Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude Toward Antibiotic Use and Resistance among 4th Year Students of Shaheed Monsur Ali Medical College

Background: The misuse and overuse of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance. Thus, it is important to have adequate knowledge and attitude toward antibiotic use and resistance for all specially the medical students who are the future healthcare practitioners. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and attitude toward antibiotic use and resistance among 4th year students of Shaheed Monsur Ali medical college. Material & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Shaheed Monsur Ali medical college, Dhaka, Bangladesh from October 2022 to December 2022. A structured questionnaire was administered to 126 randomly selected undergraduate medical students. Results: In our study, the percentage of male and female was same. Majority of the participants (55.56%) always get a prescription before starting antibiotics. Most of the participants (60.32%) never stop taking the prescribed antibiotics after their symptoms improved. Majority of the participants (54.76%) sometimes completed the course of the prescribed antibiotic treatment. In our study, majority of the participants (54.76%) sometimes take the correct dose of their antibiotics at the right time for the full duration. In this study, majority of the participants (47.62%) never save the remaining antibiotics for next time they get sick. Majority of the participants (73.02%) sometimes give leftover medication to friends or family if they get sick. For cough or sore throat, majority of the participants (48.41%) sometimes prefer taking an antibiotic. Most of the participants (69.05%) never buy the same antibiotics if they are sick that helped them get better when they had the same symptoms before. Most of the participants (96.03%) always check the expiry date of the antibiotic before using it. Knowledge level of antibiotic in majority of the participants (47.62%) was very good. Knowledge level of antibiotic resistance in majority of the participants (54.76%) was very good. Attitude level of antibiotic usage in majority of the participants (34.13%) was average, followed by 32.54% had bad, 32.54% good attitude level. Conclusion: From the findings of the study, it can be concluded though the knowledge level of the medical students is adequate, they are not careful about the usage of antibiotics and often misuse it. The students tend to not follow the rules of the usage guideline of antibiotics which ultimately results in antibiotic resistance. They should be more conscious to follow the guidelines of antibiotic usage.

Optimization of the Extraction of Polyphenols and Flavonoids from Argania spinosa Leaves using Response Surface Methodology

To our knowledge, this is the first study aiming to optimize the extraction conditions of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and total flavonoids contents (TFC) from Argania spinosa leaves using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a Box–Behnken design (BBD). The optimal conditions obtained were 5% (w/v) solvent-to-solid ratio, 72.33% ethanol concentration, and 10h ours as an extraction time, which resulted in an extract with maximum TPC (131.63 mg GAE/g dw) and TFC (10.66 mg QE/g dw). Under the optimal extraction conditions, the antioxidant activity of the extracts of leaves of argan tree showed a moderate antiradical capacity of DPPH (IC 50 = 0,130 mg/mL) and ABTS (IC 50 = 0.198 mg/mL). However, the leaves of argan tree showed a very interesting reducing power of Iron (IC 50 = 0.448 mg/ml) which is similar to that of the ascorbic acid (IC 50 = 0.371 mg/mL).

Profil glucido-lipidique et risque cardiovasculaire chez les diabétiques de type 2 / Carbohydrate and lipid profile associated with cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetics

Introduction-Le diabète est un véritable problème de santé publique du fait de ses nombreuses complications potentielles, notamment cardiovasculaires. Notre objectif était de décrire le profil clinico-biologique chez une population de diabé tique type 2 et d'étudier la relation entre l'équilibre glycémique et les anomalies lipidiques avec les complications micro et macroangiopathiques. Matériels et méthodes -Nous avons mené une étude rétrospective portant sur 341 pa tients diabétiques type 2.Les données ont été analysées par le logiciel IBM® SPSS statis tics 20.0. Seules, les associations significatives (p ≤ 5%) étaient retenues. Résultats - quatre-vingt deux pourcent et demi des patients ont un taux d'HbA1c ≥7 %. Plus de 60 % ont une dyslipidémie. Cinquante deux pourcent des patients ont un taux du LDLc ≤ 1 g/l, et 64,4 % ont un taux du Non-HDLc >1g/l. Environ 66 % des patients ont une hypertension artérielle. quarante pourcent des patients ont présenté une macroangio pathie et 66,8 % une microangiopathie (p=0,0001). L'analyse par régression logistique, a montré que l'HbA1c est le paramètre biologique le plus associé aux complications macroangiopathiques (p=0,008), alors que pour les complications micro-angiopathiques, l'HTA était le seul facteur associé (p = 0,03). Pour la cardiopathie ischémique, la dyslipi démie et l'HTA étaient les facteurs les plus associés. Conclusion -Notre étude a montré une fréquence élevée des complications micro et macroangiopathiques et des anomalies lipidiques, ainsi qu'un très mauvais équilibre glycémique. L'HbA1c, la dyslipidémie et l'HTA sont les facteurs les plus associés au risque cardiovasculaire.

