Diversity of uropathogens and their antibiotic resistance among diabetic patients presented to MTI-Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar.

Objective: Our objective was to quantify the number of various bacteria that frequently cause UTI in diabetes patients as well as to gauge their susceptibility and resistance to antibiotics. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Internal Medicine Ward of Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan from June 2021 to December 2021, Patients with confirmed diabetes were included in the study; however, participants receiving antimicrobial medications for a maximum of 14 days were excluded from the study. Resistance of Escherichia coli, Candida, Pseudomonas, E. faecalis, Klebsiella, P. mirabilis and Staphylococcus was asssessed using ciprofloxac, ceftazidime and meropenem. Results: The findings highlighted the the prevalence of Escherichia coli in 38.8% of patients, Candida in 19% of patients, Enterococcus faecalis in 11.8% of patients, Pseudomonas in 10%, Klebsiella in 9.5% patients, Proteus mirabilis 6.2% patients and Staphylococcus was found in 5.2% patients. According to the overall sensitivity and resistance of antibiotics in microorganisms, Meropenem showed 89.6% sensitivity and 10.4% resistance. Ciprofloxacin showed 38.9% sensitivity and 61.1% resistance and ceftazidime showed 22.7 sensitivity and 77.3% resistance. Conclusion: UTIs were very common in diabetes patients, and Escherichia coli was the most common uropathogen found. Compared to male patients, more female patients had infections. The uropathogens showed a significant degree of resistance to ceftizidime and ciprofloxacin.

Expression profiles of microRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep by deep sequencing.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs are a class of endogenous small regulatory RNAs that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Recent studies on miRNAs are mainly focused on mice, human and pig. However, the studies on miRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep are not comprehensive. METHODS: RNA-seq technology was used to perform genomic analysis of miRNAs in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. Targeted genes were predicted using miRanda software and miRNA-mRNA interactions were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. To further investigate the function of miRNAs, candidate targeted genes were enriched for analysis using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment. RESULTS: The results showed total of 1,086 known miRNAs and 40 new candidate miRNAs were detected in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. In addition, 345 miRNAs (151 up-regulated, 94 down-regulated) were differentially expressed. Moreover, miRanda software was performed to predict targeted genes of miRNAs, resulting in a total of 2,833 predicted targets, especially miR-381 which targeted multiple muscle-related mRNAs. Furthermore, GO and KEGG pathway analysis confirmed that targeted genes of miRNAs were involved in development of skeletal muscles. CONCLUSION: This study supplements the miRNA database of sheep, which provides valuable information for further study of the biological function of miRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle.

Pattern of Clinical Presentation in Patients With Lymphoma.

Introduction Lymphomas take place when cells of the lymphatic system divide and re-divide in an uncontrolled fashion, and lymphomas have been termed as a "diverse group" of cancer, playing a major role in the area of oncology. The clinical behavior and manifestations of lymphomas in the head and neck region usually lack specific characteristics that would enable attribution to a specific lymphoma entity without biopsy and histological evidence. This study aimed to determine the frequency of common clinical features among patients with lymphoma. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of General Medicine, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, from October 28, 2021 to April 28, 2022. The inclusion criteria consisted of individuals who were recently diagnosed with lymphoma and were between the ages of 10 and 50, regardless of their gender. This study enrolled a total of 186 patients diagnosed with lymphoma and assessed for common signs and symptoms. The data-gathering process included in-depth interviews, evaluations of medical history, physical exams, and initial investigations. The data analysis was done using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Results The mean age of the patients was 34.5±9.6 years. Out of the total, 115 (61.8%) were men and 71 (38.2%) were women. With regard to symptoms, 134 (72%) had a fever, 80 (43%) had abdominal pain, 102 (54.8%) had vomiting, 49 (26.3%) had a headache, 111 (59.7%) had weight loss, and 17 (9.1%) had a cough. With regard to signs, 33 (17.7%) had painless lymphadenopathy, 58 (31.2%) had jaundice, 157 (84.4%) had anemia, 147 (79%) had hepatomegaly, 160 (86%) had splenomegaly, 24 (12.9%) had ascites, and 16 (8.6%) had abdominal tenderness. Conclusion The varied clinical appearance of lymphoma makes treatment difficult. In severe cases of lymphoma, early and timely diagnosis is crucial for proper and prompt treatment. The signs and symptoms, along with demographic information of patients, thorough medical history, imaging testing, and clinical examination, may indicate lymphoma.

The Frequency of Hypoglycemia and Its Symptoms in Preterm Neonates in the First 24 Hours.

Introduction Hypoglycemia is a critical concern in neonatal care, particularly among preterm infants. This study aims to investigate the frequency of hypoglycemia within the first 24 hours of life in preterm neonates, considering factors such as gestational age (GA), birth weight, and gender. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to August 2021. The sample comprised 186 preterm infants selected through consecutive sampling. Data collection involved demographic information, glucose level monitoring, and symptom assessment. Results Of the 186 preterm neonates, 31.7% (n=59) experienced hypoglycemia within the first 24 hours, with feeding refusal being the predominant symptom. There was a significant difference in hypoglycemia occurrence between infants born before and after 32 weeks of gestation (p<0.05). Males were slightly more affected than females, although not statistically significant. Infants weighing less than 2 kg showed a higher susceptibility to hypoglycemia. Conclusion The early detection and management of hypoglycemia are crucial in preterm neonatal care. Close monitoring, especially in the initial four hours, is essential to prevent complications. Larger studies are warranted to confirm these findings and improve understanding and management strategies for hypoglycemia in preterm neonates, particularly within the first 24 hours of life.

