Travel, Literature, Spirit: A Personal Meditation

Reading for Pleasure (Essay Review

Epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in culture-positive hospitalized patients in selected hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan

Objective: To study the prevelence of antibiotic resistance and the prevalent bacterial isolates in hospitalized patients in Khartoum hospitals. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional prevalence study was carried out during the period of April–November 2015 in Khartoum; 226 bacterial cultures were included. Identification of isolates using standard biochemical tests and antibiotic susceptibilities were determined using disc diffusion method. Results were interpreted according to the standards of the British society of antimicrobial chemotherapy. Results: Eight bacterial species were isolated: Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas spp., Escherichia coli, Proteus spp., and Acinetobacter spp. S. aureus was the most prevalent, the majority of which were resistant to methicillin/oxacillin (MRSA). Cultures in our study were mainly from urine (36.7%), blood samples (37.2%), and wound cultures (19%). More than 90% of the tested isolates were resistant to cefuroxime; 54% and 73.8% of Gram-positive and Gram-negative isolates, respectively, were resistant to ceftazidime. Furthermore, there was a high meropenem resistance among Gram-negative isolates tested. Multi-resistant Acinetobacter spp. as well as vancomycin-resistant S. aureus was isolated. Gram-negative isolates showed good susceptibilities to aminoglycosides as well as ciprofloxacin. However, the high resistance rate to these antibiotics was observed in Gram-positive isolates in these hospitals. Conclusion: Methicillin-resistant S. aureus was the most prevalent organism. Gramnegative isolates showed good susceptibilities to aminoglycosides and ciprofloxacin. There were high resistance rates to cefuroxime, ceftazidime, and meropenem. Five vancomycin-resistant S. aureus were identified

David Malouf at Eighty

An appreciation of David Malouf and his work, presented at the David Malouf Symposium, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, on 31 May 2013

The Expense of Spirit in Postmodern Times: Between Nihilism and Belief

William Blake's wife used to complain that she saw little of Mr. Blake's company because he was always in Paradise. No doubt, he was among Spiritual Causes. But this is not a current complaint - indeed, many nowadays would find the complaint quaint, if not downright silly. Why is that? The question engages the plight, the expense, of spirit in postmodern times. But how give that informing question direction and shape? The essay proceeds in four stages as its argument threads between two epigraphs, the space between nihilism and belief, narrower than a needle's eye. It first recalls briefly the history of spirit in an earlier age; then it seeks to give spirit pragmatic definition in our own; next, it considers (in two sections) the forms, uses, trials of spirit at present; after which, it confronts the issue of nihilism, that icy absence of belief which sometimes masks faith. I conclude by facing not faith but its exorbitant demands, its death grip, its dying grip, on our lives

Queries for postcolonial studies

Queries for postcolonial studie

Heavy Metals Pollution and Trend in the River Nile System

Due to large amount of sewage of increased population, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture, rapid development of chemical and petrochemical industries and mining activities around the River Nile and its tributaries White Nile and Blue Nile, chemical water quality of those Niles are expected to be deteriorated. River Nile and its tributaries are among the main Khartoum state drinking water supply resources. The main aim of this study is to assess the concentration of heavy metals (in terms of lead Pb, cadmium Cd and chromium Cr) in the River Nile, White Nile and Blue Nile and compare the results of water analysis with the WHO guideline values. And then investigate the trend of heavy metals (in terms of lead and cadmium) in the White and Blue Niles. Three composites samples were collected from River Nile, White Nile and Blue Nile and examined using ICP by applying SOP- CIL-SP-02 test method to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals. Also a comparison study with previously obtained results was carried out. Heavy metals concentration in the River Nile, White Nile and Blue Nile in terms of cadmium, and chromium were found to be within the level according to WHO guidelines for drinking water, but for lead it was in the marginal level. However when comparing the concentrations obtained in this study with those in two previous studies, it was revealed that there is a regular built up of heavy metals concentration in the River Nile tributaries; White Nile and Blue Nile.

Poultry and Beef Meat as Potential Seedbeds for Antimicrobial Resistant Enterotoxigenic Bacillus Species: A Materializing Epidemiological and Potential Severe Health Hazard

Although Bacillus cereus is of particular concern in food safety and public health, the role of other Bacillus species was overlooked. Therefore, we investigated the presence of eight enterotoxigenic genes, a hemolytic gene and phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles of Bacillusspecies in retail meat samples. From 255 samples, 124 Bacillus isolates were recovered, 27 belonged to B. cereusand 97 were non-B. cereus species. Interestingly, the non-B. cereus isolates carried the virulence genes and exhibited phenotypic virulence characteristics as the B. cereus. However, correlation matrix analysis revealed the B. cereus group positively correlates with the presence of the genes hblA, hblC, and plc, and the detection of hemolysis (p \u3c 0.05), while the other Bacillus sp. groups are negatively correlated. Tests for antimicrobial resistance against ten antibiotics revealed extensive drug and multi-drug resistant isolates. Statistical analyses didn’t support a correlation of antibiotic resistance to tested virulence factors suggesting independence of these phenotypic markers and virulence genes. Of special interest was the isolation of Paenibacillus alvei and Geobacillus stearothermophilus from the imported meat samples being the first recorded. The isolation of non-B. cereus species carrying enterotoxigenic genes in meat within Egypt, suggests their impact on food safety and public health and should therefore not be minimised, posing an area that requires further research