Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Perception among the Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Qassim, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Hand hygiene is among the most important factors of infection control in healthcare settings. Healthcare workers are the primary source of hospital-acquired infection. We assessed the current state of hand hygiene knowledge, perception, and practice among the healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, we used the hand hygiene knowledge and perception questionnaire developed by the World Health Organization. Knowledge and perceptions were classified into good (80–100%), moderate (60–79%), and poor (<60% score). The majority of the healthcare workers had moderate knowledge (57.8%) and perception (73.4%) of hand hygiene. Males were less likely to have moderate/good knowledge compared to females (OR: 0.52, p < 0.05). Private healthcare workers were less likely (OR: 0.33, p < 0.01) to have moderate/good perceptions compared to the government healthcare workers. Healthcare workers who received training on hand hygiene were more likely to have good/moderate perception (OR: 3.2, p < 0.05) and to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs (OR: 3.8, p < 0.05) than the ones without such training. Physicians are more likely (OR: 4.9, p < 0.05) to routinely use alcohol-based hand rubs than technicians. Our research highlighted gaps in hand hygiene knowledge, perception and practice among healthcare workers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia and the importance of training in this regard

Prevalence and associated factors of respiratory allergies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional investigation, September–December 2020

Background: Prevalence of different respiratory allergies is increasing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Environmental risk factors of respiratory allergy vary regionally, hence the prevalence. This necessitates the needs for regional studies. This article reports prevalence and symptoms of respiratory allergies in the Qassim region, and the factors associated with the prevalence. Methods: Eight hundred and fifty individuals aged ≥18 years and were living in the Qassim region filled up our structured online questionnaire between September and December 2020. We estimated the prevalence of different respiratory allergies with 95% confidence intervals. Multi-variable logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the risk factors of respiratory allergies. Findings: The prevalence of any respiratory allergy in the Qassim region was 28.8%. Most families (58.1%) had at least one member with respiratory allergy. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma were 13.5% and 11.2% 4.1% respectively. The reported symptoms included runny nose (13.6%), red, watery, and itchy eyes (10.4%), difficulty sleeping at night (10.2%), difficulty breathing in cold weather (9.2%), noisy breathing (8.5%), sneezing (8%), repeated coughing (7.5%) and shortness of breath (6.4%). Individuals with a family history were more likely to report any respiratory allergy (OR: 7.8), bronchial asthma (OR: 4.2) and allergic rhinitis (OR: 8.1) compared to the individuals without such family history. Odds of respiratory allergies was higher among males (OR: 1.5). Saudi nationals were less likely to report allergic rhinitis than the non-Saudis (OR: 0.4). Among those who reported a respiratory allergy, most (73.5%) received treatment and majority (61.7%) demonstrated compliance to the treatment, 8.8% needed hospitalization, and 23.1% needed emergency nebulization. Conclusions: Prevalence reported in our study is different than that reported in other regions. Variability in the environmental exposures might explain this. We recommend a meta-analysis to estimate the national prevalence of respiratory allergies

Impact of single amino acid substitutions in Parkinsonism-associated deglycase-PARK7 and their association with Parkinson’s disease

Parkinsonism-associated deglycase-PARK7/DJ-1 (PARK7) is a multifunctional protein having significant roles in inflammatory and immune disorders and cell protection against oxidative stress. Mutations in PARK7 may result in the onset and progression of a few neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. This study has analyzed the non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) resulting in single amino acid substitutions in PARK7 to explore its diseasecausing variants and their structural dysfunctions. Initially, we retrieved the mutational dataset of PARK7 from the Ensembl database and performed detailed analyses using sequence-based and structure-based approaches. The pathogenicity of the PARK7 was then performed to distinguish the destabilizing/deleterious variants. Aggregation propensity, noncovalent interactions, packing density, and solvent accessible surface area analyses were carried out on the selected pathogenic mutations. The SODA study suggested that mutations in PARK7 result in aggregation, inducing disordered helix and altering the strand propensity. The effect of mutations alters the number of hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions in PARK7, as calculated from the Arpeggio server. The study indicated that the alteration in the hydrophobic contacts and frustration of the protein could alter the stability of the missense variants of the PARK7, which might result in disease progression. This study provides a detailed understanding of the destabilizing effects of single amino acid substitutions in PARK7

