Detection and Molecular Characterization of Staphylococci from Eggs of Household Chickens.

Eggs are a healthy and nutritious food source, but may be contaminated by bacteria. Previous studies have reported the presence of staphylococci in eggs of farmed chickens, but no study has evaluated the staphylococcal population of eggs from household chickens. In this study, staphylococci from eggs (n = 275) of household chickens collected from November 2016 to March 2017 from different villages of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, were characterized. Seven species of staphylococci were identified from 65 eggs, including the predominant species, Staphylococcus xylosus (49/275; 17.8%). S. xylosus isolates (n = 73) were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, presence of resistance genes, genetic relatedness, and inhibitory activity against other bacteria. The majority of isolates were resistant to oxacillin (83.6%) and tetracycline (24.7%), but also exhibited resistance to daptomycin and linezolid (5.5% each). Of the 10 resistance genes tested, isolates were only positive for mecA (35.6%; 26/73), mecC/C1 (2.7%; 2/73), and tet(K) (14/73; 19%). Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), nine clusters had identical PFGE patterns. Isolates produced inhibitory activity against a broad spectrum of bacteria; 20.5%, 19.2%, 17.8%, and 16.4% of S. xylosus were able to inhibit growth of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. This study demonstrated the presence of genetically related antimicrobial-resistant S. xylosus from eggs from household chickens. Like table eggs, eggs of household chickens also contain staphylococci that may be resistant to antimicrobials used to treat human infections. These data will allow comparison between staphylococci from eggs from different sources and may indicate the relative safety of eggs from household chickens. Further study of these egg types and their microbial composition is warranted.

Reflection of leadership skills by a clinical educator.

BACKGROUND: A leader can only motivate people to do what they want them to do to convince them that it is advantageous. No one can be forced into leadership. Through my experience, I learnt that excellent leadership realises the desired results by getting people to do their best. METHOD: Therefore, I would like to reflect on the leadership theory closer to my leadership practices and leadership styles at my workplace in light of my personality and personal characteristics. CONCLUSION: Although not a new idea, but self-analysis is a requisite for each leader and leader to be.

Evaluation of Pakistani wheat germplasm for leaf rust resistance at various locations.

341 entries comprising of 250 genotypes/lines and 91 gene differentials were tested for leaf rust (Puccinia triticina Erik) in different ecological zones of Punjab during 2016-17 and 2017-18. Each entry was planted in a single 1 m long row and Morocco was used as a spreader. Data on leaf rust severity was recorded once in 3rd week of March during both study years at all locations by following Modified Cobb Scale while the data was recorded three times on 2nd, 22nd and 29th March during 2018 at Faisalabad location to study rust development pattern. The disease severity ranged from 0-100S during 2016-17 and from 0-80S during 2017-18. The genotype HYT 60-5 and the genes Lr-19, Lr-26 and Lr 27+31 showed no disease symptoms at any location during both the study years. These genes can be used for future breeding material development. Area under disease progressive curve (AUDPC), calculated on the basis of periodical readings from Faisalabad, ranged from 0-550 and the susceptible check Morocco has AUDPC value of 600. 120 entries including HYT 60-5 have disease progression 0, which showed that there may be a major gene based resistance in these entries. Area under disease progressive curve/Day (AUDPC/DAY) was calculated for the rest of 130 genotypes to have an understanding of the disease progression pattern and out of which 43 entries have AUDPC/Day value ranging from 1-2 and 28 entries have AUDPC/Day value ranging from 2-3 which revealed that these entries are very useful for use in breeding for durable rust resistance and can be utilized as a parent in back cross and top cross breeding schemes. Material with AUDPC value less than 10 is the best source of resistance against the leaf rust. Varieties/advanced lines, Ujala-16, V-14154, and V-14124 have shown slow rust development and are very good sources of resistance. Similarly, HYT 60-5 has proven an excellent source of resistance. The advance line V-14154 has been approved as a commercial cultivar by the name "Akbar-19".

Potential of Medicinal Plants as Neuroprotective and Therapeutic Properties Against Amyloid-ß-Related Toxicity, and Glutamate-Induced Excitotoxicity in Human Neural Cells.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are notorious neurodegenerative diseases amongst the general population. Being age-associated diseases, the prevalence of AD and PD is forecasted to rapidly escalate with the progressive aging population of the world. These diseases are complex and multifactorial. Among different events, amyloid ß peptide (Aß) induced toxicity is a well-established pathway of neuronal cell death, which plays a vital function in AD. Glutamate, the major excitatory transmitter, acts as a neurotoxin when present in excess at the synapses; this latter mechanism is termed excitotoxicity. It is hypothesised that glutamate-induced excitotoxicity contributes to the pathogenesis of AD and PD. No cure for AD and PD is currently available and the currently approved drugs available to treat these diseases have limited effectiveness and pose adverse effects. Indeed, plants have been a major source for the discovery of novel pharmacologically active compounds for distinct pathological conditions. Diverse plant species employed for brain-related disorders in traditional medicine are being explored to determine the scientific rationale behind their uses. Herein, we present a comprehensive review of plants and their constituents that have shown promise in reversing the (i) amyloid-ß -related toxicity in AD models and (ii) glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in AD and PD models. This review summarizes information regarding the phytochemistry, biological and cellular activities, and clinical trials of several plant species in view to provide adequate scientific baseline information that could be used in the drug development process, thereby providing effective leads for AD and PD.