Synergistic effects of antibiotics in combination with essential oils against pathogenic bacterial strains

The incidence of epidemics due to drug resistant bacteria had posed public health concern. Thus, a novel antibacterial approach to synergize antibiotics in combination with essential oils of selected zingiberaceae plants was chosen in this study to aid in increasing the susceptibility of bacteria. The aim was to evaluate the in vitro interaction between the essential oils and five types of antibiotics against two gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and two gram-negative bacteria (Esherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Essential oils from rhizomes of Curcuma mangga Val., Zingiber officinale var. rubrum Thelaide and Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith were extracted by hydrodistillation. The antibacterial testing employed was Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) using broth microdilution method. The interaction of essential oils and antibiotics was determined by Fractional Inhibitory Concentration (FIC) using chequerboard technique. Results revealed that essential oil of Curcuma mangga Val. synergized with erythromycin and tetracycline against B. cereus, and with streptomycin against E. coli. Essential oil of Z. officinale synergized with erythromycin and tetracycline against B. cereus and E. coli. Combination with penicillin also produced synergism against E.coli. Essential oil of Z. zerumbet when combined with tetracycline acted synergistically towards S. aureus, B. cereus and P. aeruginosa. Combination with penicillin acted synergistically towards B. cereus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. When combined with streptomycin, it synergized against S. aureus and E. coli, while with ampicillin it synergized against B. cereus. From the results, all three essential oils exhibit antibacterial properties. Z. zerumbet has the most potent antibacterial property as it produced synergistic effects towards all four types of bacteria

Proton pump inhibitors and Gastric cancer correlation; Time to take it seriously?”

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are the most prescribed drugs globally, which are highly potent gastric acid suppressors, known for the management of numerous diseases. There is a notable correlation between Gastric cancer and PPI. It is highlighted that the underlying mechanism is in close association with a study conducted 30 years ago, which showed excessive inhibition of gastric acid secretion in rodents, with secondary hypergastrinemia, that led to enterochromaffin-like-cell (ECL) hyperplasia. In conclusion, based on the scarce literature, it is evident that the safety of PPI is under a dilemma. Developing countries like Pakistan, where there is an excessive prescription of PPI, often without justification, are a significant burden on the economy as well as a threat to life, keeping in view of the significant correlation between PPI and gastric cancer

Accuracy of fecal calprotectin and endoscopic narrow band imaging in the prediction of severity of inflammatory bowel diseases

Background: Fecal calprotectin is a noninvasive and accurate marker of inflammatory bowel disease. In addition to aiding in diagnosis, it also predicts inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) relapses and the severity of the disease. Objectives of current study were evaluate the accuracy of Fecal calprotectin and Narrow band imaging for prediction severity in inflammatory bowel disease. Methods: After informed written consent and ethical clearance, the study prospectively included 50 patients of IBD. Quantitative measurement of Calprotectin was done by ELISA kit (Eagle Biosciences, Nashua). Endoscopy activity was calculated using Narrow band imaging. Results: Out of 50 patients, Males outnumbered the females with a ratio of 2.1. Increased frequency of stools was the most common symptom (94%). 39 (78%) patients had features ulcerative colitis while as 9 (18%) patients had features of Crohn’s disease. Total of 42 (84%) patients had elevated levels of Fecal Calprotectin. The severity of IBDs increased significantly when the Fecal Calprotectin level rises (p value >0.05). The relationship between endoscopic and histological scores to detect disease severity in IBD was statistically insignificant (p value=0.85). The accuracy of the fecal calprotectin levels was found to be 84%, sensitivity 87.5%, and specificity was 50%. The positive and negative predictive values were 97.6% and 12.55% respectively. 47 (94%) patients received medical treatment. 3 (7.7%) patients of UC were subjected to surgical intervention. Conclusions: Fecal calprotectin is a valuable and non-invasive marker with good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis, evaluation of the severity, and monitoring of IBD activity

Stillbirth in Pigs

Piglets that are born dead may have died at any time during the farrowing process or before. Causes of stillborn piglets can be divided into infectious and noninfectious. Infectious causes perhaps are overemphasized but are certainly important in epidemic situations. Noninfectious causes of stillborns are most common in endemic situations. Genetic, maternal, piglet and environmental factors can all affect the stillborn rate. The review attempts to describe the causes of stillborn piglets and the ways to mitigate them

Metanephric adenoma: A rare benign renal tumour

Metanephric adenoma is a rare benign renal tumour. We are reporting one histologically proven such case in a 23 year old male from Afghanistan. He presented with severe right flank pain since 3 weeks. Nephrectomy was done and histopathology was consistent with the diagnosis of metanephric adenoma. This novel renal mass has been reported to have benign clinical course despite its symptomatic presentation and large tumour size. There is no distinguishing radiological feature with can differentiate it from malignant tumours. So far, a uniformly benign clinical course has been associated with Metanephric adenoma, but given its relatively recent identification and rarity and the lack of clinical, radiographic, or cytologic means to establish a definite diagnosis, Metanephric adenoma remains primarily a pathologic diagnosis

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of urinary bladder: (LELCA)

Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the bladder (LELCA) is an uncommon neoplasm of the urinary bladder and up till now only 49 cases have been reported in the English literature. It is imperative to distinguish between lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma and malignant lymphoma as primary bladder lymphoma is extremely rare. We report a case of a 55 year old lady who presented with the complaint of burning micturition and gross hematuria for the past 5 months. There were no other known comorbids. Pelvic ultrasound was normal. Cystoscopy showed a 4x4 cm sessile mass in the bladder. Histopathological examination was consistent with the diagnosis of lymphoepithelioma like carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Data Collection in Smart Communities Using Sensor Cloud: Recent Advances, Taxonomy, and Future Research Directions

The remarkable miniaturization of sensors has led to the production of massive amounts of data in smart communities. These data cannot be efficiently collected and processed in WSNs due to the weak communication capability of these networks. This drawback can be compensated for by amalgamating WSNs and cloud computing to obtain sensor clouds. In this article, we investigate, highlight, and report recent premier advances in sensor clouds with respect to data collection. We categorize and classify the literature by devising a taxonomy based on important parameters, such as objectives, applications, communication technology, collection types, discovery, data types, and classification. Moreover, a few prominent use cases are presented to highlight the role of sensor clouds in providing high computation capabilities. Furthermore, several open research challenges and issues, such as big data issues, deployment issues, data security, data aggregation, dissemination of control message, and on time delivery are discussed. Future research directions are also provided