Background-Diabetes is a real health public problem because of its many potential complications, particularly the cardiovascular ones.The aim of this work was to describe the clinical and biological profile in type 2 diabetic population, then to study the relationship between glycemic control and lipid abnormalities with micro and macro vascular complications. Methods - It was about a retrospective study of 341 type 2 diabetes patients' with an average age of 60.1 ± 11.71 years.The IBM® SPSS statistics 20.0 software was used for analyzing data. Only significant associations (p ≤ 5%) were retained. Results -An HbA1c level ≥7% was observed in 82,5% of patients, More than 60% have dyslipidemia. 52,8% of them have an LDLc level ≤ 1 g/l, and 64,4% have a Non-HDLc level >1g/l. Sixty-six percent of patients have high blood pressure. The macrovascular disorders were observed on 30,9% of patients and microvascular ones on 66,8% of them (p = 0.0001).The logistic regression analysis showed that HbA1c was the most significant biological parameter (p=0,008). while for micro-vascular complications, high blood pressure was the only associated factor (p = 0.03). For ischemic heart disease, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure were the most associated factors. Conclusion - this study showed a high frequency of micro and macrovascular complications, lipid abnormalities and a very poor glycemic control. The elevation of HbA1c level, the high blood pressure and dyslipidemia are the most associated factors with a high cardiovascular risk.

Clinical and Biochemical Profile of Hepatitis A Virus infection in Children

Background: Acute hepatitis A virus infection in children in developing countries is a matter of concern though the incidence has come down in developed countries.To observe the clinical presentation and biochemical profile of hepatitis A virus infection in children hospitalized in a tertiary care center in Bangladesh.Material & Methods:In this cross-sectional observational study, data were collected from the records of pediatric patients who were admitted due to acute hepatitis. Demographic data were collected, and complete physical examination findings and laboratory data were also taken. Serum samples were tested for LFT, Anti-HAV IgM and other viral markers among them Anti-HAV IgM positive children were included in the study.Results:Among the total of 40 patients suffering from Acute Viral Hepatitis (AVH), male predominated over female with 57.5% vs. 42.5%. The majority of the study population (65%) came from the urban area. In this study, 65% of the patients used tap water and 35% used tube well water for drinking purposes while the majority 70% used boiled water. Most of the patients (80%) consumed both homemade and outside foods and drinks while 20% consumed only homemade food. Positive family history of viral hepatitis was found in 12.5% of cases. Common presentations were fever (100%), jaundice (100%), anorexia, nausea (95%), vomiting (85%), abdominal pain (50%) etc. On examination Jaundice (100%) and hepatomegaly (95%), splenomegaly (5%), and ascites (7.5%). Only 7.5% of patients developed complications like cholestasis,7.5% showed ascites,5% had relapsed and 2.5% develop liver failure.Conclusions:This study showed that poor sanitation and poor hygiene are the main risk factors for hepatitis A. The common presenting features which should alert the clinicians include fever, jaundice, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal distension, hepatosplenomegaly and ascites. In Bangladesh, safe water supplies and proper sanitation will constitute the best solution to eliminate endemic hepatitis A.

