by the Italian hospitals involved. Quality improvement initiatives and repeated module-based colonoscopy-training have been promoted in Italy during the last decade, which appear to have had a significant impact on quality colonoscopy metrics together with the activation of colorectal cancer screening programs

Indagine sui livelli di empatia, benessere psicologico e strategie di regolazione emotiva in ambito medico

International audienceMémoires d’Hadrien, œuvre complexe, échappe à tout protocole de lecture univoque. C’est qu’une double voix s’y exprime, qui sait jouer de la duplicité propre aux grandes figures de l’Histoire et de la littérature pour interroger « l’aventure humaine »

Effects of a blend of essential oils on some end products of in vitro rumen fermentation

This study was designed to evaluate effects of increasing doses of a blend of essential oils (EO; oregano, cinnamon, thyme, orange peel) on in vitro rumen fermentation in rumen liquor from dairy cows and fattening bulls, as influenced by acidity at the start of the fermentation. Two in vitro fermentation experiments, which differed only in the origin of rumen liquor (i.e., dairy cows [DC] or fattening bulls [FB]), were conducted in duplicate runs in 100 ml glass tubes containing 50 ml of diluted rumen fluid and 500 mg of a mixed ration substrate. The pH of the diluted rumen liquor at the beginning of each fermentation was adjusted to 7.0 with 5N NaOH or 5.5 with 3N HCl. The EO blend was added to each fermentation tube at doses of 8, 16, 24 and 32 \u3bcl/tube, equivalent to 160, 320, 480 and 640 \u3bcl/l, using 3 tubes for each dosage level plus 3 tubes without EO as controls (i.e., 30 tubes in total/run). After 24 h of incubation, fermentation liquor was collected and analyzed for volatile fatty acids (VFA), ammonia N and pH. In both experiments, pH and ammonia N concentration of the fermentation liquor were lower (P<0.01) at the initial pH of 5.5. The reduction of initial pH from 7.0 to 5.5 depressed VFA yield (138 mM versus 120 mM and 132 mM versus 111 mM, P<0.01, respectively, for DC and FB rumen liquors), and modified end products of fermentation by lowering the acetate:propionate ratio (4.3 versus 3.6 and 3.2 versus 2.5, P<0.01, respectively, for DC and FB rumen liquors). Butyrate concentration was higher at the lower pH in the DC rumen liquor fermentation (22.4 mM/100 mM versus 16.2 mM/100 mM, P<0.01), but not in the FB fermentation. In both experiments, addition of the EO blend did not depress total VFA concentrations, except at the highest dose in the experiment with rumen fluid from DC (122 mM versus 128 mM, P<0.01). In both experiments, there was an interaction (P<0.01) between EO addition and initial pH on acetate proportion; at the initial pH of 5.5, EO addition decreased acetate from 65.0 to 63.9 and from 62.6 to 61.8 mM/100 mM, respectively, for DC and FB rumen liquors, while there were no effects of EO at the initial pH of 7.0. In the experiment with DC rumen liquid, EO addition tended (P<0.08) to increase propionate proportion (from 16.1 to 16.6 mM/100 mM), while there was no effect in FB rumen liquid. In the FB experiment, EO decreased (P<0.05) the acetate:propionate ratio, while in the DC experiment it decreased only at low pH (interaction 'EO addition 7initial pH': P<0.01). A moderate shift in end products of fermentation occurred with both types of rumen liquor, but mainly at low ruminal pH (i.e., 5.5), suggesting a selective toxicity of these EO against rumen bacterial strains that grow at low rumen pH