Scalpel Incision Research Articles

The safety and efficacy of stapler method for transection of the pancreatic parenchyma during pancreatoduodenectomy (STRAP-PD trial): study protocol for a randomized control trial.

Pancreaticoduodenectomy is a highly difficult and invasive type of gastrointestinal surgery. Prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula is important, and this may be possible by the stapler method. STRAP-PD is a single center randomized controlled trial. We compare a method of transecting the pancreatic parenchyma in pancreaticoduodenectomy using a surgical stapler device with a conventional transecting method using energy devices (e.g., scalpel, ultrasonic coagulator and incision devices). Patients with soft pancreas who are scheduled to undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy are randomized to arm A (conventional method) or arm B (stapler method). We aim to examine the safety and usefulness of dissection by the automatic suture device, with attention to the rate of pancreatic fistula ISGPF grade B or C and to postoperative complications. This is a single-center randomized study, which began in September 2023 at Wakayama Medical University Hospital. Pancreatic parenchymal transection is typically performed either by direct incision using a scalpel or by employing energy devices such as ultrasonic coagulating cutting devices during pancreaticoduodenectomy. In a prospective pilot study, we conducted pancreatic parenchymal transection in 20 consecutive normal pancreatic cases during pancreaticoduodenectomy, observing postoperative pancreatic fistula grade B in one case (5%). Traditional methods involving scalpel incision or the use of ultrasonic coagulating cutting devices have been historically favored but perceived as technically challenging, and they have been reliant upon the surgeon's skill. Notably, relatively high incidences of postoperative pancreatic fistula among patients with soft pancreas have also been observed. Our proposed stapler method may therefore be a useful method responsible for reducing the development of pancreatic fistula. This method would be as part of minimally-invasive surgery for pancreaticoduodenectomy. It uses an endoscopic linear stapler to cut the pancreatic parenchyma, so it is likely to be more convenient than conventional methods and can be used universally. TRIALREGISTRATION: University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry,UMIN000052089. the Registration Date on 1st September 2023.

Effects of benidipine, paracetamol, and their combination on postoperative and normal tissue pain thresholds.

Introduction: In clinical practice, inadequate pain inhibition leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Increased intracellular calcium, oxidants, and proinflammatory cytokines are known to play a role in the pathogenesis of postoperative pain. Therefore, we investigated the analgesic effects of benidipine, paracetamol, and benidipine-paracetamol combination (BPC) on postoperative and normal pain thresholds in rats. Material and methods: Sixty-four male albino Wistar rats weighing 285-295g were used. The without-incision rats were divided into 4 subgroups: healthy control, benidipine alone, paracetamol alone, and BPC. The scalpel-incision rats were divided into 4 subgroups: scalpel incision, scalpel incision + benidipine, scalpel incision + paracetamol, and scalpel incision + BPC. Paw pain thresholds of rats were measured using a Basile algesimeter. Biochemical analyses were performed on the paw tissues of 6 rats randomly taken from the experimental groups, each containing 8 rats. Rats were sacrificed immediately after the measurements. After the pain threshold tests were finished, the paw tissues were removed and malondialdehyde (MDA), total glutathione (tGSH), cyclooxygenase (COX), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were measured. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in paw pain threshold and measured biochemical parameters in rats without incision. The decrease in the pain threshold of the incised paw was also best prevented by BPC, followed by benidipine and then paracetamol. Furthermore, increases in scalpel-incised paw tissue MDA, COX-2, and IL-6 levels and the decrease in tGSH were significantly suppressed by benidipine and BPC, while paracetamol could only significantly inhibit the increase in IL-6 production. Conclusion: The combination of the L-type Ca2+ channel blocker benidipine and paracetamol (BPC) may provide potent analgesia. Our experimental results support that BPC may be useful in the treatment of severe pain that cannot be adequately inhibited by paracetamol.

