Establishment of seed in vitro conditions of Swietenia macrophylla to obtain aseptic seedlings

The mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla, due to its economic importance, occupies an important place within the regional flora of southern and southeastern Mexico. The objective of this work is to obtain a mahogany seed disinfection protocol for its establishment in vitro. The seeds were left in imbibition for 24 hours, then the seed was washed with running water and soap for 3 minutes. Subsequently, within the laminar flow hood, different treatments were carried out, the control 30 min in captan, treatment 1: 30 min in capture 1.5 min in 70% ethanol and 3 min in 30% chlorine. Treatment 2: 30 min in captan 1.5 in 70% ethanol and 4 min in 30% chlorine. Treatment 3: 30 min in captan, 1.5 min in 70% ethanol and 9 min in 30% sodium hypochlorite. The data were subjected to analysis of variance and comparison test of Tukey means (Tukey, α = 0.05). The variables that were evaluated were germination and contamination in the environment. It was observed that there were no significant differences in seed germination. Regarding contamination, treatment three presented the least contamination.

Differences in Disinfection Protocols of Raw Material Vials Intended for the Production of Parenteral Nutrition Mixtures

BackgroundPreparation of parenteral nutrition (PN) mixtures is performed in a controlled atmosphere area (CAA) under a laminar flow hood. In 2014 and 2015 quality controls have revealed contaminations of PN bags by Bacillus. The different products used to avoid this contamination were Aniosurf premiumMethodsFive protocols have been tested by varying the disinfection step: hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or sodium hypochlorite (immersion or spray), ethanol (non sporicidal) only by immersion. Prewash and aerosolization steps remained unchanged. For each series, a quantity of 30 vials have been prewashed, then disinfected according to the tested protocol, and finally aerosolized. In order to quantify the effectiveness of disinfection 10 vials were sampled using contact plates at every step of treatment.ResultsMicroorganisms were found after ethanol disinfection (n=4) and aerosolization (n=2). No germs were found when hydrogen peroxide or sodium hypochlorite were used. The atmospheric rates of H2O2 were 0.2 ppm by immersion and 0.8 ppm by spray, these values are below the recommended value level (1 ppm).ConclusionsThis study has validated the use and effectiveness of these disinfecting products. Taking into account the efficiency and ease of use for staff, immersion has been preferred to spray and hydrogen peroxide to sodium hypochlorite.

Extended Stability of Oxytocin in Ringer's Lactate Solution at 4° and 25°C

Purpose Since IV admixtures of oxytocin in the final working concentrations are not commercially available, oxytocin admixtures must be prepared immediately before use or compounded in a sterile laminar flow hood and stored until needed. Although published reports indicate short-term stability of oxytocin in Ringer's lactate solution and Ringer's lactate-dextrose 5%, longer-term stability data at various temperatures are lacking. Methods A stability assay was developed, validated, and executed with oxytocin at two different concentrations in Ringer's lactate solution. Stability was assessed at 4 and 25°C over 31 days. Results This study shows that commonly used dilutions of oxytocin in Ringer's lactate solution retain greater than 90% of initial concentrations, when stored at room temperature or refrigerated for 31 days. These data show that oxytocin admixed with Ringer's lactate solution has extended chemical stability after preparation. Conclusions Demonstration of extended stability of oxytocin in Ringer's lactate solution will allow hospitals to give longer dating to oxytocin IV admixtures, provided they are prepared in a sterile environment and monitored in compliance with USP <797> guidelines. This should help minimize the potentially dangerous practice of admixing this IV solution at the bedside.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes on Plastic Kitchen Cutting Boards by Electrolyzed Oxidizing Water

One milliliter of culture containing a five-strain mixture of Escherichia coli O157:H7 (∼1010 CFU) was inoculated on a 100-cm2 area marked on unscarred cutting boards. Following inoculation, the boards were air-dried under a laminar flow hood for 1 h, immersed in 2 liters of electrolyzed oxidizing water or sterile deionized water at 23°C or 35°C for 10 or 20 min; 45°C for 5 or 10 min; or 55°C for 5 min. After each temperature–time combination, the surviving population of the pathogen on cutting boards and in soaking water was determined. Soaking of inoculated cutting boards in electrolyzed oxidizing water reduced E. coli O157:H7 populations by ≥5.0 log CFU/100 cm2 on cutting boards. However, immersion of cutting boards in deionized water decreased the pathogen count only by 1.0 to 1.5 log CFU/100 cm2. Treatment of cutting boards inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes in electrolyzed oxidizing water at selected temperature–time combinations (23°C for 20 min, 35°C for 10 min, and 45°C for 10 min) substantially reduced the populations of L. monocytogenes in comparison to the counts recovered from the boards immersed in deionized water. E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were not detected in electrolyzed oxidizing water after soaking treatment, whereas the pathogens survived in the deionized water used for soaking the cutting boards. This study revealed that immersion of kitchen cutting boards in electrolyzed oxidizing water could be used as an effective method for inactivating foodborne pathogens on smooth, plastic cutting boards.

Effect of Long-term Storage on Sterile Status of Devices in Surgical Packs

We investigated the effect of the following on the sterile integrity of surgical packs: four wrapping materials (two-ply reusable, nonbarrier wovens, both new and previously used; disposable, barrier nonwovens; and polypropylene peel pouches), dustcovers, two storage locations, and storage times ranging from 2 to 50 weeks. Two hundred sixty-three packs containing stainless steel coupons were prepared, wrapped, sterilized, and stored. Half of the packs were dustcovered prior to storage. At monthly intervals for a year, packs of each type were opened in a laminar flow hood, and the coupons inoculated into trypticase soy broth. The coupon contamination probabilities were 0.019 for reusable, woven packs; 0.017 for disposable, nonwoven packs; and 0.016 for peel pouches. These differences were not significant. The probability of finding a contaminated coupon in any pack after 50 weeks was 0.018. No trend toward increased probability of contamination over time was observed for any of the pack types studied.