Evaluation of four phenotypic methods for the rapid identification of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a superbug has been recognized as one of the major pathogens in hospitals as well as community settings. The prevalence of MRSA is 30–70% and many studies have suggested an alarming rate of infections caused by this organism. In spite of modern diagnostic procedures and technological advancement, infections caused by MRSA still remain difficult to diagnose in developing countries like India. We tried to evaluate four phenotypic methods for the rapid identification of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Methods: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the four phenotypic methods for the detection of MRSA by oxacillin disc diffusion, cefoxitin disc diffusion, HiCrome rapid MRSA agar and the latex agglutination test.Results: Among 542 Staphylococcus aureus isolated, 304 were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and remaining 238 were methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Hence, the prevalence rate of MRSA in our study was 56.09%.  Cefoxitin disc diffusion was found to be more specific and sensitive than oxacillin disc diffusion where as both HiCrome Rapid MRSA Agar and the latex agglutination tests showed similar specificity and sensitivity.Conclusions: The cefoxitin disc diffusion method, as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) was found to be a reliable method for MRSA detection but it should be supplemented with some other method like latex agglutination to enhance the isolation rate of MRSA. We recommend that along with cefoxitin disc diffusion with another reliable method, preferably latex agglutination should be routinely used in all microbiology diagnostic laboratories to detect MRSA which help for its control of spread

Urdhva Tiryagbhyam Sutra Multiplier Based 32-Bit MAC Design

The Vedic Multiplier and the Reversible Logic Gates has Designed and actualized in the increase and Accumulate Unit (MAC) and that is appeared in this paper. A Vedic multiplier is composed by utilizing Urdhava Triyagbhayam sutra and the snake configuration is finished by utilizing reversible rationale entryway. Reversible rationales are likewise the crucial necessity for the developing field of Quantum processing. The Vedic multiplier is utilized for the increase unit in order to decrease halfway items and to get elite and lesser territory .The reversible rationale is utilized to get less power. The MAC is composed in Verilog HDL and the recreation is done in Xilinx 14.2 and blend is done utilizing Xilinx. The chip outline for the proposed MAC is likewise completed

Evolutionary Perspective of Fungal Pathogenic Genes

Fungal pathogenesis has been vastly investigated in recent years and the phylogenic studies of fungal genome reveal that unique genes are responsible for pathogenesis. It has been found that the pathogenesis is caused by genes responsible for DNA repair, vegetative growth and sporulation. In the recent past, studies on filamentous pathogenic fungi playing an important role in establishing a pathogenic relationship with the host was well described

Analysis of plasma myeloperoxidase levels and functional gene –463G>A and –129G>A polymorphisms with early onset of coronary artery disease in South Indian population

Introduction. The present investigation is pursued to study the possible association of –463G>A and –129G>A polymorphism in MPO gene and assessment of plasma MPO levels with the risk of developing coronary artery disease.Material and methods. A total of 200 angiographically documented CAD patients and 200 age, gender ethnicity matched healthy controls were recruited for the study. Plasma MPO levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit and genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP technique.Results. The MPO levels were found to be significantly increased in CAD patients when compared with controls (p < 0.04) but there were no significant effect of –463G>A gene polymorphism on MPO levels. A significant association of –463G>A polymorphism was observed with coronary artery disease. The frequency of recessive genotype “AA” at –463 promoter site was considerably lesser in patients (4%) relative to controls (11%) (odds ratio [OR] = 0.3371, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.1463–0.7766, p = 0.012). However we did not find significant association of –129G>A polymorphism with CAD. Additionally, haplotype analysis revealed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) 1 of AA genotype and SNP 2 of GG genotype showed significant protective effect with disease (OR = 0.64; 95% CI [0.42–0.96], p = 0.032).Conclusion. The results revealed that –463G>A polymorphism in the MPO gene lowers the CAD related condition in patients by down regulating serum MPO concentration, which is known to aggravate the atherosclerotic events observed in CAD

Impact of heavy rains of 2018 in western Japan: disaster-induced health outcomes among the population of Innoshima Island

Southwestern Japan suffered its worst rains in 2018 causing floods and mudslides, claiming 225 lives and forcing millions for evacuations. Referred as "Heisei san-ju-nenshichi-gatsugou", the disaster was the result of incessant precipitation caused by the interaction of typhoon "Prapiroon" with the seasonal rain front "Baiu". The present epidemiological study aims to investigate disaster-induced health issues in 728 residents of Innoshima island in the Hiroshima Prefecture by comparing their clinical data in pre-disaster (2017) and disaster-hit (2018) years which was obtained from annual health screening. Comparison of data showed a significant increase in the urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. Probing further into the household conditions, showed that a total of 59,844 households were affected with water outage during the heavy rains, which was accompanied by severe damage of sewerage pipelines with complete recovery process taking two weeks. This two weeks of the crisis forced victims to refrain from using restrooms which in turn led to infrequent urination, thereby explaining the increased urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. The present study addresses the acute health implications caused by the water crisis and serves as a precautionary measure for disaster management council to provide enhanced aftercare services in victims in further events of natural disasters