Diathermy versus Scalpel Skin Incision for Open Inguinal Hernia Surgery: An Interventional Study

Introduction: Inguinal hernia is one of the most encountered surgical-related problems worldwide. For years, there has been debate among surgeons about which type of skin incision to use: cutting with electrocautery or the traditional method of a surgical scalpel. Aim: To compare the skin incisions made with electrocautery versus traditional scalpel incisions in terms of incision time, blood loss, postoperative pain, and scar evaluation. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective interventional study was conducted at the Department of General Surgery, Sri Manakula Vinayagar Medical College and Hospital, Puducherry, India, from November 2019 to September 2021. Written informed consent was obtained from 130 consecutive cases scheduled for open inguinal hernia surgery. Patients were alternately assigned to undergo incision with electrocautery (group A) or a conventional steel scalpel (group B), with each group comprising 65 patients. Bilateral hernia cases were treated as separate entities. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 24.0, employing the Student’s t-test and Chi-square test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The age distribution in group A was 49.69±15.74 years and in Group B was 52.81±14.25 years. The time taken for incision in the electrocautery group was much shorter at 12.57±11.55 seconds than in the scalpel group at 20.63±2.99 seconds, with a p-value of <0.001. The average amount of blood loss in group A was 1.02±0.35 mL and in group B was 2.03±0.32 mL, with a significant p-value of <0.001. The postoperative pain, calculated by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), showed a significant difference in the early postoperative period at 6 hours after surgery in Group A at 6.58±0.9 compared to group B at 7.05±1, with a p-value of 0.005. However, no significant difference was noted between the two groups at 12, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. There was no significant difference in scar evaluation between group A and group B at 12 weeks, with a p-value of 0.673 for the patient score and 0.189 for the observer score. Conclusion: Electrocautery can be recommended for hernia skin incision due to its advantage of shorter incision time, minimal blood loss, and less early postoperative pain.

Comparing Surgical Outcomes with Scalpel vs N110A Microneedles in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeries - RCT

Background Incisions on skin with scalpel have been linked to adverse effects such as excessive blood flow inadequate visibility caused by blood in the operating field and use of a large amount of vasoconstrictor to reduce haemorrhage from skin incision. The use of electrocautery scalpel to open skin was questioned in past for fear of delayed wound healing wound dehiscence due to thermal and tissue damage or infection. The newer finer-tipped electrocautery devices like the Colorado microdissection needle CN enable the use of smaller energy amounts thereby reducing peri-incision tissue damage compared to traditional broad-tipped devices.Methodology The current study compared CN vs. traditional scalpel incisions in various intraoral and extraoral surgical procedures. A total of 40 patients were included in this study conducted to understand the efficacy of CN in terms of speed of incision visibility bleeding effect on wound healing and scar assessment.Results The findings suggest that utilizing the CN offers several advantages. Firstly it can potentially reduce blood loss BL thereby lowering the risk of complications. Secondly it may cause minimal tissue damage leading to improved scar outcomes and quicker recovery time. Thirdly it could enhance visibility and precision for the surgeon resulting in superior surgical outcomes. Additionally the speed of incision is higher with CN.Conclusion CN offers significant benefits compared to traditional scalpels in maxillofacial surgeries. Specifically it reduces BL and enhances visibility at the surgical site. Given the critical role of BL and surgical duration in determining surgical outcomes these improvements are noteworthy.

