Histopathological effects of mercuric chloride on kidney and intestine of Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus fry

To study the effects of mercuric chloride on kidney and intestine tissue of Persian Sturgeon, Acipenser persicus fry, fish exposed freshwater contain 15 ppb of mercuric chloride and control group were kept in non polluted freshwater for 48 hours. Histological studies of the processed tissues showed marked histological alterations than the control group that exposed only to freshwater. The pathologic lesions of the kidney included severely epithelial cell necrosis, lesion of epithelial cells from the basement membrane in the proximal and distal tubules. Proximal tubule also showed inflammation and incorporation of brush borders. Decrease of lymphoid and hematopoietic tissue observed. Pathologic lesions of intestine tissue were showed the epithelial necrosis, shrinkages of secretory follicule, lesion of epithelial microvilli in intestine. Results showed that low concentration of mercuric chloride can pose undesirable alternation in Persian Sturgeon fry, an economic and endangered species of the Caspian Sea

Immunolocalization of Na+ K+-ATPase enzyme and gill chloride cells in fries of Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus

Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus is a valuable species in the Caspian Sea ecosystem. For gill chloride cells localization, fish specimens 2-3 g were adapted to experimental conditions for 7 days. Gill histology was observed through light microscopy using Hematoxylin Fushin staining. Immunolocalization of gill Na^+, K^+ -ATPase was observed through fluorescent microscopy using mouse monoclonal antibody (IgG5) rinsed against Na+, K+ -ATPase. Chloride cells dimensions was observed using Image Tools software. Gill chloride cells that have high density of Na+ K+ -ATPase, were found on gill arch, gill septum, filament and lamellae. No chloride cells were observed on spiracular or opercular gills epithelium. Chloride cells were spherical to egg-shaped and showed immune-fluorescent activity on their baso-lateral sides. Results showed that in each square millimeter of gill epithelia, 289 chloride cells existed and the maximum number of these cells was found on filament, lamellae, base of the lamellae and on the inter-lamellar space. We also found that the number of these cells is significantly different in all branchial states. Persian sturgeon fry weighing 2-3 g have gill chloride cells where Na+ K+ -ATPase gene and their activity occurred. Because of their cellular transporters (like Na^+, K^+ -ATPase), these cells were the main sites of the ionic and osmotic regulation between the fish and the environment

Histopathological effects and toxicity of atrazine herbicide in Caspian kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum, fry

This study aimed to investigate the toxic effects of atrazine herbicide on the fry of Caspian kutum (Rutilus frisii kutum, Kamensky, 1901). First the 96-h LC50 of the fry were exposed to atrazine at the concentration of 24.95 ppm was determined. Then the toxicity of this herbicide on Caspian kutum fry exposed to the concentration of 12.47ppm (1/2 LC50), for four days was measured and compared with a control group. Comparison of the length, weight and condition factor showed no significant differences between atrazine exposed and control group. The concentration of Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and Cl- in the whole body of fry in control and atrazine exposure groups were as the following order: Ca2+>K+>Na+>Cl->Mg2+ and Ca2+>Na+>K+>Mg2+>Cl-, respectively. Results showed that the concentration of all these ions were higher in atrazine exposure group than control group, except for Cl-, and the only significant differences was found in Na+ concentration. Major histopathological effects of atrazine on the gills were hyperplasia and thickening of the filaments, separation of the pavement cells of the lamellae epithelium from the pillar cells and swelling of the epithelial cells. Results of the present study showed that atrazine could affect the ion composition of the body, and caused major damages in gill epithelium even at sublethal concentration and acute exposure, but had no effects on the growth parameters

Molecular characterization of the pilS2 gene and its association with the frequency of pseudomonas aeruginosa plasmid pKLC102 and PAPI-1 pathogenicity island

