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Penicillium commune and Penicillium palitans isolates previously isolated from cheese samples and the indoor environment in four cheese factories were investigated using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) fingerprinting with the core sequence of the phage M13 as primer. In total, 55 isolates of P. commune and 49 isolates of P. palitans were investigated. Four and seven different M13 fingerprinting profiles were found among the P. commune andP. palitans isolates, respectively. Three fingerprinting profiles dominated for each species, comprising 98% and 86% of the P. commune and P. palitans isolates, respectively. Each of the dominating profiles was found in at least three factories and was thus not factory-specific. For each species, one of the fingerprinting profiles was found only once. In addition, one profile of P. palitans was found twice and in one factory only. The M13 fingerprinting grouped theP. commune and P. palitans isolates and gave useful information with respect to identifying whether isolates of the same species could originate from the same contaminating strain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose Medihoney is routinely applied to the exit site of Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) drivelines in patients in many Australian hospitals to prevent driveline infections. Its effectiveness as a prophylactic measure remains unclear. We performed a comprehensive in vitro study using microbiological assays that closely mimic the in vivo environment of the driveline exit-site to assess the effectiveness of medihoney in preventing biofilm-related driveline infections. Methods Antimicrobial efficacy testing of medihoney was performed against 24 clinically-relevant bacterial and fungal strains grown as planktonic and biofilm cells. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration, minimum eradication concentration of medihoney, and the activity of individual components of medihoney were assessed. A colony biofilm assay and a drip-flow biofilm reactor assay that mimic chronic wounds and the driveline exit site were used to evaluate medihoney activity in inhibiting early adherent organism monolayers and mature biofilms. Results Medihoney demonstrated activity against planktonic organism cells in 5/6 S. aureus strains, 6/6 of S. epidermidis strains, 1/6 of P. aeruginosa strains and 4/6 of Candida strains using a qualitative disk diffusion susceptibility assay and a quantitative broth microdilution assay [MICs, 10% weight/volume (W/V) medihoney concentrations]. Higher concentrations of medihoney (30-50%, W/V) were required to inhibit the growth of biofilm cells. Eradication of biofilms could not be achieved by medihoney, even at the highest concentration studied. The antibiofilm properties of medihoney were multi-faceted, including sugar content, pH, osmolality and the proposed active ingredient, methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO actually played a less important role than other medihoney characteristics. The colony biofilm assay and the drip flow biofilm reactor showed that medihoney was unable to prevent the maturation of biofilms after early organism adherence, and only had a weak activity against established biofilms. Conclusion Our work suggests a suboptimal effectiveness of medihoney in preventing driveline exit site infections due to biofilm development, warranting further clinical trials before its widespread use can be justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the current demand for donor hearts, we are increasingly pushing the limits of acceptable organs. Previous literature has shown that prolonged ischaemic time in transport remains a key limitation with excess morbidity such as early primary graft dysfunction requiring VA-ECMO (rates of up to 30% have been reported). This study will highlight outcomes from the first 13 patients who received a donor heart retrieved on the XVIVO hypothermic perfusion organ care device at St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Patient selection was part of the Australia-New Zealand non-ischaemic hypothermic perfusion (NIHP) trial. The first 2 patients selected were part of a run-in period and had a short donor ischaemic time. All subsequent patients selected were estimated to have an ischaemic time exceeding 6 hours. Patients were recruited between November 2021 and September 2022 13 patients received a donor heart procured using the XVIVO NIHP device (8 male, 5 female). Median recipient age was 54 years (range 10-69). Median donor ischaemic time was 404 minutes (range 296-527). 