Symptomatic giant left atrial aneurysm in a child : a rare entity

Isolated left atrial aneurysms are rare entities in clinical practice. Usually the condition is diagnosed in the second to fourth decades of life. The presence of such lesions in the pediatric age group is scantily described. We present a 2 year boy who presented with complaints of excessive irritability, respiratory distress and swelling of the feet. On examination, child was tachypnoeic with irregularly irregular rhythm. Echo showed a huge aneurysmal LA appendage with severe left ventricle dysfunction. The child underwent surgical resection for same. Findings were confirmed intraoperatively but he continued to have low cardiac output state after the surgery, with frequent arrhythmias and expired on day 7 of surgery. The case is reviewed and compared with the available English literature.peer-reviewe

Biofilm Producing Clinical Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Augmented Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Cases in Tertiary Care Hospitals of Nepal

Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, is a major cause of the community as well as healthcare associated infections. It can cause a diversity of recalcitrant infections mainly due to the acquisition of resistance to multiple drugs, its diverse range of virulence factors, and the ability to produce biofilm in indwelling medical devices. Such biofilm associated chronic infections often lead to increase in morbidity and mortality posing a high socio-economic burden, especially in developing countries. Since biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance function dependent on each other, detection of biofilm expression in clinical isolates would be advantageous in treatment decision. In this premise, we attempt to investigate the biofilm formation and its association with antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates from the patients visiting tertiary health care hospitals in Nepal. Bacterial cells isolated from clinical samples identified as S. aureus were examined for in-vitro biofilm production using both phenotypic and genotypic assays. The S. aureus isolates were also examined for susceptibility patterns of clinically relevant antibiotics as well as inducible clindamycin resistance using standard microbiological techniques and D-test, respectively. Among 161 S. aureus isolates, 131 (81.4%) were methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 30 (18.6%) were methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains. Although a majority of MRSA strains (69.6%) showed inducible clindamycin resistance, almost all isolates (97% and 94%) were sensitive toward chloramphenicol and tetracycline, respectively. Detection of in vitro production of biofilm revealed the association of biofilm with methicillin as well as inducible clindamycin resistance among the clinical S. aureus isolates

Biofilm Producing Clinical \u3ci\u3eStaphylococcus aureus\u3c/i\u3e Isoates Augmented Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Cases In Tertiary Care Hospitals of Nepal

Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, is a major cause of the community as well as healthcare associated infections. It can cause a diversity of recalcitrant infections mainly due to the acquisition of resistance to multiple drugs, its diverse range of virulence factors, and the ability to produce biofilm in indwelling medical devices. Such biofilm associated chronic infections often lead to increase in morbidity and mortality posing a high socio-economic burden, especially in developing countries. Since biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance function dependent on each other, detection of biofilm expression in clinical isolates would be advantageous in treatment decision. In this premise, we attempt to investigate the biofilm formation and its association with antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates from the patients visiting tertiary health care hospitals in Nepal. Bacterial cells isolated from clinical samples identified as S. aureus were examined for in-vitro biofilm production using both phenotypic and genotypic assays. The S. aureus isolates were also examined for susceptibility patterns of clinically relevant antibiotics as well as inducible clindamycin resistance using standard microbiological techniques and D-test, respectively. Among 161 S. aureus isolates, 131 (81.4%) were methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 30 (18.6%) were methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains. Although a majority of MRSA strains (69.6%) showed inducible clindamycin resistance, almost all isolates (97% and 94%) were sensitive toward chloramphenicol and tetracycline, respectively. Detection of in vitro production of biofilm revealed the association of biofilm with methicillin as well as inducible clindamycin resistance among the clinical S. aureus isolates

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characterization of Biofilm Producing Clinical Coagulase Negative Staphylococci From Nepal and Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern

Background Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) survive as commensals of skin, anterior nares and external canals of human and were regarded as non-infectious pathogens. However, they are emerging as a major cause of nosocomial infectious due to their ability to form biofilms and high resistance to several classes of antibiotics. This study examines the biofilm forming abilities of 214 clinical CNS isolates using phenotypic and genotypic methods, and determines their antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Methods A total of 214 clinical isolates collected from different clinical samples were identified as CNS and their antibiotic susceptibility determined by CLSI guidelines. The biofilm forming ability of all isolates was determined by three phenotypic methods; Congo red agar (CRA) method, tube adherence method (TM) and tissue culture plate (TCP) method and by genotypic method for the detection of icaAD genes. Results Among all the isolates, S. epidermidis (57.5%) was found the most frequently, followed by S. saprophyticus (18.7%), S. haemolyticus (11.2%), S. hominis (7%), and S. capitis (5.6%). Antibiotic susceptibility pattern demonstrated 91.6% isolates were resistant to penicillin and 66.8% to cefoxitin while 91.1% isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol. Constitutive and inducible clindamycin resistant phenotype as measured by D-test was seen among 28% and 14.5% of isolates respectively. Tissue culture plate method detected biofilm production in 42.1% isolate followed by 31.8% through tube method while 20.1% isolates were found to produce slime in Congo red agar method. The genotypic assay revealed presence of icaA and icaD genes in 19.2% isolates. Conclusion The study shows a high prevalence of biofilm formation and inducible clindamycin resistance in CNS isolates, indicating the importance of in-vitro biofilm production test and D-test in routine laboratory diagnostics. Implementation of efficient diagnostic techniques for detection of biofilm production in clinical samples can help manage staphylococcal infections and minimize risks of treatment failures in hospitals

Halotolerant Plant Growth Promoting Bacilli from Sundarban Mangrove Mitigate the Effects of Salinity Stress on Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) Growth

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) is one of the major crops in dry and saline areas across the globe. During salinity stress, plants encounter significant changes in their physio and biochemical activities, leading to decreased growth and yield. Bacillus species are used as biofertilizers and biopesticides for pearl millet and other crops to promote growth and yield. The use of Bacillus in saline soils has been beneficial to combat the negative effect of salinity on plant growth and yield. In this context, the present study emphasizes the use of two Bacillus species, i.e. Bacillus megaterium JR-12 and B. pumilus GN-5, which helped in alleviating the impact of salinity stress on the growth activities in salt-stressed pearl millet. Pearl millet seeds were treated with two strains, B. megaterium JR-12 and B.pumilus GN-5, individually and in combination under 50, 100 and 150 mM of sodium chloride stress. The treated plants showed higher plant height, biomass accumulation, and photosynthetic apparatus than the non-treated plants. Additionally, the treated plants showed increased osmoprotectant levels under salinity stress compared to control plants. The antioxidant enzyme content was improved post-inoculation, indicating the efficient stress-alleviating potential of both strains of Bacillus species. Moreover, inoculation of these microbes significantly increased plant growth attributes in plants treated with a combination of Bp-GN-5 + Bm-JR-12 and the reduction rates of plant growth were found to be alleviated to 9.12%, 20.30% and 33%, respectively. Overall, the results of the present study suggested that these microbes could have a higher potential to improve the productivity of pearl millet under salinity stress

High Level of Persister Frequency In Clinical Staphylococcal Isolates

Staphylococcus aureus is a notorious human pathogen that causes often lethal systemic conditions that are mostly medical device associated biofilm infections. Similarly, coagulase negative staphylococci are emerging as leading pathogen for nosocomial infections owing to their ability to form biofilm on implanted medical equipment. Chronic in nature, these infections are difficult to treat. Such recalcitrance of these infections is caused mainly due to the presence of persister cells, which exhibit transient yet extreme tolerance to antibiotics. Despite tremendous clinical significance, there is lack of studies on persister cells formation among clinical bacterial isolates. Considering the importance of factors influencing persister formation, in this study, we evaluate the association of antibiotic tolerance with biofilm production, antibiotic stress, growth phase, specimen type, and dependency on staphylococcal species. Biofilm formation was detected among 375 clinical staphylococcal isolates by quantitative tissue culture plate method (TCP) and icaAD genes by genotypic method. The antibiotic susceptibility was determined by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method while minimum inhibitory concentration values were obtained by agar dilution method. Persister cells were measured in the susceptible staphylococcal isolates in the presence of clinically relevant antibiotics