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DELAYS IN SEEKING DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL OF DEHRADUN– A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease, in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent. When a person progresses from infection to disease, they may not experience obvious symptoms for a long time, (e.g cough, fever, hemoptysis, weight loss etc). This might lead to delay in diagnosis and treatment seeking. One of the components of timely diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis is estimating the delay in diagnosis of TB and assessing the factors contributing to the delay. To Aim and Objectives: describe the delays in the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary Tuberculosis and to study the socio demographic determinants responsible for the same. A time bound institution based study was conducted in a tertiary care Methodology: hospital in department of pulmonary medicine. A total of 50 patients were included in the study by means of total enumeration. diagnosti Result: c and consultation delays were the most common cause of delays in seeking diagnosis and treatment of Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Comparison of primary follicular lymphoma of gastrointestinal tract and secondary involvement: A study from South India

Primary follicular lymphoma of the gut (PFL-GI) is a rare entity. This study aims to compare the clinicopathologic features of PFL-GI with cases of gastrointestinal involvement by disseminated nodal follicular lymphoma. This is a retrospective study with 6 cases of primary follicular lymphoma and 8 cases of secondary involvement of the gut, over a period of 9 years. The slides and blocks were retrieved and reviewed. Clinical data was obtained from hospital records. Clinicopathologic features were compared. PFL-GI cases had a slightly higher median age group (p value 0.23) and no gender predilection when compared to cases with secondary involvement which showed a female preponderance. Para-aortic lymphadenopathy was seen in all secondary cases whereas none of the primary cases showed significant lymphadenopathy. The only microscopic feature that was different was the presence of hollowed out pattern of immunostaining for follicular dendritic cells seen in all cases of PFL-GI but in none of the secondary cases

Impact de la pandémie à COVID-19 sur la morbi-mortalité hospitalière au CHU Hussein Dey ­ Alger: étude comparative sur deux périodes (Avril-Septembre 2019 et Avril-Septembre 2020) / Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on hospital morbidity and mortality at the University Hospital of Hussein Dey - Algiers: a comparative study over two perdiods (april - september 2019 and april - september 2020)

Introduction : Depuis le début de la pandémie du COVID-19, les pays ont été confrontés au défi de prendre en charge les malades de la pandémie et en même temps de préserver la continuité des soins pour les autres patients, l'objectif de notre étude est d'évaluer l'impact de la pandémie COVID-19 sur le profil de la morbi-mortalité hospitalière. Méthodes : étude rétrospective comparative sur deux périodes avril-septembre 2019 « période de comparaison ¼ et avril-septembre 2020 « période de la pandémie ¼ au CHU Hussein Dey -Alger, portant sur l'analyse de l'évolution de l'activé hospitalière en matière d'admissions et de mortalité hospitalière. Résultats : au total 12 742 admissions durant la période de référence et seulement 10 110 admissions durant la période de la pandémie (dont 553 admissions dans les unités COVID-19), soit une baisse de 25% des admissions non-COVID-19 (p<10-5), la mortalité hospitalière qui était de 4.04% est passée à 4.88% (p<0.04), le RR de décès était de 1.6 et 13.9 dans les unités COVID-19 et les soins intensifs respectivement. Conclusion : tous les systèmes de santé ont montré leurs limites à ce type de menace de portée internationale, il est nécessaire de prévoir des schémas organisationnels adaptés au contexte pour une riposte efficace par la mise en place d'un système d'alerte et d'intervention souple capable de s'adapter à des variations de situation.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein (COMP), for Cartilage Damage in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background:Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), is an extracellular matrix (ECM) non-collagenous glycoprotein that is mainly localized within the cartilage, and also be found in tendon and synovium.RecentstudiesinwestandAsiaPacificregionhasshownthatCOMP, is a prognostic marker in Rheumatoid arthritis(RA).Objective:To correlate serum COMP levels with disease severity and cartilage destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.Methods:The study was conducted in Department of Pathology and Rheumatology, Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi from June 2018 to May 2019. Patients were recruited as per American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 classification criteria. The study populationconsists of 88 healthy subjects and 88 RA patients. Sandwich ELISA technique was used to assess serum COMP level. Other inflammatory markers such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) antibodies like rheumatoid factor, and anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (anti-CCP) were also assessed. Results were analyzed using SPSS-20 and P-value ≤0.05 was considered as significant.Results: Serum COMP levels were significantly higher in RA patients 51.35ng/ml than controls 21.454ng/ml with significant p value=<0.0001. There was strong positive correlation between COMP level and disease severity in RA patients with moderate as well as high disease activity score (DAS) with significant p value. Serum COMP showed 96% sensitivity and 83% specificity at level of 27.01ng/ml for diagnosis of RA.Conclusions:COMP has significant positive correlation with severity of RA. Serum COMP can be utilized as a biomarker to quantify cartilage destruction in RA patients

