Prevalence, Pathogenicity, Virulence, Antibiotic Resistance, and Phylogenetic Analysis of Biofilm-Producing Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Different Ecological Niches in Egypt: Food, Humans, Animals, and Environment

Serious outbreaks of foodborne disease have been caused by Listeria monocytogenes found in retail delicatessens and the severity of disease is significant, with high hospitalization and mortality rates. Little is understood about the formidable public health threat of L. monocytogenes in all four niches, humans, animals, food, and environment, in Egypt. This study analyzed the presence of L. monocytogenes collected from the four environmental niches and bioinformatics analysis was implemented to analyze and compare the data. PCR was used to detect virulence genes encoded by pathogenicity island (LIPI-1). prfA amino acid substation that causes constitutive expression of virulence was common in 77.7% of isolates. BLAST analysis did not match other isolates in the NCBI database, suggesting this may be a characteristic of the region associated with these isolates. A second group included the NH1 isolate originating in China, and BLAST analysis showed this prfA allele was shared with isolates from other global locations, such as Europe and North America. Identification of possible links and transmission pathways between the four niches helps to decrease the risk of disease in humans, to take more specific control measures in the context of disease prevention, to limit economic losses associated with food recalls, and highlights the need for treatment options

Role-Play Technique as an Antecedent of Performance in English Language: Evidence from Secondary Schools in Wareng District, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

In Kenya, there is a national concern over English language dismal performance over the years in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E). Blame has been put on teachers of English language for relying on techniques that favor them at the expense of their students. This article therefore sought to assess the use of role-play technique as the most appropriate technique to improve performance in K.C.S.E English language. Moreover, it sought to establish the attitude of both teachers and students towards the use of role-play technique. Findings, conclusion and recommendations are presented.Keywords: Role-play technique, attitude, performanc

Fatty acid, mineral and heavy metal contents of different Malaysia fish species

Fish are popularly recognized as an excellent source of lipids that are composed of a wide range of important fatty acids. Fish also contain good quality protein and are an adequate source of many vitamins (e.g. fat soluble A, D, E and the water soluble B-complex), in addition to important minerals such as calcium and phosphorous. We recently investigated the fatty acid (FA) profiles, mineral and heavy metal contents of 13 different species of commonly consumed, wild marine fin-fish found off Langkawi Island, a popular Malaysian tourist destination. The fish species were “jenahak” (Lutjanus agentimaculatus), “kebasi” (Anadontostoma chacunda), “duri” (Arius umatranus), “tenggiri batang” (Scomberomorus commersonii), “kembong” (Rastrelliger kanagurta), “kintan” (Psettodes crumei), “kerisi” (Pristipomoides typus), “kerapu” (Epinephelus sexfasciatus), “gelama keling” (Sciaena dussumieri),“malong” (Congresax talabon), “laban” (Cynoglossus lingua), “yu 9” (Scolidon sorrakowah) and “bagi” (Aacnthurs nigrosis). The overall findings reveal that all fish showed a considerable amount of unsaturated fatty acids particularly those with 4, 5 and 6 double bonds. Two physiologically important n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docasahaexaenoic acid (DHA), made up more than 50% of the total PUFAs. It can be concluded that fin fish found in Langkawi Island coastal areas are beneficial for human health as they have considerable amounts of PUFAs, especially AA and DHA fatty acids. In the case of heavy metal analysis, the result reveals the safety of the consumption of fish from the human health point of vie

Effect of poly(ethylene glycol) on insulin stability and cutaneous cell proliferation in vitro following cytoplasmic delivery of insulin-loaded nanoparticulate carriers – A potential topical wound management approach

We describe the development of a nanoparticulate system, with variation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) content, capable of releasing therapeutic levels of bioactive insulin for extended periods of time. Recombinant human insulin was encapsulated in poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles, manufactured with variation in poly(ethylene glycol) content, and shown to be stable for 6days using SDS-PAGE, western blot and MALDI MS. To determine if insulin released from this sustained release matrix could stimulate migration of cell types normally active in dermal repair, a model wound was simulated by scratching confluent cultures of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and fibroblasts (Hs27). Although free insulin was shown to have proliferative effect, closure of in vitro scratch fissures was significantly faster following administration of nano-encapsulated insulin. This effect was more pronounced in HaCaT cells when compared to Hs27 cells. Variation in PEG content had the greatest effect on NP size, with a lesser influence on scratch closure times. Our work supports a particulate uptake mechanism that provides for intracellular insulin delivery, leading to enhanced cell proliferation. When placed into an appropriate topical delivery vehicle, such as a hydrogel, the extended and sustained topical administration of active insulin delivered from a nanoparticulate vehicle shows promise in promoting tissue healing

