In-silico formulation of a next-generation polyvalent vaccine against multiple strains of monkeypox virus and other related poxviruses.

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) virus and some related poxviruses including smallpox virus pose a significant threat to public health, and effective prevention and treatment strategies are needed. This study utilized a reverse vaccinology approach to retrieve conserved epitopes for monkeypox virus and construct a vaccine that could provide cross-protection against related viruses with similar antigenic properties. The selected virulent proteins of monkeypox virus, MPXVgp165, and Virion core protein P4a, were subjected to epitope mapping for vaccine construction. Two vaccines were constructed using selected T cell epitopes and B cell epitopes with PADRE and human beta-defensins adjuvants conjugated in the vaccine sequence. Both constructs were found to be highly antigenic, non-allergenic, nontoxic, and soluble, suggesting their potential to generate an adequate immune response and be safe for humans. Vaccine construct 1 was selected for molecular dynamic simulation studies. The simulation studies revealed that the TLR8-vaccine complex was more stable than the TLR3-vaccine complex. The lower RMSD and RMSF values of the TLR8 bound vaccine compared to the TLR3 bound vaccine suggested better stability and consistency of hydrogen bonds. The Rg values of the vaccine chain bound to TLR8 indicated overall stability, whereas the vaccine chain bound to TLR3 showed deviations throughout the simulation. These results suggest that the constructed vaccine could be a potential preventive measure against monkeypox and related viruses however, further experimental validation is required to confirm these findings.

Quantitative determination of artificial sweeteners and sucrose in energy drinks and mango juice available in Dhaka city.

Energy drinks and mango juice are popular beverages. Apart from the natural ingredients and some additives present in these drinks, sugar is an important component of both. It has been established that, other than providing sweetness, sugars are potent to bring about health consequences for their consumers. Sweeteners, both artificial (aspartame, sodium cyclamate, and saccharin) and natural (sucrose), were our centers of interest. This study aimed to determine the presence and levels of these sweeteners in energy drinks and mango juice. Spectrophotometric methods were used to determine the concentration of the mentioned sugars. For this purpose, a total of 42 samples of 7 different brands were collected from different locations in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. The methods were found to be linear over the concentration range of 10-26 µg/mL (r2=0.9989), 137-320 µg/mL (r2=0.9891), 2.5-24 µg/mL (r2=0.9915) and 2354-2784 µg/mL (r2=0.9985) for aspartame, sodium cyclamate, saccharin, and sucrose, respectively. Mango juice contained a relatively lower amount of saccharin compared to energy drinks. In the case of aspartame, one brand of energy drinks had the least amount. Moreover, both energy drinks and mango juice had a similar content of sodium cyclamate, but one brand of mango juice had a relatively low content of sodium cyclamate.

Presence of blaCTX-M antibiotic resistance gene in Lactobacillus spp. isolated from Hirschsprung diseased infants with stoma.

INTRODUCTION: Although antibiotics have revolutionized health care by saving lives, the evolution of both pathogenic and commensal antibiotic-resistant bacteria are emerging as a threat in the health sector. As for Lactobacillus spp., it is usually a non-pathogenic bacteria. However, it can cause infection in immunocompromised condition. In this study, Lactobacillus spp. has been isolated from the faeces of infants with Hirschsprung disease (HD), which is congenital aganglionosis of intestine, where surgical approach and antibiotics are frequently used as medical intervention. The aim of this study is to assess the antibiotic resistance pattern and determine the presence of resistance genes, if any, in Lactobacillus spp. isolated from HD infants with ileostomy. METHODOLOGY: Six Lactobacillus spp. were isolated from faeces of six HD infants and confirmed using both conventional and molecular methods. Antibiotic resistance pattern was checked through disc diffusion method and was further investigated for the presence of antibiotic resistance genes (blaTEM, blaCTX-M, blaOXA-2, blaIMP, blaVIM-2, blaNDM-1 and mcr-1). RESULTS: Antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates showed high level of resistance towards cephalosporins, oxacillin, aztreonam, meropenem and polymyxin group. However, four of the isolates showed the presence of blaCTX-M gene after PCR amplification. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report on the presence of antibiotic resistance gene blaCTX-M in Lactobacillus spp. and this presence may pose a serious threat in treatment regimen. As not much is known regarding the presence of blaCTX-M in Lactobacillus spp., this finding may provide new light to research on antibiotic resistance in gut microflora.

Physicochemical and Microbiological Qualities' Assessment of Popular Bangladeshi Mango Fruit Juice.

INTRODUCTION: Mango juice has always been considered as a delicious, nutritious popular drink, but processed juice may not always be safe due to chemical and microbial risks. Determination of physicochemical and microbiological qualities of some packed mango juices of Bangladesh will help consumers to know the present scenario. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Six commercially available different juice samples were collected from the market. Carbohydrate profiles were determined using HPLC, crude protein content was calculated using the Kjeldahl method and other parameters were determined by standard AOAC methods. Standard culture techniques were followed to assess the total viable count (TVC), E. coli and other fecal coliforms. RESULTS: The highest quantity of monosaccharide (58.88%) was recorded in the AC1ME5 brand, while the lowest in Homemade (5.648%) and MN1GL2 (9.867%). The maximum content of acidity recorded was 0.24% and minimum 0.21%. The TSS content of all samples varied from 19% to 12%. The highest quantity 6.87% and the lowest 3.62% of reducing sugar were recorded. Most of the mango juices were low in protein and very low/negligible in fat content. Total viable count of different types of fruit juices varied from 1×103 - 3×103 CFU/ml. No significant amount of E. coli and fecal coliform was detected. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the locally available mango juices contain a safe level of nutritional and microbial elements for human consumption, but not highly satisfactory.