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common opportunistic pathogen associated with a broad range of infections, including cystic fibrosis, ocular, otitis media, and burn infections. The aim of this study was to show the frequency of the pilS2 gene, and its association with P. aeruginosa plasmid pKLC102 and PAPI-1 pathogenicity island among P. aeruginosa strains. Methods: The samples were collected from patients with cystic fibrosis, ocular, otitis media, and burn infections between January 2016 and November 2017. DNA was extracted using the DNA extraction kit and was used for PCR assay. PCR with 4 primer-pairs including 976 F/PAPI-1R, 4542 F/intF, SojR/4541 F, and intF/sojR was performed to identify PAPI-1. pKLC102 was detected using three other primer-pairs including cp10F/ cp10R, cp44F/cp44R, and cp97F/cp97R. Results: A total of 112 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from patients with cystic fibrosis (36), burn (20), otitis media (26), and ocular (30) infections. The results of PCR showed that pilS2 gene was identified in 96 (85) strains. PAPI-1�attB integration was detected among 38 (33.9) isolates and the circular form of PAPI-1 detected among 17 (14) isolates. In addition, 79 (70.5) strains were found to be positive for pKLC102. Conclusion: We found that the majority of the isolates may be susceptible to transfer this significant island and the related element pKLC102 into recipient isolates lacking the island owing to high association of the PilS2 pilus with the islands in the studied strains. It is anticipated that strains isolated from burn and eye with the highest rate of PilS2, PAPI-1, and pKLC102 association have a high level of antibiotic resistance. © 2019 Bahramian et al

A review on mechanism of action, resistance, synergism, and clinical implications of mupirocin against Staphylococcus aureus

Mupirocin (MUP), bactroban, or pseudomonic acid is a natural crotonic acid derivative drug extracted from Pseudomonas fluorescens which is produced by modular polyketide synthases. This antibiotic has a unique chemical structure and mechanism of action. It is a mixture of A�D pseudomonic acids and inhibits protein synthesis through binding to bacterial isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase. MUP is often prescribed to prevent skin and soft tissue infections caused by S. aureus isolates and where the MRSA isolates are epidemic, MUP may be used as a choice drug for nasal decolonization. It is also used for prevention of recurring infections and control the outbreaks. The emergence of MUP resistance has been increasing particularly among methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates in many parts of the world and such resistance is often related with MUP widespread uses. Although both low-level and high-level MUP resistance were reported among MRSA isolates, the rate of resistance is different in various geographic areas. In this review, we will report the global prevalence of MUP resistance, discuss synergism and mechanism of action of MUP, and provide new insights into the clinical use of this antibiotic. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SA

Methods to estimate access to care and the effect of interventions on the outcomes of congenital disorders

In the absence of intervention, early-onset congenital disorders lead to pregnancy loss, early death, or disability. Currently, lack of epidemiological data from many settings limits the understanding of the burden of these conditions, thus impeding health planning, policy-making, and commensurate resource allocation. The Modell Global Database of Congenital Disorders (MGDb) seeks to meet this need by combining general biological principles with observational and demographic data, to generate estimates of the burden of congenital disorders. A range of interventions along the life course can modify adverse outcomes associated with congenital disorders. Hence, access to and quality of services available for the prevention and care of congenital disorders affects both their birth prevalence and the outcomes for affected individuals. Information on this is therefore important to enable burden estimates for settings with limited observational data, but is lacking from many settings. This paper, the third in this special issue on methods used in the MGDb for estimating the global burden of congenital disorders, describes key interventions that impact on outcomes of congenital disorders and methods used to estimate their coverage where empirical data are not available

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of shigella species isolated from diarrheal patients in Ahvaz, Southwest Iran

