The properties of nanofiber scaffolds of polyurethane-Cinnamomum zeylanicum against pathogens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus

This study designed to investigate the properties of antibacterial nanofiber scaffolds of polyurethane-Cinnamomum zeylanicum against virulence gene expression inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus that are important in burn wounds. With attention to burn wound infections in hospitals and mortality increase in patients, it is necessary to design nanodressing. Clinical isolates were confirmed by biochemical and microbiological tests. DNA of isolates was extracted and PCR used to confirm the alp gene of P. aeruginosa and Pv gene of S. aureus. Polyurethane nanofiber and cinnamon polymers were used to prepare the scaffold under the electrospinning process. Infrared spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and mechanical tensile tests were used to confirm the scaffolds. The susceptibility testing and minimum inhibitory concentration of polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold were determined against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. For confirmation of polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold were used the cytotoxicity test (MTT), FTIR, mechanical tensile test, and a scanning electron microscope. The expression of virulence genes was investigated using the real-time RT-PCR technique. The results of the susceptibility testing indicated that P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were susceptible to polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold. The MTT, FTIR, mechanical tensile test, and SEM confirmed the different features of the polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold. Results of real-time PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of p�v and alp genes after treatment decreased, respectively, 2.71- and 1.06-fold. Results indicated that the electrospun polyurethane-cinnamon nanofiber scaffold for the first time could inhibit both important pathogens of the hospital and the expression of the virulence genes. Considering the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus to and its inhibitory effect on an alp and p�v genes, this system could probably be a candidate in wound dressing for commercial purposes to burn healing and infection inhibition. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Prevalence of ESBLs in Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from intensive care unit (ICU) of Ghaem hospital, Mashhad, Iran

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important opportunistic pathogen that mainly infects critically patients in intensive care units (ICU). The production of plasmid-mediated extended-spectrum b-lactamases (ESBLs) is one of the most important mechanisms of resistance against b-lactam antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of ESBLs in A. baumannii isolated from ICU of Ghaem hospital, Mashhad, Iran. A total of 140 A. baumannii isolates recovered from hospitalized patients in ICU of Ghaem hospital in Mashhad city from December 2014 to March 2015. Identification of A. baumannii isolates carried out using biochemical laboratory methods and then confirmed by OXA-51 PCR screening. Susceptibility testing performed using disk diffusion (Kirby-Bauer) method as recommended by CLSI guidelines. A. baumannii isolates screened for production of ESBLs using combination disk test. blaPER, blaGES, blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX, blaVEB and blaOXA-10 beta-lactamase genes detected using conventional PCR. The most antibacterial resistance was against cefuroxime (­99.3%) and colistin was the most effective antibiotic. None of the isolates were ESBL producer by combination disk test. However, results of PCR revealed that the prevalence of blaPER, blaGES and blaTEM genes were 7.1%, 4.3% and 27.1%, respectively. blaCTX, blaVEB, and blaOXA-10 were not found in any of isolates. According to the results, the high resistance was seen against selected antibiotics and the phenotypic tests are not sufficient alone for determination of ESBLs producer of A. baumannii isolates. So, molecular tests are also necessary for detection of these enzymes

Ability of biofilm production and molecular analysis of spa and ica genes among clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of biofilm formation and spa and ica genes among clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Result: This cross-sectional study was performed on 146 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from hospitalized patients in Isfahan Province Hospitals. MRSA isolates were confirmed using disk diffusion test with oxacillin disk and amplification of mecA gene by PCR assays. Ability of biofilm production was evaluated targeting the icaA and icaD genes. Of 146 Staphylococcus aureus isolates, 24 (16.4) carried mecA genes and identified as MRSA strains. Strong ability of biofilm production was seen among 76.02 (111/146) S. aureus isolates and 87.5 (21/24) MRSA strains, respectively. Also, 75.0 (18/24) MRSA isolates carried icaA and icaD was not detected in these strains. Analysis of spa gene showed 70.83 (17/24) MRSA strains were spa positive. From which 14 and 3 strains identified with one band (150, 270, 300, 360, 400 bp) and two bands (150-300 bp), respectively. According to data obtained, the prevalence of MRSA isolates from Isfahan Province Hospitals is relatively high and a remarkable percentage of them show strong power in biofilm production. Also analysis of spa gene showed a fairly large diversity among MRSA strains. © 2020 The Author(s)