Comparison of Electrocautery and Scalpel Incision in Midline Abdominal Surgery

Background: With the advancement of surgical techniques, the comparison of electrocautery and scalpel incisions in midline abdominal surgeries has become an essential area of study. Traditional scalpel incisions have been known for their precision but carry risks of excessive blood loss and sharp injuries. Electrocautery, offering a potentially safer and more efficient alternative, has been gaining attention in surgical practices. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness, safety, and outcomes of electrocautery versus scalpel incisions in midline abdominal surgeries, with a focus on incision time, blood loss, wound infection, and postoperative pain. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at the Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, over 12 months from June 2021 to June 2022. A total of 150 patients, split evenly into electrocautery and scalpel groups, were evaluated. Patients aged 20-75 years, undergoing midline abdominal surgery, were included. The main parameters measured were incision time, blood loss, wound infection, and postoperative pain. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0, employing independent samples t-tests and chi-square tests. Results: The electrocautery group exhibited a significantly shorter incision time (13.73 ± 2.45 seconds) compared to the scalpel group (18.67 ± 3.02 seconds, p < 0.001). Blood loss was also lower in the electrocautery group (11.47 ± 2.49 ml) than in the scalpel group (27.27 ± 4.13 ml, p < 0.001). Wound infection rates were 6.7% for electrocautery and 13.3% for scalpel, though this was not statistically significant (p = 0.174). Remarkably, 100% of the electrocautery group reported postoperative pain, in contrast to none in the scalpel group (p = 0.000). Conclusion: The study concluded that electrocautery is more effective than scalpel incision in terms of incision time and blood loss, making it a preferable method for midline abdominal surgeries. However, the higher incidence of postoperative pain in the electrocautery group warrants further investigation.

Surgical Time Evaluation of Traditional and Laparoscopic Unilateral Ovariectomy in Jennies

Surgeries are strenuous for the animal patient regardless of the procedure type. This study aimed to compare the surgical time that required to perform a traditional ovariectomy vs a laparoscopic ovariectomy. To achieve this; ten adult Jennies were divided equally into two groups, group A underwent ovarian lift by traditional surgery, while group B got an ovarian lift by laparoscopy. Surgical time evaluated from the scalpel incision till the last suture stitch. The finding showed a significant differences at the level of (P≤0.01) between the two groups, traditional ovariectomy group took from 50 to 70 minutes, while the laparoscopic group took from 120 to 158 minutes. In conclusion the duration of Jenny's laparoscopic ovariectomy operation is greater than that of the traditional ovariectomy surgery, and it gets shorter as additional surgeries are performed.

Needle-tip electrocautery versus steel scalpel incision in neurosurgery: study protocol for a prospective single-centre randomised controlled double-blind trial

IntroductionElectrocautery is used widely in surgical procedures, but making skin incision has routinely been performed with scalpel rather than electrocautery, for fear that electrocautery may cause poor incision healing, excessive...

Surgical Diathermy versus Scalpel Incision in Elective Surgery: A Comparative Study

Background: Ancient scalpels were found in a Bronze age settlement older than 2100 BC in Turkey. Since that time it has been used in surgery. Surgical diathermy was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century. Since inception in 1929 it has been used in surgical practice (Lawrenson and Stephens, 1970). Surgical diathermy is used for tissue dissection, cutting and hemostasis. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to observe the outcome between cutting diathermy and scalpel incision. Methodology: It was a comparative study carried out in the Department of Surgery, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), from February 2017 to January 2018. A total of 64 patients age >18yrs both sex of male and female meet the inclusion criteria undergoing elective surgery at general surgery ward of BSMMU were enrolled as study population. A purposive sampling methods were followed for respondent’s selection. Total patients were divided in to two groups, Group I was diathermy and Group II was scalpel. Results: The mean age in Group I was 48.78±14.54, compared to the mean age in Group II which was 44.28±15.29. Most of the patients were 46-55 age groups. Minimum age of patient was 19 and maximum age was 70 in Group I, minimum age of patient was 22 in and maximum age was 76 in Group II. Male patients were 17(53.1%) and females were 15(46.9%) in Group I, in Group II males were 19(59.4%) and females were 13(40.6%). Mean BMI, in Group I was 21.03±2.45, compared to 20.42±2.90 in group II, statistically was not significant and thereby the two groups remain comparable. Minimum BMI was 16.94 kg/m2 and maximum BMI was 27.59 kg/m2 in Group I. Minimum BMI was 15.23 kg/m2 and maximum BMI was 25.83 kg/m2 in Group II. Mean Hb (gm/dl) was 11.46± 1.00 in group I and 11.51±0.98 in group II. The mean values of pain score of each day that is from day one to day five for Group I were 5.41, 4.78, 3.91, 3.00, 1.94 in comparison to 7.69, 6.88, 6.06, 5.19, 4.09 for Group II. .........