Introduction: Shigellosis is a significant global human health problem, and Shigella is in charge of almost 165 million cases of this disease annually, of whom 163 million cases are in developing countries and 1.5 million cases are in developed countries. The main aims of the current survey were to identify Shigella spp. isolated from diarrheal patients by conventional biochemical tests, determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles by disk diffusion method, and detect the ipaH gene using the PCR assay. Methods: The bacterial isolates were identified as Shigella spp. by microbiological tests and were serogrouped by the slide agglutination test. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. PCR was performed to detect the ipaH gene. Results: The Shigella strains were isolated from 522 patients with various diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea (3), mucoid plus bloody diarrhea (1.9), mucoid diarrhea (3.2), and watery diarrhea (3.2). Overall, 69 (13.2) isolates were positive for Shigella spp., of which 34 (49.3) serotypes were identified as Shigella flexneri, 22 (31.9) serotypes were identified as Shigella sonnei, 9 (13) serotypes were identified as Shigella boydii, and 4 (5.8) serotypes were identified as Shigella dysenteriae. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that the highest resistance percentage was related to ampicillin (82) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (77), and ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone were the best antibiotics against Shigella isolates. Conclusion: We concluded that Shigella spp. can be considered as an etiological agent of diarrhea in southwest Iran. Since the drug resistance pattern of Shigella differs geographically and over time within a country, continuous and regular surveillance program is necessary. © 2019 Sheikh et al

Bedaquiline: Current status and future perspectives

The development of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a major threat worldwide. Based on World Health Organization (WHO) reports, it is estimated that more than 500 000 new cases of drug-resistant TB occur annually. In addition, there are alarming reports of increasing multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and the emergence of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) from different countries of the world. Therefore, new options for TB therapy are required. Bedaquiline (BDQ), a novel anti-TB drug, has significant minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) both against drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB. Moreover, BDQ was recently approved for therapy of MDR-TB. The current narrative review summarises the available data on BDQ resistance, describes its antimicrobial properties, and provides new perspectives on clinical use of this novel anti-TB agent. © 2021 The Author(s

Socioeconomic inequalities in pregnancy outcome associated with Down syndrome: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate socioeconomic inequalities in outcome of pregnancy associated with Down syndrome (DS) compared with other congenital anomalies screened for during pregnancy. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective population-based registry study (East Midlands & South Yorkshire in England). PARTICIPANTS: All registered cases of DS and nine selected congenital anomalies with poor prognostic outcome (the UK Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (FASP)9) with an end of pregnancy date between 1 January 1998 and 31 December 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Poisson regression models were used to explore outcome measures, including socioeconomic variation in rates of anomaly; antenatal detection; pregnancy outcome; live birth incidence and neonatal mortality. Deprivation was measured using the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004 at super output area level. RESULTS: There were 1151 cases of DS and 1572 cases of the nine severe anomalies combined. The overall rate of antenatal detection was 57% for DS, which decreased with increasing deprivation (rate ratio comparing the most deprived tenth with the least deprived: 0.76 (0.60 to 0.97)). Antenatal detection rates were considerably higher for FASP9 anomalies (86%), with no evidence of a trend with deprivation (0.99 95% CI (0.84 to 1.17)). The termination of pregnancy rate following antenatal diagnosis was higher for DS (86%) than the FASP9 anomalies (70%). Both groups showed wide socioeconomic variation in the termination of pregnancy rate (rate ratio: DS: 0.76 (0.58 to 0.99); FASP9 anomalies: 0.80 (0.65 to 0.97)). Consequently, socioeconomic inequalities in live birth and neonatal mortality rates associated with these anomalies arise that were not observed in utero. CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic inequalities exist in the antenatal detection of DS, and subsequent termination rates are much higher for DS than other anomalies. Termination rates for all anomalies are lower in more deprived areas leading to wide socioeconomic inequalities in live born infants with a congenital anomaly, particularly DS, and subsequent neonatal mortality

Estimating the birth prevalence and pregnancy outcomes of congenital malformations worldwide

Congenital anomaly registries have two main surveillance aims: firstly to define baseline epidemiology of important congenital anomalies to facilitate programme, policy and resource planning, and secondly to identify clusters of cases and any other epidemiological changes that could give early warning of environmental or infectious hazards. However, setting up a sustainable registry and surveillance system is resource-intensive requiring national infrastructure for recording all cases and diagnostic facilities to identify those malformations that that are not externally visible. Consequently, not all countries have yet established robust surveillance systems. For these countries, methods are needed to generate estimates of prevalence of these disorders which can act as a starting point for assessing disease burden and service implications. Here, we describe how registry data from high-income settings can be used for generating reference rates that can be used as provisional estimates for countries with little or no observational data on non-syndromic congenital malformations