Anti-Acinetobacter Baumannii single-chain variable fragments provide therapeutic efficacy in an immunocompromised mouse pneumonia model.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Acinetobacter baumannii as well as inadequate effective antibiotics calls for an urgent effort to find new antibacterial agents. The therapeutic efficacy of two human scFvs, EB211 and EB279, showing growth inhibitory activity against A. baumannii in vitro, was investigated in immunocompromised mice with A. baumannii pneumonia. RESULTS: The data revealed that infected mice treated with EB211, EB279, and a combination of the two scFvs showed better survival, reduced bacterial load in the lungs, and no marked pathological abnormalities in the kidneys, liver, and lungs when compared to the control groups receiving normal saline or an irrelevant scFv. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that the scFvs with direct growth inhibitory activity could offer promising results in the treatment of pneumonia caused by XDR A. baumannii.

Inhibitory effects of postbiotic consisting sonication-killed Bifidobacterium bifidum on experimental triple negative breast neoplasm in mice: a preliminary study.

Background and Objectives: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death and one of the most common malignancies among women in the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive effects of postbiotic consisting of sonicated Bifidobacterium bifidum cells on triple negative breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six female BALB/c mice aged 5-7 weeks were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=12): Ctrl-, healthy mice; Ctrl+, mice with breast cancer with no treatment; and Postbiotic, mice with orally gavage postbiotic before and after 4T1 cell line transplantation. Cancer progress and the effects of postbiotic were assayed by histological, immunohistochemical and gene expression quantification. Results: The histological results showed that administration postbiotic consisting of B. bifidum significantly decreased carcinogenesis in terms of tumor incidence, multiplicity and volume. The tumor progress was suppressed by oral intake of B. bifidum as showed by p53 and Ki-67 expression. Furthermore, Oral intake of postbiotic resulted in extended survival of mice and inhibited sever weigh loss. Conclusion: Pretreatment with sonication killed B. bifidum, as a postbiotic, inhibited breast cancer progress and malignancy.

Therapeutic role of enoxaparin in intra-uterine growth restriction: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Intrauterine growth restriction is a leading cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity. Using enoxaparin may enhance the placental circulation and improve the intrauterine growth. This study was conducted to assess the efficacy and safety of enoxaparin in treatment of intra-uterine growth restriction. STUDY DESIGN: 125 women with intrauterine growth restriction were randomized to control group and intervention group (receiving routine high risk pregnancy prenatal care plus daily subcutaneous injection of 40 mg enoxaparin). Prolongation of pregnancy, fetal birth weight, fetal outcome and enoxaparin side effects were compared in 2 groups. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar in 2 groups. Mean gestational age at delivery was 36.73(±2.71) in enoxaparin group and 36.85(±2.17) in control group which showed no statistically significant difference. Mean fetal birth weight had also no statistically significant difference in enoxaparin and control group (2370.16 ± 580.72 g versus 2456.07 ± 543.06 g). Rate of betamethasone administration, intubation, NICU admission, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, intra-ventricular hemorrhage, hypoglycemia and low apgar score were similar in two groups. No major adverse effect was seen. CONCLUSION: Enoxaparin did not prolong the pregnancy and fetal birth weight and did not improve the fetal outcome even in patients with impaired baseline Doppler findings.

Coexistence of Benign Brenner Tumor with Mucinous Cystadenoma in an Ovarian Mass.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. The surface epithelial tumor is the most common type of ovarian cancer. Among these, the mucinous tumors account for 10-15% of ovarian tumors. Mucinous ovarian tumors are among the most difficult ovarian neoplasms for surgical pathologists to interpret. Mucinous tumors sometimes coexist with other surface epithelial tumors. Therefore, making the accurate diagnosis of the mucinous tumors is essential. On the other hand, association of Brenner tumors with other neoplasms is rare. Ovarian Brenner tumor has always been discussed by pathologists as an enigmatic tumor, because of its rarity and disputed histogenesis. Here, we reported a case of large mucinous cystadenoma with Brenner component.

The Effect of Sitz Bath of Hydro-Alcoholic Extract of Myrrh Gum on Episiotomy Wound Healing in Nulliparous Women.

Objective: To investigate the effect of sitz bath of hydro-alcohol extract of myrrh plant on episiotomy wound healing. Materials and methods: the clinical trial was performed on 60 nulliparous women from July 2017 to December 2017. After episiotomy, the intervention and control groups respectively underwent sitz bath of myrrh gum and normal saline for 7 days. Data collection was REEDA scale. Results: Significant difference between the mean score of redness, proximity of wound edges to each other and REEDA scale in both groups on the third, seventh and tenth days after delivery (p < 0.05). There was a significant difference between mean scores of bruise on the 10th day and wound discharge on the 7th and 10th days. The mean scores of bruise were not significantly different between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The effect of this myrrh plant on episiotomy wound healing is greater and faster than the effect of usual cares.