This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of vegetable oils and their respective f... more This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of vegetable oils and their respective fatty acid constituents on the growth of Streptococcus mutans. S. mutans is one of the primary etiological agents associated with the onset of dental caries, a disease which is considered to be an oral health epidemic in industrialized countries. Micro-broth dilution assays were carried out to assess the viability of the oral pathogen in the presence of olive oil, palm, oil, sunflower seed oil and coconut oil. Bacterial growth was not affected by any of the oils tested. A selection of MCFAs and LCFAs comprising capric, lauric, myristic, oleic and linoleic acid showed varying levels of bacteriostatic activity towards S. mutans, wherein lauric acid was the most effective MCFA and linoleic acid the most effective LCFA. The findings of this study indicate that vegetable oils tested do not directly inhibit the viability of S. mutans. The fatty acid content in these oils are present as triglyce...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environ... more The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland. We are committed to protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation and pollution. The work of the EPA can be divided into three main areas: Regulation: We implement effective regulation and environmental compliance systems to deliver good environmental outcomes and target those who don't comply. Knowledge: We provide high quality, targeted and timely environmental data, information and assessment to inform decision making at all levels.
This work was supported by the NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576/2018). The authors would like to acknow... more This work was supported by the NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576/2018). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area. Ana Claudia Dias, Paula Quinteiro and Tamiris da Costa acknowledge FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020), through national funds, and Ana Claudia Dias and Paula Quinteiro to the research contracts CEECIND/02174/2017 and CEECIND/00143/2017, respectively.
Water is a fragile resource, consequently there is a pressing need to develop sustainable environ... more Water is a fragile resource, consequently there is a pressing need to develop sustainable environmental-friendly disinfection technologies. This constitutes the first study to compare efficacy of continuous low-pressure UV (LPUV) to that of pulsed UV light (PUV) for UV disinfection performance in flow-through water systems. Bacillus endospores were used as these are frequently deployed as biodosimeters for drinking water UV reactor validation protocols. Results showed a PUV system output of 2,052 mJ/cm 2 (energy below 300 nm) was required for a 2 log inactivation of B.pumilus endospores, whereas a lower LPUV system output of 12 mJ/cm 2 produced a similar level of disinfection. Measurements of dose incident to the samples (which were 10.75 cm from the PUV light source) showed supplementation of cultivation media with manganese sulphate monohydrate (MnSO 4 .H 2 O) employed to enhance the rate of endospore formation for propagation was shown to increase the UV resistance of different Bacillus spp. to both irradiation approaches (P < 0.05). Conventional LPUV light that is commonlyused by the drinking water industry is a reliable and superior approach to PUV which requires substantial modification for effective disinfection of continuous flow-through water. Caution must also be exercised when manipulating media formulation to propagate endospores as this may lead to inconsistencies in reporting efficacy of intervention treatments with implications for validation and environmental evaluation.
Fungal pathogens cause significant human morbidity and mortality globally, where there is a prope... more Fungal pathogens cause significant human morbidity and mortality globally, where there is a propensity to infect vulnerable people such as the immunocompromised ones. There is increasing evidence of resistance to antifungal drugs, which has significant implications for cutaneous, invasive and bloodstream infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) published a priority list of fungal pathogens in October 2022, thus, highlighting that a crisis point has been reached where there is a pressing need to address the solutions. This review provides a timely insight into the challenges and implications on the topic of antifungal drug resistance along with discussing the effectiveness of established disease mitigation modalities and approaches. There is also a need to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fungal resistance to inform effective solutions. The established fungal decontamination approaches are effective for medical device processing and sterilization, but the pre...