Biofilm Producing Clinical \u3ci\u3eStaphylococcus aureus\u3c/i\u3e Isoates Augmented Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Cases In Tertiary Care Hospitals of Nepal

Staphylococcus aureus, a notorious human pathogen, is a major cause of the community as well as healthcare associated infections. It can cause a diversity of recalcitrant infections mainly due to the acquisition of resistance to multiple drugs, its diverse range of virulence factors, and the ability to produce biofilm in indwelling medical devices. Such biofilm associated chronic infections often lead to increase in morbidity and mortality posing a high socio-economic burden, especially in developing countries. Since biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance function dependent on each other, detection of biofilm expression in clinical isolates would be advantageous in treatment decision. In this premise, we attempt to investigate the biofilm formation and its association with antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates from the patients visiting tertiary health care hospitals in Nepal. Bacterial cells isolated from clinical samples identified as S. aureus were examined for in-vitro biofilm production using both phenotypic and genotypic assays. The S. aureus isolates were also examined for susceptibility patterns of clinically relevant antibiotics as well as inducible clindamycin resistance using standard microbiological techniques and D-test, respectively. Among 161 S. aureus isolates, 131 (81.4%) were methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and 30 (18.6%) were methicillin sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains. Although a majority of MRSA strains (69.6%) showed inducible clindamycin resistance, almost all isolates (97% and 94%) were sensitive toward chloramphenicol and tetracycline, respectively. Detection of in vitro production of biofilm revealed the association of biofilm with methicillin as well as inducible clindamycin resistance among the clinical S. aureus isolates

Effect of Rhizophagus intraradices on growth and physiological performance of Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana L.) under drought stress

Under abiotic stress conditions, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi help plants by improving nutrient and water uptake. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is an arid crop having soils with poor water holding capacity. Therefore, it is difficult for the plants to obtain water and mineral nutrients from such soil to sustain life. To understand the role of mycorrhizal symbiosis in water and mineral up-take from the soil, we studied the role of Rhizophagus intraradices colonization and its beneficial role for drought stress tolerance in finger millet seedlings. Under severe drought stress condition, AM inoculation led to the significant increase in plant growth (7 %), phosphorus and chlorophyll content (29 %). Also, under drought stress the level of osmolytes such as proline and soluble sugars were found to be increased in AM inoculated seedlings. Under water stress, the lipid peroxidation in leaves of mycorrhized seedlings was reduced by 29 %. The flavonoid content of roots in AM colonized seedlings was found 16 % higher compared to the control, whereas the leaves were accumulated more phenol. Compared to the control, ascorbate level was found to be 25 % higher in leaf tissue of AM inoculated seedlings. Moreover, glutathione (GSH) level was also increased in mycorrhiza inoculated seedlings with a maximum increment of 182 % under severe stress. The results demonstrated that AM provided drought tolerance to the finger millet seedlings through a stronger root system, greater photosynthetic efficiency, a more efficient antioxidant system and improved osmoregulation

Development of sportswear with enhanced moisture management properties using cotton and regenerated cellulosic fibres

The effect of fibre composition on moisture management properties and peak heat flux (qmax) values of one commercialsport garment and six knitted fabrics (sportswear), composed of 100% polyester, 100% cotton, 100% modal, and blend ofpolyester with cotton and modal, have been investigated. The moisture management properties are assessed by using themoisture management tester, and the feeling of coldness or warmth is assessed by measuring qmax value on KES-F7 Thermolabo II. Blending polyester fibre with cotton and modal has improved moisture management properties of the fabrics incomparison to 100% polyester fabric. qmax study also indicates that polyester/cotton and polyester/modal blend fabrics arecooler as compared to 100 % polyester fabric