Enterococcus raffinosus, Enterococcus durans and Enterococcus avium Isolated from a Tertiary Care Hospital in Romania-Retrospective Study and Brief Review.

(1) Background: This paper aims to provide a description of non-faecalis non-faecium enterococci isolated from a tertiary care hospital in Romania and to briefly review the existing literature regarding the involvement of Enterococcus raffinosus, Enterococcus durans and Enterococcus avium in human infections and their antimicrobial resistance patterns; (2) Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all Enteroccocus species isolated from the "Prof. Dr. O. Fodor" Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Cluj-Napoca during one year focusing on non-faecalis non-faecium Enterococci. A brief review of the literature was performed using case reports involving Enterococcus raffinosus, Enterococcus durans and Enterococcus avium; (3) Results: Only 58 out of 658 Enteroccocus isolates were non-faecalis non-faecium and met the inclusion criteria. These species were isolated more often (p < 0.05) from the surgical ward from mixed etiology infections with E. coli. In our review, we included 39 case reports involving E. raffinosus, E. durans and E. avium; (4) Conclusions: Isolation of non-faecalis non-faecium enterococci displays an emerging trend with crucial healthcare consequences. Based on the analysis of the case reports, E. avium seems to be involved more often in neurological infections, E. durans in endocarditis, while E. raffinosus displays a more heterogenous distribution.

Curcumin and Vitamin C Attenuate Gentamicin-Induced Nephrotoxicity by Modulating Distinctive Reactive Species.

Gentamicin remains widely used in all age groups despite its well-documented nephrotoxicity; however, no adjuvant therapies have been established to counteract this side effect. Our study aimed to experimentally determine whether curcumin and vitamin C have nephroprotective effects and whether certain reactive species could be used as markers of early gentamicin nephrotoxicity. Wistar adult male rats were evenly distributed into four groups: control, gentamicin, curcumin and gentamicin, vitamin C and gentamicin (gentamicin: 60 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally, 7 days). We determined renal function (urea, creatinine), oxidative stress (malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, 3-nitrotyrosine, total oxidative stress), and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory status (thiols, total antioxidant capacity, interleukin-10). Nephrotoxicity was successfully induced, as shown by the elevated creatinine levels in the gentamicin group. In contrast, supplementation with curcumin and vitamin C prevented an increase in urea levels while decreasing total oxidative stress levels compared to the gentamicin group. Moreover, vitamin C and curcumin distinctively modulate the levels of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde. Histological analysis showed more discrete lesions in rats that received vitamin C compared to the curcumin group.

Accelerated lipid peroxidation in a rat model of gentamicin nephrotoxicity.

Kidney disease represents a burden for the health care system worldwide. As the prevalence continues to rise, discovering new biomarkers of early kidney damage has become crucial. Oxidative stress (OS) represents one of the main factors involved in the early stages of many syndromes leading to kidney damage. Therefore, it must be studied in detail. To date, many studies have focused on OS in advanced stages of acute kidney injury (AKI), with great success. The aim of the present study was to ascertain whether even mild renal function impairment can be linked to specific systemic markers of OS and systemic antioxidants in order to pinpoint certain biomarkers for early kidney damage. We used male rats (Rattus norvegicus) in which we induced kidney damage by injecting gentamicin for 7 days. Blood was collected 24 h after the last dose of gentamicin. Urea, creatinine, 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT), nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), thiols (TS), total oxidative stress (TOS), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were determined. In addition, for the antioxidant status we measured total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and interleukin-10 (IL-10). Our results demonstrated that the rats had mild renal impairment consistent with a pre-AKI stage due to the nephrotoxic effect of gentamicin. However, TOS, MDA and NO were significantly higher in the gentamicin group compared to the control group. In addition, TAC was higher in the control group. Hence, OS markers reach higher levels and may potentially be used as markers of kidney damage even in cases of mild renal function impairment.

Molecular epidemiology of the community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus clones: a synthetic review.

The article presents a synthetic molecular characterization of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and describes the most important community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) clones that circulate nowadays in the world: the main molecular and epidemiological characteristics, as well as notions related to the clinic of infections produced by these clones and their antibiotic resistance spectrum. The predominant clone of CA-MRSA in North America is USA300 - ST8-IV in North America, in Australia - Queensland (Qld) MRSA (ST93-IV), in Europe - ST80-IV, in Asia there is a high heterogeneity of clones population, in Africa the distribution of CA-MRSA clones is unclear, and in South America - USA 1100 and USA300-Latin American variant are predominant. The molecular diagnosis is performed by highly specialized institutions. The knowledge of clones allows the study of antibiotic resistance spectrum for each one, a fact of great importance for medical practice. Molecular epidemiology of the CA-MRSA shows that lowly restricted sales of antibiotics in shops and pharmacies, as well as medical prescribing practices without a laboratory investigation, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia, contribute to the development of new MRSA clones with increased resistance to antibiotics.