Effect of making skin incision with electrocautery on positive Cutibacterium acnes culture rates in shoulder arthroplasty: a prospective randomized clinical trial

Cutibacterium acnes remains the most commonly detected organism in shoulder arthroplasty. C. acnes infection is thought to occur during shoulder arthroplasty through contamination of the surgical field with C. acnes from the incised dermis. The purpose of this study was to examine whether using electrocautery for making skin incisions would decrease C. acnes culture rates at the incised dermis compared to using scalpels during shoulder arthroplasty. Patients undergoing primary shoulder arthroplasty were randomized into 2 groups, Electrocautery vs. Scalpel incision group. All patients received a standard preoperative antiseptic preparation including chlorhexidine gluconate showers, intravenous antibiotic administration, and topical application of hydrogen peroxide, povidone iodine, isopropyl alcohol, and DuraPrep. Cultures were obtained from the incised dermal edge immediately after skin incision and later from surgeon's gloves and forceps immediately prior to humeral component implantation. The primary outcome was positive C. acnes culture rates compared between the groups. A total of 64 patients (32 in each group) were enrolled. There were 24 males in each group. Regarding dermis cultures, 10 patients (31%) in the Scalpel group were positive with 8 of them positive for C. acnes, whereas no patients in the Electrocautery group were positive (p < 0.001). Regarding glove cultures, the Electrocautery group had 8 patients positive C. acnes, while the Scalpel group had 8 (p = 0.777). Regarding forceps cultures, the Electrocautery group had 4 patients positive for C. acnes, and the Scalpel group had 6 (p = 0.491). All positive cultures were exclusively from male patients. There were no wound complications or infection in the Electrocautery group while the Scalpel group had one acute postoperative infection. Making skin incisions using electrocautery resulted in zero C. acnes culture at the incised dermis, suggesting its potential effect against C. acnes. However, despite this initial antibacterial effect, C. acnes still appeared on surgeon's gloves and forceps during surgery of male patients. All positive cultures were from male patients, suggesting that the source of C. acnes was specifically related to the male body. While the study hypothesis was supported by the results, the present study also raises new questions and calls for further research.

Mean Postoperative Pain in patients with Elective Midline Laparotomies Using Either Scalpel or Diathermy for Incision

Background: During a laparotomy, the midline incision is frequently made with an electrocautery or scalpel. According to studies, there is no difference between these procedures' rates of complications. Aim : To assess the average postoperative pain in patients who underwent elective midline laparotomies at the Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar using either a scalpel or diathermy for incision. Methodology: This was a randomized controlled trial, which included 60 laparotomies patients who were divided into two groups at random. One group of patients had diathermy, whilst the other group underwent scalpel incisions. On the second postoperative day, a follow-up was conducted. Results: In diathermy group we had 63.3% males and 36.7% females while in the scalpel group we had 17 males and 13 females. 40% patients in diathermy group were hypertensive, this ratio was 36.7% in the scalpel group, diabetic patients were 26.7% in diathermy group and 16.7% in scalpel group. Practical implication: Cutting by diathermy is simpler, quicker, and results in less blood loss. Furthermore using diathermy to make an incision is no more likely to result in complications than using a scalpel Conclusion: For an elective laparotomy, skin incision with diathermy provides superior postoperative pain management than a scalpel. Keywords: Diathermy, incision, Laparotomy, woundpain, scalpel

Survival and swimming performance of a small-sized Cypriniformes (&lt;em&gt;Telestes muticellus&lt;/em&gt;) tagged with passive integrated transponders