Di--thiocyanato-2N: S; 2S: N-bis [bis (2-methyl-1H-benzimidazole-N3)(thiocyanato-N) cadmium (II)]

The title compound, [Cd2(NCS)4(C8H8N2)4], is a centrosymmetric dinuclear cadmium(II) complex in which each two metal ions are linked by a pair of thiocyanate N:S-bridges. Two 2-methylbenzimidazole N-atom donors and one terminal thiocyanate N atom complete a highly distorted squarepyramidal geometry around the Cd atom. In the crystal structure, two N—H� � �S hydrogen-bonding interactions occur, resulting in a three-dimensional polymeric structure. The apical 2-methylbenzimidazole ring and its symmetryrelated counterpart are arranged in an antiparallel manner with a centroid–centroid separation of 3.6050 (14) A ° , indicative of a �–� interaction

Study of genetic diversity of hara trees on the coast of Hormozgan Province using rapid molecular method

In order to study the genetic diversity of Hara trees in the coastal waters of Hormozgan province, using 40 RAPD molecular samples, 40 samples of Hara leaves were collected at different stations (ports of Jask, Dumitry, Tiba and Qeshm Island) and transferred to the laboratory. After extraction of DNA They were examined by 30 primers in polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that the highest mean genetic variation in Qeshm population was 0 458 with a standard deviation of 0.033 and the lowest mean of genetic diversity in Jask population was 0.423 with a standard deviation of 0.056. Also, using the PopGene software, the average Shannon information index was 0.643 for four populations. The value of Fst index was 011/0 and the gene flow rate was 25.854, and the UPGMA dendrogram, based on the Nei genetic distance, did not show a clear separation between the populations. Also, molecular variance analysis showed that there is a high variation (99%) within the studied populations. The results of this research can provide useful information for conservation and management programs of this kind with indigenous value of Iran

Prevalence of Integrons and Antibiotic Resistance Pattern in Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated from Clinical Samples of Iranian Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is an important opportunistic nosocomial pathogen. Class 1 integrons in A. baumannii plays a significant role in antibiotic resistance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of integrons and antibiotic resistance pattern in A. baumannii isolated from clinical samples of Iranian patients. Methods: The Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the keywords with the help of Boolean operators ("AND" or "OR") were used alone or in combination to conduct the search. The searching process was conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases and, also Iranian databases. The search was restricted to relevant English and Persian cross-sectional publications reporting the prevalence of Int1 in A. baumannii isolated from clinical samples from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2018. The data were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. Regarding the heterogeneity of studies, the random effects model was used. Cochrane Q and I2 tests was used to evaluate statistical heterogeneity between the studies. Results: Fifteen studies were included in the analysis. The combined prevalence of class 1 integrons in A. baumannii was 55.2 (95 CI: 44.8-65.1). The pooled prevalence of MDR A. baumannii isolates was 68.1. The highest resistance belonged to Aztreonam, followed by Ciprofloxacin, and Ceftazidime with a resistance rate of 97.6, 92.8, and 91.6, respectively. Tobramycin was reported as an effective antibiotic. Conclusions: The present study reported an alarmingly high prevalence of class 1 Integrons, and MDR isolates of A. baumannii recovered from clinical samples that should be considered. © 2019 Mehran G., et al

Reversing conditional orderings

We analyze some specific aspects concerning conditional orderings and relations among them. To this purpose we define a suitable concept of reversed conditional ordering and prove some related results. In particular we aim to compare the univariate stochastic orderings ≤ st, ≤ hr, and ≤ lr in terms of differences among different notions of conditional orderings. Some applications of our result to the analysis of positive dependence will be detailed. We concentrate attention to the case of a pair of scalar random variables X, Y ​. Suitable extensions to multivariate cases are possible

Meta-Analysis of Biofilm Formation, Antibiotic Resistance Pattern, and Biofilm-Related Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Clinical Samples

