Association of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10 with different clinical manifestations of hepatitis B infection

Cytokines have a crucial part in the pathogenesis, persistence of infection, and prognosis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as HBV does not cause direct liver destruction; rather, disease-related complications and prognosis are more associated with immune system action, specifically cytokines such as TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, IL-10, and other cytokines. This study sought to link TNF-, IFN-, IL-6, and IL-10 to various clinical manifestations of HBV infection. Ninety sera were taken from HBV-infected patients, 30 (33.3%) of whom had liver cirrhosis, 30 (33.3%) were HBV carriers, 19 (21.2%) were acute HBV patients, and 11 (12.2%) were recently HBV infected. ELISA was used to determine the serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10. HBV-infected patients with liver cirrhosis had considerably higher mean serum levels of IFN-γ (P=0.005) and IL-10 (P=0.003), but TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly higher in recent HBV-infected patients (P values 0.034 and 0.004, respectively). There were substantial changes in mean serum levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10 at different phases of HBV infection, implying a role for cytokines in HBV etiology, chronicity, and consequences

Appraisal and characterization of candida load isolated from the oral cavity of smokers

Cigarette smoking is regarded as a major global health risk, therefore the aim of this work was to investigate the association of oral Candida spp. as one of the etiological agents of denture stomatitis with smokers of cigarette, hookah (shisha), and electronic smoking, also a dose–response relationship between the duration of smoking and the probability of denture stomatitis between volunteers. Oral rinse samples were collected from 47 male volunteers including 34 smokers and 13 non-smokers, also data of volunteers were collected via a questionnaire forum. Patterns of smoking were shown that smokers using tobacco cigarettes 17 (36.2 %), electronic cigarettes 16 (34.04 %), and hookah smokers 8 (17.02 %). A comparison of smokers and non-smokers regarding effects on oral health showed significantly finding (P < 0.05) indicating that smoking affects oral health in all evaluated parameters (an oral mucosal abnormality, mouth ulcers, bad breath, and feeling of dry mouth). Out of 19 Candida isolates, 18 (94.7 %) were identified as Candida albicans and 1 (5.3 %) as Candida tropicalis. Among the volunteers who presented with oral Candida (19 volunteers), 17 (89.5%) were smokers, while non-smoker volunteers were 2 (10.5 %), so it can be concluded that smoking was a significant positive correlation to the presence of Candida in the oral cavity. Five volunteers suffered from chronic diseases; 4 (8.5%) diabetes mellitus and 1 (2.1%) anemia as a systemic predisposing factor for oropharyngeal infection. Amphotericin and Nystatin had varying degrees of activity against isolated Candida isolates

Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from soils in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia, and their efficacy against Spodoptera littoralis and Aedes aegypti larvae

Pest control in Saudi Arabia depends on applying chemical insecticides, which have many undesirable considerations and impacts on the environment. Therefore, the aim of this study was to isolate Bacillus thuringiensis from different rhizosphere soil samples in the Jazan region for the biological control of Spodoptera littoralis and Aedes aegypti larvae. The samples were collected from the rhizosphere of different plants located in eight agricultural areas in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Out of 100 bacterial isolates, four bacterial isolates belonging to Bacillus species were selected namely JZ1, JZ2, JZ3, and JZ4, and identified using classical bacteriological and molecular identification using 16S rRNA. JZ1 and JZ2 isolates were identified as Bacillus thuringiensis. SDS-PAGE analysis and the detection of the Cry1 gene were used to describe the two isolates JZ1 and JZ2 in comparison to Bacillus thuringiensis reference strain Kurstaki HD1 (BTSK) were revealed that slightly different from each other due to the place of their isolation and namely Khlab JZ1 and Ayash JZ2. The EC50 of JZ1 and JZ2 isolates, BTSK, and the commercial biopesticide DiPEL 6.4 DF against the second-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti were 207, 932, 400, and 500 ppm respectively, while EC50 against first-instar larvae of Spodoptera littoralis were 193.93, 589.7, 265.108, and 342.9, ppm respectively. Isolate JZ1 recorded the highest mortality while JZ2 isolate gave the lowest mortality. It can be concluded that the local isolate of JZ1 and JZ2 can be developed for bio formulations to be used in Spodoptera littoralis and Aedes aegypti biological control programs