Mucormycosis co-infection in COVID-19 patients: An update

Mucormycosis (MCM) is a rare fungal disorder that has recently been increased in parallel with novel COVID-19 infection. MCM with COVID-19 is extremely lethal, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. The collection of available scientific information helps in the management of this co-infection, but still, the main question on COVID-19, whether it is occasional, participatory, concurrent, or coincidental needs to be addressed. Several case reports of these co-infections have been explained as causal associations, but the direct contribution in immunocompromised individuals remains to be explored completely. This review aims to provide an update that serves as a guide for the diagnosis and treatment of MCM patients’ co-infection with COVID-19. The initial report has suggested that COVID-19 patients might be susceptible to developing invasive fungal infections by different species, including MCM as a co-infection. In spite of this, co-infection has been explored only in severe cases with common triangles: diabetes, diabetes ketoacidosis, and corticosteroids. Pathogenic mechanisms in the aggressiveness of MCM infection involves the reduction of phagocytic activity, attainable quantities of ferritin attributed with transferrin in diabetic ketoacidosis, and fungal heme oxygenase, which enhances iron absorption for its metabolism. Therefore, severe COVID-19 cases are associated with increased risk factors of invasive fungal co-infections. In addition, COVID-19 infection leads to reduction in cluster of differentiation, especially CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, which may be highly implicated in fungal co-infections. Thus, the progress in MCM management is dependent on a different strategy, including reduction or stopping of implicit predisposing factors, early intake of active antifungal drugs at appropriate doses, and complete elimination via surgical debridement of infected tissues

Mechanistic and temporal characterisation of alkyladenine DNA glycosylase-mediated cell death.

DNA damage results from exposure to endogenous and environmental genotoxic agents such as alkylating agents. Base excision repair (BER) is a DNA repair process initiated by DNA glycosylases acting on DNA base damage. An example of such DNA glycosylases acting on alkylation base damage is the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG). AAG activity on alkylated DNA bases initiates BER and generates abasic sites (AP sites), which are further processed to form single strand breaks (SSBs). If left unrepaired, these BER intermediates are very toxic to the cell. Since BER is a multistep repair process, any imbalance in the pathway can lead to accumulation of these toxic intermediates and potentially trigger cell death via a mechanism postulated to involve hyperactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). PARP uses energy in the form of NAD+ for the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymers and therefore PARP hyperactivation may result in bioenergetics failure. This study characterised the BER pathway initiated by AAG and analysed cellular response to alkylation by using AAG proficient and deficient cells. The temporal changes in BER intermediate incidence were characterised. In addition, PAR synthesis and cellular levels of NAD+ and ATP as well as cell death were measured and the temporal changes were characterised. Moreover, the effects of alkylation treatment on cell cycle progression were investigated. The results show that the kinetics and magnitude of BER intermediate formation is similar in AAG proficient versus AAG deficient cells. Meanwhile, there were clear differences between these two genotypes in terms of PAR synthesis, bioenergetics, cell viability and cell cycle. This study shows that the processing of alkylated bases and formation of BER intermediates is rapid and concomitant with an increase in PAR synthesis. Importantly, this increase in PAR synthesis is only observed in AAG proficient cells suggesting that AAG activity is necessary for PAR polymer formation after SSB induction

Mechanistic and temporal characterisation of alkyladenine DNA glycosylase-mediated cell death.

DNA damage results from exposure to endogenous and environmental genotoxic agents such as alkylating agents. Base excision repair (BER) is a DNA repair process initiated by DNA glycosylases acting on DNA base damage. An example of such DNA glycosylases acting on alkylation base damage is the alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG). AAG activity on alkylated DNA bases initiates BER and generates abasic sites (AP sites), which are further processed to form single strand breaks (SSBs). If left unrepaired, these BER intermediates are very toxic to the cell. Since BER is a multistep repair process, any imbalance in the pathway can lead to accumulation of these toxic intermediates and potentially trigger cell death via a mechanism postulated to involve hyperactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP). PARP uses energy in the form of NAD+ for the synthesis of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) polymers and therefore PARP hyperactivation may result in bioenergetics failure. This study characterised the BER pathway initiated by AAG and analysed cellular response to alkylation by using AAG proficient and deficient cells. The temporal changes in BER intermediate incidence were characterised. In addition, PAR synthesis and cellular levels of NAD+ and ATP as well as cell death were measured and the temporal changes were characterised. Moreover, the effects of alkylation treatment on cell cycle progression were investigated. The results show that the kinetics and magnitude of BER intermediate formation is similar in AAG proficient versus AAG deficient cells. Meanwhile, there were clear differences between these two genotypes in terms of PAR synthesis, bioenergetics, cell viability and cell cycle. This study shows that the processing of alkylated bases and formation of BER intermediates is rapid and concomitant with an increase in PAR synthesis. Importantly, this increase in PAR synthesis is only observed in AAG proficient cells suggesting that AAG activity is necessary for PAR polymer formation after SSB induction

Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles by <i>Nitrosalsola vermiculata</i> to Promote Skin Wound Healing

Eco-friendly synthesis of silver nanoparticles (SN) by using a naturally occurring plant, such as Nitrosalsola (Salsola) vermiculata (SV), could be a novel way for appropriate wound healing. AgNO3 was reduced by SV to produce safe SN (SN-SV) extract and hasten the wound healing process. The obtained SN-SV were characterized by size, charge, wavelength, and surface morphology. The optimized formulation was dispersed in O/W cosmetic cream. Then, it was characterized in terms of pH, viscosity, homogeneity, and permeability. The ex vivo and in vivo studies have been conducted in a rat animal model to assess the potential of SN-SV cream on skin tissue regeneration. A skin punch biopsy was obtained to investigate the histopathological (HP) changes in the skin lesions of all rats by the H&E staining and PCNA immunostaining methods. The skin wounds in all subgroups were examined on days 5, 11, and 15 to analyze the effectiveness of SN-SV cream for treating surgical skin wounds. The prepared SN-SV had a particle size of 37.32 ± 1.686 nm, a charge of −1.4 ± 0.7 mV, non-aggregated SN-SV, and a λmax of 396.46 nm. The formed SN-SV cream showed a pH near the skin’s pH, with suitable viscosity and homogeneity and an apparent permeability of 0.009 ± 0.001. The HP changes in the SN-SV subgroups revealed a substantial reduction in wound size and improvement in wound granulation tissue formation and epidermal re-epithelialization (proliferation) compared to the healing in the SN subgroups. The current work revealed that SN-SV could be a novel skin-wound-healing agent with a practical application as a wound-healing platform

In Vivo and In Vitro Biological Evaluation and Molecular Docking Studies of Compounds Isolated from Micromeria biflora (Buch. Ham. ex D.Don) Benth

Micromeria biflora, a traditional medicinal plant, is extensively used for treating various painful conditions, such as nose bleeds, wounds, and sinusitis. A phytochemical investigation of the chloroform fraction of Micromeria biflora led to the isolation of salicylalazine. Salicylalazine was assessed in vivo for analgesia, muscle relaxation, sedative, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as in vitro for COX-1/2 inhibition activities. It was assessed against a hot plate-induced model at different doses. The muscle relaxant potential of salicylalazine was evaluated in traction and inclined screening models, while sedative properties were determined using an open-field model. The anti-inflammatory potential of salicylalazine was assessed in histamine and carrageenan-induced paw edema screening models. Salicylalazine exhibited significant analgesic potential in a dose-dependent manner. In both screening models, an excellent time-dependent muscle-relaxation effect was observed. Salicylalazine demonstrated excellent sedation at high doses. Its anti-inflammatory activity was determined through the initial and late phases of edema. It exhibited anticancer potential against NCI-H226, HepG2, A498, and MDR2780AD cell lines. In vitro, salicylalazine showed preferential COX-2 inhibition (over COX-1) with an SI value of 4.85. It was less effective in the initial phase, while, in the later phase, it demonstrated significant effects at 15 and 20 mg/kg doses compared with the negative control. Salicylalazine did not exhibit cytotoxicity in the MTT assay, preliminarily indicating its safety

Predictive Microbial Community and Functional Gene Expression Profiles in Pineapple Peel Fermentation Using 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Pineapple peel (PP) is a by-product with the potential to be used as a raw material for functional beverages. Traditional PP fermentation has so far paid little attention to the microbial community and its role in the fermentation process. As a result, the current research looked into the microbial communities and their roles during PP fermentation. A metagenomic approach based on the 16S rRNA sequencing data was used to assess the microbial communities. Subsequent analysis was performed using PICRUSt (phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states) to analyze the microbial functions in the fermentation system. The microecology of the fermentation process in three samples was predominated by Firmicutes. Furthermore, the well-known probiotic genera Weissella, Lactobacillus, and Lactococcus were found to be predominating in the gumer, promic, and control samples, respectively. It was obvious that microenvironmental differences have an effect on the microbial composition of PP fermentation. Moreover, functional prediction revealed that carbohydrate metabolism was the most prevalent metabolic pathway during the fermentation process. Additionally, it was discovered that all of the bacteria found in the samples played significant roles in carbohydrate, amino acid, vitamin, and co-factor metabolism, which can be inferred to result in the production of beneficial metabolites