Characterization of Bacterial Exopolysaccharides

The present study investigated the structural characterization of exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Campylobacter jejuni, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis and a number of Bifidobacterium breve strains. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography coupled with multiangle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS), anion exchange chromatography, HPAEC-PAD analysis, monomer and linkage analysis employing GC-MS have been used to characterise the EPS structures. Monomer analysis of the EPS produced by Campylobacter jejuni showed the presence of glucose, linkage analysis showed the presence of an �-(1�6) glycosidic linked repeating monomer unit and NMR (1D- and 2D- experiments) showed that the EPS is an �-dextran. NMR and size exclusion chromatography analysis for B. animalis subsp. lactis shows the presence of a complex mixture of EPS. Monomer analysis for different batches suggests that each contains variable amounts of rhamnose, glucose and galactose along with trace levels of mannose. The results of the linkage analysis indicate that a complex mixture of differently linked sugars is present including : terminal rhamnose, 1,2-linked rhamnose, 1,3-linked rhamnose, terminal hexoses, 1,2,3-linked rhamnose, 1,4-linked hexose, 1,3-linked hexose, 1,6-linked hexose, Nacetyl sugars and 1,3,4-linked hexoses. SEC-MALLS showed the presence of different molecular weight EPSs. Uronic acid analysis showed that in 5.0 mg of EPS sample, only 0.28 mg of uronic acid is present. 1D- and 2D-NMR experiments were performed on the EPS samples produced by B. breve strains including UCC2003, JCM7017, JCM7019 and NCFB2258. Analysis of EPS extracted from cells using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) showed that complex mixtures of polysaccharides were being recovered. However, a common set of NMR signals was present in all the EPS samples from B. breve. Analysis of this set of signals suggests that, on treatment of cells with NaOH, a �-(1�6)-linked glucan is released from a variety of bifidobacterial strains

Development and validation of scale for self evaluation of soft skills in postgraduate dental students

Objective: To develop and validate a soft skills questionnaire, and to use it for self-evaluation by postgraduate dentistry students.Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at University College of Dentistry, , University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan, from February 2020 to April 2020 and comprised of residents from first to final year of training for either Masters in Dental Surgery or Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan programmes. A soft skills questionnaire was generated and was validated through exploratory factor analysis of the elements and items of the questionnaire using SPSS 23.Results: Of the 60 subjects, 37(61.7%) were MDS residents and 23(38.3%) were Fellowship residents. The mean age of the sample was 29.650±2.815 years, and 26(43.3%) subjects were males. The questionnaire was validated (p\u3c0.001). Three domains measured the attitude of dentists, with 7 scenarios having 5 items per scenario. Both categories of trainees had high agreement in understanding and application of non-technical skills, with the exception of leadership skills. However, the difference between the groups was non-significant (p\u3e0.05).Conclusions: A self-generated questionnaire was successfully validated

A novel rhamnose-rich hetero-exopolysaccharide isolated from Lactobacillus paracasei DG activates THP-1 human monocytic cells

Lactobacillus paracasei DG is a bacterial strain with recognized probiotic properties and is used in commercial probiotic products. However, the mechanisms underlying its probiotic properties are mainly unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the capability of strain DG to interact with the host is, at least partly, associated with its ability to synthesize a surface-associated exopolysaccharide (EPS). Comparative genomics revealed the presence of putative EPS gene clusters in DG genome; accordingly, EPS was isolated from the surface of the bacterium. A sample of the pure EPS from strain DG (DG-EPS), upon NMR and chemical analyses, was shown to be a novel branched hetero-EPS with a repeat unit composed of L-rhamnose, D-galactose, and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine in a ratio of 4:1:1. Subsequently, we demonstrated that the DG-EPS displays immunostimulating properties by enhancing the gene expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, and, particularly, the chemokines IL-8 and CCL20 in the THP-1 human monocytic cell line. In contrast, the expression of the cyclooxygenase enzyme COX-2 was not affected. In conclusion, the DG-EPS is a bacterial macromolecule with the potential ability to boost the immune system as either a secreted molecule released from the bacterium or as a capsular envelope on the bacterial cell wall. This study provides additional information about the mechanisms supporting the cross-talk between L. paracasei DG and the host

Efficacy of Hydroxychloroquine and Tocilizumab in Patients With COVID-19: Single-Center Retrospective Chart Review.