There is a pressing demand for new sustainable eco-friendly approaches to producing green energy ... more There is a pressing demand for new sustainable eco-friendly approaches to producing green energy worldwide. This study represents the novel production of biodiesel feedstock from the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum QRS 5120 using state-of-the-art biotechnology tools. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to enhance G. lucidum production in a repeated-batch fermentation strategy. By referring to the broth replacement ratio (BRR) and broth replacement time point (BRTP), RSM that was formulated using a central composite design (CCD) resulted in a significant model for all tested variables, which are exopolysaccharide (EPS), endopolysaccharide (ENS) and biomass, with BRR (%) of 60, 75 and 90, and BRTP (days) of 11, 13 and 15. The model was validated using the optimised conditions, and the results showed 4.21 g/L of EPS (BRR 77.46% and BRTP 12 days), 2.44 g/L of ENS (BRR 60% and BRTP 12.85 days), and 34.32 g/L of biomass (BRR 89.52% and BRTP 10.96 days) were produced. Biomass ...
Mushrooms have been used as traditional medicine for millennia, fungi are the main natural source... more Mushrooms have been used as traditional medicine for millennia, fungi are the main natural source of psychedelic compounds. There is now increasing interest in using fungal active compounds such as psychedelics for alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders including major depressive disorder, anxiety, and addiction. The anxiolytic, antidepressant and anti-addictive effect of these compounds has raised awareness stimulating neuropharmacological investigations. Micro-dosing or acute dosing with psychedelics including Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin may offer patients treatment options which are unmet by current therapeutic options. Studies suggest that either dosing regimen produces a rapid and long-lasting effect on the patient post administration with a good safety profile. Psychedelics can also modulate immune systems including pro-inflammatory cytokines suggesting a potential in the treatment of auto-immune and other chronic pain conditions. This literature r...
β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushr... more β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushrooms. β-glucans display an array of potentially therapeutic properties.
The purpose of this timely review is to critically appraise and to assess the potential significa... more The purpose of this timely review is to critically appraise and to assess the potential significance of best-published microbial inactivation kinetic data generated by pulsed light (PL). The importance of selecting different inactivation models to describe the PL inactivation kinetics ishighlighted. Current methods for the detection of viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) organisms post PL-treatments are outlined along with the limitations of these methods within food microbiology. Finally, the importance of further molecular and combinational research to tackle the potential threat posed by VBNC organisms with regard to public health and food safety is presented.
EPA-ReportCover-259-Sep18-v2.indd 1 11/09/2018 15:16 www.epa.ie Nanotechnology is an emerging tec... more EPA-ReportCover-259-Sep18-v2.indd 1 11/09/2018 15:16 www.epa.ie Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has the potential to impact on all aspects of life and the economy and is expected to form the basis of several technological innovations and advances in the 21st century. In this report, a 3-year study was undertaken to (1) develop and implement methods for the detection, characterisation and quantification of silver nanoparticles in water; (2) determine the toxicological properties and environmental fate of silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment; and (3) develop risk assessment protocols that can be used to evaluate the environmental fate and likely risk from silver nanoparticles in aquatic pathways.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common form of acute severe hypoxemic resp... more Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common form of acute severe hypoxemic respiratory failure in the critically ill with a hospital mortality of 40%. Alveolar inflammation is one of the hallmarks for this disease. β-Glucans are polysaccharides isolated from a variety of natural sources including mushrooms, with documented immune modulating properties. To investigate the immunomodulatory activity of β-glucans and their potential as a treatment for ARDS, we isolated and measured glucan-rich polysaccharides from seven species of mushrooms. We used three models of in-vitro injury in THP-1 macrophages, Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (CD14+) (PMBCs) isolated from healthy volunteers and lung epithelial cell lines. We observed variance between β-glucan content in extracts isolated from seven mushroom species. The extracts with the highest β-glucan content found was Lentinus edodes which contained 70% w/w and Hypsizygus tessellatus which contained 80% w/w with low levels of α-glucan. The extracts had the ability to induce secretion of up to 4000 pg/mL of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, and up to 5000 pg/mL and 500 pg/mL of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-22 and IL-10, respectively, at a concentration of 1 mg/mL in THP-1 macrophages. In the presence of cytokine injury, IL-8 was reduced from 15,000 pg/mL to as low as 10,000 pg/mL in THP-1 macrophages. After insult with LPS, phagocytosis dropped from 70-90% to as low 10% in CD14+ PBMCs. After LPS insult CCL8 relative gene expression was reduced, and IL-10 relative gene expression increased from 50 to 250-fold in THP-1 macrophages. In lung epithelial cells, both A549 and BEAS-2B after IL-1β insult, IL-8 levels dropped from 10,000 pg/mL to as low as 6000 pg/mL. TNF-α levels dropped 10-fold from 100 pg/mL to just below 10 pg/mL. These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of β-glucans in inflammatory lung conditions. Findings also advance bio-based research that connects green innovation with One Health applications for the betterment of society.
