ROLE OF PROTECTION PROVIDED BY EMBLICA OFFICINALIS LINN. AGAINST RADIATION AND LEAD INDUCED HISTOLOGICAL CHANGES IN THE JEJUNUM OF SWISS ALBINO MICE

oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/1Exposure to ionizing radiation increases the production of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading the irradiated cells into a state of oxidative stress. Furthermore, Lead exposure along with ionizing radiation can potentially become toxic to the tissues due to the heightened oxidative stress. In the present study adult male Swiss albino mice were procured and divided into seven groups. Group (II to IV) serving as control, received sub lethal dose (3.0 Gy or 6.0Gy) and /or lead acetate (20ppm) in drinking water ad libitum. The experimental groups (V to VII) were given aqueous solution of Emblica (1000 mg/ Kg b.wt./ animal/ day) orally seven days prior to radiation and/or lead acetate treatment. Sham- irradiated animals of Group I served as normal. Animals of all the groups were autopsied at each post treatment interval of 1, 2, 4, 7, 14 and 28 days. After the experiments observed number of lesions in the intestinal epithelium from outer coat to inner mucosa. Loosened sub mucosa with hyperaemia and hemorrhage, shortened crypts and a number of apoptotic cells with severe cytoplasmic variations were noted. Villi had a rough surface, wavy epithelium and hydropic degeneration up to day-2 and thereafter, a recovery from intestinal lesions was initiated and noticed till the last autopsy interval. After the combined exposure of gamma radiation and lead acetate, Group IV exhibited same pattern of damage but severe histopathological alteration than individual exposure of radiation or lead acetate indicating “synergistic “effect. Process of recovery started on day-14 after the combined treatment but the process was slow. The Combined treatment showed synergistic effect. In experimental groups less severe radiolesions and an early onset of recovery was observed. Therefore it may be deduced that Emblica is a good herbal radioprotector and may be useful for the clinical applications in human beings during radiotherapy.

Staphylococcus aureus isolates from humans and cattle on Vermont dairy farms making farmstead cheese belong to different clonal complexes

Staphylococcus aureus is a multi-host pathogen causing significant human and livestock diseases. Several reports describe spillover events where a S. aureus strain has switched host and developed a novel lineage. Some of these lineages demonstrate antimicrobial resistance. There is a need for studies on the population structure of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) S. aureus at the human-animal interface on farms. The objective of this study is to assess genetic diversity and AMR patterns of S. aureus strains isolated from cattle milk and humans on farms that make and sell farmstead cheese. Cow quarter milk, bulk tank milk, human hand and nasal swab samples from 21 Vermont dairy farms were cultured on selective and non-selective media. Isolation and identification of S. aureus used conventional cultural and biochemical methods. Presumptive S. aureus isolates were confirmed by nuc gene presence using multiplex PCR assay that also screened for AMR genes blaZ and mecA. S. aureus strain types were determined by multilocus sequence typing and cataloged on PubMLST database. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined for a panel of 19 antimicrobials using disk diffusion and broth microdilution methods following CLSI guidelines. SAS and R for data analysis and Geneious® software were used for sequence analysis. A total of 182 S. aureus isolates grouped into twenty defined sequence types (STs) and four novel STs. The most common strain type, ST151 was isolated from 10 different farms and the sources were either bulk tank milk or cow quarter milk. All ST398 strains were of human origin and erythromycin resistant. About 26% of isolates were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, were blaZ gene positive CC5 and CC8 strains. S. aureus isolated from cows or humans on the same farm belonged to different STs suggesting limited spread between host species. AMR strains were more frequently isolated from humans on these farms

Comparison of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from milk and humans on dairy farms

Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal and pathogen of several mammalian species, particularly humans and cattle. It is a common cause of food poisoning, community-acquired skin infections, and a major cause of hospital-acquired infections like bacteremia and pneumonia. S. aureus is also the most common etiological agent of contagious bovine mastitis, causing significant losses in the dairy industry. Although antimicrobial therapy is an important strategy for mastitis control as well as human infections, S. aureus exhibits resistance to multiple classes of antimicrobial agents narrowing the therapeutic options for clinicians and veterinarians. Additionally, the proximity of humans and animals in the dairy environment has caused transmission of such drug-resistant bacteria like Methicillin Resistant S. aureus (MRSA) between animal and human hosts. So, it is necessary to monitor bacterial populations at the animal-human interface. Henceforth, we proposed a study to isolate S. aureus from cattle milk and humans to compare the genetic diversity of those isolates along with their antimicrobial resistance patterns. To this end, we have collected milk samples and human hand and nose swab samples from 16 farmstead cheese producers in Vermont. We, then, isolated presumptive S aureus using cultural and biochemical tests. Moving further, we will confirm presumptive S. aureus isolates by PCR amplification of the thermonuclease gene and strain-typing by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). After strain typing, we plan to perform antimicrobial sensitivity testing on all S. aureus strains by disc diffusion assay. PCR screening of those isolates will be done for antibiotic resistance determinants. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the presence of genetic similarities and antimicrobial resistant pattern of S. aureus strains among human and cattle hosts. This will be useful to determine the prevalence of human and livestock-associated MRSA strains of S. aureus in the farmstead cheese farms as well as their potential to colonize and infect both hosts

Thermodynamic Study of Mo(II)-Penicillins

200-20

Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II) & Cu(II) Complexes of Penicillins

83-8

Evaluation of treatment satisfaction, efficacy and safety of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors in geriatric patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A cross-sectionalcomparative study

Introduction: Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors are attractive agents to be used in the elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM ) because of their beneficial effects. Methods: In this cross-sectional, observational study, we evaluated and compared the treatment satisfaction using Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (DTSQ) in two groups (i.e., regimens containing DPP4 inhibitors vs. other regimens). Efficacy was evaluated by assessing and comparing the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values and the percentage of patients who achieved the glycemic control (HbA1c <7%). The adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were also recorded and compared among two groups. Results: A total of 115 patients participated in the study (42 in Group 1 and 73 in Group 2). Significantly better DTSQ scores were observed among Group 1 patients in terms of DTSQ score total (P = 0.01) and DTSQ score for perception of hyperglycemia (P = 0.008) as compared to Group 2 patients. Significant difference was observed in HbA1c values among two groups (P = 0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.06–1.14). Also, significantly higher proportion of patients had achieved glycemic control, i.e., HbA1c <7% in Group 1 as compared to Group 2 (P = 0.002, 95% CI, 11.8%–48.1%). Significantly higher number of ADRs were observed among Group 1 patients as compared to Group 2 (P = 0.003). Conclusion: DPP4 inhibitors seem to offer better treatment satisfaction and efficacy in geriatric T2DM patients but at the expense of increased frequency of ADRs; however, further research is warranted