Urinary Retention and Severe Hyponatremia: An Unusual Presentation of COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome virus coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A few published cases have linked COVID-19 and hyponatremia. The mechanism of hyponatremia in these cases is related to the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH). Here we present a unique case of urinary retention and SIADH as unusual presenting features of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Poultry and Beef Meat as Potential Seedbeds for Antimicrobial Resistant Enterotoxigenic Bacillus Species: A Materializing Epidemiological and Potential Severe Health Hazard

Although Bacillus cereus is of particular concern in food safety and public health, the role of other Bacillus species was overlooked. Therefore, we investigated the presence of eight enterotoxigenic genes, a hemolytic gene and phenotypic antibiotic resistance profiles of Bacillusspecies in retail meat samples. From 255 samples, 124 Bacillus isolates were recovered, 27 belonged to B. cereusand 97 were non-B. cereus species. Interestingly, the non-B. cereus isolates carried the virulence genes and exhibited phenotypic virulence characteristics as the B. cereus. However, correlation matrix analysis revealed the B. cereus group positively correlates with the presence of the genes hblA, hblC, and plc, and the detection of hemolysis (p \u3c 0.05), while the other Bacillus sp. groups are negatively correlated. Tests for antimicrobial resistance against ten antibiotics revealed extensive drug and multi-drug resistant isolates. Statistical analyses didn’t support a correlation of antibiotic resistance to tested virulence factors suggesting independence of these phenotypic markers and virulence genes. Of special interest was the isolation of Paenibacillus alvei and Geobacillus stearothermophilus from the imported meat samples being the first recorded. The isolation of non-B. cereus species carrying enterotoxigenic genes in meat within Egypt, suggests their impact on food safety and public health and should therefore not be minimised, posing an area that requires further research

Multiple Orbitoides d’Orbigny lineages in the Maastrichtian? Data from the Central Sakarya Basin (Turkey) and Arabian Platform successions (Southeastern Turkey and Oman)

The standard reconstruction of species of Orbitoides d'Orbigny into a single lineage during the late Santonian to the end of the Maastrichtian is based upon morphometric data from Western Europe. An irreversible increase in the size of the embryonic apparatus, and the formation of a greater number of epi-embryonic chamberlets (EPC) with time, is regarded as the main evolutionary trends used in species discrimination. However, data from Maastrichtian Orbitoides assemblages from Central Turkey and the Arabian Platform margin (Southeastern Turkey and Oman) are not consistent with this record. The Maastrichtian Besni Formation of the Arabian Platform margin in Southeastern Turkey yields invariably biconvex specimens, with small, tri- to quadrilocular embryons and a small number of EPC, comparable to late Campanian Orbitoides medius (d'Archiac). The upper Maastrichtian Tarakli Formation from the Sakarya Basin of Central Turkey contains two distinct, yet closely associated forms of Orbitoides, easily differentiated by both external and internal features. Flat to biconcave specimens possess a small, tri- to quadrilocular embryonic apparatus of Orbitoides medius-type and a small number of EPC, whereas biconvex specimens possess a large, predominantly bilocular embryonic apparatus, and were assigned to Orbitoides ex. interc. gruenbachensis Papp-apiculatus Schlumberger based on morphometry. The flat to biconcave specimens belong to a long overlooked species Orbitoides pamiri Meric, originally described from the late Maastrichtian of the Tauride Mountains in SW Turkey. This species is herein interpreted to be an offshoot from the main Orbitoides lineage during the Maastrichtian, as are forms that we term Orbitoides 'medius', since they recall this species, yet are younger than normal occurrence with the accepted morphometrically defined lineage. The consistent correlation between the external and internal test features in O. pamiri implies that the shape of the test is not an ecophenotypic variation, but appears to be biologically controlled. We, therefore, postulate that more than one lineage of Orbitoides exists during the Maastrichtian, with a lineage that includes O. 'medius' and O. pamiri displaying retrograde evolutionary features

Diagnostic Accuracy of the Leishmania OligoC-TesT and NASBA-Oligochromatography for Diagnosis of Leishmaniasis in Sudan

The leishmaniases are a group of vector-borne diseases caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Leishmania. The parasites are transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies and can cause, depending on the infecting species, three clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis: visceral leishmaniasis (VL), post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) including the mucocutaneous form. VL, PKDL as well as CL are endemic in several parts of Sudan, and VL especially represents a major health problem in this country. Molecular tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nucleic acid sequence based assay (NASBA) are powerful techniques for accurate detection of the parasite in clinical specimens, but broad use is hampered by their complexity and lack of standardisation. Recently, the Leishmania OligoC-TesT and NASBA-Oligochromatography were developed as simplified and standardised PCR and NASBA formats. In this study, both tests were phase II evaluated for diagnosis of VL, PKDL and CL in Sudan