Metallo�β�lactamase�mediated resistance among clinical carbapenem�resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in northern Iran: A potential threat to clinical therapeutics

Objective: Carbapenems are effective agents to treat multidrug�resistant (MDR) strains of bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, there is a potential threat of emergence of carbapenem�resistant P. aeruginosa (CRPA). The aim of this study was to determine antibiotic susceptibility patterns and metallo�beta�lactamase (MBL)�mediated resistance in clinical P. aeruginosa isolates. Materials and Methods: Different clinical specimens were subjected to conventional culture�based identification of P. aeruginosa. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and MBL production were evaluated using the Kirby�Bauer and combined double�disk synergy test methods, respectively. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction was performed to investigate the presence of the blaIMP, blaVIM, blaNDM, blaSPM, and blaSIM genes. Results: A total of 71 clinical P. aeruginosa isolates were recovered, of which 28.17 were identified as CRPA. The most active antibiotics were colistin and polymyxin B (92.96 susceptibility to each). A total of 35 and 50 of CRPA isolates were MDR and extensively drug�resistant (XDR), respectively. MBL activity was shown in 20 of CRPA. A total of 90, 40, and 5 of CRPA isolates harbored the blaIMP, blaVIM, and blaNDM genes, respectively. No correlation was found between the MBL�encoding genes of P. aeruginosa and patient characteristics. Conclusion: Although the prevalence of CRPA in our therapeutic centers was relatively low, this rate of carbapenem resistance reflects a threat limiting treatment choices. A high prevalence of MDR/XDR phenotypes among the MBL�producer isolates suggests the need for continuous assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility and surveillance of antibiotic prescription. In addition, infection control measures are needed to prevent further dissemination of these organisms. © 2018 Tzu Chi Medical Journal | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow

Numerical study of heat source/sink effects on dissipative magnetic nanofluid flow from a non-linear inclined stretching/shrinking sheet

This paper numerically investigates radiative magnetohydrodynamic mixed convection boundary layer flow of nanofluids over a nonlinear inclined stretching/shrinking sheet in the presence of heat source/sink and viscous dissipation. The Rosseland approximation is adopted for thermal radiation effects and the Maxwell-Garnetts and Brinkman models are used for the effective thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of the nanofluids respectively. The governing coupled nonlinear momentum and thermal boundary layer equations are rendered into a system of ordinary differential equations via local similarity transformations with appropriate boundary conditions. The non-dimensional, nonlinear, well-posed boundary value problem is then solved with the Keller box implicit finite difference scheme. The emerging thermo-physical dimensionless parameters governing the flow are the magnetic field parameter, volume fraction parameter, power-law stretching parameter, Richardson number, suction/injection parameter, Eckert number and heat source/sink parameter. A detailed study of the influence of these parameters on velocity and temperature distributions is conducted. Additionally the evolution of skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number values with selected parameters is presented. Verification of numerical solutions is achieved via benchmarking with some limiting cases documented in previously reported results, and generally very good correlation is demonstrated. This investigation is relevant to fabrication of magnetic nanomaterials and high temperature treatment of magnetic nano-polymers

Radiative and magnetohydrodynamics flow of third grade viscoelastic fluid past an isothermal inverted cone in the presence of heat generation/absorption

A mathematical analysis is presented to investigate the nonlinear, isothermal, steady-state, free convection boundary layer flow of an incompressible third grade viscoelastic fluid past an isothermal inverted cone in the presence of magnetohydrodynamic, thermal radiation and heat generation/absorption. The transformed conservation equations for linear momentum, heat and mass are solved numerically subject to the realistic boundary conditions using the second-order accurate implicit finite-difference Keller Box Method. The numerical code is validated with previous studies. Detailed interpretation of the computations is included. The present simulations are of interest in chemical engineering systems and solvent and low-density polymer materials processing

Magneto-hydrodynamic flow and heat transfer of a hybrid nanofluid in a rotating system among two surfaces in the presence of thermal radiation and Joule heating

In this paper, the researchers explore heat transfer and magneto-hydrodynamic flow of hybrid nanofluid in a rotating system among two surfaces. The upper and lower plates of the system are assumed penetrable and stretchable, respectively. The thermal radiation and Joule heating impacts are considered. A similarity technic is applied to alter governing energy and momentum equations into non-linear ordinary differential ones that contain the convenient boundary conditions and used the Duan-Rach Approach (DRA) to solve them. Influences of assorted parameters including rotation parameter, suction/blowing parameter, radiation parameter, Reynolds number, hybrid nanofluid volume fraction, and magnetic parameter on temperature and velocity profiles are examined. Also, a correlation for the Nusselt number has been developed in terms of the acting parameters of the present study. The outcomes indicate that Nusselt number acts as an ascending function of injection and radiation parameters, as well as volume fraction of nanofluid

Free convection of copper-water nanofluid in a porous gap between hot rectangular cylinder and cold circular cylinder under the effect of inclined magnetic field

Natural convection heat transfer of copper–water nanofluid in a porous gap between hot internal rectangular cylinder and cold external circular cylinder under the effect of inclined uniform magnetic field has been investigated. Domain of interest is a porous sector, where horizontal and vertical adiabatic borders are the external circular cylinder radii. Governing equations formulated in dimensionless stream function, vorticity and temperature variables using the Brinkman-extended Darcy model for the porous medium, single-phase nanofluid model with Brinkman correlation for the nanofluid viscosity and Hamilton and Crosser model for the nanofluid thermal conductivity have been solved numerically by the control volume finite element method. Effects of the Rayleigh number, Hartmann number, Darcy number, magnetic field inclination angle, nanoparticles volume fraction, nanoparticles shape factor, nanoparticles material, nanofluid thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity models and nanofluid electrical conductivity correlation on streamlines, isotherms, local and average Nusselt numbers have been studied. Obtained results have shown the heat transfer enhancement with the Rayleigh number, Darcy number, nanoparticles volume fraction and nanoparticles shape factor, while the heat transfer rate reduces with the Hartmann number and magnetic field inclination angle. At the same time, the average Nusselt number increases at about 16% when nanoparticles volume fraction rises from 0 till 4% for Ra = 105 , Ha = 25, while for Ha = 0 one can find the heat transfer rate augmentation at about 9% for the same conditions. In the case of different nanofluid thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity models, it has been found that KKL model reflects the heat transfer rate reduction with nanoparticles volume fraction, while for the Hamilton–Crosser–Brinkman model, the heat transfer rate increases. Comparison between the Maxwell correlation for the nanofluid electrical conductivity and the base fluid electrical conductivity illustrates an intensification of the convective heat transfer rate for high values of the Rayleigh number (Ra C 104) in the case of Maxwell correlation for the nanofluid electrical conductivity. At the same time, the effect of the nanoparticles volume fraction becomes more significant when nanofluid electrical conductivity is a function of nanoparticles volume fraction