Antibacterial activity of Ricinus communis plant extract against antibiotic resistant Helicobacter pylori and Gluconobacter oxydans isolated from fresh apple juices samples

Abstract Bacteria were isolated from samples of Fresh Apple juices from shops of three different localities of Lahore. Analysis of samples from Liberty, Anarkali and Yateem khana Markets show different levels of contamination. There were pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria in all samples and were identified by the morphological and biochemical tests. Most of the plasmids of pathogenic bacteria were 4kb in their molecular size. Ribotyping of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing was done to confirm Helicobacter pylori strain and Gluconobacter oxydans. The highest sensitivity of 210mm was shown by Enterobacter sp. against Aztheromysine disk (15µg) while Micrococcus sp. was highly resistant against all of the Antibiotics applied. The antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria was also checked against Ricinus communis plant's extracts, all isolated bacterial pathogens were resistant but only, E.coli was inhibited at 300µl of the extracts. Presence of pathogenic bacteria in Apple juice samples was due to contamination of sewage water in drinking water while some of these pathogenic bacteria came from Apple's tree and other from store houses of fruits.

Resumo As bactérias foram isoladas de amostras de suco de maçã fresco de lojas de três diferentes localidades de Lahore. A análise de amostras dos mercados Liberty, Anarkali e Yateem khana mostram diferentes níveis de contaminação. Havia bactérias patogênicas e não patogênicas em todas as amostras e foram identificadas pelos testes morfológicos e bioquímicos. A maioria dos plasmídeos de bactérias patogênicas tinha 4 kb em seu tamanho molecular. A ribotipagem do sequenciamento do gene do RNA ribossômico 16S foi realizada para confirmar a cepa de Helicobacter pylori e Gluconobacter oxydans. A maior sensibilidade de 210 mm foi mostrada por Enterobacter sp. contra disco de azteromisina (15µg) enquanto Micrococcus sp. foi altamente resistente a todos os antibióticos aplicados. A resistência a antibióticos de bactérias patogênicas também foi verificada contra extratos de plantas de Ricinus communis, todos os patógenos bacterianos isolados foram resistentes, mas apenas E. coli foi inibida em 300µl dos extratos. A presença de bactérias patogênicas nas amostras de suco de maçã deveu-se à contaminação da água de esgoto na água potável, enquanto algumas dessas bactérias patogênicas vieram da árvore da maçã e outras de armazéns de frutas.

Remarkable Clinical Improvement Following Microsurgical Resection of Left Lingual Gyrus Cerebral Cavernous Malformation: A Case Report

Moyamoya disease is a chronic and unusual cerebrovascular disorder characterized by progressive stenosis and occlusion of the distal portions of internal carotid arteries and its main branches within the circle of Willis. Posterior circulation (vertebral and basilar arteries) may also be affected; however, this presentation is uncommon. As well as stenosis of the terminal portion of intracranial arteries, it is seen the development of a network of collateral vessels abnormally dilated at the base of the brain with an aspect of a "puff of smoke," whose term in Japanese is described as "moyamoya." The present study aims to report two consecutive cases of patients who presented to our service with different clinical manifestations. Further investigation with digital subtraction angiography showed a moyamoya pattern.

Does oregano protect against testicular toxicity produced by ethylene glycol in adult male albino rat? / ¿El orégano protege contra la toxicidad testicular producida por etilenglicol en ratas macho albinas adultas?

SUMMARY: Origanum vulgare Linn has traditionally been used as a diuretic and antispasmodic. Therefore, we investigated the active extract of Origanum vulgare for possible andrological effect and preventive effects against testicular damage using ethylene glycol rat model of testicular damage, to rationalize its medicinal use. Male Wistar rats received lithogenic treatment comprising of 0.75 % ethylene glycol injection twice with one day interval, then in drinking water, active extract of Origanum vulgare treatment (20 mg/kg) was given for 3 weeks to prevent toxic damage including loss of body weight gain and appetite, Following oral administration of EGME, a rapid decrease in testis weight associated with testicular cell damage was observed. Origanum vulgare treatment (20 mg/kg) prevented as well as reversed toxic changes including loss of body weight gain.

