Microbial exopolysaccharides (EPSs) are gaining interest as alternatives to chemical antioxidants and pharmaceuticals. This study mines the promising biomedical and antimicrobial potential of a ...marine bacterium, a prolific EPS producer, isolated from the Red Sea.
sp. strain AHG22 generated an EPS weighing 6.98 g·L
, coded EPSF8, subjected to FT-IR and HPLC chemical analysis. EPSF8 was then investigated for antioxidant assessment by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), H
, ABTS˙
, nitric oxide, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). EPSF8 had an IC
of 46.99 μg·mL
in the DPPH antioxidant assay and antioxidant capacities of 219.45 μg·mg
ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE) in the TAC assay and 54.15 μg·mg
AAE in the FRAP assay. The
anti-inflammatory effect of EPSF8 was tested against 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzymes and compared with the drugs ibuprofen and celecoxib used as controls. The IC
values of 5-LOX, COX-2, ibuprofen, and celecoxib were found to be 14.82, 15.49, 1.5, and 0.28 μg·mL
, respectively. Additionally, EPSF8 revealed antidiabetic activity toward α-amylase and α-glucosidase, and the IC
values were 93.1 and 127.28 μg·mL
, compared to those of acarbose (50.93 and 4.13 μg·mL
, respectively). Anti-obesity activity of EPSF8 by lipase inhibition revealed IC
= 56.12 μg·mL
compared to orlistat (IC
= 20.08 μg·mL
) as a control. EPSF8 displayed antibiofilm and bactericidal activity against Gram-positive (G +ve) and Gram-negative (G −ve) ATCC pathogenic bacterial strains. It had a minimum bactericidal concentration/minimum inhibitory concentration ratio ≤2, indicating a broad bactericidal spectrum. Furthermore, EPSF8 is evidenced to have a promising anti-butyrylcholinesterase activity for the control of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings of the present analysis suggest that the isolated
sp. strain AHG22 EPS can potentially be explored as a promising green therapeutic compound.
This study investigated the effects of some plant extracts on the bacterial communication system, expressed as quorum sensing (QS) activity. Quorum sensing has a directly proportional effect on the ...amount of certain compounds, such as pigments, produced by the bacteria. Alcohol extracts of 23 ornamental and medicinal plants were tested for anti-QS activity by the Chromobacterium violaceum assay using the agar cup diffusion method. The screening revealed the anti-QS activity of six plants; namely the leaves of Adhatoda vasica Nees, Bauhinia purpurea L., Lantana camara L., Myoporum laetum G. Forst.; the fruits of Piper longum L.; and the aerial parts of Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg.
Background
Diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLDs) constitute a heterogeneous group of lung diseases characterized by variable degrees of inflammation and fibrosis. In some DPLD, significant ...morbidity and unfavorable prognosis, comparable to those of neoplastic diseases, are seen. Efficient and safe methods for the diagnosis of DPLD are needed.
Aim
of the work To assess the characteristic features of DPLD in Fayoum Governorate based on clinical, radiological, and functional assessment.
Patients and methods
This study included 100 patients with undiagnosed DPLD who were selected from the Chest Department, Fayoum University Hospital, during the period from June 2015 to June 2016. All patients were subjected to written informed consent, full medical history, echocardiography, collagen profile, arterial blood gas analysis, spirometry, 6 min walk test, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of the chest and lung biopsy when indicated.
Results
Out of the 100 patients included in the study, 72 (72%) were women, 28 (28%) were men, 15 (15%) were smokers, and 73 (73%) had a history of raising birds. The mean age was 45.4 years(range, 8–85 years). HRCT showed different patterns of parenchymal affection. Idiopathic interstitial pneumonia was the predominant diagnosis (51%), followed by DPLD of known cause (33%), then granulomatous DPLD (12%), and lastly other rare forms of DPLD (4%).
Conclusion
The historical ‘gold standard’ of histological DPLD diagnosis is replaced by a ‘dynamic integrated approach’ using multidisciplinary discussion. The optimal HRCT technique for the evaluation of DPLD is crucial. HRCT of the chest was the diagnostic tool in 75% of the study patients without the need for biopsy.
En
Aim
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of auditory training on speech sound perception tasks in patients with steep sloping high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss using ...amplification with frequency-lowering hearing aids.
Patients and methods
This study was conducted on 10 adults with steeply sloping high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss using frequency-lowering hearing aids. Pretraining and post-training evaluation tasks were prepared to evaluate the ability to perceive vowels and consonants of Arabic language using lists of consonant-vowel-consonant and vowel-consonant-vowel syllables. Perception tasks included speech sound recognition and discrimination. Arabic exercise tasks were constructed and applied to provide directed training on voiceless consonant speech sounds.
Results
The study demonstrated enhancement in consonant perception using frequency lowering, provided the listeners were trained to conjugate between the newly perceived sounds moved to a functional neurophysiological substrate sensitive to lower frequency sounds.
Conclusion
Auditory training with frequency-lowering hearing aids improves consonant perception in individuals with steep sloping sensorineural hearing loss.
Numerous studies have shown that stress in plant cells and organelles with transport electron chains is related to RNA editing. The ATP synthase complex present in mitochondria plays a crucial role ...in cellular respiration and consists of several subunits. Among them is the b subunit, which is encoded by the mitochondrial atp4 gene. Computing-based analysis of the effects of RNA editing of the Withania somnifera atp4 gene in mitochondria leading to alterations in the b subunit of ATP synthase. Using the CLC Genomic Workbench 3, RNA editing analysis between the control and salt stress conditions was not significantly different. Depending on RNA editing, the tertiary structure model revealed a change in the states of the b subunit, reflecting differences in the central stalk and F1-catalytic domain. The study found that polar edits in the N-terminus of the b subunit allow for efficient H + ion selectivity and introduce a new coiled-coil alpha-helical structure that may help stabilize the complex. The most noteworthy finding of this study was the strong impact of these editing events on the tertiary structure of the b subunit, which has the potential to affect the ATPase activity and indicate that the editing in this subunit aimed to restore the original active protein and not as a response to salt stress.
Early diagnosis of tuberculosis continues to be a challenge for clinicians. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines recommend the application of GeneXpert MTB/RIF in extra-pulmonary ...tuberculosis (EPTB) diagnosis. This study aimed to test and compare the accuracy of the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay to diagnose pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and EPTB, compared to bacterial culture and to composite reference standard (CRS). The GeneXpert assay diagnosed tuberculosis (TB) in 19.5 % of patients. With reference to bacterial culture, the sensitivity of this assay for detection of the pulmonary and extra-pulmonary specimens was perfect. For pulmonary specimens, on using CRS; the detected sensitivity and specificity of the GeneXpert assay were 78.3 % and 99.1 %, respectively. However, for extra-pulmonary specimens, the sensitivity and specificity of the GeneXpert assay were 37.1 % and 99 %, respectively. In the current study, the GeneXpert assay showed almost perfect agreement with the bacterial culture for TB diagnosis. The diagnostic accuracy of the GeneXpert assay was high in ruling in, but not in ruling out of EPTB.
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