Navigating through the maze of caesarean myomectomy: generating evidence

Management of myomas during pregnancy and labor is a contested subject so far. Currently no recommended national or international guidelines are in place resulting in conflicted opinion and management variation across the globe. Many obstetricians still discourage its practice due to fear of uncontrolled haemorrhage which may lead to unwanted hysterectomy in a reproductive age. However, some researchers have challenged the conventional perspective and argue that caesarean myomectomy (CM) is a safe procedure. The aim of this study is to examine all aspects of CM with an evaluative lens and to weigh its risk-benefit ratio.  For this purpose, we conducted a literature review of studies, including those from low-resource countries indexed in scientific databases like PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus. Most recent articles that reported benefits, complications and different techniques to safely perform caesarean myomectomy with proven benefit for the patient were examined thoroughly so that solid evidence on pros and cons of caesarean myomectomy could be generated. There is a dire need to conduct large sample size studies or randomized controlled trials for the risk-benefit evaluation of CM and to produce evidence-based clinical conclusion.

Supratentorial Ependymoma:Experience Of A Neurosurgeon

Background-Ependymoma account for 5 to 10 % of all brain tumors in young population however majority occur in infratentorial location and Supratentorial Ependymoma (STE) are extremely rare . Aim of this original article is to describe demographic , clinical features and surgical outcome of these rare tumors operated by Neurosurgeon DSM .Materials and Method-10 cases of STE were operated by a single Neurosurgeon DSM from May 2017 to January 2019 at a tertiary care hospital.Results-Gross total resection was performed in 8 cases and Near total resection was performed in 2 cases . Recurrence was seen in 3 cases during study period and 2 cases required resurgery Histopathology was anaplastic Ependymoma WHO grade 3 in all the cases.Conclusion-STE have a better prognosis as compared to infratentorial Ependymoma in view of good chance of gross total excision .

Anti-inflammatory effects of topical lactobacillus acidophilus and antibiotic in wound repair on the basis of microscopic parameters: a comparative study in rats

Background: Wound treatment still a task for medical professionals, according to the time advancement. We need to elaborate further new interventions to cope up this common factor of community. The objective of the study was to assess the anti-inflammatory topical role of Lactobacillus acidophilus with antibiotic in wound repair of rats based on of microscopic parameters. This comparative study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy Al-Tibri Medical Collage and Hospital Isra University Karachi Campus from December 2018 to April 2019.Methods: Total 18 male of wistar rats were randomly selected for this study. The study comprised of three topical groups Control, Antibiotic and Lactobacillus acidophilus groups respectively.Results: The samples were taken from the wound site for the preparation of microscopic slides, to count the numbers of neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages for the evaluation of anti-inflammatory process in both groups on day 3 and 7. Data obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 20 by applying One Way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s test.Conclusions: The results were shown potent anti-inflammatory effects of Lactobacillus acidophilus group in comparison with other conventional therapy. The study concludes that the topical application of Lactobacillus acidophilus had remarkable anti-inflammatory effects in wound management.