RESUMEN: Origanum vulgare Linn se ha usado tradicionalmente como diurético y antiespasmódico. Por lo tanto, investigamos el extracto activo de Origanum vulgare por su posible efecto andrológico y efectos preventivos contra el daño testicular utilizando el modelo de rata de etilenglicol de daño testicular. El objetivo del estudio fue racionalizar su uso medicinal. Su utilizaron ratas Wistar macho que recibieron un tratamiento litogénico de una inyección de etilenglicol al 0,75 %, dos veces con un intervalo de un día, y luego se administró en agua potable. Se administró el extracto activo del tratamiento con Origanum vulgare (20 mg / kg) durante 3 semanas con el objetivo de prevenir el daño tóxico, la pérdida de peso corporal y el apetito. Tras la administración oral de EGME, se observó una rápida disminución del peso de los testículos asociada al daño de las células testiculares. El tratamiento con Origanum vulgare (20 mg / kg) logró prevenir y revertir las alteraciones tóxicas, incluyendo la pérdida de peso corporal.

Piel marmórea telangiectasica congenita y sindactilia en un recién nacido prematuro: A proposito de un caso / Congenital cutis marmorata telangiectatica and syndactyly in a preterm: Case report

La piel marmórea telangiectásica congenita (cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita, CMTC) es una anomalía vascular congenita rara, a menudo benigna, localizada o generalizada, de etiología desconocida. Se caracteriza por piel marmórea persistente, telangiectasia y flebectasia. Podrían presentarse manifestaciones extracutáneas asociadas con la CMTC en el 18,8-70% de los casos. El diagnóstico de este trastorno se basa en los hallazgos clínicos. El pronóstico es bueno y suele mejorar dentro de los dos años de vida. En este artículo presentamos el caso de un varón recien nacido con CMTC en la piel de todas las extremidades, el tronco y el rostro, y una anomalía asociada, que incluía sindactilia. Presentamos este caso debido a su rareza.

Cutis marmorata telangiectatica congenita (CMTC) is a rare, commonly benign, congenital, localized or generalized vascular anomaly of unknown aetiology. It is characterized by persistent cutis marmorata, telangiectasia and phlebectasia. Extracutaneous findings may be associated with CMTC in 18.8-70% of the cases. Diagnosis of the disorder is based on the clinical findings. The prognosis is good and improvement is observed within 2 years after birth. Herein, we report a case of a male neonate with CMTC presented on the skin of all his limbs, trunk and face, and an associated anomaly including syndactyly. We present this case because of its rarity.

Síndrome de artrogriposis, disfunción tubular renal y colestasis: causa de colestasis neonatal. A propósito de un caso / Arthrogryposis-renal tubular dysfunction-cholestasis syndrome: a cause of neonatal cholestasis. Case report

El síndrome de artrogriposis, disfunción tubular renal y colestasis es un trastorno fatal infrecuente que compromete múltiples aparatos y sistemas de órganos. Es un trastorno autosómico recesivo hereditario, causado por defectos en los genes VPS33B y VIPAR. Los tres signos primordiales de este síndrome son la artrogriposis, la disfunción tubular renal y la colestasis. Otros compromisos orgánicos a veces asociados con este síndrome son ictiosis, malformación del sistema nervioso central, anomalías trombocíticas, defectos cardíacos congénitos y grave retraso del crecimiento. Las manifestaciones clínicas, la biopsia de un órgano y los análisis de mutaciones pueden ayudar con el diagnóstico, pero no existe un tratamiento curativo; solamente puede instaurarse un tratamiento sintomático. Varios síntomas de esta afección usualmente se manifiestan en el período neonatal: artrogriposis, colestasis neonatal, lesiones cutáneas, entre otros. En general, la supervivencia se prolonga hasta el primer año de vida. Presentamos el caso de una recién nacida con una rápida evolución y desenlace fatal.

Arthrogryposis-renal dysfunction-cholestasis syndrome is a rare lethal disorder that involves multipl organ system. It is inherited autosomal recessive and caused by defects in the VPS33B and VIPAR genes. Three cardinal findings of this syndrome are arthrogryposis, renal tubular dysfunction and cholestasis.The other organ involvements including ichthyosis, central nervous system malformation, platelet anomalies, congenital heart defects and severe failure to thrive are sometimes associated with this syndrome. Clinical findings, organ biopsy and mutational analysis can help for diagnosing but there is no curative treatment except supportive care. Several symptoms of this condition are already usually present in the neonatal period: arthrogryposis, neonatal cholestasis, skin lesions, among others. Usually survival is until the first year of life. We present a newborn whose evolution was rapidly fatal.

