Determination of cephalosporin acylase activity by biological and colorimetric method in bacteria

The effective production of 7-aminocephalosporanic acid (7-ACA) is a matter of concern in the pharmaceutical industry because it is a starting material for the synthesis of semi synthetic cephalosporin. Therefore screening for new source of cephalosporin acylase positive bacteria is veryimportant. The cephalosporin acylase can be found in several Pseudomonas sp. and other bacteria. To facilitate the attempts of obtaining the microorganisms with higher cephalosporin acylase activity from natural environments, development of new and specific methods for screening environmental microorganisms with cephalosporin acylase activity is very important. In this study, a biological and colorimetric method was evaluated for determination of cephalosporin acylase product in bacteria. Samples were cultured in general and selective media, and the routine biochemical laboratory tests were used for diagnosis of Pseudomonas sp. All of the isolated strains were tested for cephalosporinacylase by a biological and colorimetric method. A total of 180 Pseudomonas sp. out of 350 samples were isolated. Two strains capable of producing cephalosporin acylase were identified from 180 candidates. The Pseudomonas bacteria isolated in this study is a source for cloning and cephalosporin acylase enzyme production

Molecular mechanisms related to colistin resistance in enterobacteriaceae

Colistin is an effective antibiotic for treatment of most multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. It is used currently as a last-line drug for infections due to severe Gram-negative bacteria followed by an increase in resistance among Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin resistance is considered a serious problem, due to a lack of alternative antibiotics. Some bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacteriaceae members, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Klebsiella spp. have an acquired resistance against colistin. However, other bacteria, including Serratia spp., Proteus spp. and Burkholderia spp. are naturally resistant to this antibiotic. In addition, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of colistin resistance among multidrug-resistant bacteria and development through mutation or adaptation mechanisms. Rapidly emerging bacterial resistance has made it harder for us to rely completely on the discovery of new antibiotics; therefore, we need to have logical approaches to use old antibiotics, such as colistin. This review presents current knowledge about the different mechanisms of colistin resistance. © 2019 Aghapour et al

Inves-tigation on Relationship between Test Anxiety and Academic Performance of Nursing and Midwifery Students in Tabriz and Maragheh-Iran

Abstract Background and Aim: Given the dramatic decline in the ability of test due to test anxiety, the goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between test anxiety and academic performances in students. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 216 Iranian nursing and midwifery students in 2011-2012, utilizing Sarason Anxiety Inventory, demographic checklist and the average mark of students in the period of midterm and final exam. Multinomial logistic regression analyses by reporting odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were performed by SPSS17 software to assess the relationship between test anxiety and academic performances. Results: Mild, moderate and sever test anxiety was observed in 30.6, 43.1 and 26.4 percent of students respectively. Test anxiety was significantly related to academic performance (average), major and city. Also, there was 52.9% decrease for odds of having sever anxiety (compared to mild anxiety) with 1 point increase in average (OR = 0.471, 95% CI = (0.298 -0.745) and p = 0.001). Conclusions: Due to inverse relationship between test anxiety and academic performance, performing preventive programs such as in time treatment of anxiety, empowering the students to deal with anxiety and conducting consulting services for how to studying are very important. Consequently it would be a big step in decreasing the test anxiety and therefore in improving the academic performance. * Corresponding author. M. Alizadeh et al. 305

Long non-coding RNA molecules in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB), a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Despite significant advances in detection techniques and therapeutic approaches for tuberculosis, there is still no suitable solution for early screening and reducing the number of individuals affected and their effective treatment. Various cellular events can disrupt the development of TB. The basis of these events is dysregulating of genes expression patterns related with specific molecules. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are molecules discovered to regulate the expression of protein-coding genes and participate in gene silencing, cell cycle regulation and cellular differentiation processes. Dysregulation of lncRNAs has been found to be associated with many diseases, including cancers and infectious diseases. Thus, the recognition of lncRNAs as novel molecular biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tuberculosis is promising. In the present review, we try to summarize the current findings of lncRNA expression patterns and its role in tuberculosis infection process. © 2020 Elsevier B.V

Nasale Trägerrate Methicillin-resistenter Staphylokokken bei medizinischem Personal eines iranischen Universitätslehrkrankenhauses