This study demonstrated that atypical virulent filaments of Listeria monocytogenes (rough variant... more This study demonstrated that atypical virulent filaments of Listeria monocytogenes (rough variant type II and designated FR for this study), isolated from clinical specimens or generated during exposure to pulsed-plasma gas discharge in liquids, were shown to be capable of survival when engulfed by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs). Factors shown to significantly influence the maximal respiratory burst response in PMNLs and survival of different internalized cell or filament forms of L. monocytogenes were bacterial strain, culture form, degree of opsonization (with and without the use of 10% serum) and composition of the bacterial growth media used before uptake by PMNLs. Opsonized regular-sized L. monocytogenes cells grown on blood agar (BA) elicited the greatest respiratory burst response and survived best in PMNLs. The filamentous (FR) and multiple cell chain (MCR) rough variants were significantly less susceptible to uptake and survival in PMNLs. Supplementation of tryp...
standard CCR with weekly Cisplatin plus 3D conformal pelvic radiotherapy followed by brachytherap... more standard CCR with weekly Cisplatin plus 3D conformal pelvic radiotherapy followed by brachytherapy (BT)) and group B (received the standard CCR and BT). The primary end point: the assessment of response rate and local control. The secondary end points: assessment of the 2 years overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Results The median age was 54 years old and a range of 44 years old with a performance status (0, 1). The majority of patients had squamous cell carcinoma (88.24% group A vs. 94.12% group B) and most of the patients were FIGO stage IIIC, IVA and IIB (41.18%, 32.35% and 20.59% in group A vs. 32.35%, 17.65% and 17.65% in group B respectively). CT abdomen and pelvis done at time of diagnosis showed pathological enlarged lymph nodes in 64.71% and 58.82% of patients in group A and B respectively. After NAC, 97.06% of the patients achieved partial response with a reduction of tumor volume by 76.07% and only 2.94% had stable disease. Higher partial response in groups A (55.88% in group A vs. 32.35% in group B, p value 0.151) and higher overall response rate (ORR) in group A (79.41% vs.70.59%) while local control was higher in group B (91.18% vs. 97.06%, p value 0.614). The 2 years PFS was 91% in group A and 97.1% in group B and OS of 100% as all the patients remain alive till the end of the 2 years follow up. Conclusion The addition of NAC to the standard CCR achieved a higher partial response rate and ORR with a reasonable local control of the disease. This can facilitate the CCR plane and subsequently the brachytherapy planning parameters in locally advanced cases with no inferiority of the PFS and OS compared to the standard. Disclosures The authors of this abstract do not have any research support and no conflict of interest. 10.1136/ijgc-2020-ESGO.32 Methodology This study was approved by the Institute Research Medical Ethics Committee. The study involved 62 patients vaccinated against HPV, aged 19 to 45 years. The
This constitutes the first study to compare use of electron beam (EB) irradiation and pulsed ligh... more This constitutes the first study to compare use of electron beam (EB) irradiation and pulsed light (PL) for novel sterilisation of infant mik formula retailed in Ireland. The microbiological quality of 60 powdered infant milk formula (PIMF), representative of two leading brands available in Ireland, were analyzed immediately after reconstitution and were shown to exhibit a total aerobic mesophilic count of <10 4 CFU/g (mean 3.3 x10 2 CFU/g) and a Bacillus cereus count of <10 3 CFU/g powder (mean 2.2x10 2 CFU/g). Only 7 of 60 PIMF samples of Irish PIMF were free of Bacillus sp; while the pathogenic bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in any samples. Application of EB irradiation at 10 kGy sterilised the aforementioned PIMF. Pulsed light was not suitable for PIMF sterilisation due to turbidity, but did successfully kill C. sakazakii, L. monocytogenes and test Bacillus species when suspended and treated in saline solution. D10 values [dosag...
