Evaluation of the Antifungal Activity of Mentha x piperita (Lamiaceae) of Pancalieri (Turin, Italy) Essential Oil and Its Synergistic Interaction with Azoles [V.Tullio is the Corresponding and the First Author, N.Mandras is the Last Author]

The promising antimicrobial activity of essential oils (EOs) has led researchers to use them in combination with antimicrobial drugs in order to reduce drug toxicity, side effects, and resistance to single agents. Mentha x piperita, known worldwide as “Mentha of Pancalieri”, is produced locally at Pancalieri (Turin, Italy). The EO from this Mentha species is considered as one of the best mint EOs in the world. In our research, we assessed the antifungal activity of “Mentha of Pancalieri” EO, either alone or in combination with azole drugs (fluconazole, itraconazole, ketoconazole) against a wide panel of yeast and dermatophyte clinical isolates. The EO was analyzed by GC-MS, and its antifungal properties were evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) parameters, in accordance with the CLSI guidelines, with some modifications. The interaction of EO with azoles was evaluated through the chequerboard and isobologram methods. The results suggest that this EO exerts a fungicidal activity against yeasts and a fungistatic activity against dermatophytes. Interaction studies with azoles indicated mainly synergistic profiles between itraconazole and EO vs. Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Thus, the “Mentha of Pancalieri” EO may act as a potential antifungal agent and could serve as a natural adjuvant for fungal infection treatment

Influence of photon-Induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) on root canal disinfection and post-Operative pain: a randomized clinical trial

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of a PIPS (photon-induced photoacoustic streaming) Er:YAG laser to reduce the root canal system bacterial count in vivo in comparison to the traditional irrigation technique. The post-operative patients’ quality of life (QoL) after endodontic therapy was evaluated through a questionnaire. Fifty-four patients affected by pulp necrosis with or without apical periodontitis biofilm disease were selected for endodontic treatment and randomly assigned to Group A (n = 27) with traditional irrigation and Group B (n = 27), with PIPS irrigation applied according to the protocol. Shaping was performed with ProGlider and ProTaper Next, and irrigation was performed with 5% NaOCl and 10% EDTA. Intracanal samples for culture tests were collected before and after irrigation. The microbiological analysis was evaluated by the Kolmogorov–Smirnov normality and Mann–Whitney tests (p < 0.05). A self-assessment questionnaire was used to evaluate the QoL during the 7 days after treatment; differences were analysed with Student’s t-test. Irrigation with the PIPS device was significantly effective in reducing bacterial counts, which were higher for facultative than obligate anaerobic strains, particularly for Gram-negative bacteria, without statistical significance (p > 0.05). There were no significant differences among the QoL indicators, except for the maximum pain (p = 0.02), eating difficulty (p = 0.03) and difficulty performing daily functions (p = 0.02) in the first few days post-treatment. PIPS may represent an aid to root canal disinfection not affecting the patients’ QoL, particularly for the first day after treatment

Evaluation of the bactericidal activity of a hyaluronic acid-vehicled clarithromycin antibiotic mixture by confocal laser scanning microscopy

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was used to evaluate the antibacterial effect and depth of action of a novel clarithromycin-containing triple antibiotic mixture, which was proposed for root canal disinfection in dental pulp regeneration. A previous study reported that this mixture had no tooth discoloration effects in vitro. After infection with Enterococcus faecalis for 3 weeks, the dentinal tubules in the cylindrical root specimens were exposed to different antibiotic mixtures: ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and minocycline (3-MIX); ciprofloxacin, metronidazole and clarithromycin (3-MIXC) and ciprofloxacin and metronidazole (2-MIX). Each antibiotic formulation was mixed with macrogol (MG) or hyaluronic acid (HA) vehicles. CLSM and viability staining were used to quantitatively analyze the mean depth of the antibacterial effect and the proportions of dead and live bacteria inside the dentinal tubules. The 3-MIX and 3-MIXC demonstrated a similar depth of action. The mean proportion of dead bacteria was similar in the 3-MIX and 3-MIXC groups, and both were statistically higher than that of 2-MIX (p = 0.014). Each antibiotic mixture showed a higher bactericidal efficacy if conveyed with HA, compared to MG (3-MIX, p = 0.019; 3-MIXC, p = 0.013 and 2-MIX, p = 0.0125). The depth of action and the antibacterial efficacy of 3-MIXC seemed comparable with 3-MIX

In situ–Directed Growth of Organic Nanofibers and Nanoflakes: Electrical and Morphological Properties

Organic nanostructures made from organic molecules such as para-hexaphenylene (p-6P) could form nanoscale components in future electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the integration of such fragile nanostructures with the necessary interface circuitry such as metal electrodes for electrical connection continues to be a significant hindrance toward their large-scale implementation. Here, we demonstrate in situ–directed growth of such organic nanostructures between pre-fabricated contacts, which are source–drain gold electrodes on a transistor platform (bottom-gate) on silicon dioxide patterned by a combination of optical lithography and electron beam lithography. The dimensions of the gold electrodes strongly influence the morphology of the resulting structures leading to notably different electrical properties. The ability to control such nanofiber or nanoflake growth opens the possibility for large-scale optoelectronic device fabrication