miR-140 and miR-196a as potential biomarkers in breast cancer patients

Objective: MiR-140 and miR-196a were known to be correlated with cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The current study aimed at the analysis of miR-140 and miR-196a expression patterns and their clinical significance for breast cancer (BC) patients. Methods: Differentially expressed miR-140 and miR-196a were examined via quantitative PCR in 110 cases of BC and their adjacent non-tumor (ANT) tissues. Results: The results indicated that miR-140 and miR-196a, respectively, notably decreased and increased expression in BC samples in comparison with ANT (p<0.001). Reduced miR-140 expression was also related to Lymph node metastasis (LNM, P= 0.023) and stage (P = 0.009). Additionally, Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) analysis illustrated that miR-140 had a significant diagnostic accuracy for stage and LNM of BC patients. We also discovered a strong negative correlation between miR-196a expression with histological grade (P = 0.038), LNM (P = 0.012) and stage (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Overall, exploring the miR-140 and miR-196a profiles not only can statistically different among BC and ANT samples, but it is also expected to become potential BC biomarkers. © 2020, Higher Education Press Limited Company

Vergleich der In-vitro-Wirksamkeit von Meropenem-Generika verschiedener Hersteller gegen Klebsiella pneumonia-Isolate hospitalisierter Patienten

Purpose: Antimicrobial activities of meropenem products on Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were determined. Methods: 212 non-duplicated Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were examined for in vitro meropenem susceptibility test by using the following disks, which were made from Meronem (AstraZeneca, UK), Exipenem (Exir, Iran) and Meroxan (DAANA, Iran) powders. MIC50 and MIC90 for meropenem antibiotics were determined.Results: Meronem had good activities against most isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae , and only a few strains had a rather high MIC. Exipenem and Meroxan showed a similar activity with Meronem. Conclusion: Regarding the comparison of two internal generic meropenem products with the external Meronem product have shown that they are equivalents in terms of microbiological activity, as measured using the disk diffusion and MIC. In developing countries, we suggested preparing disks with antibiotic powders that can be an equivalent function in microbiological activity with standard disks. In addition, since it demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against the Klebsiella pneumoniae . For use of Exipenem and Meroxan in vivo , it would be better to perform additional testing (activity against different species, stability etc.).Zielsetzung: Bestimmung der antimikrobiellen Wirksamkeit verschiedener Meropenem-Generika gegen Klebsiella pneumoniae- Isolate.Methode: 212 nicht duplizierte Klebsiella pneumonia- Isolate wurden in vitro auf Empfindlichkeit gegen Meropenem in Form handelsüblicher Plättchen von Meronem (AstraZeneca, UK) und Exipenem (Exir, Iran) bzw. als Meroxan-Puder (DAANA, Iran) untersucht. Bestimmt wurden jeweils die MIC50 und die MIC90.Ergebnisse: Meronem war gegen die meisten Isolate von Klebsiella pneumoniae gut wirksam, nur einige Stämme hatten eine etwas höhere MIC. Exipenem und Meroxan erwiesen sich als vergleichbar wirksam wie Meronem.Schlussfolgerung: Der Vergleich zweier interner Meropenem-Generika mit dem externen Standard Meronem ergab, dass alle drei Produkte sowohl im Plättchendiffusionstest als auch bezüglich der MIC in ihrer antimikrobiellen Wirksamkeit gleichwertig waren. Daher empfehlen wir für Entwicklungsländer, Plättchen mit antibiotischem Puder selbst herzustellen, da sie in ihrer antimikrobiellen Aktivität dem Standardplättchen gleichwertig sein können. Meropenem erwies sich als wirksam gegen die Klebsiella pneumonia -Isolate. Für den Einsatz von Exipenem und Meroxan in vivo sollten allerdings ergänzende Tests durchgeführt werden (Wirksamkeit gegen verschiedene Species, Stabilität usw.)

Profiles of multidrug-resistant organisms among patients with bacteremia in intensive care units: an international ID-IRI survey

Evaluating trends in antibiotic resistance is a requisite. The study aimed to analyze the profile of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) among hospitalized patients with bacteremia in intensive care units (ICUs) in a large geographical area. This is a 1-month cross-sectional survey for blood-borne pathogens in 57 ICUs from 24 countries with different income levels: lower-middle-income (LMI), upper-middle-income (UMI), and high-income (HI) countries. Multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), or pan-drug-resistant isolates were searched. Logistic regression analysis determined resistance predictors among MDROs. Community-acquired infections were comparable to hospital-acquired infections particularly in LMI (94/202; 46.5% vs 108/202; 53.5%). Although MDR (65.1%; 502/771) and XDR (4.9%; 38/771) were common, no pan-drug-resistant isolate was recovered. In total, 32.1% of MDR were Klebsiella pneumoniae, and 55.3% of XDR were Acinetobacter baumannii. The highest MDR and XDR rates were in UMI and LMI, respectively, with no XDR revealed from HI. Predictors of MDR acquisition were male gender (OR, 12.11; 95% CI, 3.025–15.585) and the hospital-acquired origin of bacteremia (OR, 2.643; 95%CI, 1.462–3.894), and XDR acquisition was due to bacteremia in UMI (OR, 3.344; 95%CI, 1.189–5.626) and admission to medical-surgical ICUs (OR, 1.481; 95% CI, 1.076–2.037). We confirm the urgent need to expand stewardship activities to community settings especially in LMI, with more paid attention to the drugs with a higher potential for resistance. Empowering microbiology laboratories and reports to direct prescribing decisions should be prioritized. Supporting stewardship in ICUs, the mixed medical-surgical ones in particular, is warranted