Pulsed UV (PUV) technology is accepted commercially for disinfection within the food packaging in... more Pulsed UV (PUV) technology is accepted commercially for disinfection within the food packaging industry, but has yet to be deployed by the water/wastewater sector. This is partly due to a lack of robust, independently validated data for submerged or flow-through treatment applications. This study evaluated the efficacy of PUV for water disinfection under flow-through conditions. Bacterial pathogens of interest in the food and water/ wastewater sector, namely Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua (surrogate for L. monocytogenes) were used to investigate the potential for photoreactivation and/or dark repair post PUV flowthrough disinfection. A continuous-flow low-pressure UV was also analysed under similar experimental conditions. Bacterial inactivation via flow-through PUV was dependant on energy output with E. coli exhibiting greatest sensitivity to PUV treatment (5.3 log 10 inactivation after treatment at 1539 mJ/cm 2-output in UV range < 300 nm); L. innocua exhibited the highest PUV resistance (3.0 log 10 inactivation after treatment at 1539 mJ/cm 2-output in UV range < 300 nm) under similar treatment conditions. Greater photoreactivation occurred at lower PUV outputs for both S. aureus and E. coli after flow-through PUV treatment. Thus exposure of treated bacteria to natural light, immediately post flow-through PUV treatment, should be avoided to minimise photoreactivation. The LPUV demonstrated inactivation of all bacteria below the limit of detection (1 CFU/mL) and inhibited the occurrence of photoreactivation. This study highlights the importance of considering bacterial repair potential and the need for further development of PUV technology for such applications.
This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of vegetable oils and their respective f... more This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity of vegetable oils and their respective fatty acid constituents on the growth of Streptococcus mutans. S. mutans is one of the primary etiological agents associated with the onset of dental caries, a disease which is considered to be an oral health epidemic in industrialized countries. Micro-broth dilution assays were carried out to assess the viability of the oral pathogen in the presence of olive oil, palm, oil, sunflower seed oil and coconut oil. Bacterial growth was not affected by any of the oils tested. A selection of MCFAs and LCFAs comprising capric, lauric, myristic, oleic and linoleic acid showed varying levels of bacteriostatic activity towards S. mutans, wherein lauric acid was the most effective MCFA and linoleic acid the most effective LCFA. The findings of this study indicate that vegetable oils tested do not directly inhibit the viability of S. mutans. The fatty acid content in these oils are present as triglyce...
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environ... more The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for protecting and improving the environment as a valuable asset for the people of Ireland. We are committed to protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation and pollution. The work of the EPA can be divided into three main areas: Regulation: We implement effective regulation and environmental compliance systems to deliver good environmental outcomes and target those who don't comply. Knowledge: We provide high quality, targeted and timely environmental data, information and assessment to inform decision making at all levels.
This work was supported by the NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576/2018). The authors would like to acknow... more This work was supported by the NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576/2018). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area. Ana Claudia Dias, Paula Quinteiro and Tamiris da Costa acknowledge FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020), through national funds, and Ana Claudia Dias and Paula Quinteiro to the research contracts CEECIND/02174/2017 and CEECIND/00143/2017, respectively.