Desplazamiento esofágico de un tubo endotraqueal durante la oxigenación nasofaríngea en un neonato con secuencia de Pierre Robin: caso clínico / Esophageal dislodgement of an endotracheal tube during nasopharyngeal oxygenation in a neonate with Pierre-Robin sequence: a case report

La intubación convencional para la asistencia respiratoria en niños con vía aérea dificultosa puede ser un desafío incluso en manos expertas. Los rápidos avances en la atención respiratoria han reducido la incidencia de intubación traqueal dificultosa y por ende las complicaciones. Sin embargo, en algunos pacientes, todavía ocurren complicaciones graves inesperadas. Describimos el caso de un neonato con secuencia de Pierre Robin con vía aérea dificultosa, que presentó una migración del tubo endotraqueal hacia el esófago luego de haberse desprendido del conector del tubo. Deseamos compartir esta experiencia ya que, de acuerdo con nuestro conocimiento, esta complicación no ha sido comunicada anteriormente en neonatos.

Conventional intubation for pulmonary management in children with a difficult airway may be very challenging even in skilled hands. Rapid advancements in respiratory care have reduced the incidence of difficult tracheal intubation and the incidence of complications have decreased accordingly. However, serious unexpected complications still occur in some patients today. Herein, we describe a syndromic newborn infant with a difficult airway who experienced migration of the endotracheal tube into the esophagus after displacement of the tube connector. We would like to share our experience and contribute to the literature with the presentation of this undesired event. To the best of our knowledge, no such complication has been reported in the neonatal literature before.

In vitro anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of boesenbergin A, a chalcone isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) (fingerroot)

The current in vitro study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of boesenbergin A (BA), a chalcone derivative of known structure isolated from Boesenbergia rotunda. Human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29), non-small cell lung cancer (A549), prostate adenocarcinoma (PC3), and normal hepatic cells (WRL-68) were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of BA using the MTT assay. The antioxidant activity of BA was assessed by the ORAC assay and compared to quercetin as a standard reference antioxidant. ORAC results are reported as the equivalent concentration of Trolox that produces the same level of antioxidant activity as the sample tested at 20 µg/mL. The toxic effect of BA on different cell types, reported as IC50, yielded 20.22 ± 3.15, 10.69 ± 2.64, 20.31 ± 1.34, 94.10 ± 1.19, and 9.324 ± 0.24 µg/mL for A549, PC3, HepG2, HT-29, and WRL-68, respectively. BA displayed considerable antioxidant activity, when the results of ORAC assay were reported as Trolox equivalents. BA (20 µg/mL) and quercetin (5 µg/mL) were equivalent to a Trolox concentration of 11.91 ± 0.23 and 160.32 ± 2.75 µM, respectively. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory activity of BA was significant at 12.5 to 50 µM and without any significant cytotoxicity for the murine macrophage cell line RAW 264.7 at 50 µM. The significant biological activities observed in this study indicated that BA may be one of the agents responsible for the reported biological activities of B. rotunda crude extract.

The nematicidal effect of some bacterial biofertilizers on Meloidogyne incognita in sandy soil

In a greenhouse experiment, the nematicidal effect of some bacterial biofertilizers including the nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB) Paenibacillus polymyxa (four strains), the phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) Bacillus megaterium (three strains) and the potassium solubilizing bacteria (KSB) B. circulans (three strains) were evaluated individually on tomato plants infested with the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita in potted sandy soil. Comparing with the uninoculated nematode-infested control, the inoculation with P. polymyxa NFB7, B. megaterium PSB2 and B. circulans KSB2, increased the counts of total bacteria and total bacterial spores in plants potted soil from 1.2 to 2.6 folds estimated 60 days post-inoculation. Consequently, the inoculation with P. polymyxa NFB7 increased significantly the shoot length (cm), number of leaves / plant, shoot dry weight (g) / plant and root dry weight (g) / plant by 32.6 percent, 30.8 percent, 70.3 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. Generally, the majority treatments significantly reduced the nematode multiplication which was more obvious after 60 days of inoculation. Among the applied strains, P. polymyxa NFB7, B. megaterium PSB2 and B. circulans KSB2 inoculations resulted in the highest reduction in nematode population comparing with the uninoculated nematode-infested control. They recorded the highest reduction in numbers of hatched juveniles/root by 95.8 percent, females/root by 63.75 percent and juveniles/1kg soil by 57.8 percent. These results indicated that these bacterial biofertilizers are promising double purpose microorganisms for mobilizing of soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium) and for the biological control of M. incognita.