Medicinal potential of antimicrobial peptides from two plants against <i>Bacillus cereus</i> and <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>

Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus are the most important bacteria that cause nosocomial infection and are resistant to antibiotics. Crude proteins from Cassia fistula and Ricinus communis were isolated to study their medicinal potential against Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus. Extraction of the crude proteins from plants was done by phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and Tris NaCl buffer by using the roots and seeds of both plants. Antimicrobial activity was checked against bacterial strains by using agar disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods. Zones of inhibitions were measured. On well diffusion method, PBS buffer protein extract of C. fistula roots showed a maximum zone of inhibition of 25 mm against B. cereus. Tris NaCl buffer extracts of C. fistula roots and seeds showed zones of inhibition of 12mm and 5mm respectively against S. aureus while Ricinus communis roots showed a zone of 12mm against B. cereus. Because the protein of the plants showed good antimicrobial activity, we can use these plants against various diseases caused by Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus

A Prospective Cohort Study (OUTSTRIP-COVID) on Functional and Spirometry Outcomes in COVID-19 ICU Survivors at 3 Months

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant number of critical care admissions secondary to severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. We evaluated the short-, medium-and long-term outcomes of lung function and quality of life in this prospective cohort study and reported the outcomes at 7 weeks and 3 months from discharge from intensive care unit. Methods: A prospective cohort study of ICU survivors with COVID-19 was conducted from August 2020 to May 2021 to evaluate baseline demographic and clinical variables as well as determine lung function, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using spirometry and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) conducted in accordance with American Thoracic Society standards, and SF-36 (Rand), respectively. SF-36 is a generic 36 question standardized health survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics (alpha = 0.05) were used to analyse the data. Results: At baseline, 100 participants were enrolled in the study of whom 76 followed up at 3 months. Majority of the patients were male (83%), Asians (84%) and less than 60 years of age (91%). HRQOL showed significant improvement in all domains of SF-36, except in emotional wellbeing. Spirometry variables also showed significant improvement in all variables over time with greatest improvement in percentage predicted Forced expiratory volume 1 (79% vs 88% p < 0.001). 6MWT showed significant improvement in variables of walk distance, dyspnea, and fatigue with greatest improvement in change in oxygen saturation (3% vs 1.44% p < 0.001). Intubation status did not impact the changes in SF-36, spirometry or 6MWT variables. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that ICU survivors of COVID-19 have significant improvement in their lung function, exercise capacity and HRQOL within 3 months of ICU discharge regardless of intubation status

SGLT-2 inhibitors associated euglycemic and hyperglycemic DKA in a multicentric cohort

Euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis (EuDKA) secondary to Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a rare but increasingly reported phenomenon. Not much is known about the burden of EuDKA in patients on SGLT2i or the associated factors. This retrospective cohort study tries to delineate the differences in factors associated with the development of EuDKA as compared to hyperglycemic DKA. We conducted a multicentre, retrospective study across three tertiary care centers under Weill Cornell affiliated-Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar. The cohort comprised of T2D patients on SGLT2i who developed DKA between January 2015 to December 2020. The differences between the subjects who developed EuDKA or hyperglycaemic DKA (hDKA) were analyzed. A total of 9940 T2D patients were on SGLT2i during 2015–2020, out of which 43 developed DKA (0.43%). 25 developed EuKDA, whereas 18 had hDKA. The point prevalence of EuDKA in our cohort was 58.1%. EuDKA was most common in patients using canagliflozin, followed by empagliflozin and Dapagliflozin (100%, 77%, and 48.3%, respectively). Overall, infection (32.6%) was the most common trigger for DKA, followed by insulin non-compliance (13.7%). Infection was the only risk factor with a significant point estimate between the two groups, being more common in hDKA patients (p-value 0.006, RR 2.53, 95% CI 1.07–5.98). Canagliflozin had the strongest association with the development of EuDKA and was associated with the highest medical intensive care unit (MICU) admission rates (66.6%). In T2D patients on SGLT2i, infection is probably associated with an increased risk of developing EuDKA. The differential role of individual SGLT2i analogs is less clear and will need exploration by more extensive prospective studies.Other Information Published in: Scientific Reports License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0See article on publisher's website: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89752-w</p