Water is a fragile resource, consequently there is a pressing need to develop sustainable environ... more Water is a fragile resource, consequently there is a pressing need to develop sustainable environmental-friendly disinfection technologies. This constitutes the first study to compare efficacy of continuous low-pressure UV (LPUV) to that of pulsed UV light (PUV) for UV disinfection performance in flow-through water systems. Bacillus endospores were used as these are frequently deployed as biodosimeters for drinking water UV reactor validation protocols. Results showed a PUV system output of 2,052 mJ/cm 2 (energy below 300 nm) was required for a 2 log inactivation of B.pumilus endospores, whereas a lower LPUV system output of 12 mJ/cm 2 produced a similar level of disinfection. Measurements of dose incident to the samples (which were 10.75 cm from the PUV light source) showed supplementation of cultivation media with manganese sulphate monohydrate (MnSO 4 .H 2 O) employed to enhance the rate of endospore formation for propagation was shown to increase the UV resistance of different Bacillus spp. to both irradiation approaches (P < 0.05). Conventional LPUV light that is commonlyused by the drinking water industry is a reliable and superior approach to PUV which requires substantial modification for effective disinfection of continuous flow-through water. Caution must also be exercised when manipulating media formulation to propagate endospores as this may lead to inconsistencies in reporting efficacy of intervention treatments with implications for validation and environmental evaluation.
Fungal pathogens cause significant human morbidity and mortality globally, where there is a prope... more Fungal pathogens cause significant human morbidity and mortality globally, where there is a propensity to infect vulnerable people such as the immunocompromised ones. There is increasing evidence of resistance to antifungal drugs, which has significant implications for cutaneous, invasive and bloodstream infections. The World Health Organization (WHO) published a priority list of fungal pathogens in October 2022, thus, highlighting that a crisis point has been reached where there is a pressing need to address the solutions. This review provides a timely insight into the challenges and implications on the topic of antifungal drug resistance along with discussing the effectiveness of established disease mitigation modalities and approaches. There is also a need to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fungal resistance to inform effective solutions. The established fungal decontamination approaches are effective for medical device processing and sterilization, but the pre...
There is a pressing demand for new sustainable eco-friendly approaches to producing green energy ... more There is a pressing demand for new sustainable eco-friendly approaches to producing green energy worldwide. This study represents the novel production of biodiesel feedstock from the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma lucidum QRS 5120 using state-of-the-art biotechnology tools. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to enhance G. lucidum production in a repeated-batch fermentation strategy. By referring to the broth replacement ratio (BRR) and broth replacement time point (BRTP), RSM that was formulated using a central composite design (CCD) resulted in a significant model for all tested variables, which are exopolysaccharide (EPS), endopolysaccharide (ENS) and biomass, with BRR (%) of 60, 75 and 90, and BRTP (days) of 11, 13 and 15. The model was validated using the optimised conditions, and the results showed 4.21 g/L of EPS (BRR 77.46% and BRTP 12 days), 2.44 g/L of ENS (BRR 60% and BRTP 12.85 days), and 34.32 g/L of biomass (BRR 89.52% and BRTP 10.96 days) were produced. Biomass ...
Mushrooms have been used as traditional medicine for millennia, fungi are the main natural source... more Mushrooms have been used as traditional medicine for millennia, fungi are the main natural source of psychedelic compounds. There is now increasing interest in using fungal active compounds such as psychedelics for alleviating symptoms of mental health disorders including major depressive disorder, anxiety, and addiction. The anxiolytic, antidepressant and anti-addictive effect of these compounds has raised awareness stimulating neuropharmacological investigations. Micro-dosing or acute dosing with psychedelics including Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin may offer patients treatment options which are unmet by current therapeutic options. Studies suggest that either dosing regimen produces a rapid and long-lasting effect on the patient post administration with a good safety profile. Psychedelics can also modulate immune systems including pro-inflammatory cytokines suggesting a potential in the treatment of auto-immune and other chronic pain conditions. This literature r...
β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushr... more β-glucans are complex polysaccharides that are found in several plants and foods, including mushrooms. β-glucans display an array of potentially therapeutic properties.
The purpose of this timely review is to critically appraise and to assess the potential significa... more The purpose of this timely review is to critically appraise and to assess the potential significance of best-published microbial inactivation kinetic data generated by pulsed light (PL). The importance of selecting different inactivation models to describe the PL inactivation kinetics ishighlighted. Current methods for the detection of viable-but-nonculturable (VBNC) organisms post PL-treatments are outlined along with the limitations of these methods within food microbiology. Finally, the importance of further molecular and combinational research to tackle the potential threat posed by VBNC organisms with regard to public health and food safety is presented.