12 patients were successfully weaned from cardiopulmonary bypass post-transplant, 1 patient required VA-ECMO due to secondary graft dysfunction for a duration of 2 days. Median ICU length of stay was 4 days (range 2-37). Median intubation time was 19 hours (13-316). Median post-operative length of stay was 32 days (11-119). There was no post-operative mortality. Our early experience with the XVIVO non-ischaemic hypothermic perfusion device appears very promising. This technology has the potential to overcome limitations associated with prolonged ischaemic time in the field of heart transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite improvements in circulatory support options, heart transplantation remains the gold-standard treatment for appropriate patients with advanced heart failure. Expansion of the heart pool has occurred with the use of donation after circulatory death and extended marginal criteria such as prolonged ischemic time. Longer ischemic time is associated with adverse impact on allograft function and on early renal function. Recent studies suggest that HMP may favorably influence early graft function despite prolonged ischemic time but renal outcomes are not known. The purpose of this study was to compare early renal outcomes in HMP vs conventional heart transplant (C-HTx) recipients. Renal function and need for dialysis were compared at 24, 48 and 72 hours in participants (n=32) of the Australia and New Zealand Trial of HMP (XVIVO, Sweden) compared to a cohort of conventional single center HTx patients (n=62). Despite the prolonged ischemic time (377±15 vs 185±15 mins, p<0.001) in HMP patients the use of renal replacement therapy (RRT) at 72 hours tended to be less than C-HTx (22% vs 37%). The post-operative increase in creatinine in non-RRT was attenuated in HMP vs C-HTx patients at 24 hrs (26±10 vs 49±7 umol/L, p=0.06), 48 hrs (23±12 vs 69±12 umol/L, p=0.008) and 72 hrs (14±13 vs 60±13 umol/L, p=0.03). Despite the use of donor hearts with prolonged ischemic times, renal outcomes in recipients of cardiac allografts preserved using HMP were comparable or better than those in patients with shorter ischemic times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite improvements in circulatory support options, heart transplantation remains the gold-standard treatment for appropriate patients with advanced heart failure. The availability of donor hearts is significantly less than that required. Strategies to increase donor supply include donation after circulatory death and retrieval from remote locations. The safety and reliability of remote heart retrieval is impacted upon by the deleterious effects of long-ischemic times and early donor heart function is a key determinant of post-transplant outcomes. Recent experimental studies using HMP have demonstrated beneficial effects on donor heart function with ischemic times of up to 8 hours. The purpose of this clinical study is to investigate the effect of HMP on donor heart function following an ischemic time of 6-8 hours. Patients (n=36 including up to 2 run-in cases per site) undergoing heart transplantation at 5 centres in Australia and New Zealand will be recruited into this open label study. The primary study cohort will include patients receiving donor hearts that were projected to have an ischemic time of 6-8 hours transported to the recipient hospital using HMP (XVIVO, Sweden). Echocardiographic assessment of left and right ventricular performance will be assessed by the core-laboratory and correlated with clinical outcomes including inotropic requirement and intensive care.Taken together, this study seeks to demonstrate the ability of HMP to preserve early donor heart function in the setting of long ischemic times and to investigate the translation into early clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cleaning of conveyor belts in the food industry is imperative for preventing the buildup of microorganisms that can contaminate food. New technologies for decreasing water and energy consumption of cleaning systems are desired. Ultrasound can be used for cleaning a wide range of materials. Most commonly, baths containing fairly large amounts of water are used. One possibility to reduce water consumption is to use ultrasonic cavitation in a thin water film on a flat surface, like a conveyor belt. In order to test this possibility, a model system was set up, consisting of an ultrasound transducer/probe with a 70-mm-diameter flat bottom, operating at 19.8 kHz, and contaminated conveyor belt materials in the form of coupons covered with a thin layer of water or water with detergent. Ultrasound was then applied on the water surface at different power levels (from 46 to 260 W), exposure times (10 and 20 s), and distances (2 to 20 mm). The model was used to test two different belt materials with various contamination types, such as biofilms formed by bacteria in carbohydrate- or protein-fat-based soils, dried microorganisms (bacteria, yeasts, and mold spores), and allergens. Ultrasound treatment increased the reduction of bacteria and yeast by 1 to 2 log CFU under the most favorable conditions compared with water or water-detergent controls. The effect was dependent on the type of belt material, the power applied, the exposure time, and the distance between the probe and the belt coupon. Generally, dried microorganisms were more easily removed than biofilms. The effect on mold spores was variable and appeared to be species and material dependent. Spiked allergens were also efficiently removed by using ultrasound. The results in this study pave the way for new cleaning designs for flat conveyor belts, with possibilities for savings of water, detergent, and energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines the effects of the antioxidant flavonoid Pycnogenol on a range of cognitive and biochemical measures in healthy elderly individuals. The study used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, matched-pair