Plasmid mediated resistance in multidrug resistant bacteria isolated from children with suspected septicaemia in Zaria, Nigeria

Septicaemia is a common cause of morbidity and mortality among children in the  developing world. The knowledge of the  epidemiological and antimicrobial pattern of common pathogens that cause septicaemia is useful for prompt treatment of patients. Fifty-five (55) clinical isolates from children with suspected septicaemia were used for the study. The isolates include Coagulase negative Staphylococcus, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Klebsiella spp., Citrobacter spp., Proteus spp and  Pseudomonas spp. The antibiotic susceptibility testing of isolated bacteria associated with septicaemia in children were carried out using standard  microbiological protocol. The MAR index for the test bacterial isolates was  determined and the bacterial isolates that displayed multiple antibiotic resistance were investigated for the presence of resistant factor such as plasmids. The sizes of the plasmid observed in the bacterial isolates were determined using agarose gel electrophoresis. Observations made from the agarose gel electrophoresis showed that majority of the multiple antibiotic resistant isolates haboured plasmids DNA of different sizes viz: 10.00 Kb, 8.71 Kb, 7.08 Kb, 1.02 Kb, 1.00 Kb, 0. 98 Kb and 0.87 Kb. The plasmid analysis of the results obtained in this study showed that the  predominant plasmid molecular size was 977bp which occurred frequently among  the Citrobacter spp and Staph aureus. These findings suggest an increased  resistance to the antibiotics commonly used for the treatment of septicaemia, and the observed presence of plasmids in some of the test bacteria isolated shows that they could have been acquired from multiple antibiotic resistant bacteria in the community under investigation.Key words: Children, Multiple antibiotic resistance, Plasmids, Septicaemi

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Primary Care: Overview on Diagnosis and Management

Background: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a debilitating condition marked by the presence of intrusive obsessions and repetitive compulsions. The primary care setting often serves as the first line of contact for individuals grappling with mental health issues, making it a crucial frontier in the early detection and management of OCD. Therefore, the accurate diagnosis of OCD in such settings is essential for effective management. Objective: This review article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the diagnostic process for OCD, emphasizing the clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and various diagnostic tools available. Additionally, it explores current strategies for managing OCD, including pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions. Methodology: For this review, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using Google Scholar and PubMed databases. Keywords such as "Diagnosis," "obsessive compulsive disorder," and "management" were employed to narrow down relevant studies. Both qualitative and quantitative research papers were included, while non-English publications and those lacking peer-review were excluded. Results: Core symptoms of OCD include obsessions and compulsions, with the Y-BOCS being a standard measure for diagnosis. Differential diagnosis is essential to distinguish OCD from other conditions. SSRIs have been recognized as first-line pharmacological treatments. CBT, particularly Exposure and Response Prevention, remains a potent psychotherapeutic intervention. Emerging treatments like DBS and TMS offer hope for those unresponsive to conventional treatments. Combination therapies have shown enhanced efficacy in certain cases. Conclusion: The meticulous diagnosis of OCD requires recognizing its core symptoms, ruling out other conditions, and leveraging validated clinical tools. A multi-faceted management approach combining pharmacological and psychological treatments ensures optimal patient outcomes, with ongoing research introducing promising new interventions

Purification and kinetics of the PHB depolymerase of Microbacterium paraoxydans RZS6 isolated from a dumping yard

Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) depolymerase is known to decompose PHB, biodegradable polymers and therefore has great commercial significance in the bioplastic sector. However, reports on PHB depolymerases from isolates obtained from plastic-contaminated sites that reflect the potential of the source organism is scarce. In this study, we evaluated the production of extracellular PHB depolymerase from Microbacterium paraoxydans RZS6 isolated from the plastic-contaminated site in the municipal area of Shahada, Maharashtra, India, for the first time. The isolate was identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, gas chromatographic analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (GC-FAME), and BIOLOG method. Ithydro-lyzed PHB on minimal salt medium (MSM) containing PHB as the only source of carbon. The isolate produced PHB depolymerase at 45C during 48 h of incubation. The enzyme was purified most efficiently using octyl-sepharose CL-4B column, with the highest purification yield of 6.675 Umg-1mL-1. The activity of the enzyme was enhanced in the presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions but inhibited by Fe2+ (1 mM) ions and mercaptoethanol (1000 rpm). the nzyme kinetic analysis revealed that the enzyme was a metalloenzyme; requiring Mg2+ ions, that showed optimum enzyme activity at 30C (mesophilic) and under neutrophilic (pH 7) conditions. Scale-up from the shake-flask level to a laboratory-scale bioreactor further enhanced the enzyme yield by 0.809 UmL-1. The molecular weight of the enzyme (40 kDa), as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, closely resembled the PHB depolymerase of Aureobacterium saperdae. Our findings highlighted the applicability of M. paraoxydans as a producer of extracellular PHB depolymerase having potential of degrading PHB under diverse conditions

