Assessment of using Aloe vera gel alone and in combination with lemongrass essential oil as coating materials for strawberry fruits: HPLC and EDX analyses

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this record. Strawberry is a non-climacteric fruit but exhibits a limited postharvest life due to rapid softening and decay. A strawberry coating that is natural and safe for human consumption can be used to improve the appearance and safeguard the fruits. In this study, 20% and 40% Aloe vera gel alone or in combination with 1% lemongrass essential oil (EO) was used as an edible coating for strawberries. After application of all the treatments, the strawberry fruits were stored at a temperature of 5 ± 1 ◦C at a relative humidity (RH) of 90%–95% for up to 16 days and all the parameters were analyzed and compared to control (uncoated fruits). The results show that A. vera gel alone or with lemongrass EO reduced the deterioration and increased the shelf life of the fruit. Treatment with A. vera gel and lemongrass EO decreased acidity and total anthocyanins and maintained fruit firmness. Treatment with A. vera gel 40% + lemongrass EO 1% led to the lowest weight loss, retained firmness and acidity, but increased the total soluble solids and total anthocyanins compared to uncoated fruits during storage of up to 16 days. The phenolic compounds of A. vera gel were analyzed by HPLC, and the most abundant compounds were found to be caffeic (30.77 mg/mL), coumaric (22.4 mg/mL), syringic (15.12 mg/mL), sinapic (14.05 mg/mL), ferulic (8.22 mg/mL), and cinnamic acids (7.14 mg/mL). Lemongrass EO was analyzed by GC–MS, and the most abundant compounds were identified as α-citral (neral) (40.10%) β-citral (geranial) (30.71%), γ-dodecalactone (10.24%), isoneral (6.67%), neryl acetal (5.64%), and linalool (1.77%). When the fruits were treated with 20% or 40% A. vera gel along with 1% lemongrass, their total phenolic content was maintained during the storage period (from 4 to 8 days). The antioxidant activity was relatively stable during the 8 days of cold storage of the fruits coated with A. vera gel combined with lemongrass EO because the activity of both 20% and 40% gel was greater than that for the other treatments after 12 days of storage in both experiments. Moreover, all the treatments resulted in lower numbers of total microbes at the end of the storage period compared with the control treatment. This study indicates that the use of Aloe vera gel with lemongrass EO as an edible coating considerably enhances the productivity of strawberry fruits and the treatment could be used on a commercial scaleKing Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

Assessment of Endometritis in Arabian Mare

This study aimed to employ different methods for diagnosis of endometritis in Arabian mare. The study was conducted on 88 barren Arabian mares. After establishing the breeding history and completing the clinical examination, 50 of them were diagnosed as endometritis. Two swabs were obtained for bacteriological culture and cytological smears. Biopsy specimens were taken from the endometrium for histological examination. The results revealed that the ageing and the abnormal vulvar conformation were predisposing factors for endometritis. The number of mares affected with endometritis were 10, (20%) 13 (26%) and 27 (54%) in nullipara, primipara and pluripara mares respectively. Mares affected with endometritis were 6 (12%), 20 (40%), 18 (36%) and 6 (12%) in relation to body scoring 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Bacteriological and mycological examinations of the uterine culture were positive in 41 (82%) and in 5 (10%) animals respectively. No growth was recorded in 4 swabs (8%).  Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus were found to be the most common potential uterine bacterial pathogens (39.1% ) followed by E coli (21.7%). Cytological examination was positive in 60% (n=30) and negative in 40 % (n=40). The histopathological investigation revealed that 10/50 cases (20%), 18/40 cases (45.0%), 11/40 cases (27.5%), 7/40 cases (17.5%) and 4/40 cases (10.0%) were diagnosed as normal endometrium (Grade I), mild endometritis (Grade II A), moderate endometritis (Grade II B), severe endometritis (Grade III) and uterine atrophy respectively. Keywords: Arabian mare, biopsy, cytology, endometritis   Animal Production 14(2):99-10

The Role of Local Triplet Excited States and D-A Relative Orientation in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Photophysics and Devices

Here, a comprehensive photophysical investigation of a the emitter molecule DPTZ-DBTO2, showing thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), with near-orthogonal electron donor (D) and acceptor (A) units is reported. It is shown that DPTZ-DBTO2 has minimal singlet–triplet energy splitting due to its near-rigid molecular geometry. However, the electronic coupling between the local triplet (3LE) and the charge transfer states, singlet and triplet, (1CT, 3CT), and the effect of dynamic rocking of the D–A units about the orthogonal geometry are crucial for efficient TADF to be achieved. In solvents with low polarity, the guest emissive singlet 1CT state couples directly to the near-degenerate 3LE, efficiently harvesting the triplet states by a spin orbit coupling charge transfer mechanism (SOCT). However, in solvents with higher polarity the emissive CT state in DPTZ-DBTO2 shifts below (the static) 3LE, leading to decreased TADF efficiencies. The relatively large energy difference between the 1CT and 3LE states and the extremely low efficiency of the 1CT to 3CT hyperfine coupling is responsible for the reduction in TADF efficiency. Both the electronic coupling between 1CT and 3LE, and the (dynamic) orientation of the D–A units are thus critical elements that dictate reverse intersystem crossing processes and thus high efficiency in TADF