Usnic acid improves memory impairment after cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injuries by anti-neuroinflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic properties

Objective(s): Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion causes complex pathological mechanisms that lead to brain tissue damage. Usnic acid is a lichen secondary metabolite that has many different biological properties including anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of usnic acid on apoptotic cell death, neuroinflammation, anti-oxidant enzyme activities, and oxidative stress levels after transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Materials and Methods: Forty-two male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups (sham, ischemia/reperfusion, and ischemia/reperfusion+usnic acid). Ischemia was induced by 20 min occlusion of common carotid arteries. Injection of usnic acid (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) and saline was done at the beginning of reperfusion time. Morris water maze was applied to assess spatial memory. The protein expression amount was measured using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. Spectrophotometric assay was performed to determine the levels of anti-oxidant enzymes. Results: Usnic acid significantly reduced caspase-3, glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive and ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1-positive cells (P<0.001) and enhanced spatial memory disorders (P<0.05) due to brain ischemia. In addition, treatment with usnic acid improves effects in the antioxidant system following cerebral ischemia (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that usnic acid has neuroprotective properties, which possibly is applicable as a promising candidate for cerebral injuries caused by ischemia. © 2020 Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Antimicrobial resistance and genetic analysis of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

Background: The resistance of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains to antibiotics is an important challenge for human health. The objective of this study was to detect multiple drug resistance in K. pneumoniae isolates multiple drug resistance. Methods: Overall, 70 isolates of K. pneumonia were isolated from teaching hospitals of Tehran, Iran. Disc diffusion used to determine the drug resistance pattern and then resistance genes were investigated by PCR method. Finally, the PFGE method used to type 40 isolates. Results: The result of antibiotic resistance showed that 97.5, 95, 100, 97.5, 100, 90, 100, 100 isolates were resistant to gentamicin, tobramycin, kanamycin, amikacin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, and imipenem, respectively. The highest frequency was observed for the qnrB gene (92.5) and apha6 (12.5), and the least frequent was IMP (7/5), qnrS (5), aadB (2.5) and aaCc1 (2.5). In the typing of 40 isolates, 29 different patterns of pulsotypes were observed. Of which 21 isolates had its own unique pattern, while the rest of them had 8 pulsotypes. Conclusion: The isolates of the current study were mostly multidrug resistance. The pulsotypes patterns were also unexpectedly different and a significant clonal association between the K. pneumoniae isolates have not been observed

Heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in patients with a Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori can lead to treatment failure. Importantly, several studies have reported on heteroresistance, i.e. the presence of resistant and susceptible H. pylori populations in the same sample and/or a difference in the susceptibility patterns between biopsy samples. This meta-analysis aims to provide comprehensive data on the prevalence of metronidazole and clarithromycin heteroresistance and the approaches to their detection. Material and methods: A systematic review was performed after the search of MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science. The study outcomes were the weighted pooled prevalence of heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in H. pylori positive samples and/or isolates with a subanalysis by continent. Results: A total of 22 studies that had investigated 3852 H. pylori positive patients were included in the meta-analysis. Heteroresistance to clarithromycin was reported in 20 studies, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 6.8 (95 CI 5.1�8.6; 3654 H. pylori positive patients; the substantial heterogeneity I2 = 55.6). Heteroresistance to metronidazole was reported in 12 studies, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 13.8 (95 CI 8.9�18.6; 1670 H. pylori positive patients; the substantial heterogeneity I2 = 60.9). The weighted pooled prevalence of clarithromycin heteroresistance was similar in Asia and Europe (p = 0.174584), however, metronidazole heteroresistance was detected more often in Europe (p &lt; 0.00001). Clarithromycin heteroresistance was detected more often by phenotype rather than by using genotyping methods (12 vs 8 studies), whereas heteroresistance to metronidazole was detected only by phenotype. Conclusion: The prevalence of heteroresistance to clarithromycin and/or metronidazole is not negligible and can be detected in approximately 7 and 14 of H. pylori positive samples, respectively. These findings highlight the need to raise the awareness of gastroenterologists and microbiologists to the heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in patients with a H. pylori infection. © 2022, The Author(s)

Heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in patients with a Helicobacter pylori infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Antimicrobial resistance of H. pylori can lead to treatment failure. Importantly, several studies have reported on heteroresistance, i.e. the presence of resistant and susceptible H. pylori populations in the same sample and/or a difference in the susceptibility patterns between biopsy samples. This meta-analysis aims to provide comprehensive data on the prevalence of metronidazole and clarithromycin heteroresistance and the approaches to their detection. Material and methods A systematic review was performed after the search of MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science. The study outcomes were the weighted pooled prevalence of heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in H. pylori positive samples and/or isolates with a subanalysis by continent. Results A total of 22 studies that had investigated 3852 H. pylori positive patients were included in the meta-analysis. Heteroresistance to clarithromycin was reported in 20 studies, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 6.8 (95 CI 5.1-8.6; 3654 H. pylori positive patients; the substantial heterogeneity I-2 = 55.6). Heteroresistance to metronidazole was reported in 12 studies, with a weighted pooled prevalence of 13.8 (95 CI 8.9-18.6; 1670 H. pylori positive patients; the substantial heterogeneity I-2 = 60.9). The weighted pooled prevalence of clarithromycin heteroresistance was similar in Asia and Europe (p = 0.174584), however, metronidazole heteroresistance was detected more often in Europe (p < 0.00001). Clarithromycin heteroresistance was detected more often by phenotype rather than by using genotyping methods (12 vs 8 studies), whereas heteroresistance to metronidazole was detected only by phenotype. Conclusion The prevalence of heteroresistance to clarithromycin and/or metronidazole is not negligible and can be detected in approximately 7 and 14 of H. pylori positive samples, respectively. These findings highlight the need to raise the awareness of gastroenterologists and microbiologists to the heteroresistance to clarithromycin and metronidazole in patients with a H. pylori infection

Investigation on the relationship between the lifestyle of pregnant women and the birth of premature infants and related risk factors: A case-control study

Background and Objectives: One of the causes of neonatal death and death in children under the age of five is premature birth of infants. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with preterm infant birth in pregnant women.   Methods: This is a case-control study on mothers referring to comprehensive health centers in the provinces of the country. Descriptive analysis of variables was reported as percentage and frequency. In data analysis, logistic regression analysis was used at a significant level less than 0.05.   Results: In this study, 2463 pregnant women (668 cases as cases and 1795 as controls) were examined. There was a significant relationship between the place of residence (OR=0.702, P=0.002), level of maternal education (OR=1.920, P=0.027), degree of twin (OR=4.953, P=0.001), interval between pregnancies (OR=1.821, P=0.009), specific disease (OR=1.694, P=0.010), nutritional status of the mother (OR=1.420, P=0.024), physical activity (OR=1.591, P=0.001), Sleep patterns (OR=0.634, P=0.008) and history of stillbirth (OR=0.247, P=0.001) associated with the birth of premature infants.   Conclusion: Preterm infant birth is one of the main causes of neonatal death. Therefore, some of the birth defects of the premature baby can be prevented. It is possible to reduce the risk factors for the birth of a premature baby by improving the quality of pregnancy care and changing the lifestyle of the pregnant mother, and by raising awareness and creating a healthy and safe environment for the mother

The relationship between physical violence during pregnancy and stillbirth and neonatal mortality

Background: Violence against women is one of the major public health issues and violation of women's human rights. Violence may affect women's health, especially during pregnancy. In addition to serious consequences for women's health, it will also impact the health of a growing fetus. Material and Method: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between physical violence during pregnancy and stillbirth and neonatal mortality. This s a population base case-control study conducted on pregnant women attending public health centers in 10 provinces of Iran. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS (version 21), descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: In this study, 193 participants (6.9) had experienced physical violence including 104 controls (7.7) and 89 cases (6.4) and a significant relation was found between physical violence and stillbirth during pregnancy (OR=1.54, CI: 1.16-2.05). There was also a significant association between stillbirth and maternal lower educational level (OR=3.7, CI: 2.4-5.6), accidental blows on the mother (OR=5.83, CI: 3.09-10.98). No significant association was observed between physical violence during pregnancy and neonatal mortality. However, neonatal mortality was significantly related to the accidental blows (OR=15.25, CI: 8.2-28.38). Discussion and Conclusion: The results of this study showed that physical violence and accidental blows during pregnancy can cause stillbirth and neonatal mortality. Accordingly, it is recommended to take necessary measures through performing proper and routine screening for domestic violence during pregnancy and offering educational measures to empower women and raise men's awareness. © 2017 Journal of Advanced Pharmacy Education & Research