Resistant microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa grow by developing biofilms in hospitals. We aimed to investigate the biofilm formation and the frequencies of biofilm-related genes and their associations with antibiotic resistance pattern in P. aeruginosa isolated from Iranians' clinical samples. This review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We conducted a systematic literature search in scientific databases using medical subject heading terms, including "Pseudomonas aeruginosa,""biofilm formation,""biofilm-related genes,""antibiotic resistance,"and "prevalence,"to obtain related articles published from 1st January, 2000, to 30th March, 2019. The studies reporting the prevalence of biofilm formation, the frequencies of biofilm-related genes, and the antibiotic resistance pattern in P. aeruginosa retrieved from Iranian patients were included. Meta-analysis was performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software. The pooled rate of biofilm formation was calculated as 86.5 (95 confidence interval CI: 79-91.6). The combined frequencies of strong, moderate, and weak biofilms were 51% (95% CI: 37.4-64.4), 29.2% (95% CI: 20.9-39.1), and 25.4% (95% CI: 11.5-47.2), respectively. The pooled prevalence of laslR, algD, algU, ppyR, and pelF genes were 93.6% (95% CI: 88.1-96.6), 91.4% (95% CI: 80.8-96.4), 89.3% (95% CI: 85.2-92.3), 98.7% (95% CI: 96.5-99.6), and 93% (95% CI: 82.7-97.3), respectively. The highest combined antibiotic resistance rates of P. aeruginosa isolates were against piperacillin/tazobactam (90%). This study showed that biofilm formation was higher in multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa than non-MDRs. A significant correlation was observed between biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in 50% of studies included in this review. © Copyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 2020

Epinecidin-1, a highly potent marine antimicrobial peptide with anticancer and immunomodulatory activities

Background: Antibiotic-resistant pathogens are an emerging threat in this century. Epinecidin-1 is a multi-functional Antimicrobial Peptide (AMP) produced by Orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) has been shown to have extensive potentials as an alternative for current antibiotics. Due to the huge costs for the study and the production of a new drug, if an antimicrobial peptide has other beneficial functions in addition to antimicrobial activities, it would be preferred. Methods: In this study, properties and applications of Epinecidin-1 were investigated and addressed comprehensively. To achieve this, the Google Scholar search engine and three databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were used. Results: Epinecidin-1 is a cationic AMP with an alpha-helical structure. Seven functional usages of this peptide have been reported in the literature including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiprotozoal, anticancer, immunomodulatory, and wound healing properties. Moreover, this peptide has high potential to be used as an active ingredient in cleaning solutions as well as application in vaccine production. Conclusion: Due to significant antimicrobial activities tested on bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Helicobacter pylori and also wound healing properties, Epi-1 has high potential to be considered as an important candidate for the production of new drugs and treatment of various infections including diabetic foot ulcer and peptic ulcer. Moreover, adjuvant-like properties of Epi-1 make it a suitable candidate for the studies related to an adjuvant. Other attractive properties such as anticancer effects have also been reported for this peptide which encourages further studies on this peptide. © 2019 The Author(s)

Mutations of rpob Gene Associated with Rifampin Resistance among Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Isolated in Tuberculosis Regional Reference Laboratory in Northeast of Iran during 2015-2016

Background: Drug resistance is a leading concern in control of TB. Resistance against rifampin as one of the most important drugs in the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is caused by mutations in the 81-base pair region of the rpoB gene encoding the β-subunit of RNA polymerase. This study aimed to characterize the mutations in the rpoB gene associated with rifampin resistance among M. tuberculosis. Methods: This study was conducted on referred samples of patients who did not respond to anti-TB treatment, in Tuberculosis Regional Reference Laboratory at Shariati Hospital. Drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis isolates was surveyed using a proportional method on LJ medium. The isolates with resistant to rifampin were reconfirmed and then the rpoB gene was amplified and sequenced. Results: Among 27 resistant cases, 8, 11 and 8 people were from Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkmenistan, respectively. In 26 out of 27 isolates, rpoB gene mutations were observed. The most prevalent mutations belonged to the codon 53. The most prevalent mutations belonged to the TCG (Ser) 531TTG (leu) with prevalence 51.8 (n=14), and GAC (Asp)516TAC (Tyr), CAC (His) 526GAC (Asp) and CAC (His) 526TAC(Tyr) mutations with prevalence 14.8(n=4). Twenty-three isolates had just one mutation. Conclusion: The use of rpoB gene sequencing led to the lack of the need for growth of the organism in the culture medium, the direct use of clinical samples, reduction of biological risks and a detection about 96.3 of MDR TB cases lowering the cost of the treatment