EPA-ReportCover-259-Sep18-v2.indd 1 11/09/2018 15:16 www.epa.ie Nanotechnology is an emerging tec... more EPA-ReportCover-259-Sep18-v2.indd 1 11/09/2018 15:16 www.epa.ie Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has the potential to impact on all aspects of life and the economy and is expected to form the basis of several technological innovations and advances in the 21st century. In this report, a 3-year study was undertaken to (1) develop and implement methods for the detection, characterisation and quantification of silver nanoparticles in water; (2) determine the toxicological properties and environmental fate of silver nanoparticles in the aquatic environment; and (3) develop risk assessment protocols that can be used to evaluate the environmental fate and likely risk from silver nanoparticles in aquatic pathways.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common form of acute severe hypoxemic resp... more Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most common form of acute severe hypoxemic respiratory failure in the critically ill with a hospital mortality of 40%. Alveolar inflammation is one of the hallmarks for this disease. β-Glucans are polysaccharides isolated from a variety of natural sources including mushrooms, with documented immune modulating properties. To investigate the immunomodulatory activity of β-glucans and their potential as a treatment for ARDS, we isolated and measured glucan-rich polysaccharides from seven species of mushrooms. We used three models of in-vitro injury in THP-1 macrophages, Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (CD14+) (PMBCs) isolated from healthy volunteers and lung epithelial cell lines. We observed variance between β-glucan content in extracts isolated from seven mushroom species. The extracts with the highest β-glucan content found was Lentinus edodes which contained 70% w/w and Hypsizygus tessellatus which contained 80% w/w with low levels of α-glucan. The extracts had the ability to induce secretion of up to 4000 pg/mL of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6, and up to 5000 pg/mL and 500 pg/mL of the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-22 and IL-10, respectively, at a concentration of 1 mg/mL in THP-1 macrophages. In the presence of cytokine injury, IL-8 was reduced from 15,000 pg/mL to as low as 10,000 pg/mL in THP-1 macrophages. After insult with LPS, phagocytosis dropped from 70-90% to as low 10% in CD14+ PBMCs. After LPS insult CCL8 relative gene expression was reduced, and IL-10 relative gene expression increased from 50 to 250-fold in THP-1 macrophages. In lung epithelial cells, both A549 and BEAS-2B after IL-1β insult, IL-8 levels dropped from 10,000 pg/mL to as low as 6000 pg/mL. TNF-α levels dropped 10-fold from 100 pg/mL to just below 10 pg/mL. These results demonstrate the therapeutic potential of β-glucans in inflammatory lung conditions. Findings also advance bio-based research that connects green innovation with One Health applications for the betterment of society.
This study demonstrated that atypical virulent filaments of Listeria monocytogenes (rough variant... more This study demonstrated that atypical virulent filaments of Listeria monocytogenes (rough variant type II and designated FR for this study), isolated from clinical specimens or generated during exposure to pulsed-plasma gas discharge in liquids, were shown to be capable of survival when engulfed by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs). Factors shown to significantly influence the maximal respiratory burst response in PMNLs and survival of different internalized cell or filament forms of L. monocytogenes were bacterial strain, culture form, degree of opsonization (with and without the use of 10% serum) and composition of the bacterial growth media used before uptake by PMNLs. Opsonized regular-sized L. monocytogenes cells grown on blood agar (BA) elicited the greatest respiratory burst response and survived best in PMNLs. The filamentous (FR) and multiple cell chain (MCR) rough variants were significantly less susceptible to uptake and survival in PMNLs. Supplementation of tryp...
