Preparation, characterization and in vitro activities evaluation of solid lipid nanoparticles based on PEG-40 stearate for antifungal drugs vaginal delivery

The present article reports the preparation, characterization and performance evaluation of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) based on polyoxyethylene-40 stearate (PEG-40 stearate) for the administration of antifungal agents such as ketoconazole and clotrimazole. These nanoparticles could be useful in the treatment of vaginal infections sustained by Candida albicans. In particular, PEG-40 stearate was made to react with acryloyl chloride in order to introduce an easily polymerizable moiety for the creation of a second shell and to ensure a slow drug release. In addition, the differences on the release profiles between PEG-40 stearate-based nanoparticles, PEG-40 stearate acrylate based and polymerized ones, were analyzed under conditions, simulating the typical environment of Candida albicans infection. Then, the antifungal activity of nanoparticles was also evaluated in terms of minimal inhibitory concentration. Moreover, the nanoparticles were submitted to in vitro studies for evaluating the drug permeability at the site of action. Results indicated that the obtained particles are potentially useful for the treatment of vaginal infections sustained by Candida albicans

Sepsis: a more faster report from blood culture

Introduction: Sepsis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Several studies demonstrated that the earliness of the intervention therapy, including antimicrobial treatment active on the specific pathogen, is associated with a reduction of mortality. In order to permit the use of a quicker appropriate treatment in respect to using the conventional method,we evaluated both the accuracy of strain identification and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibilities directly from the haemocultural bottles. Methods:We examined 112 samples of positive blood cultures through traditional technique of subculture, identification and susceptibility testing, and a diagnostic alternative method in the following way: 5-6 ml from positive blood cultures (BACTEC 9640) were transferred into a test tube fitted with a sterile gel separator and centrifuged at 3200 rpm for 15 minutes. After the removal of supernatant, the microbial pellet was suspended in a saline buffer to obtain an 0.5 McFarland inoculum; this turbidity was needed to set up the direct identification and the susceptibility testing (VITEK 2). Results: The correlation between the two procedures has demonstrated a correlation of 98% for the strains identification; the correlation was of 100% for MRSA and ESBL recognition. Conclusions: The results showed that the use of the direct test for both Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria can give a complete report regarding the identification and susceptibility testing within 24 hours from when the sample becomes positive instead of 48h required using the conventional method.The procedure has demonstrated a high reliability both in terms of strains identification and of antibioticsusceptibility. We therefore can suggest, in the diagnostic of sepsis, the introduction of direct method in normal laboratory practice

Preparation, characterization and in vitro

The present article reports the preparation, characterization and performance evaluation of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) based on polyoxyethylene-40 stearate (PEG-40 stearate) for the administration of antifungal agents such as ketoconazole and clotrimazole. These nanoparticles could be useful in the treatment of vaginal infections sustained by Candida albicans. In particular, PEG-40 stearate was made to react with acryloyl chloride in order to introduce an easily polymerizable moiety for the creation of a second shell and to ensure a slow drug release. In addition, the differences on the release profiles between PEG-40 stearate-based nanoparticles, PEG-40 stearate acrylate based and polymerized ones, were analyzed under conditions, simulating the typical environment of Candida albicans infection. Then, the antifungal activity of nanoparticles was also evaluated in terms of minimal inhibitory concentration. Moreover, the nanoparticles were submitted to in vitro studies for evaluating the drug permeability at the site of action. Results indicated that the obtained particles are potentially useful for the treatment of vaginal infections sustained by Candida albicans

The Cause of Death of a Child in the 18th Century Solved by Bone Microbiome Typing Using Laser Microdissection and Next Generation Sequencing

The history of medicine abounds in cases of mysterious deaths, especially by infectious diseases, which were probably unresolved because of the lack of knowledge and of appropriate technology. The aim of this study was to exploit contemporary technologies to try to identify the cause of death of a young boy who died from a putative "infection" at the end of the 18th century, and for whom an extraordinarily well-preserved minute bone fragment was available. After confirming the nature of the sample, we used laser microdissection to select the most "informative" area to be examined. Tissue genotyping indicated male gender, thereby confirming the notary's report. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing showed that Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were more abundant than Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and that Pseudomonas was the most abundant bacterial genus in the Pseudomonadaceae family. These data suggest that the patient most likely died from Pseudomonas osteomyelitis. This case is an example of how new technological approaches, like laser microdissection and next-generation sequencing, can resolve ancient cases of uncertain etiopathology. Lastly, medical samples may contain a wealth of information that may not be accessible until more sophisticated technology becomes available. Therefore, one may envisage the possibility of systematically storing medical samples for evaluation by future generations