Italian riffle dace (Telestes muticellus, Bonaparte 1837) is a small-bodied Leuciscidae native to the Italian Peninsula, of which little is known about the ecology and individual movements in nature. Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) telemetry is used to track fish movements and behaviour. The basic assumption is that the PIT-tagged organism's performances do not differ considerably from their natural behaviour. Here we present the first evaluation of potential tagging effects in the genus Telestes. The survival rate and tag retention were compared between two different tag implantation methods – injector gun and scalpel incision - and pit-tagging effects on swimming performance were evaluated. Five weeks after tagging, Italian riffle dace demonstrated high survival rates in all treatments: 94.8% for fish tagged with injector gun (n=58), 100% for scalpel incision method (n=58), and 98.3% for controls (n=58). The tag retention was 96.6% for gun treatment and 100% for scalpel treatment. Prolonged swimming performance, tested 22-23 days after tagging, showed a reduction in endurance (time-to-fatigue) for scalpel treatment (n=22) compared to the control group (n=21), while no difference in maximum swimming velocity was observed. We conclude that PIT tagging is a suitable technique for Italian riffle dace, showing high survival and PIT retention and no effect on maximum swimming speed. Significantly lower prolonged swimming performance, although likely less ecologically important, shows that tagging is not without costs. Potential biases need to be evaluated on a study-by-study basis, and future studies should explore behavioural tagging effects in nature.

Isolation and Culture of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells With an Innovative Xenogeneic-Free Method for Human Therapy.

Considering the increasing impact of stem cell therapy, biosafety concerns have been raised regarding potential contamination or infection transmission due to the introduction of animal-derived products during in vitro manipulation. The xenogeneic components, such as collagenase or fetal bovine serum, commonly used during the cell isolation and expansion steps could be associated with the potential risks of immune reactivity or viral, bacterial, and prion infection in the receiving patients. Following good manufacturing practice guidelines, chemical tissue dissociation should be avoided, while fetal bovine serum (FBS) can be substituted with xenogeneic-free supplements. Moreover, to ensure the safety of cell products, the definition of more reliable and reproducible methods is important. We have developed an innovative, completely xenogeneic-free method for the isolation and in vitro expansion of human adipose-derived stem cells without altering their properties compared to collagenase FBS-cultured standard protocols. Here, human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) were isolated from abdominal adipose tissue. The sample was mechanically minced with scissors/a scalpel, micro-dissected and mechanically dispersed in a 10 cm Petri dish, and prepared with scalpel incisions to facilitate the attachment of the tissue fragments and the migration of hASCs. Following the washing steps, hASCs were selected due to their plastic adherence without enzymatic digestion. The isolated hASCs were cultured with medium supplemented with 5% heparin-free human platelet lysate and detached with an animal-free trypsin substitute. Following good manufacturing practice (GMP) directions on the production of cell products intended for human therapy, no antibiotics were used in any culture media.

Comparison Of Midline Abdominal Surgery Using Scalpel Versus Electrocautery Incision in Rural Indian Population

The scalpel was considered a gold standard for making skin incisions until the inception of diathermy. Nowadays, electrodes used in making diathermy incisions generate a pure sinusoidal current which produces cleavage in the tissue planes without creating damage to surrounding areas, thus leading to minimal burn-related wound complications.4 Hence, this study was carried out to determine whether electrocautery is safe and effective for making skin incisions as compared to a scalpel for midline abdominal surgery. OBJECTIVE: The object of the study was to compare electrocautery incision with scalpel incision in terms of incision time, blood loss, postoperative pain and wound infection. The objective was to determine whether electrocautery is safe and effective for making skin incisions as compared to a scalpel for midline abdominal surgery. Methodology: Patients scheduled for midline abdominal surgeries and willing to participate in the study were randomized into two groups- group A (electrocautery group) and group B (scalpel group). Results: In this study, 52 patients were included and divided into two groups, of which 26 were in group A and 26 were in group B. Intraoperative blood loss and incision time are less while using electrocautery as compared to a scalpel. In terms of postoperative pain and wound complications, there was no discernible variance between the two groups. Conclusion: The use of electrocautery for making skin incisions in midline abdominal surgery was associated with less intraoperative blood loss and less incision time as compared to a scalpel. There was no variance in postoperative pain and wound complications between the two groups. With the above advantages of electrocautery, we conclude that electrocautery is a safe and effective alternative to a scalpel in making skin incisions in midline laparotomy.