standard CCR with weekly Cisplatin plus 3D conformal pelvic radiotherapy followed by brachytherap... more standard CCR with weekly Cisplatin plus 3D conformal pelvic radiotherapy followed by brachytherapy (BT)) and group B (received the standard CCR and BT). The primary end point: the assessment of response rate and local control. The secondary end points: assessment of the 2 years overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Results The median age was 54 years old and a range of 44 years old with a performance status (0, 1). The majority of patients had squamous cell carcinoma (88.24% group A vs. 94.12% group B) and most of the patients were FIGO stage IIIC, IVA and IIB (41.18%, 32.35% and 20.59% in group A vs. 32.35%, 17.65% and 17.65% in group B respectively). CT abdomen and pelvis done at time of diagnosis showed pathological enlarged lymph nodes in 64.71% and 58.82% of patients in group A and B respectively. After NAC, 97.06% of the patients achieved partial response with a reduction of tumor volume by 76.07% and only 2.94% had stable disease. Higher partial response in groups A (55.88% in group A vs. 32.35% in group B, p value 0.151) and higher overall response rate (ORR) in group A (79.41% vs.70.59%) while local control was higher in group B (91.18% vs. 97.06%, p value 0.614). The 2 years PFS was 91% in group A and 97.1% in group B and OS of 100% as all the patients remain alive till the end of the 2 years follow up. Conclusion The addition of NAC to the standard CCR achieved a higher partial response rate and ORR with a reasonable local control of the disease. This can facilitate the CCR plane and subsequently the brachytherapy planning parameters in locally advanced cases with no inferiority of the PFS and OS compared to the standard. Disclosures The authors of this abstract do not have any research support and no conflict of interest. 10.1136/ijgc-2020-ESGO.32 Methodology This study was approved by the Institute Research Medical Ethics Committee. The study involved 62 patients vaccinated against HPV, aged 19 to 45 years. The
This constitutes the first study to compare use of electron beam (EB) irradiation and pulsed ligh... more This constitutes the first study to compare use of electron beam (EB) irradiation and pulsed light (PL) for novel sterilisation of infant mik formula retailed in Ireland. The microbiological quality of 60 powdered infant milk formula (PIMF), representative of two leading brands available in Ireland, were analyzed immediately after reconstitution and were shown to exhibit a total aerobic mesophilic count of <10 4 CFU/g (mean 3.3 x10 2 CFU/g) and a Bacillus cereus count of <10 3 CFU/g powder (mean 2.2x10 2 CFU/g). Only 7 of 60 PIMF samples of Irish PIMF were free of Bacillus sp; while the pathogenic bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in any samples. Application of EB irradiation at 10 kGy sterilised the aforementioned PIMF. Pulsed light was not suitable for PIMF sterilisation due to turbidity, but did successfully kill C. sakazakii, L. monocytogenes and test Bacillus species when suspended and treated in saline solution. D10 values [dosag...
Pulsed UV (PUV) technology is accepted commercially for disinfection within the food packaging in... more Pulsed UV (PUV) technology is accepted commercially for disinfection within the food packaging industry, but has yet to be deployed by the water/wastewater sector. This is partly due to a lack of robust, independently validated data for submerged or flow-through treatment applications. This study evaluated the efficacy of PUV for water disinfection under flow-through conditions. Bacterial pathogens of interest in the food and water/ wastewater sector, namely Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua (surrogate for L. monocytogenes) were used to investigate the potential for photoreactivation and/or dark repair post PUV flowthrough disinfection. A continuous-flow low-pressure UV was also analysed under similar experimental conditions. Bacterial inactivation via flow-through PUV was dependant on energy output with E. coli exhibiting greatest sensitivity to PUV treatment (5.3 log 10 inactivation after treatment at 1539 mJ/cm 2-output in UV range < 300 nm); L. innocua exhibited the highest PUV resistance (3.0 log 10 inactivation after treatment at 1539 mJ/cm 2-output in UV range < 300 nm) under similar treatment conditions. Greater photoreactivation occurred at lower PUV outputs for both S. aureus and E. coli after flow-through PUV treatment. Thus exposure of treated bacteria to natural light, immediately post flow-through PUV treatment, should be avoided to minimise photoreactivation. The LPUV demonstrated inactivation of all bacteria below the limit of detection (1 CFU/mL) and inhibited the occurrence of photoreactivation. This study highlights the importance of considering bacterial repair potential and the need for further development of PUV technology for such applications.
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Papers by Neil Rowan