design, with 101 elderly participants (60-85 years) consuming a daily dose of 150 mg of Pycnogenol for a three-month treatment period. Participants were assessed at baseline, then at 1, 2, and 3 months of the treatment. The control (placebo) and Pycnogenol groups were matched by age, sex, body mass index, micronutrient intake, and intelligence. The cognitive tasks comprised measures of attention, working memory, episodic memory, and psychomotor performance. The biological measures comprised levels of clinical hepatic enzymes, serum lipid profile, human growth hormone, and lipid peroxidation products. Statistically significant interactions were found for memory-based cognitive variables and lipid peroxidation products, with the Pycnogenol group displaying improved working memory and decreased concentrations of F2-isoprostanes relative to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Driveline infections remain a major complication of ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation. This study aimed to characterize in vivo microbial biofilms causing driveline infections and the degree of tissue integration into the velour of explanted drivelines. Methods Drivelines were obtained from ten VAD patients undergoing heart transplantation at the Alfred Hospital, Melbourne and St Vincent Hospital, Sydney between June 2017 to October 2018. Four uninfected drivelines and six infected drivelines were aseptically sectioned into 10 pieces of 1.5 cm in length, from the smooth tube section at the exit site to the velour section adjacent to the VAD. Organisms on each section were isolated and identified. Microbial biofilms on the infected driveline sections were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and viable counts. Computed tomography (micro-CT) and SEM were used to assess tissue integration into each section. All sections were analysed histologically to confirm human matrix protein deposition. Results No organisms were isolated from non-infected drivelines using microbiological culture. Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Staphylococcus epidermidis were found on the velour sections of infected drivelines and correlated with the microbiological culture results from patient swabs of the infected exit site. Although histological analysis found considerable collagen fiber and fibroblast deposition on both the smooth tube and the velour, SEM and micro-CT suggested insufficient tissue integration throughout the driveline velour. Microgaps were observed between the velour fibres, with evidence of microbial biofilms within these gaps. Such biofilms were morphologically distinct from in vitro biofilms grown on biomaterials and might be responsible for the antimicrobial treatment failure. Conclusion This study demonstrated inadequate tissue integration of clinical drivelines in the subcutaneous tissue tunnel, with associated microbial biofilms formed within the microgaps between velour fibres. These data provide important insights into a potentially novel therapeutic strategy against driveline infections that is focused on enhancing tissue integration into the velour, thereby preventing microbial adherence, biofilm formation and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BiVACOR is a novel total artificial heart utilising a single centrifugal magnetically levitated rotor with the ability to modulate pulsatile flow through speed variation. The device has been successfully tested in cattle with encouraging 90-day results. We sought to undertake a multicentre virtual and anatomical fitting study of the BiVACOR in patients undergoing heart transplantation. 10 patients on the heart transplant waiting list were recruited (5 Females, 5 Males) across two heart transplant centres. A 1:1 titanium model of the device with correct port configuration (Aorta, Pulmonary Artery, Right Atrium, Left Atrium) was provided by BiVACOR. Chest size and major vessel measurements were recorded from preoperative CT Scans. The sterilised model was then inserted into the patient's chest cavity post heart explant, prior to implantation of the donor heart. The atrial ports (right and left) on the device were lined up with their native counterparts. Measurements were recorded in-situ. The Device was then removed. 3D reconstructions were also created to simulate a virtual fitting. Mean age was 53 years (Range 38-67). Mean BMI was 28 (Range 20-37). Aetiology was varied - 5 Patients had Ischaemic Cardiomyopathy, whereas 1 was restrictive, 1 was giant cell myocarditis and 3 were dilated cardiomyopathy. Four had re-do sternotomies and 3 of these involved a ventricular assist device explant. Mean Spine-to-Sternum distance at the level of T10 was 14cm (range 11-18). Mean Ao diameter was 3.1cm (range 2.5-3.8). Mean PA Diameter was 3.4cm (range 2.0-4.2). Mean Ao to Ao Port distance was 0.2cm (range 0-0.5). Mean PA to PA Port distance was 4.2cm (range 1-7). The device fit in all patients. There was no gross distortion to the geometry between native vessels/chambers and ports. This study described the virtual and anatomical fitting of the BiVACOR total artificial heart. The device fit within the chest cavities of all 10 patients, who represented a variety of body morphologies and heart failure aetiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]