Background : The opportunistic pathogens, methicillin-resistant-Stap hylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus epidermidis , are associated with severe nosocomial infections and high levels of mortality. Healthcare workers colonized with either MRSA or methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) in the nasal cavity are high risk groups for transmitting the agent to hospitalized patients. Objective: This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of nasal carriage of MRSA and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis among healthcare providers of Imam Reza University Teaching Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. Methods: A total of one hundred two nasal swabs were obtained from participants working on different wards of the hospitals. The antibiotic resistance pattern was investigated using disk diffusion methods, which were subsequently evaluated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the mecA gene.Results: In the screened population, 22 isolates of S. aureus and 72 of S. epidermidis were detected. Of these, 7 isolates of S. aureus and 36 of S. epidermidis were cefoxitin resistant. Three isolates of S. aureus isolates and 35 of S. epidermidis were MRSE and positive for mecA amplification. Moreover, all isolates were penicillin G resistant but vancomycin and linezolid sensitive. High resistance was observed to clindamycin (74%). Conclusions: The present study indicates that healthcare workers are at high risk of acquisition and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci. Early screening and decolonization of hospital staff, as well as education on standard sanitation measures, especially hand hygiene practice, remain the most effective strategies for controlling transmission of infectious agents.Hintergrund: Die opportunistischen Erreger Methicillin-resistenter Staphylococcus aureus und Methicillin-resistenter Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) können schwer verlaufende nosokomiale Infektionen mit hoher Mortalität verursachen. Medizinisches Personal, das entweder mit MRSA oder mit MRSE in der Nasenhöhle kolonisiert ist, kann die Erreger auf hospitalisierte Patienten übertragen.Zielsetzung: Die Studie wurde durchgeführt, um die Prävalenz der nasalen Vorkommens von MRSA und MRSE bei medizinischem Personal des Imam Reza-Universitätslehrkrankenhauses in Tabris, Iran, zu untersuchen.Methoden: Es wurden 102 Abstriche im Vestibulum nasi von medizinischem Personal auf verschiedenen Stationen der Krankenhäuser entnommen. Das Antibiotikaresistenzmuster wurde im Plättchendiffusionstest untersucht; anschließend wurde das mecA-Gen mittels Polymerase-Kettenreaktion (PCR) nachgewiesen. Ergebnisse: Bei 22 Personen (21,6%) wurde S. aureus , bei 72 Personen (70,6%) S. epidermidis nachgewiesen. Davon waren 7 S. aureus - und 36 S. epidermidis -Isolate Cefoxitin resistent. Drei S. aureus - und 35 S. e pidermidis -Isolate enthielten das mecA-Gen. Darüber hinaus waren alle Isolate resistent gegen Penicillin G, aber sensitiv gegen Vancomycin- und Linezolid. Es wurde eine hohe Resistenz gegenüber Clindamycin beobachtet (74%).Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studie weist darauf hin, dass Beschäftigte im Gesundheitswesen dem Risiko des Erwerbs und der Übertragung Methicillin resistenter Staphylokokken ausgesetzt sind. Früherkennung und Dekolonisierung des Krankenhauspersonals und die Aufklärung über die Einhaltung der Basishygienemaßnahmen, insbesondere der Händedesinfektion, sind nach wie vor die wichtigste Strategie zur Prävention nosokomialer Infektionen

Molecular mechanisms related to colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae

Zahra Aghapour,1,2 Pourya Gholizadeh,3 Khudaverdi Ganbarov,4 Abed Zahedi Bialvaei,5 Suhad Saad Mahmood,6 Asghar Tanomand,7 Mehdi Yousefi,8 Mohammad Asgharzadeh,9 Bahman Yousefi,9 Hossein Samadi Kafil11Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 2Student Research Committee, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 3Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 4Department of Microbiology, Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan; 5Department of Microbiology, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 6Department of Biotechnology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq; 7Department of Microbiology, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran; 8Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran; 9Biotechnology Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, IranAbstract: Colistin is an effective antibiotic for treatment of most multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. It is used currently as a last-line drug for infections due to severe Gram-negative bacteria followed by an increase in resistance among Gram-negative bacteria. Colistin resistance is considered a serious problem, due to a lack of alternative antibiotics. Some bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacteriaceae members, such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Klebsiella spp. have an acquired resistance against colistin. However, other bacteria, including Serratia spp., Proteus spp. and Burkholderia spp. are naturally resistant to this antibiotic. In addition, clinicians should be alert to the possibility of colistin resistance among multidrug-resistant bacteria and development through mutation or adaptation mechanisms. Rapidly emerging bacterial resistance has made it harder for us to rely completely on the discovery of new antibiotics; therefore, we need to have logical approaches to use old antibiotics, such as colistin. This review presents current knowledge about the different mechanisms of colistin resistance.Keywords: colistin, Enterobacteriaceae, two-component system, lipid A, mcr gene

Polymorphism of Foxp3 gene affects the frequency of regulatory T cells and disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Iranian population

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects joints and characterized by chronic joint inflammation and infiltration of various immune cells in the synovium. Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)-expressing regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a crucial role in preventing autoimmunity and undesirable T cell responses. However, there are controversial reports regarding the defective function or frequency of these cells in various studies, which may be in part related to different polymorphisms of FoxP3 and influence of ethnicity on these differences. Therefore, the main subject of this study was to evaluate the association of Foxp3 gene polymorphism and Treg frequency in Iranian patients with RA. Accordingly, 240 RA patients diagnosed according to American college of rheumatology 2010 criteria and 240 normal subjects were recruited for this study. Genomic DNA was genotyped for -3279 C/A Foxp3 gene SNP using the PCR-RFLP. The frequency of Tregs and serum levels of interleukin (IL)-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were determined by flow cytometry and ELISA methods, respectively. The results showed a significant association of Foxp3 -3279 A allele with augmented risk of RA in Iranian patients compared to wild-type allele. While the frequencies of CA and AA genotypes were significantly higher in patients, RA patients with AA genotype had a significant lower frequency of Tregs compared to patients with CC and CA genotypes. Consistently, TGF-beta and IL-10 significantly diminished in patients with AA genotype compared to patients with CA and CC genotypes. Our findings indicated that the AA genotype of Foxp3 in RA patients is associated with downregulation of Tregs and susceptibility to RA in the Iranian population