Comparison of post-operative outcomes and patient-surgeon satisfaction with a needle-tipped electrocautery incision and a cold scalpel incision in upper eyelid blepharoplasty: Cohort study

Comparison of post-operative outcomes and patient-surgeon satisfaction with a needle-tipped electrocautery incision and a cold scalpel incision in upper eyelid blepharoplasty: Cohort study

Statement of Retraction: Scalpel versus diathermy skin incision in Caesarean section

This article refers to:RETRACTED ARTICLE: Scalpel versus diathermy skin incision in Caesarean section

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF COSMETIC AND PATIENT SATISFACTION OUTCOMES OF DIFFERENT INCISION METHODS

Introduction: Cold steel scalpel has been the supreme choice for skin incisions among surgeons across the globe for long time. Attempts have been made in a search to find ways for achieving hemostasis during surgery. Electrocautery has been the choice for such purpose. Still there are number of surgeons avoiding cautery as it results in devitalization of tissues and delayed wound healing. The present study aims at comparing various per-operative and post-operative parameters of cold steel scalpel and cautery incisions during a surgical procedure. Material &amp; methods: A clinical comparative observational study was carried out at Ajmal Khan Tibbiya College and hospital. A total number of 272 cases were enrolled and randomized into two groups: A and B, receiving scalpel and electrocautery incision respectively. Cases of two groups were assessed for various per-operative and post-operative outcomes of scalpel and diathermy incision. Cosmetic appearance of scar was primary outcome and incision time, incisional blood loss, operation time, post-operative pain, wound complications, patient’s satisfaction level and duration of hospital stay were the secondary outcome measures. Analyses of data were done using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Significant less amount of blood loss was noted in electrocautery group as compared to scalpel group (P&lt;0.05). No statistical considerable difference was noted regarding incision time, operation time, post-operative pain, length of incision, wound complications, scar appearance, patient’s satisfaction level, and duration of hospital stay between the two groups (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: Electrocautery proved a good tool to achieve hemostasis, however, associated with wound complications and delayed wound healing.

Comparative study between scalpel versus electrocautery incisions in abdominal surgeries

Aims: This study is to compare the outcome of diathermy incisions versus steel scalpel incisions in abdominal surgeries with regard to incision time, incision related blood loss, post-operative pain and post-operative wound infection / complication. Materials and methods: This is a prospective randomized comparative clinical study involving 116 patients. 58 patients were randomly assigned to undergo incision either with scalpel or electrocautery. Results were analysed based on the findings. Results: Incision time and incisional blood loss is lesser in electrocautery incisions when compared to scalpel incisions. This is an encouraging fact in view of routine use of electrocautery for taking abdominal incisions after observing all necessary aseptic precautions. There was no significant difference in terms of post-operative pain and wound complications according to the data. Conclusion: Electrosurgical instruments can be used as an alternate safer option for surgical incisions.

First Report of Black Spot Caused by Penicillium citreosulfuratum on Saffron in Chongming Island, China.