Promoter methylation and Ile105val polymorphism of GSTP1 gene in the modulation of colorectal cancer risk in ethnic Kashmiri population

BACKGROUND: Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) are the most important phase II enzymes of the xenobiotic pathway responsible for the detoxification of carcinogens. GSTP1 gene polymorphisms are mostly associated with a lack or an alteration of enzymatic activity toward several substrates thus resulting in increased cancer susceptibility. GSTP1 promoter methylation is also frequently associated with tumor development or poor prognosis in a wide range of tumors. AIM: In this study, we examined the role of genetic polymorphism and promoter methylation of GSTP1 gene in the context of modulation of risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Kashmiri population. METHODS: This study used tissue tumor samples (114) and blood samples from (160) patients with CRC and 200 blood samples from healthy donors. GSTP1 polymorphism was studied using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism and methylation using methylation-specific PCR. RESULTS: There was no significant association between GSTP1 I105V genotypes and the CRC (P>0.05). However, we found a significant association of the Val/Val variant genotype with the dwelling and smoking status (P-value < 0.05). Overall, the homozygous variant Val/Val genotype was associated with a modestly elevated risk for CRC (OR = 1.57; 95% CI = 0.67–3.57). Methyl-specific-PCR analysis revealed 25.4% methylation of the GSTP1 promoter in CRC cases and was not found to be statistically significantly associated with clinicopathological parameters of the CRC cases (P>0.05). Also, no significant associations of any of the three genotypes with promoter hypermethylation were observed. CONCLUSION: We conclude that promoter hypermethylation in homozygous GSTP1 mutants did not elevate the risk of CRC in Kashmiri population.

Evaluation of Oxacillin Disk Diffusion Test for the Phenotypic Detection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Background: Different phenotypic detection method for theMethicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus is available.Objective: The aim of this present study was to evaluate theoxacillin disk diffusion test for the detection of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinicalspecimens.Methodology: This cross-sectional study was planned to carryout in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology atBangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka fromJanuary, 2010 to December, 2010 for a period of one (01)year. Different clinical specimens were collected from thepatients presented with infections at anybody sites. Isolationand identification of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) wasperformed by staining, culture and biochemical tests. Oxacillindisk diffusion test was performed to detect the methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus. PCR was performed fordetection of the mecA gene for MRSA.Results: Out of the 22 suspected MRSA isolates 19 weremecA positive by PCR. The sensitivity and specificity ofoxacillin disc diffusion method for the detection of MRSA was84.2% (95 CI 60.4 to 96.6%) and 66.2% (95% CI 9.4 to99.2%) respectively. The positive predictive value and negativepredictive value of oxacillin disc diffusion method were 94.1%(95% CI 76.1 to 98.8%) and 40.0% (95% CI 15.2 to 71.2%)respectively. The accuracy was 81.8% (95% CI 66.7 to 95.3%).Conclusion: Oxacillin disk diffusion test shows high sensitivitywith moderate specificity for the detection of MRSA fromclinical specimens.

Virtual screening of natural and synthetic inhibitors of cyclooxygenase COX-2 enzyme using docking-scoring functions

In this paper, theoretical elucidation of cyclooxygenase interaction with synthetic and natural bioactive moleculesusing molecular docking is studied with molecular docking implicating solvation parameters. Obtained results showthat synthetics and natural inhibitors of thym interact differently with cyclooxygenase inflammation enzyme afterincluding solvatation parameter and confirm primary studies concerning the anti-inflammatory effect. We concludethat the solvatation parameter must be taken into account in all molecular docking studies because of different resultswhich permits a better comprehension of the inhibition process and more clear ideas to develop new drugs. Resultsallow us to propose chlorogenique as a novel molecule to be developed into a new novel drug

Quantitative and qualitative microbial diversity of the raw cow’s milk sold by street trading in Meknes, Morocco