The composition of the essential oil and aqueous distillate of Origanum vulgare L. growing in Saudi Arabia and evaluation of their antibacterial activity

The essential oil and aqueous distillate composition of Origanum vulgare L. were analyzed by GC/MS. Sixty-seven different components were detected in both oils. Sixty-four components were characterized for the oil derived from the aerial parts, whereas thirty-three components in the volatile oil from the aqueous distillates of O. vulgare L., representing 99.8% and 98.5% of the oils, respectively. The main components of the volatile oil from the aerial parts of O. vulgare L. were carvacrol (70.2 ± 1.37%), c-terpinene (5.6 ± 0.11%), p-cymene (4.5 ± 0.42 %), trans-sabinene hydrate (3.8 ± 0.07%), and thymol (2.2 ± 0.12%). In comparison, the main compounds of the volatile oil of the O. vulgare L. aqueous distillates were carvacrol (92.5 ± 0.97 %), thymol (2.5 ± 0.09%), and terpinen-4-ol (1.0 ± 0.03%). The antibacterial activity of both oils, along with that of the purified major component, carvacrol, against Gram-positive and Gramnegative strains was assessed. The results revealed that all three samples showed significant antibacterial activity against all tested strains. The IC50 values of the oils derived from the aerial parts and aqueous distillates of O. vulgare L. against the tested strains was in the range of 107–383 mg�mL1 , whereas, the IC50 value of carvacrol was in the range of 53–151 mg�mL1 . The data suggest that carvacrol, a major component of both oils, possesses the highest antibacterial activity of all th

Using Soft Polymer Template Engineering of Mesoporous TiO2 Scaffolds to Increase Perovskite Grain Size and Solar Cell Efficiency

The mesoporous (meso)-TiO2 layer is a key component of high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, pore size controllable meso-TiO2 layers are prepared using spin coating of commercial TiO2 nanoparticle (NP) paste with added soft polymer templates (SPT) followed by removal of the SPT at 500 °C. The SPTs consist of swollen crosslinked polymer colloids (microgels, MGs) or a commercial linear polymer (denoted as LIN). The MGs and LIN were comprised of the same polymer, which was poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm). Large (L-MG) and small (S-MG) MG SPTs were employed to study the effect of the template size. The SPT approach enabled pore size engineering in one deposition step. The SPT/TiO2 nanoparticle films had pore sizes > 100 nm, whereas the average pore size was 37 nm for the control meso-TiO2 scaffold. The largest pore sizes were obtained using L-MG. SPT engineering increased the perovskite grain size in the same order as the SPT sizes: LIN < S-MG < L-MG and these grain sizes were larger than those obtained using the control. The power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the SPT/TiO2 devices were ∼20% higher than that for the control meso-TiO2 device and the PCE of the champion S-MG device was 18.8%. The PCE improvement is due to the increased grain size and more effective light harvesting of the SPT devices. The increased grain size was also responsible for the improved stability of the SPT/TiO2 devices. The SPT method used here is simple, scalable, and versatile and should also apply to other PSCs

