Foam rolling during a simulated half-time attenuates subsequent soccer-specific performance decrements.

The passive nature of the half-time period with soccer/football can result in second-half performance decrements. As foam rolling (FR) can increase range of motion, neuromuscular efficiency, and enhance arterial function, the inclusion of FR during half-time may attenuate performance decrements. The objective of this acute study was to compare FR versus passive recovery during a simulated half-time period on simulated second-half soccer pass, sprint performance as well as quality of recovery. Thirteen male soccer players simulated a soccer match by performing two bouts of 15 × 20 m sprints with 30-s rest intervals. The bouts were separated by 10-min with either a passive recovery or they performed five FR exercises on both legs for 45-s each with 15-s rest. Tests were conducted before and following the simulated half-time period and consisted of Total Quality of Recovery (TQR), Loughborough Soccer Pass Test (LSPT), blood lactate (LAC), and sprint velocity of the simulated soccer match. Heart rates (HR) were recorded at the end of each test session and each sprint. Results showed no significant changes between conditions for TQR, LSPT, LAC and HR. However, while all sprint speed measures (mean, best of 15 sprints and mean of the first 5 sprints) significantly decreased with the passive condition, no decrement was noted with all sprint measures with the FR condition; there was only a significant (p = 0.001; d = 0.63) 2.1% decrease with the mean of the first 5 sprints. In conclusion, there is some evidence that FR may be beneficial to attenuate sprint speed impairments.

Effectiveness of the ozone application in two-visit indirect pulp therapy of permanent molars with deep carious lesion: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this randomized, three-arm parallel, single-blinded clinical trial was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological effectiveness of the ozone application in two-visit indirect pulp therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred five lower first molar teeth with deep caries lesion were included and randomly assigned three groups to apply the two-visit indirect pulp therapy. Treatment procedure was applied without any disinfectant (control), with 60-s 2% chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX) or 60-s ozone application. In four different stages (after initial excavation, ozone/CHX application before the temporary restoration, 4 months later immediately after removing temporary restoration, and final excavation), dentin humidity, consistency, and color properties were recorded to evaluate the clinical characteristics of the tissue, and standard dentin samples were collected for the microbiological analysis of mutans streptococci, lactobacilli, and the total number of colony-forming units. The data were analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U test for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: The remaining dentin became harder, drier, and darker after 4 months in all groups. However, CHX and ozone application were statistically better than the control group (p < 0.05). There was a gradual decrease in the total number of microorganisms in all groups. While cavity disinfectant applications were improved the antibacterial efficacy (control, 79.11%; CHX, 98.39%; ozone, 93.33%), CHX application exhibited a greater significant reduction than both groups (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: The two-visit indirect pulp therapy yielded successful results for all study groups. However, CHX would be conveniently preferable due to improving the treatment success. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The two-visit indirect pulp therapy applied with cavity disinfectant is a proper alternative treatment procedure in deep carious lesions, instead of conventional technique.

In vitro anti-Trichomonas vaginalis activity of Haplophyllum myrtifolium.

INTRODUCTION: In the classic treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis infection, although metronidazole has been used since the 1960s, there has been an increase in MTZ-resistant T. vaginalis strains and failure in the treatment of trichomoniasis causes serious concerns. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the in vitro antitrichomonal activities of extracts (ethanol and total alkaloid) and pure compounds (chrysosplenetin, dictamnine, gamma-Fagarine, skimmianine) of H. myrtifolium against T. vaginalis. METHODOLOGY: H. myrtifolium was collected from the town of Honaz in Denizli, located in the Aegean region of Turkey, and preparation of extracts and isolation and structure elucidation of pure compounds were performed. Later, different concentrations of extracts and pure compounds were incubated with T. vaginalis trophozoites isolated from Turkey, which are known to be sensitive to metronidazole. RESULTS: It was found that ethanol extract caused a more effective lysis on T. vaginalis trophozoites compared with total alkaloid extract (P < 0.05). No compounds except for furoquinoline alkaloid skimmianine prepared above 37.5 µg/mL were found to have any inhibitory effect on T. vaginalis trophozoites. CONCLUSION: The ethanol extract of H. myrtifolium and skimmianine can be considered as potential candidates for antitrichomonal drug development.

