Antifungal activity of essential oils extract from Origanum floribundum Munby, Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus ciliatus Desf. against Candida albicans isolated from bovine clinical mastitis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to limit the antibiotic use in mastitis treatment and to find other alternatives. The antifungal activity of the essential oils from Origanum floribundum Munby., Rosmarinus officinalis L. and Thymus ciliatus Desf. is studied in the present work against a Candida albicans reference strain and ten C. albicans isolated strains from bovine clinical mastitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation technique using Clevenger apparatus. Their chromatographic analysis was performed with a Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). Antifungal activities of essential oils were investigated by macrobroth method of dilution in tubes to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC 80%). RESULTS: Analysis of the essential oil showed chemical profile dominated by thymol (50.47 and 62.41%) and P-cymene (24.22 and 15.51%) in the oregano and the thyme respectively, 1, 8-cineol (31.50%) and α-pinene (18.33%) in Rosemary. The three essential oils revealed highly effective anticandidal activity, with an MIC of 80% values ranged from 15.02 to 31.08µg/mL. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that essential oils studied can be real alternatives in the control of mastitis fungi but deserving studies more in-depth and detailed on their application in vivo.

[Peripheral nerve block during ambulatory surgery of varicose veins]. / Anesthésie tronculaire lors de la chirurgie ambulatoire des varices.

This retrospective study of the 46 operations, carried out over a one year period for lower limb varicose veins using peripheral nerve blocks, included 45 patients (35 women and 10 men, mean age 49.3 years), all ASA 1 or 2, except for 4 elderly patients with a varicose ulcer (ASA 2 or 3). In 40 procedures, a sciatic nerve block combined with a "3 in 1" lumbar plexus block at the level of the groin (as described by Winnie) were used. In the remaining six, either a sciatic nerve block (short saphenous vein crossectomy; n = 3), or a "3 in 1" lumbar plexus block alone (short stripping of the long saphenous vein; n = 3) were required. A peripheral nerve stimulator to locate accurately each nerve was used. For each nerve block, the anaesthetic mixture consisted of 20 ml lidocaine 1.5% with 1:200,000 adrenaline, and 10 ml of bupivacaine 0.375% with 1:200,000 adrenaline. Surgery was only performed on one limb at a time, as the required dose of local anaesthetic was too high to safely carry out bilateral nerve blocks. In 71.7% of patients surgery was made on an day-case basis. Of those patients who had to remain in hospital overnight or longer, the peripheral nerve block was never responsible for this. During the same period, nine similar procedures were carried out under general anaesthesia, and two under epidural anaesthesia. They included seven bilateral varicose veins, three patient refusals for peripheral nerve blocks, and one allergy to lidocaine. Already used for some procedures in orthopaedic and casualty surgery, peripheral nerve blocks seem to be well suited for surgery of unilateral varicose veins.