Detection of extended spectrum B-lactamases in urinary isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae in relation to Bla SHV, Bla TEM and Bla CTX-M gene carriage

Background: Resistance to contemporary broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotics mediated by extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) is increasing worldwide. Klebsiella pneumoniae, an important cause of nosocomial and community acquired urinary tract infections has rapidly become the most common ESBL producing organism. We examined ESBL production in urinary isolates of K. pneumoniae in relation to the presence of bla SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX-M genes. Methods: Antibiotic resistance of 51 clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae was determined to amoxicillin, amikacin, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, cefteriaxon, ceftizoxime, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin and nitrofurantoin by disc diffusion. Minimum inhibitory concentrations were also measured for ceftazidime, cefotaxime, cefteriaxon, ceftizoxime and ciprofloxacin. ESBL production was detected by the double disc synergy test and finally, presence of the bla SHV, bla TEM and bla CTX-M genes were shown using specific primers and PCR. Results: Disc diffusion results showed that 96.08 % of the isolates were resistant to amoxicillin followed by 78.43 % resistance to nitrofurantoin, 49.02 % to amikacin and ceftazidime, 41.17 % to ceftriaxone, 37.25% resistance to cefotaxime and ceftizoxime, and 29.42 % to gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. Both resistant and intermediately resistant organisms were resistant in MIC determinations. Twenty two isolates (43.14%) carried bla SHV, 18 (35.29%) had bla TEM and 16 (31.37%) harbored bla CTX-M genes. ESBL production was present in 14 isolates (27.45 %) of which, 3 did not harbor any of the 3 genes. Among the non- ESBL producers, 9 lacked all 3 genes and 2 carried them all. Conclusion: No relation was found between gene presence and ESBL expression

Towards a Reconfigurable Sense-and-Stimulate Neural Interface Generating Biphasic Interleaved Stimulus

Published versio

Enhancement of alkaline protease production by Bacillus clausii using Taguchi experimental design

The effect of culture conditions on protease production and bacterial growth of Bacillus clausii was investigated using Taguchi design of experiment. Five factors viz., carbon source, organic andinorganic nitrogen sources, agitation and metal ion, each at four levels were selected and an orthogonal array layout of L16 (45) were performed. The proposed medium for alkaline protease productionconsisted of (g/l): sucrose, 10; yeast extract, 10; KNO3, 5; trace element without Mn2+. Under these optimal conditions, 4 fold enhancement in protease production (from 250 to 1000 U/ml) was obtained. At the optimum culture for bacterial growth, which contained (g/l): starch, 10; yeast extract, 10; ammonium ions, 5; trace element without Zn2+, 1.88 fold increase in growth production (from OD600 nm of about 8.5 in basal medium to OD600 nm of 16 in optimized medium) were observed. The inorganic nitrogen source was the most significant factor on protease production with 57.75% contribution. The organic nitrogen and carbon sources by 35.28 and 34.93% contributions were prominent factors in bacterial growth

Accuracy of Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for early detection of cervical dysplasia in Tehran, Iran

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of visual inspection with 5 acetic acid (VIA) when used to detect cervical cancer and its precursors. Methods: The study population included women attended Family Planning and Gynecological Clinic in Bagher Abad Health Center and Mirza Koochak Khan Hospital for regular cervical screening tests. After obtaining informed consent from each woman, VIA was performed. One hundred with a positive VIA test and 100 women with a negative VIA test were randomly selected for this study. Cytology and colposcopy examination were performed for all 200 cases and cervical biopsies were conducted for those individuals showing abnormal colposcopic findings. Results: Nine cases in VIA-positive group and two cases in VIA-negative group had an abnormal cytology. Ninety five women in the VIA-positive group and 25 in the VIA-negative group had abnormal colposcopic findings. From biopsy examination, 67 (71) of cases in the VIA-positive group and 3 (12) cases in the VIA-negative group had a final diagnosis of dysplasia. Among biopsied samples, only 7 cases of VIA-positive group showed abnormal result and the remaining were normal. Based on these results, VIA test sensitivity and specificity were 95.7 and 44.0 respectively, while they were 10 and 92 for cytology tests. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that although VIA is a sensitive screening test for detection of cervical dysplasia, it can not be used by itself. Applying VIA along with Pap smears helps to detect a higher number of cases with cancer precursor lesions

Malignant mixed mullerian tumor of the uterus associated with tamoxifen therapy in a patient with a history of breast cancer

Tamoxifen is the drug of choice in the treatment of breast cancer. Recent reports show an increased incidence of endometrial carcinoma in patients taking tamoxifen. In this article, we report a case of malignant mixed mullerian tumor after tamoxifen use. Copyright © 2006 by Razi Institute for Drug Research (RIDR)

Assessing mental health literacy: What medical sciences students' know about depression

Background: Mental health literacy is an individual's knowledge and belief about mental disorders which aid their recognition, management and prevention. The aim of this study was to investigate mental health literacy among students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data were collected by the anonymous self-administered questionnaires and finally 324 students participated in the study. Random cluster sampling was used. Questions were in different areas of the mental health literacy for depression include recognition of disorder, intended actions to seek help and perceived barriers, beliefs about interventions, prevention, stigmatization and impact of media. T-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean (±SD) age was 23.5±2.8. The participants were 188 (58.1) females and 136 (41.9) males. In response to the recognition of the disorder 115 (35.6) students mentioned the correct answer. In help-seeking area, 208 (64.3) gave positive answer. The majority of affected students sought for help from their friends and parents. Stigma was the greatest barrier for seeking help. Television and Internet were the most common sources of information related to mental health. Conclusion: Generally students' mental health literacy on depression was low in some areas. Appropriate educational programs specifically for reducing mental disorders stigma seems necessary. Organizing networks of co-helper students for mental health could be considered

Interventions based on PRECEDE-PROCEED for promoting safety behaviors in Primary school boys

Introduction & Objective: Pedestrian injuries are a significant source of morbidity, mortality and disability among children. Prevention of these injuries is thus a major priority for public health and requires a comprehensive approach and educational strategies. The purpose of this study was designing and evaluation of an educational program, based on the PRECEED-PROCEED model for improvement of safety behavior in primary school boys. Materials & Methods: This study is a field trial carried out in 6th areas of Tehran in 2007. Participants (n=88) were 10 – 11 year old who followed by items measuring the PRECEED-PROCEED model before and after two months of intervention. The collected data were analyzed with T test, X2 and pair T test using SPSS software. Results: After participating in educational program, significant improvements were found in knowledge, attitude, behavior, enabling and reinforcing factors of the components of PRECEEDPROCEED model. Conclusion: The findings suggest the beneficial effects of educational intervention based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model on improving the safety behavior. It can be recommended that health education plan be used on educational models