In Vivo and in Vitro Mitigation of Salmonella Typhimurium Isolates by Fortunella Japonica Fruit Extract.

The vast dissemination of resistance to different antibiotics among bacterial pathogens, especially foodborne pathogens, has drawn major research attention. Thus, many attempts have been made to reveal novel alternatives to the current antibiotics. Due to their variable pharmacologically active phytochemicals, plants represent a good solution for this issue. This study investigated the antibacterial potential of Kumquat or Fortunella japonica methanol extract (FJME) against Salmonella typhimurium clinical isolates. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) characterized 39 compounds in FJME. Palmitic acid (15.386%) and cis-vaccenic acid (15.012%) are the major active constituents detected by GC/MS. Remarkably, FJME had minimum inhibitory concentrations from 128 to 512 µg/mL in vitro. In addition, a systemic infection model revealed the in vivo antibacterial action of FJME. The antibacterial therapeutic activity of FJME was noticed by improving the histological features of the liver and spleen. Moreover, there was a perceptible lessening (p < 0.05) of the levels of the oxidative stress markers (nitric oxide and malondialdehyde) using ELISA. In addition, the gene expression of the proinflammatory cytokine (interleukin 6) was downregulated. On the other hand, there was an upregulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin 10). Accordingly, future clinical investigations should be done to reveal the potential antibacterial action of FJME on other food pathogens.

Antibacterial potential of Euphorbia canariensis against Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria causing respiratory tract infections.

The widespread dissemination of bacterial resistance has led to great attention being paid to finding substitutes for traditionally used antibiotics. Plants are rich in various phytochemicals that could be used as antibacterial therapies. Here, we elucidate the phytochemical profile of Euphorbia canariensis ethanol extract (EMEE) and then elucidate the antibacterial potential of ECEE against Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates. ECEE showed minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 128 to 512 µg/mL. The impact of ECEE on the biofilm-forming ability of the tested isolates was elucidated using crystal violet assay and qRT-PCR to study its effect on the gene expression level. ECEE exhibited antibiofilm potential, which resulted in a downregulation of the expression of the biofilm genes (algD, pelF, and pslD) in 39.13% of the tested isolates. The antibacterial potential of ECEE was studied in vivo using a lung infection model in mice. A remarkable improvement was observed in the ECEE-treated group, as revealed by the histological and immunohistochemical studies. Also, ELISA showed a noticeable decrease in the oxidative stress markers (nitric oxide and malondialdehyde). The gene expression of the proinflammatory marker (interleukin-6) was downregulated, while the anti-inflammatory biomarker was upregulated (interleukin-10). Thus, clinical trials should be performed soon to explore the potential antibacterial activity of ECEE, which could help in our battle against resistant pathogenic bacteria.

Green synthetized Cu-Oxide Nanoparticles: Properties and applications for enhancing healing of wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus.

Treating wound infections is a challenging concern in various clinical settings in Egypt, especially in the increasing global problem of resistance to antimicrobials. Here, we aimed to fabricate CuO NPs via green synthesis using aqueous Yucca gigantea extract. Then, the effect of green synthesized CuO NPs on Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates has been studied in vivo and in vitro. The aqueous extract of Yucca gigantea has been employed in our study as a scale-up approach to safely, affordably, sustainably, and practically fabricate copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs). Fourier transforms infrared (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis spectroscopy were utilized in vitro to describe the bonding features of CuO NPs.Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were used to detect the morphological and elemental composition of the resulting CuO NPs. The fabrication of CuO NPs was confirmed by the IR spectral band at 515 cm-1, ensuring the metal-oxygen bondCu-O with two strong bands at 229 and 305 nm. SEM and TEM show CuO NPs with a size range from 30 to 50 nm. Cu and O comprised most of the particles produced through green synthesis, with weight percentages of 57.82 and 42.18 %, respectively. CuO NPs were observed to have a Zeta-potential value of -15.7 mV, demonstrating their great stability. CuO NPs revealed antibacterial potential toward the tested isolates with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 128 to 512 µg/mL. CuO NPs had antibiofilm potential by crystal violet assay, downregulating the expression of icaA and icaD genes in 23.07 % and 19.32 of the S. aureus isolates. The wound-healing potential of CuO NPs was investigated in vivo. It significantly decreased the bacterial burden and increased wound healing percentage compared to the positive control group. Moreover, CuO NPs caused an upregulation of the genes encoding platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and fibronectin in tissue repair. Thus, we can use CuO NPs as a future source for wound healing materials, especially in infected wounds.

Anti-inflammatory potential of Penicillium brefeldianum endophytic fungus supported with phytochemical profiling.

Various factors contribute to the development of the acute inflammation process, like the pro-inflammatory cytokines, certain enzymes as well as oxidative stress mediators. The anti-inflammatory potential of the endophytic fungus Penicillium brefeldianum was explored in carrageenan-induced inflammation in rats. After isolation of the fungus from Acalypha hispida leaves, it was identified by 18S rRNA gene sequencing. Then, its phytochemical profile was elucidated using LC-ESI-MS/MS technique. There was a remarkable decrease in the edema weight in the endophytic fungi-treated group (200 mg/kg). Also, this group had few inflammatory cells and thickened epidermis with underlying moderate collagenosis when stained with haematoxylin and eosin. Besides, immunostaining with monoclonal antibodies of cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor necrosis factor alpha showed a decrease in the positive immune cells in the endophytic fungi treated group (200 mg/kg) in relation to the positive control. Interestingly, the levels of the inflammatory as well as oxidative stress markers, including prostaglandin E2, nitric oxide, and malondialdehyde, which are hallmarks of the inflammatory process, considerably diminished (p < 0.05) in this group. qRT-PCR was utilised to elucidate the impact of the endophytic fungi treatment on the expression of interleukins (IL-1ß and IL-6) genes, which decreased in comparison with the positive control group. Consequently, we can deduce that P. brefeldianum endophytic fungus has a promising anti-inflammatory potential and should be extensively studied on a broader range in the near future.

Detrimental effect of antiepileptic drugs dose in pediatric children with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia: A prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT: This study aims to evaluate the effect of dose titration for different oral antiepileptic medications among children with epilepsy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.A single-center prospective pilot, cohort study was undertaken at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All medical records of pediatric patients below the age of 14 years of age who has been newly diagnosed with epilepsy by attending a medical specialist or on a new epileptic treatment plans were enrolled in the study.A total of 76 epileptic patients were screened for 3 months' period and 48 patients were included in this study. Out of the 48 patients, 31 patients followed the regular practice in the titration processes and 17 patients were in the British national formulary (BNF) guideline. Fifteen children who were on monotherapy of levetiracetam were in regular practice guideline experienced poor seizure control with a recorded number of seizure incidence (n = 10). The patient in regular practice guidelines using a combination therapy of phenytoin and levetiracetam were experiencing some behavioral disturbance and sedation effect. Seventeen patients followed in the BNF guideline who were on levetiracetam were experienced less adverse effect (n = 2) with no behavioral changes.The group who followed the regular practice found having a greater incidence of documented adverse effects compared to the patients following the BNF guideline. The titrating antiepileptic medication has a detrimental effect on the pediatric population as observed in this study.