Potent synergistic combination of rosuvastatin and levofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus: in vitro and in vivo study.

AIMS: The present study aims to evaluate the capability of rosuvastatin to synergize with levofloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rosuvastatin inhibited the growth of S. aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration of 16 µg ml-1 . Additionally, it showed a bactericidal effect at 4x minimum inhibition concentration. Using a checkerboard method, a synergistic effect was recorded when rosuvastatin was combined with levofloxacin showing against S. aureus isolate 28 (S 28). Furthermore, this combination was also able to display a significant reduction in biofilm formation (92·8%) and suppress the production of coagulase and ß-haemolysin, and virulence factors of S. aureus isolate 28. An animal model for wound infection was used to assess the therapeutic effect of the test combination, in vivo. It was found that the test combination reduced the bacterial burden in the infected wounds by 91·3%. Pathological and histological analyses have revealed a decline in cell infiltration in the excisional wound skin tissue after treatment with rosuvastatin and levofloxacin combination. CONCLUSIONS: Rosuvastatin combined with levofloxacin can be considered as a promising solution to combat S. aureus antibiotic resistance phenomenon. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study unveils the potential effect of rosuvastatin when used in combination with levofloxacin can be used as a topical antibacterial agent to treat S. aureus skin infections.

Role of Helicobacter pylori in the genesis of gastric ulcerations among smokers and nonsmokers

Helicobacter pylori infection was investigated by three different methods [serologically, microbiologically and biochemically] in 210 male patients aged 20-40 years. Gastric ulcers were diagnosed in 126 patients in which H. pylori infection showed a significant association X[2] = 162.8]. Smokers had a higher rate of infection than nonsmokers, both among patients with gastric ulcers [99% compared to 79%] and without. The risk of H. pylori infection was computed for different categories of smoker. Heavy cigarette smokers were found to have the highest risk, followed by moderate to mild cigarette smokers and communal shisha smokers; neither private shisha nor cigar/pipe smokers showed any significant risk

Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus and candida infection with special emphasis on their possible role in human Squamous Cell Carcinoma and its variants.

Sixty seven cases of human oral S.C.C. with its intra oral variances were investigated microbiologically, histopathologically, histochemically and immunologically. Yeasts were isolated from 85% of examined cases. "Candifast test" showed that Candida albicans was the commonest form of the detected fungi, followed by C. parapsilosis and C. tropicalis, while the least in frequency was the Torulopsis glabrata. Yeasts were more detected in females, elders and tobacco smokers. Two cases of well differentiated S.C.C. were surprisingly detected, and for the first time in literature, associated with a specific granulomatous reaction and showed positively impregnated fungi. While negative reactions for fungi were noticed in all lymphoepitheliomas, almost all the verrucous carcinoma were positive. Viral inclusion bodies were demonstrated for the first time by MT. This method was rapid, economic and could be used as a pilot study before applying the more specific monoclonal antibody techniques or in-situ hybridization methods. Comparing the results of HSV hybridization with that of candida infection we found that both could be detected in some cases. The results indicate that viral and fungal factors may be synergetic in the development of oral carcinomas.

A study of Plesiomonas shigelloides from human, pets and aquatic environments.

The present study was performed for determination of distribution of P. Shigelloides in human, pet animals, fish and shellfish and water in Alexandria. P. Shigelloides was recovered from 3.2% of diarrheal patients and 2.67% food handlers indicating the importance of plesiomonas as one of the enteric pathogen and reflecting the public health hazard in Egypt. This organism was found to be more pathogenic in infants as 75% of the diarrheal patients were infants under 2 years of age. The isolation rate was higher in summer which is considered the season of increased diarrheal illness. From dogs and cats samples, plesiomonas was recovered from 8% of dogs samples. Out of 120 fish and shellfish samples 18.57% of fish and 8.6% of shellfish samples yielded plesiomonas. Plesiomonas was also recovered from 32 out of 100 water samples, 24 (42.86%) from fresh water. This study shows that P. Shigelloides seem to be one of the current causes of diarrheal illness in Egypt.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis.

This study evaluates the sensitivity and specificity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen. Twenty seven of the 35 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis had positive serology with an antibody titre of 10 nineteen of them had positive serology with an antibody titre of 100. All the 27 patients with positive serology were either smear or culture positive or both. Twenty six of the 35 control group had negative serology and 9 had positive serology with an antibody titre of 10. The test has a sensitivity of 77.14% and a specificity of 74.29%.

Activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells a possible substitute to B-lymphocytes in HLA-DR determination.

The serological determination of class II antigens is still a mandatory test prior to allotransplantation. It is known that these antigens are normally expressed on B-lymphocytes and monocytes. The B-lymphocytes that constitute 10-15% of total blood lymphocytes are the cells currently used for HLA-DR typing. To avoid HLA-DR typing difficulties, or even impossibilities that are frequently encountered among some patient groups, we studied the response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC)--as an alternative source of cells for class II antigen typing--to in vitro mitogen and interleukin-2 activation and propagation. Although the patients included in this study were selected having pre-known HLA-DR typing difficulties, all of them could be adequately typed by this method.