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

Níveis de energia na dieta de bovinos em confinamento. II. Cortes do traseiro especial.

Este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar o rendimento dos cortes do traseiro especial de bovinos cruzados 1/2 Canchim + 1/2 Nelore (CN) e 1/2 Gelbvieh + 1/2 Nelore (GN), alimentados em confinamento, recebendo ração com 12,9% de proteina bruta e quatro diferentes níveis de energia: 62,65,68, e 71% de nutrientes digestiveis totais, contendo 55,5% de silagem de milho, na base seca

Espessura de gordura externa e cortes do traseiro especial de machos não-castrados para produção do bovino jovem.

Foi realizado confinamento de 18 machos nao-castrados de cada um dos grupos geneticos Blonde d'Aquitaine X Nelore (BN), Canchim (CA), Piemontes X Nelore (PN) e Nelore (NE), abatidos aos 400 (I), 440 (II) e 480 kg (III) de peso vivo (TRAT); exceto para NE que foram abatidos aos 380, 410 e 440 kg. O peso do traseiro especial (TEE) foi influenciado (P0,05) pelo TRAT.Resumo expandid

Determination of Free Amino Acids in Milk, Colostrum and Plasma of Swine via Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence and UV Detection

Amino acids are ubiquitous components of mammalian milk and greatly contribute to its nutritional value. The compositional analysis of free amino acids is poorly reported in the literature even though their determination in the biological fluids of livestock animals is necessary to establish possible nutritional interventions. In the present study, the free amino acid profiles in mature swine milk, colostrum and plasma were assessed using a targeted metabolomics approach. In particular, 20 amino acids were identified and quantified via two alternative and complementary reversed-phase HPLC methods, involving two stationary phases based on core-shell technology, i.e., Kinetex C18 and Kinetex F5, and two detection systems, i.e., a diode array detector (DAD) and a fluorescence detector (FLD). The sample preparation involved a de-proteinization step, followed by pre-chromatographic derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate (FMOC-Cl). The two optimized methods were validated for specificity, linearity, sensitivity, matrix effect, accuracy and precision and the analytical performances were compared. The analytical methods proved to be suitable for free amino acid profiling in different matrices with high sensitivity and specificity. The correlations among amino acid levels in different biological fluids can be useful for the evaluation of physio-pathological status and to monitor the effects of therapeutic or nutritional interventions in humans and animals

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