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is a world-famous source of dye and spices and an important medicinal plant, which is cultivated on a large scale on Chongming Island (31.62° N, 121.39° E) in Shanghai, China. In August 2020, a survey of saffron was conducted in this area, and black spots were observed on about 10% of plants. Characteristics of the disease were: The bottom of the corm was darkened in the groove and scattered black spots could be observed after peeling off the membranous scale leaves. The junction of lesions and healthy parts was light brown. As the lesions expanded, approximately 80% of the surface of the corm became dark brown to bluish gray. The inside of the corm was also necrotic. In order to isolate the pathogen, ten diseased corms with typical symptoms were selected. All corms were first treated with 75% ethanol for 30 s, 0.1% HgCl2 for 5 min, and then rinsed with sterile water 5 times. Next, tissue pieces (5 mm × 5 mm) at the margin of lesions were cut out and placed on the potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium. After incubating at 28°C for 5 days, fungi were separated and purified by using the hyphal-tip technique. A total of six pure cultures with different colony morphologies were obtained, of which only the isolate MF3 was present in ten diseased corms. The isolate MF3 was inoculated on the PDA and cultured at 28°C for 10 days and characteristics of the fungus colonies were: colonies sub-circular, reaching 28 to 30 mm diam, from above rough, dense, fluffy, blue-gray, with some white spots and central point raised, and outer margin form an irregular, narrow, white ring; from below, yellow with light-green. The hyphae were slender, with many septa. The conidiophores were typically smooth walled, short, and slender and either monoverticillate with very short stipes or as irregularly biverticillate. Phialides were ampulliform, 5 to 10 per metula, 5 to 8 × 2 to 3 µm. Conidia were smooth and globose, and ranged in diameter from 1.4 to 1.7 µm (n=50). Molecular identification of the fungus was made by PCR amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA and β-tubulin gene using primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), TUB2Fd/TUB4Rd (Aveskamp et al. 2009) respectively. The ITS (MW881446) and β-tubulin (MW911464) sequences of the fungus were similar to the ITS (MN592912) and β-tubulin (KY469126) sequences of the epitype of Penicillium citreosulfuratum with 99.81% and 99.56% identity, respectively. According to the morphological and molecular characterization, the isolate MF3 was identified as P. citreosulfuratum (Visagie et al. 2016). For pathogenicity testing, the fungus was grown on PDA and incubated at 28°C for 5 days. Then mycelial plugs (5 mm diam.) were inoculated on the scalpel incision square wounds of surface-disinfected corms and mock-inoculated corms received only PDA plugs. Corms were placed in sterile plastic bottles and observed after culturing at 28°C for 21 days. Each treatment had three replicates and the experiment was repeated twice. The results showed that corms inoculated with P. citreosulfuratum developed diseased with similar symptoms as in the field. No disease symptoms were observed on control corms. Re-isolations were performed from inoculated corms, and all re-isolated fungi were confirmed as P. citreosulfuratum, verifying the fungus as the pathogen based on Koch's postulates. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the pathogen causing black spot disease of saffron. Although the disease is not fatal to saffron, to a certain extent it will cause a reduction in the production of the crop. In addition, this pathogen has not been reported to be pathogentic to other plant species.

Genipin in an Ex Vivo Corneal Model of Bacterial and Fungal Keratitis.

PurposeTo determine whether genipin (a natural crosslinker) could reduce the colonization and proliferation of bacteria and fungi in an ex vivo model of corneal infection.MethodsThis study, using an ex vivo model of bacterial and fungal keratitis, investigated the antimicrobial efficacy of genipin crosslinking. Excised corneoscleral buttons were wounded by scalpel incision and subsequently infected with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or Candida albicans. After inoculation, corneas were treated with genipin for 24 hours at 37°C. Histologic examinations were carried out, and the number of viable colony-forming units (CFU)/cornea was determined.ResultsGenipin exerts bactericidal action against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, as well as fungicidal action against C. albicans and significantly reduced the CFU compared to contralateral eyes that received saline treatment (P < 0.05).ConclusionsThese data identify genipin as a novel ocular antimicrobial agent that has the potential to be incorporated into the therapeutic armamentarium against microbial keratitis.Translational RelevanceThis study provided evidence for the antimicrobial and antifungal properties of genipin as an alternative crosslinker that could be used in the management of infectious keratitis.

LB781 Comparison of surgical incision healing using cold plasma scalpel versus standard steel blade

Infection of surgical sites by skin dwelling bacteria, such as C. acnes and others can have devastating effects. Cold plasma generates an antimicrobial mixture of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) through ionization of atmospheric gases. We investigated whether a cold plasma scalpel device (J-Plasma, Apyx Medical Inc.) could be a viable tool for creating surgical incisions. J-plasma scalpel incisions were compared to incision by 11-blade steel scalpel. To determine the least damaging settings with optimal ROS/RNS generation, variable power and gas flows used to generate plasma were tested in an ex vivo rat model and analyzed using trichrome and H&E stains.