Molecular Methods for Detecting Microorganisms in Beverages

Beverages are an integral component of a person’s food package. Various types of microorganisms widely contaminate beverages. This review presents current research data aimed at identifying dominant microorganisms in beverages and molecular methods for their detection. Wine, beer, dairy drinks, and fruit juices were selected as the main objects of the study. The most contaminated beverage turned out to be fruit juice. As a result of a large number of independent studies, about 23 species of microorganisms were identified in it. At the same time, they are represented not only by bacterial and fungal organisms, but also by protozoa. Milk turned out to be the least contaminated in terms of detected bacteria. The most common pollutants of these beverages were Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. It has been established that among pathogenic genera, Salmonella sp., Campylobacter sp. and Shigella sp. are often present in beverages. One of the main tools for the quality control of beverages at all stages of their production is different types of polymerase chain reaction. The sequencing method is used to screen for microorganisms in beverages. The range of variations of this technology makes it possible to identify microorganisms in alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The high specificity of methods such as PCR-RFLP, Rep-PCR, qPCR, End-point PCR, qLAMP, the molecular beacon method, and RAPD enables fast and reliable quality control in beverage production. Sequencing allows researchers to evaluate the microbiological diversity of all the studied beverages, while PCR varieties have demonstrated different fields of application. For example, PCR-RFLP, RAPD-PCR, and PCR allowed the identification of microorganisms in fruit juices, qPCR, LAMP, and the molecular beacon method in wine, LAMP and multiplex PCR in milk, and End-point PCR and Rep-PCR in beer. However, it is worth noting that many methods developed for the detection of microbial contaminants in beverages were developed 10–20 years ago; modern modifications of PCR and isothermal amplification are still poorly implemented in this area

Medication errors among nurses in teaching hospitals in the west of Iran: what we need to know about prevalence, types, and barriers to reporting

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the prevalence and types of medication errors (MEs), as well as barriers to reporting MEs, among nurses working in 7 teaching hospitals affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016. METHODS A convenience sampling method was used to select the study participants (n=500 nurses). A self-constructed questionnaire was employed to collect information on participants’ socio-demographic characteristics (10 items), their perceptions about the main causes of MEs (31 items), and barriers to reporting MEs to nurse managers (11 items). Data were collected from September 1 to November 30, 2016. Negative binomial regression was used to identify the main predictors of the frequency of MEs among nurses. RESULTS The prevalence of MEs was 17.0% (95% confidence interval, 13.7 to 20.3%). The most common types of MEs were administering medications at the wrong time (24.0%), dosage errors (16.8%), and administering medications to the wrong patient (13.8%). A heavy workload and the type of shift work were considered to be the main causes of MEs by nursing staff. Our findings showed that 45.0% of nurses did not report MEs. A heavy workload due to a high number of patients was the most important reason for not reporting MEs (mean score, 3.57±1.03) among nurses. Being male, having a second unrelated job, and fixed shift work significantly increased MEs among nurses (p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our study documented a high prevalence of MEs among nurses in the west of Iran. A heavy workload was considered to be the most important barrier to reporting MEs among nurses. Thus, appropriate strategies (e.g., reducing the nursing staff workload) should be developed to address MEs and improve patient safety in hospital settings in Iran

The Effect of Telomerase Inhibition on the Expression of Inflammatory Cytokines Affecting the Pathogenesis of Multiple Myeloma Cell Line U266

Background and Objectives: Telomerase is an enzyme, which is overexpressed in 80-90% of cancers. Simultaneous activities of telomerase and NF-κB are required for progression of many cancers. In recent years, researchers have found out a close relationship between telomerase and the transcription factor NF-κB. Increased expression of telomerase is associated with significant increases in the expression level of NF-κB and endogenous genes, such as IL-6 and TNF-α. In recent years, several methods have been proposed to inhibit telomerase in cancer cells. Therefore, If it is possible to inhibit telomerase activity and consequently reduce the expression of inflammatory cytokines, the NF-κB signaling pathway, and the expression of target genes in the multiple myeloma disease. In this study, the effect of MST-312 (a derivative of green tea) with telomerase inhibition activity, was investigated on the treated U266 cell line and the expression of inflammatory cytokines.   Methods: In this experimental study, U266 cells, were treated with different dosed of MST-312 for 48 hours, and cellular apoptosis, was assessed by Annexin V Apoptosis Detection Kit. Then, to assess the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α genes, cells were treated with MST-312 (2μM for 48 hours) and the RNA of these cells, was extracted. In the following, real-time PCR method was used to investigate gene expression level.   Results: In this study, an increase in apoptosis and a decrease in the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α genes in U266 cells, was observed after 48 hours of exposure with 2μM MST-312. In addition, no cytotoxic effect was observed on normal blood mononuclear cells.   Conclusion: The results of the present study indicated that inhibition of telomerase activity by MST-312, can be considered as a novel treatment strategy for multiple myeloma. &nbsp