ABSTRACT
Background and study aim: this study aimed to determine the antibacterial resistance patterns of extended spectrum b-lactamase [ESBL]-producing enteropathogenic Escherichia coli [EPEC] isolated from Iranian children and to investigate its genetic patterns
Patients and methods: 192 non-repeats EPEC isolates were collected from stool samples of the children with and without diarrhoea. The EPEC strains were isolated from 1355 stool specimens obtained from 247 children with diarrhoea [0-10 years old; mean age, 5.5 years] and 1108 children without any gastrointestinal symptoms [0-10 years old; mean age, 6.8 years] during the summer months in three Iranian provinces, Tehran, Ilam and Mazandaran. Strains biochemically identified as E. coli were selected and were identified by the presence of eaeA and bfpA as EPEC virulence genes. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined by disc diffusion method. The isolates were confirmed to be ESBL producers by the double disk synergy test [DDST]. The b-lactamase genes [blaTEM, blaSHV, blaCTX-M, blaOXA] and insertion sequence ISEcp1 were detected by PCR method
Results: the highest antibiotic susceptibility was detected to imipenem [100%], followed by gentamicin [82.3%] and ciprofloxacin [79.2%]. The highest resistance was detected to cefpodoxime [97.9%], trimethoprim [60.7%], and tetracycline [58.4%], respectively. Totally, 153 EPEC strains [79.7%] were ESBLproducing by DDST test. The PCR showed that 84 [43.8%] EPEC isolates were positive for ESBLs encoding genes. Among 153 ESBLs-producing EPEC, TEM was present in 9.2% of isolates. Also, CTX-M and SHV genes were detected in 7.2% and 7.8%, respectively. The SHV positive strains were associated with the highest resistance rate to tetracycline [56.5%], although the TEM and OXA were associated with the highest resistance rate to gentamicin [23.1%] and ciprofloxacin [21.4%]
Conclusions: the study revealed that 79.7% of EPEC isolates from Iranian children were ESBL-producing and were comparable with the non ESBL-producing isolates regarding susceptibility to the antibiotics
ABSTRACT
Objective:The aim of this study was to determine the levels of serum pro-brain natriuretic peptide [pro-BNP] and inter-leukin [IL]-6 in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD] and to correlate these markers with health-related quality of life using the COPD assessment test [CAT]
Materials and Methods: Serum pro-BNP and IL-6 levels were measured in 82 patients with stable COPD. Serum pro-BNP and serum IL-6 levels, pulmonary function, and oxygen saturation (Sp02) were measured according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease [GOLD] stage and CAT score. Also, the associations of both pro-BNP and IL-6 with the clinical parameters of patients were tested
Results: The serum levels of IL-6 [7.57 [5-11.16] pg/mL] and pro-BNP [120.55 [92.89-144.20] pg/mL] were higher with enhancing disease severity based on the GOLD classification [p = 0.034 and 0.068, respectively]. Also, serum levels of pro-BNP [120.55 [89.50-147.90] pg/mL] and IL-6 [6.68 [4.40-11.97] pg/mL] were increased in patients with high CAT scores [p = 0.004 and 0.017, respectively]. There was a significant positive correlation between plasma pro-BNP and IL-6 levels [r = 0.332, p = 0.002]
Conclusion:The results demonstrated that with increased severity of obstruction based on the GOLD criteria both IL-6 and pro-BNP were elevated. This increase in inflammatory markers was associated with a reduced quality of life and the severity of hypoxia. These findings indicated that lowering IL-6 and pro-BNP could be useful in the management of COPD patients
ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the effects of diet-induced obesity on the expression of nuclear factor-KB [NF-KB] and visfatin messenger RNA in male Wistar rats' tracheae after sensitiza-tion with ovalbumin [OVA]
Materials and Methods: Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups [n = 5 for each group], which included a control group fed a normal diet [ND] and groups fed normal diet, OVA-sensitized [S+ND]; high-fat diet [HFD] only [diet-induced obesity]; and high-fat diet, OVA-sensitized [S+HFD]
All animals were fed for 8 weeks with standard chow or a high-fat diet, and then were sensitized and challenged with OVA or saline for another 4 weeks as per the above groups. The rats were anesthetized, after which the necks were exposed and the tracheae iso-lated and examined for expression levels of NF-KB and visfatin mRNA with the real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Data were compared between the different groups using one-way analysis of variance
Results: The expression level of NF-KB mRNA in the S+HFD group was 2.67, which was statistically higher than the levels in the ND [0.96; p = 0.001], S+ND [1.86; p = 0.05], and HFD [1.26;p = 0.001] groups. Also, the visfatin mRNA expression level in the S+HFD group was 4.21, which was higher than the levels in the ND [0.92], S+ND [1.79], and HFD [2.20] [p = 0.001] groups
Conclusion: In this study, the expression levels of NF-KB and visfatin were markedly higher in the S+HFD group in comparison to the other groups. These findings indicate that alternative signaling pathways might be activated in diet-induced obesity as-sociated with the OVA-sensitized animal model and could be responsible for possible altered sensitization phenotype
Subject(s)
Animals, Laboratory , NF-kappa B , Rats, Wistar , Obesity , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Asthma , RNA, Messenger , Ovalbumin , TracheaABSTRACT
Background: Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus [MRSA] has become one of the highest - ranking hospital acquired pathogens throughout the world, capable of causing a wide range of hospital infections. Staphylococcus aureus is a major nosocomial pathogen that causes a range of diseases, including endocarditis, osteomyelitis, pneumonia, toxic shock syndrome, food poisoning, carbuncles, and boils
Materials and Methods: One hundred S. aureus isolates recovered from patients in Loghman Hakim hospital were included in this study. Minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] of strains for methicillin was determined by broth macrodilution method as recommended by NCCLS. Antibiotic susceptibility was tested by using the "disk diffusion technique on Mueller-Hinton Agar". Nineteen antibiotics were tested including Ampicillin, Penicillin, Cephalexin, Cefepime, Gentamicin, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, Chloramphenicol, Tetracycline, Nitrofurantoin, Kanamycin, Amikacine, Cefotaxime, Clindamycin, Cefazolin, Amoxicillin, Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, Vancomycin, and Ciprofloxacin
Results: The MIC range for methicillin was from 1microg/ml to 1024microg/ml. Ninety percent of the isolated strains had methicillin MIC >/= 16microg/ml and were designated as resistant. Vancomycin and Chloramphenicol were the most effective antibiotics and only 7% and 14% of the isolates were resistant respectively. Forty-four percent hospital acquired MRSA strains were resistant to Co-trimoxazole. The high antibiotic resistance among MRSA strains could be originated due to widespread use of antibiotics
Conclusion: Out of 90 MRSA isolates characterized in this study, approximately half of them displayed resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents, including Penicillin, Cephalosporins, Tetracycline and aminoglycosides. These data are in accord with previous study suggesting use of these drugs was important in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in MRSA. In addition, 66% of MRSA isolates were sensitive to Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole [Co-Trimoxazole]. Since this drug combination is recommended for treating a range of human infections, S.aureus isolates should be monitored for further emergence of Co-Trimoxazole resistance