Mortality indicators in pneumococcal meningitis: therapeutic implications.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to delineate mortality indicators in pneumococcal meningitis with special emphasis on therapeutic implications. METHODS: This retrospective, multicenter cohort study involved a 15-year period (1998-2012). Culture-positive cases (n=306) were included solely from 38 centers. RESULTS: Fifty-eight patients received ceftriaxone plus vancomycin empirically. The rest were given a third-generation cephalosporin alone. Overall, 246 (79.1%) isolates were found to be penicillin-susceptible, 38 (12.2%) strains were penicillin-resistant, and 22 (7.1%) were oxacillin-resistant (without further minimum inhibitory concentration testing for penicillin). Being a critical case (odds ratio (OR) 7.089, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.230-15.557) and age over 50 years (OR 3.908, 95% CI 1.820-8.390) were independent predictors of mortality, while infection with a penicillin-susceptible isolate (OR 0.441, 95% CI 0.195-0.996) was found to be protective. Empirical vancomycin use did not provide significant benefit (OR 2.159, 95% CI 0.949-4.912). CONCLUSIONS: Ceftriaxone alone is not adequate in the management of pneumococcal meningitis due to penicillin-resistant pneumococci, which is a major concern worldwide. Although vancomycin showed a trend towards improving the prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis, significant correlation in statistical terms could not be established in this study. Thus, further studies are needed for the optimization of pneumococcal meningitis treatment.

Ozone therapy as an adjunct to vancomycin enhances bacterial elimination in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediastinitis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate the influence of intraperitoneal ozone therapy on bacterial elimination and mediastinal inflammation in experimental Staphylococcus aureus mediastinitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty Wistar-Albino rats were randomized into five groups (eight per group) as follows: uncontaminated group, untreated contaminated group, ozone group, vancomycin group, and vancomycin + ozone group. Uncontaminated group underwent upper median sternotomy. The remaining four groups were inoculated with 0.5 mL 10(8) colony-forming units/mL methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the mediastinal and sternal layers. Untreated contaminated group had no treatment. Rats in the vancomycin group received intramuscular vancomycin (40 mg/kg/d), and ozone was administered intraperitoneally (70 µg/mL, 1 mg/kg/d) in the ozone group for the treatment of mediastinitis. Vancomycin + ozone group rats were treated by the combination of both methods. At the end of 10 d, quantitative bacterial cultures and sternal tissue samples were obtained for determination of bacterial counts and histologic degree of inflammation. RESULTS: Both the vancomycin and the ozone treatments caused significant reduction of bacterial counts in quantitative bacterial cultures. Combination of vancomycin and ozone treatments resulted in further reduction of bacterial counts in mediastinum and sternum. Histologic examination of tissue samples revealed significant reduction in severity of mediastinitis related inflammation in vancomycin and vancomycin + ozone groups compared with untreated contaminated group. CONCLUSIONS: Ozone therapy as an adjunct to vancomycin leads to enhanced bacterial elimination in infected sternal and mediastinal tissues in experimental methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediastinitis. The benefit of adjuvant ozone therapy is suggested to be related to its bactericidal effect.

Preventive effect of probiotics and α-tocopherol on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats.

The protective effect of a probiotic mixture of 13 different bacteria and α-tocopherol on 98% ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury was evaluated. Levels of gastric mucosal pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, malondialdehyde, and secretory immunglobulin A were measured. Rats were allocated into four groups: control, ethanol, probiotic, and α-tocopherol. The control and ethanol groups received skim milk for 14 days. Probiotic and α-tocopherol groups were administered probiotic mixture suspended in skim milk and 100 mg/kg α-tocopherol, respectively, by daily gavage for 14 days. On Day 15, gastric lesions were induced by administration of ethanol 98% (1 mL) to all rats except those in the control group. Probiotic, but not α-tocopherol, seemed to inhibit ethanol-induced gastric mucosal tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, and interleukin-2 production (P > .05). Ethanol caused the elevation of mucosal interleukin-4 level (compared to the control, P < .05). Probiotic pretreatment significantly suppressed the ethanol-induced increase of gastric mucosal interleukin-4 levels. Pretreatment with either probiotic or α-tocopherol inhibited the ethanol-induced increase of mucosal malondialdehyde concentration (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively). Probiotic pretreatment enhanced the gastric mucosal secretory immunoglobulin A concentration (P < .001). In conclusion, probiotic mixture and α-tocopherol reduced ethanol-induced gastric mucosal lipid peroxidation, suggesting that they may be beneficial for gastric lesions induced by lower ethanol concentration.

Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of some essential oils.

In this study the composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oils obtained from Origanum onites, Mentha piperita, Juniperus exalsa, Chrysanthemum indicum, Lavandula hybrida, Rosa damascena, Echinophora tenuifolia, Foeniculum vulgare were examined. To evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activities of these eight aromatic extracts; their in vitro antimicrobial activities were determined by disk diffusion testing, according to the NCCLS criteria. Escherichia coli (ATTC 25922), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATTC 27853 were used as standard test bacterial strains. Origanum onites recorded antimicrobial activity against all test bacteria, and was strongest against Staphylococcus aureus. For Rosa damascena, Mentha piperita and Lavandula hybrida antimicrobial activity was recorded only to Staphylococcus aureus. Juniperus exalsa, and Chrysanthemum indicum exhibited antibacterial activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. We also examined the in vitro antimicrobial activities of some components of the essential oils and found some components with antimicrobial activity.