Evaluation of four phenotypic methods for the rapid identification of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a superbug has been recognized as one of the major pathogens in hospitals as well as community settings. The prevalence of MRSA is 30–70% and many studies have suggested an alarming rate of infections caused by this organism. In spite of modern diagnostic procedures and technological advancement, infections caused by MRSA still remain difficult to diagnose in developing countries like India. We tried to evaluate four phenotypic methods for the rapid identification of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).Methods: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the four phenotypic methods for the detection of MRSA by oxacillin disc diffusion, cefoxitin disc diffusion, HiCrome rapid MRSA agar and the latex agglutination test.Results: Among 542 Staphylococcus aureus isolated, 304 were methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and remaining 238 were methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Hence, the prevalence rate of MRSA in our study was 56.09%.  Cefoxitin disc diffusion was found to be more specific and sensitive than oxacillin disc diffusion where as both HiCrome Rapid MRSA Agar and the latex agglutination tests showed similar specificity and sensitivity.Conclusions: The cefoxitin disc diffusion method, as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) was found to be a reliable method for MRSA detection but it should be supplemented with some other method like latex agglutination to enhance the isolation rate of MRSA. We recommend that along with cefoxitin disc diffusion with another reliable method, preferably latex agglutination should be routinely used in all microbiology diagnostic laboratories to detect MRSA which help for its control of spread

Synthesis and biological evaluation of mannose-6-phosphate-coated multivalent dendritic cluster glycosides

The synthesis of multivalent dendritic cluster glycosides of mannopyranosyl-6-phosphate is presented. Poly(amido amine)-based dendrimers of 0.5-3.5 generations, containing carboxylic acid peripheral functionalities, were utilized so as to install 4, 8, 16 and 32 mannopyranosyl-6-phosphate residues at the peripheries of the dendrimers. Amide bond formation between an amine-tethered mannopyranosyl-6-phosphate monomer unit and carboxylic acid-functionalized dendrimers was conducted to synthesize the dendritic cluster glycosides. The constitutions of the Man-6-P-containing dendrimers were assessed by <SUP>1</SUP>H, <SUP>13</SUP>C and <SUP>31</SUP>P NMR spectroscopies and the sugar content analysis by a resorcinol assay. Preliminary biological studies with few newly synthesized Man-6-P-containing dendrimers showed that these compounds could bind the purified goat liver mannose 6-phopshate receptor (MPR 300) protein

Molecular dynamic simulations reveal suboptimal binding of salbutamol in T164I variant of β2 adrenergic receptor.

The natural variant C491T (rs1800088) in ADRB2 gene substitutes Threonine to Isoleucine at 164th position in β2AR and results in receptor sequestration and altered binding of agonists. Present investigation pursues to identify the effect of T164I variation on function and structure of β2AR through systematic computational approaches. The study, in addition, addresses altered binding of salbutamol in T164I variant through molecular dynamic simulations. Methods involving changes in free energy, solvent accessibility surface area, root mean square deviations and analysis of binding cavity revealed structural perturbations in receptor to incur upon T164I substitution. For comprehensive understanding of receptor upon substitution, OPLS force field aided molecular dynamic simulations were performed for 10 ns. Simulations revealed massive structural departure for T164I β2AR variant from the native state along with considerably higher root mean square fluctuations of residues near the cavity. Affinity prediction by molecular docking showed two folds reduced affinity of salbutamol in T164I variant. To validate the credibility docking results, simulations for ligand-receptor complex were performed which demonstrated unstable salbutamol-T164I β2AR complex formation. Further, analysis of interactions in course of simulations revealed reduced ligand-receptor interactions of salbutamol in T164I variant. Taken together, studies herein provide structural rationales for suboptimal binding of salbutamol in T164I variant through integrated molecular modeling approaches

The Effects of Asbestos Fibers on Human T Cells

Asbestos exposure causes malignant tumors such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The effects of asbestos fibers on immunocompetent cells, however, have not been well studied. Asbestos physically comprises a fibrous substance, which differs from silica particles which are a particulate substance, although chemically it is a mineral silicate. Since silicosis patients previously exposed to silica particles often suffer from lung and autoimmune diseases, it is clear that silica exposure impairs immune tolerance. Similarly, asbestos may alter the immune system in asbestos-exposed individuals. Given that malignant tumors can result following exposure to asbestos, the attenuation of anti-tumor immunity in cases of asbestos exposure is an important area of investigation. We observed the effect of asbestos fibers on T lymphocytes, such as CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), CD4+ helper T (Th), and regulatory T (Treg) cells, and showed that anti-tumor immunity was attenuated, as demonstrated in a system that stimulates fresh cells isolated from peripheral blood in vitro and a system that is continuously exposed to a cell line. In this manuscript, we introduce the experiments and results of studies on CTLs, as well as Th and Treg cells, and discuss how future changes in immunocompetent cells induced by asbestos fibers can be clinically linked