Aims@#Milk is rich of nutrients that are necessary for the growth of various microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the microbial quantity and quality of the raw cow’s milk sold through street trading in Meknes, Morocco, and to study the variation and seasonal relationship of microbial diversity during the four seasons of the year. @*Methodology and results@#Raw cow’s milk samples were collected randomly between May 2015 and April 2016 from 3 street trading sale points, two popular neighborhoods (station 1 and station 2) and one popular market, and they were analyzed microbiologically. The results showed that the contamination rates of Total Plate Count (TPC), total coliforms, fecal coliforms, lactobacilli, lactococci and yeasts and molds were 8.8×108 CFU/mL, 8.9×105 CFU/mL, 2×103 CFU/mL, 4.6×108 CFU/mL, 7.5×108 CFU/mL and 4.1×103 CFU/mL, respectively. Moreover, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens and Listeria monocytogenes were detected in 66.67% (24/36), 75% (27/36), 36.1% (13/36) and 19.44% (7/36), respectively, while Salmonella was not detected in this study. @*Conclusion, significance and impact of study@#The highest microbiological count in raw milk samples was found in summer, while the lowest was detected in winter (p˂0.005). Therefore, the quality of milk marketed in Meknes region of Morocco is deteriorated due to the lack of good hygienic conditions of raw cow’s milk sold through street trading.

Association Of Vitamin D Deficiency With Hyperandrogenism In Females With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Objective: This study designed to assess the relationship of vitamin D status with clinical features of hyperandrogen-ism in the young unmarried females Study design:A case control study. The study was carried out in Gynecology and Obstetrics unit of Railway Hospital, Rawalpindi from Oct, 2014 to April, 2015. Materials and Methods: A sample of100 diagnosed PCOS patients, age range 16-25 years with clinical features of hyperandrogenism were included in this study with their written consent. 25OH Vitamin D Total Elisa Kit was used to assess the levels of Vitamin D. The Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21 and ANOVA test was used to assess the relationship. P value < 0.05 was con-sidered significant. Results: Vitamin D levels were tested in PCOS patients presenting clinical features of hyperandro-genism and it is found that there is insignificant relationship present between severity of hypovitaminosis D and hirsutism (P=0.669), acne (P=0.480) and alopecia (P=0.317) among PCOS patients. Conclusion:Although hirsutisim presents itself as the most common feature in PCOS patients (51%), but no significant relationship is found between Hypovitaminosis D and clinical features of hyperandrogenism suggesting insignificant role of vitamin D in the patho-genesis of hyperandrogenism in PCOS patients.

Halotolerance of Indigenous Fluorescent Pseudomonads in the Presence of Natural Osmoprotectants

Background: Salinity is one of the major factors affecting agriculture. To grow in saline environments, bacteria and plants have to adjust their turgor pressure by accumulating compatible solutes as glycine betaine and proline. Inoculation of plants of economic interest, mainly wheat, by Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria such as Pseudomonas species is an effective biological approach for the recovery of soils affected by salt. Methodology: The halotolerance of indigenous Pseudomonas strains was tested in the presence of high salt concentrations. Under these stress conditions, the effect of natural osmoprotectant molecules elaborated by the halophyte A. halimus was observed. Results: In this study, 3 Fluorescent pseudomonads were isolated from wheat rhizosphere and one from the endophyte of Atriplex halimus. They were identified as P. putida AF2, P. aeruginosa RB5, P. fluorescensRB13 and P. aeruginosa EH4; they exhibited good PGPR activities. The growth of the strains was stimulated in the presence of 100 and 300 mM of NaCl. P. fluorescens CHA0 was inhibited at 500 mM; the remaining strains were affected by 800 mM. Exogenous supply of glycine betaine and proline alleviated the stress. The extract of the halophyte A. halimus restored the growth of 3 strains. NaCl/ 900 mM was strongly inhibitor of all bacteria. The restoration of the growth of P. aeruginosa RB5 and P. aeruginosa EH4 by glycine betaine or proline was significant. No osmoprotectant molecule could overcome stress imposed by 1000 mM. Conclusion: On the basis of their halotolrance and their ability to use natural osmoprotectant to restore their growth, the PGP fluorescent pseudomonads strains tested could be applied as inoculants of wheat for sustainable agriculture in salty soils.

