Conventional liquid-based techniques versus Cytyc Thinprep(® )processing of urinary samples: a qualitative approach

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to objectively compare Cytyc Thinprep(® )and other methods of obtaining thin layer cytologic preparations (cytocentrifugation, direct smearing and Millipore(® )filtration) in urine cytopathology. METHODS: Thinprep slides were compared to direct smears in 79 cases. Cytocentrifugation carried out with the Thermo Shandon Cytospin(® )4 was compared to Thinprep in 106 cases, and comparison with Millipore filtration followed by blotting was obtained in 22 cases. Quality was assessed by scoring cellularity, fixation, red blood cells, leukocytes and nuclear abnormalities. RESULTS: The data show that 1) smearing allows good overall results to be obtained, 2) Cytocentrifugation with reusable TPX(® )chambers should be avoided, 3) Cytocentrifugation using disposable chambers (Cytofunnels(® )or Megafunnel(® )chambers) gives excellent results equalling or surpassing Thinprep and 4) Millipore filtration should be avoided, owing to its poor global quality. Despite differences in quality, the techniques studied have no impact on the diagnostic accuracy as evaluated by the rate of abnormalities. CONCLUSION: We conclude that conventional methods such as cytocentrifugation remain the most appropriate ones for current treatment of urinary samples. Cytyc Thinprep processing, owing to its cost, could be used essentially for cytology-based molecular studies

Current concept of abdominal sepsis : WSES position paper

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WSES Guidelines for the management of acute left sided colonic diverticulitis in the emergency setting

Acute left sided colonic diverticulitis is one of the most common clinical conditions encountered by surgeons in acute setting. A World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) Consensus Conference on acute diverticulitis was held during the 3rd World Congress of the WSES in Jerusalem, Israel, on July 7th, 2015. During this consensus conference the guidelines for the management of acute left sided colonic diverticulitis in the emergency setting were presented and discussed. This document represents the executive summary of the final guidelines approved by the consensus conference.Peer reviewe

A halotolerant laccase from Chaetomium strain isolated from desert soil and its ability for dye decolourization

13 p.-6 fig.-3 tab.A novel fungal laccase produced by the ascomycete Chaetomium sp. isolated from arid soil was purified and characterized and its ability to remove dyes was determined. Extracellular laccase was purified 15-fold from the crude culture to homogeneity with an overall yield of 50% using ultrafiltration and anion-exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme was found to be a monomeric protein with a molecular mass of 68 kDa, estimated by SDS-PAGE, and with an isoelectric point of 5.5. The optimal temperature and pH value for laccase activity toward 2,6-DMP were 60 °C and 3.0, respectively. It was stable at temperatures below 50 °C and at alkaline conditions. Kinetic study showed that this laccase showed higher affinity on ABTS than on 2,6-DMP. Its activity was enhanced by the presence of several metal ions such as Mg2+, Ca2+ and Zn2+, while it was strongly inhibited by Fe2+, Ag+ and Hg2+. The novel laccase also showed high, remarkable sodium chloride tolerance. Its ability to decolorize different dyes, with or without HBT (1-hydroxy-benzotriazole), as redox mediator, suggests that this protein may be useful for different industrial applications and/or bioremediation processes.Peer reviewe

Diversity and Bioactivity of Endophytic Fungi from Nothapodyte foetida (Wt.) Sleumer and Hypericum mysorense Heyne

Endophytic fungi were isolated from the medicinal plants Nothapodyte foetida and Hypericum mysorense, collected from the cold peaks of the Western Ghats of India, which is considered as one among ten important biodiversity hotspots of the world. The diversity of foliar endophytic biota in both plants was assessed using various indices. Endophytes were screened for the antimicrobial and free radical-scavenging activity. Ethyl acetate extracts of the culture broths of two isolates Bionectria ochroleuca NOTL33 from N. foetida and Chaetomium globosum HYML55 from H. mysorense were further characterized for their composition and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) based on their significant activities during primary screening. MIC of both extracts ranged from 78 to 625 μg/ml, with the exception of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5 mg/ml). 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2, 2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical quenching by the extracts were dose dependent. 2-heptanone, furfural, methyl furfural, benzyl pentyl ketone, benzyl decanoate, amyl isovalerate and palmitic acid were identified in NOTL33 extract by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. A yellow amorphous powder (HYML 8A) was purified from HYML55 extract and further characterized for MIC and minimum cidal concentrations against the test bacteria. The yield of the compound in different media was estimated