Reduced decay-accelerating factor expression promotes complement-mediated cystogenesis in murine ADPKD.

Patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), a genetic disease due to mutations of the PKD1 or PKD2 gene, show signs of complement activation in the urine and cystic fluid, but their pathogenic role in cystogenesis is unclear. We tested the causal relationship between complement activation and cyst growth using a Pkd1KO renal tubular cell line and newly generated conditional Pkd1-/- C3-/- mice. Pkd1-deficient tubular cells have increased expression of complement-related genes (C3, C5, CfB, C3ar, and C5ar1), while the gene and protein expression of complement regulators DAF, CD59, and Crry is decreased. Pkd1-/- C3-/- mice are unable to fully activate the complement cascade and are characterized by a significantly slower kidney cystogenesis, preserved renal function, and reduced intrarenal inflammation compared with Pkd1-/- C3+/+ controls. Transgenic expression of the cytoplasmic C-terminal tail of Pkd1 in Pkd1KO cells lowered C5ar1 expression, restored Daf levels, and reduced cell proliferation. Consistently, both DAF overexpression and pharmacological inhibition of C5aR1 (but not C3aR) reduced Pkd1KO cell proliferation. In conclusion, the loss of Pkd1 promotes unleashed activation of locally produced complement by downregulating DAF expression in renal tubular cells. Increased C5a formation and C5aR1 activation in tubular cells promotes cyst growth, offering a new therapeutic target.

Plant Metabolomics: An Overview of the Role of Primary and Secondary Metabolites against Different Environmental Stress Factors.

Several environmental stresses, including biotic and abiotic factors, adversely affect the growth and development of crops, thereby lowering their yield. However, abiotic factors, e.g., drought, salinity, cold, heat, ultraviolet radiations (UVr), reactive oxygen species (ROS), trace metals (TM), and soil pH, are extremely destructive and decrease crop yield worldwide. It is expected that more than 50% of crop production losses are due to abiotic stresses. Moreover, these factors are responsible for physiological and biochemical changes in plants. The response of different plant species to such stresses is a complex phenomenon with individual features for several species. In addition, it has been shown that abiotic factors stimulate multi-gene responses by making modifications in the accumulation of the primary and secondary metabolites. Metabolomics is a promising way to interpret biotic and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The study of metabolic profiling revealed different types of metabolites, e.g., amino acids, carbohydrates, phenols, polyamines, terpenes, etc, which are accumulated in plants. Among all, primary metabolites, such as amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids polyamines, and glycine betaine, are considered the major contributing factors that work as osmolytes and osmoprotectants for plants from various environmental stress factors. In contrast, plant-derived secondary metabolites, e.g., phenolics, terpenoids, and nitrogen-containing compounds (alkaloids), have no direct role in the growth and development of plants. Nevertheless, such metabolites could play a significant role as a defense by protecting plants from biotic factors such as herbivores, insects, and pathogens. In addition, they can enhance the resistance against abiotic factors. Therefore, metabolomics practices are becoming essential and influential in plants by identifying different phytochemicals that are part of the acclimation responses to various stimuli. Hence, an accurate metabolome analysis is important to understand the basics of stress physiology and biochemistry. This review provides insight into the current information related to the impact of biotic and abiotic factors on variations of various sets of metabolite levels and explores how primary and secondary metabolites help plants in response to these stresses.

Metabolomics and its physiological regulation process reveal the salt-tolerant mechanism in Glycine soja seedling roots.

Wild soybean (Glycine soja) is an excellent germplasm resource and has strong resistance and wide adaptability to different environments. Hence, the physiology and metabolomics characteristics of wild soybean under different types of salt stress were determined to improve understanding of salt-tolerant mechanisms of wild soybean in the field. Two types of wild soybean seedlings were exposed to two different types of salt stress for 14 d. The photosynthesis of wild soybean seedling extracts were analyzed using metabolomics based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The wild soybean root extracts used metabolomics to quantify the metabolic changes and ion contents. The assimilative function of photosynthesis in salt-tolerant wild soybean was less inhibited than in common wild soybean, and it regulated accumulation of toxic ions and maintained the accumulation of K+ and Mg2+ to alleviate salt stress. Moreover, in resisting salt stress the salt-tolerant wild soybean has showed improved amino acid and carbohydrate and polyol metabolisms under neutral-salt stress and organic acid, amino acid and tricarboxylic acid metabolisms under alkali-salt stress. Our results provide valuable insights into the response of salt-tolerant wild soybean to two types of salt stress by linking stress-related physiological responses to changes in metabolites.

Subcutaneous facial mycosis in a child due to Madurella mycetomatis.

Mycetoma is a chronic, granulomatous, subcutaneous, inflammatory disease caused by true fungi (eumycetoma) or filamentous bacteria (actinomycetoma). Eumycetoma usually affects adult males involving limbs and other exposed body parts. Children represent the least commonly encountered age group with this disease. A case of subcutaneous facial mycosis due to Madurella mycetomatis in a three year old child was diagnosed at the Microbiology department Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Rawalpindi, which to our knowledge is the first case reported of its kind. Early diagnosis and timely medical therapy lead to favourable outcome without any surgical intervention.