Clinical efficacy comparison of saccharomyces boulardii and lactic acid as probiotics in acute pediatric diarrhea

Objective: To compare the efficacy of Saccharomyces boulardii and lactic acid producing probiotics in addition to usual treatment regimen to cure diarrhea among children [6 months to 5 years of age]

Study Design: Randomized controlled trial

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pediatrics, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore, from February to July 2015

Methodology: Children suffering from acute diarrhea were orally administered Saccharomyces boulardii and lactic acid producing probiotics for 5 days. The efficacy of administered probiotics was monitored. Patients were given Saccharomyces boulardii and lactic acid producing probiotics randomly to remove the bias

Results: Two hundred patients randomly selected for trials; out of which, 100 were treated with Saccharomyces boulardii while the other 100 were supplemented with lactic acid concomitantly along with conventional diarrhea treatment. Results indicated that Saccharomyces boulardii treatment group has significantly higher efficacy rate [45%] compared to lactic acid producing probiotics [26%]

Conclusion: This study concluded that Saccharomyces boulardii has a better efficacy compared to lactic acid and may be adopted as a probiotic of choice

Her-2/neu oncogene amplification by fluorescence in situ hybridization and protein overexpression on immunohistochemistry in breast cancer

Objective: To investigate the concordance and discordance between the test results of Her-2/neu by immunohistochemistry [IHC] and flourescence In Situ hybridization [FISH] in breast cancer cases

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Histopathology, Dr. Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, from 2011 to 2016

Methodology: Forty-three specimens of invasive ductal carcinoma of breast were evaluated for grade and Her-2/neu status using IHC and FISH methods. Concordance and discordance between their results was determined

Results: There is 100% concordance between FISH and IHC in cases scoring 0, 1+ [negative] and 3+ [positive] immunostaining. Tumour cases scoring 2+ immunostaining showed amplification in 69.2% cases. All grade-I tumours were non-amplified on FISH, while most of the grade-III tumours showed Her-2/neu amplification on FISH. There is significant association of Her-2/neu IHC with tumour grade and FISH [p<0.05]. A fairly high proportion i.e. 69.7% of cases showed Her-2/neu gene amplification. There was high concordance between Her-2/neu testing on IHC and FISH, [Kappa co-efficient 0.466, p <0.001]

Conclusion: Her-2/neu amplification increases with increasing grade of breast cancer. A high proportion of Her-2/neu gene amplified cases indicates aggressive disease in that area and need for FISH testing on large scale, which is the gold standard for equivocal cases on immunohistochemistry

Effect of long-term exposure to sublethal concentration of imidacloprid on some biochemical and haematological parameters of Grass carp and Goldfish

During the present research, C. idella and C. auratus fish were exposed to 2-ppm concentration of imidacloprid for 28 and 24 days, respectively, and the effect on biochemical and haematological parameters was investigated. During the study of biochemical parameters, there occurred significant increase [P<0.05] in the serum levels of ALT and creatinine of imidacloprid exposed groups of both species of fish. The level of serum albumin of imidacloprid exposed groups of both fish species was significantly lower as compared to control group [P<0.05]. Serum globulin level in imidacloprid exposed group of C. idella was insignificantly lower as compared to control group, however the serum globulin level of C. auratus was significantly lower than the control group [P < 0.05]. The level of total proteins in serum of imidacloprid exposed groups of both fish species was insignificantly lower as compared to control groups [P> 0.05]. During the study of haematological parameters, TLC of C. idella was insignificantly [P>0.05] higher than control group but the TLC of C. auratus was significantly [P<0.05] higher than control. There was also observed increasing trend in the percentage of neutrophils and lymphocytes of imidacloprid exposed group of each fish species. The platelets count of imidacloprid exposed group of each fish species was significantly [P<0.05] lower than control group. The haemoglobin concentration of imidacloprid exposed group of C. idella was significantly lower than control group [P<0.05]. In case of C. auratus, the haemoglobin level of imidacloprid exposed group was insignificantly lower than control group [P>0.05]. From the finding of the present research it was concluded that 28 days exposure of C. idella and 24 days exposure of C. auratus to 2 ppm concentration of imidacloprid does not cause mortality however the exposure causes alteration in the normal level of biochemical and haematological parameters