BACKGROUND: During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an unfounded fervor surrounding the use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and tocilizumab (TCZ); however, evidence on their efficacy and safety have been controversial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the overall clinical effectiveness of HCQ and TCZ in patients with COVID-19. We hypothesize that HCQ and TCZ use in these patients will be associated with a reduction in in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, invasive mechanical ventilation, or acute renal failure needing dialysis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed to determine the impact of HCQ and TCZ use on hard clinical outcomes during hospitalization. A total of 176 hospitalized patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis was included. Patients were divided into two comparison groups: (1) HCQ (n=144) vs no-HCQ (n=32) and (2) TCZ (n=32) vs no-TCZ (n=144). The mean age, baseline comorbidities, and other medications used during hospitalization were uniformly distributed among all the groups. Independent t tests and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to calculate mean differences and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CIs, respectively. RESULTS: The unadjusted odds ratio for patients upgraded to a higher level of care (ie, intensive care unit) (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.19-5.69; P=.003) and reductions in C-reactive protein (CRP) level on day 7 of hospitalization (21% vs 56%, OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.55; P=.002) were significantly higher in the TCZ group compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in the odds of in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, acute kidney failure necessitating dialysis, or discharge from the hospital after recovery in both the HCQ and TCZ groups compared to their respective control groups. Adjusted odds ratios controlled for baseline comorbidities and medications closely followed the unadjusted estimates. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort of patients with COVID-19, neither HCQ nor TCZ offered a significant reduction in in-hospital mortality, upgrade to intensive medical care, invasive mechanical ventilation, or acute renal failure needing dialysis. These results are similar to the recently published preliminary results of the HCQ arm of the Recovery trial, which showed no clinical benefit from the use of HCQ in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (the TCZ arm is ongoing). Double-blinded randomized controlled trials are needed to further evaluate the impact of these drugs in larger patient samples so that data-driven guidelines can be deduced to combat this global pandemic

Scale free network analysis of a large crowd through their spatio-temporal activities

Many real world complex networks from different domains share a common property that their node connectivity shows a scale-free power law behavior. In such networks, highly connected nodes (Hubs) are widely believed to have special importance in network management. In this paper, we discuss an environment whereby members of a very large crowd gathered to perform spatio-temporal activities, interact with different services and with one another to form a network of interest. The context of users is captured through smartphones and is processed by a cloud based framework to identify the aforementioned Hubs. We show that initial results exhibit Scale Free Network (SFN) behavior that can be further utilized for instant diffusion of important messages within the network through successive allocation of Hubs. We will focus on two basic network analysis metrics, in particular, degree of nodes and their weighted links. We will show that weighted links are closer to have a SFN behavior. We also plan to validate the effectiveness of our proposed SFN crowd behavior during next year Hajj, where millions of pilgrims will get together to perform religious rituals

Exploring the potential of black tea based flavonoids against hyperlipidemia related disorders

Abstract Background In recent decade, Hyperlipidemia related disorders like obesity, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes are considered as the leading killers for mankind. Fundamental nexus between nutrition and health diverting the consumers focus towards plant based natural products as a remedy against various metabolic syndrome. Considering this, present study was conducted to explicate the role of black tea polyphenols such as Theaflavins and thearubigins therapeutic potential to tackle targeted maladies especially oxidative stress related disorders like hypercholesterolemia and diabetes. Methods The mandate of current investigation was to explore the hypoglycemic and hypocholestrolemic perspective of isolated theaflavin and thearubigins through a model feeding trial. For the purpose, theaflavin & thearubigins were isolated from black tea through solvent partition method and utilize to form three types of nutraceutical drinks (theaflavin, thearubigins & theaflavin + thearubigins based) alongside control to be further utilized in bioefficacy trial. In bioefficacy trial, three types of independent studies were design on the bases of diet by involving 20 male wistar rats in each study (5 for each group). In study I, normal diet was administrated while, in study II & III high cholesterol and high sucrose diet was given, respectively along with prepared nutraceutical drinks to synchronize their therapeutic effect for a period of 56 days. At the termination of trial, Feed & drink intakes, body weight, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, glucose and insulin levels were measured. Results The results indicated reduction in cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides levels of experimental rats in all studies with significant increase in HDL. In this context, theaflavin based drink imparted maximum reduction in cholesterol (3.75, 11.03 & 10.39%), LDL (3.84, 14.25& 10.84%) & triglycerides (2.99, 8.54 & 6.65%) in respective studies compared to thearubigins and theaflavin + thearubigins based drinks. However, theaflavin+ thearubigins based drink caused highest glucose decline and maximum insulin increase in all studies as compared to other nutraceutical drinks. The reported value for the insulin increase were 13.02 ± 1.02 & 14.55 ± 1.13, 10.09 ± 0.15 & 11.59 ± 0.86 for Hyperglycemic and Hypocholestrolemic rats respectively compared to control (7.84 ± 0.45 & 9.10 ± 0.41) for study I and II. Conclusions In the nutshell, theaflavin and thearubigins based dietary interventions are helpful to alleviate the hypercholestrolemia and hyperglycemia and should be promoted as parallel therapy to combat these disorders