Developments in production of silica-based thermoluminescence dosimeters

This work addresses purpose-made thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) based on doped silica fibres and sol–gel nanoparticles, produced via Modified Chemical Vapour Deposition (MCVD) and wet chemistry techniques respectively. These seek to improve upon the versatility offered by conventional phosphor-based TLD forms such as that of doped LiF. Fabrication and irradiation-dependent factors are seen to produce defects of differing origin, influencing the luminescence of the media. In coming to a close, we illustrate the utility of Ge-doped silica media for ionizing radiation dosimetry, first showing results from gamma-irradiated Ag-decorated nanoparticles, in the particular instance pointing to an extended dynamic range of dose. For the fibres, at radiotherapy dose levels, we show high spatial resolution (0.1 mm) depth-dose results for proton irradiations. For novel microstructured fibres (photonic crystal fibres, PCFs) we show first results from a study of undisturbed and technologically modified naturally occurring radioactivity environments, measuring doses of some 10 s of μGy over a period of several months

Dermatological Emergencies in Family Medicine: Recognition, Management, and Referral Considerations

Numerous people with skin disorders who have real dermatologic crises show up at the emergency room. Family doctors need to be able to identify potentially fatal dermatological disorders quickly since they could be the first to encounter patients with these illnesses. The purpose of this review is to provide guidance for early recognition, help identify distinct symptoms, and enable early diagnosis of emerging dermatological conditions. Necrotizing fasciitis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and other possible emergencies that might manifest as dermatological symptoms are examples of these conditions. In this article we will be discussing the dermatological emergencies present at primary care settings and encountered by family physician, recognition and management of those emergencies, referral considerations, role of family medicine in dermatological emergencies and other topics

A semi-analytic method with an effect of memory for solving fractional differential equations

In this paper, we propose a new modification of the multistage generalized differential transform method (MsGDTM) for solving fractional differential equations. In MsGDTM, it is the key how to impose an initial condition in each sub-domain to obtain an accurate approximate solution. In several literature works (Odibat et al. in Comput. Math. Appl. 59:1462-1472, 2010; Alomari in Comput. Math. Appl. 61:2528-2534, 2011; Gokdo&amp;#287;an et al. in Math. Comput. Model. 54:2132-2138, 2011), authors have updated an initial condition in each sub-domain by using the approximate solution in the previous sub-domain. However, we point out that this approach is hard to apply an effect of memory which is the basic property of fractional differential equations. Here we provide a new algorithm to impose the initial conditions by using the integral operator that enhances accuracy. Several illustrative examples are demonstrated, and it is shown that the proposed technique is robust and accurate for solving fractional differential equations.close0

Latest developments in silica-based thermoluminescence spectrometry and dosimetry

Using irradiated doped-silica preforms from which fibres for thermoluminescence dosimetry applications can be fabricated we have carried out a range of luminescence studies, the TL yield of the fibre systems offering many advantages over conventional passive dosimetry types. In this paper we investigate such media, showing emission spectra for irradiated preforms and the TL response of glass beads following irradiation to an Am-241-Be neutron source located in a tank of water, the glass fibres and beads offering the advantage of being able to be placed directly into liquid. The outcomes from these and other lines of research are intended to inform development of doped silica radiation dosimeters of versatile utility, extending from environmental evaluations through to clinical and industrial applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve

Enhanced combined assimilative and bound phosphorus uptake in concurrence with nitrate removal in pre-anoxic cyclic sequencing batch reactor

Needless to specify, controlling nitrogen and phosphorus discharge from wastewater treatment plants is synonymous with the prevention of eutrophication of surface waters, as one of the major issues related to water security. The present study investigates the performance of a pre-anoxic sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working on the basis of intermittent aeration, operated at varied carbon (bCOD) to nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 3, 7.5, and 10, and readily biodegradable (rbCOD) to slowly biodegradable (sbCOD) ratio of 0.1, 0.25, and 0.5. The findings revealed that an enhanced nitrogen removal was observed, together with higher C/N and rbCOD to sbCOD ratios. The results also show a consistent increase in total phosphorus removal with an increase in nitrogen removal. The phosphorus uptake of sludge varied from 0.02 – 0.045 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 0.031 ± 0.004), which resulted in enrichment levels of 0.88 – 1.68 times the stoichiometric value of 0.0267 mgP/mgVSS (avg. 1.45 ± 0.14). On an average basis, the assimilative total phosphate (TP) content was increased by 0.008 gTP/gNO -/3 -N removal rate. The excess phosphorus removal was due to the formation of poorly soluble polyvalent phosphate compounds, which was found based on dry analysis, which persisted as bound phosphate in the sludge