Up-gradation of the dielectric, physical & chemical properties of cottonseed-based, non-edible green nanofluids as sustainable alternatives for high-voltage equipment's insulation fluids.

The use of natural ester oils as electrically insulating fluids has gained significant attention from industries and electrical utilities as they aim to replace traditional mineral oils. However, most natural ester oils are derived from edible products, which has the potential to contribute to the food crisis. Therefore, nonedible green nanofluids made from cottonseed oil (CSO) have been targeted as a keen solution to this issue. However, Al2O3, TiO2, Fe2O3, SiO2, and graphene nanoparticles at (0.025, 0.05, and 0.075 wt/vol%) were used as additives, along with surfactant Olic Ac-id and Ethanol (1:5) due to their promising impact on the dielectric and thermal properties of the nanofluid. The nanofluid synthesis process was practically conducted in HV & Chemical Laboratories using one-step and two-step methods, and their breakdown voltage results and chemical properties (e.g., fire point, flash point, cloud point, pour point, viscosity, acidity, moisture content, resistivity, and dissipation factor) were compared. The physical mechanisms underlying these properties were also analyzed and tested. For the validation of the proposed vegetable oil the results have been compared with traditional mineral oil for high-voltage equipment's. The findings suggest that the proposed nonedible green nanofluids-based cottonseed oil (CSO) has a high potential to be used as electrically insulating fluids, providing a sustainable alternative to conventional mineral oils. Overall, this study provides insights into the use of non-edible green nanofluids as a solution to the potential contribution of natural ester oils to the food crisis. The findings highlight the importance of sustainable solutions in the energy industry and the need for further research in this area.

An Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of Colorectal Cancer among Community Pharmacists in the Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia.

Background: The global burden of colorectal cancer remains a major public health issue and one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, it continues to be a health concern. Any delays in diagnosis for any reason may contribute to advanced complications; therefore, pharmacists' knowledge and awareness of colorectal cancer are crucial for the welfare of society. Studies of colon cancer-related knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among community pharmacists have not previously been conducted in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. In the present study, therefore, we sought to investigate the KAP on colon cancer among pharmacists in Al-Qassim. Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. A sample of 150 community pharmacists was recruited using a convenience sampling method. A self-administered questionnaire was used to evaluate levels of knowledge and practice. Results: Out of a total of 150 pharmacists, the majority of respondents (60.7%) possessed an adequate level of knowledge. About 50% of participants had heard of the early screening test, and 68.7% knew that colonoscopy is necessary in such scenarios. On the basis of their attitudes, 41.3% of study participants were aware of colon cancer symptoms and risk factors. In practice, however, the majority of pharmacists (81%) did not perform early cancer screenings, while 19% did screen when advised to do so by a physician. Conclusions: Our results indicate that pharmacists in Qassim have an adequate level of knowledge of colon cancer in terms of awareness, assessment, and screening. Since community pharmacists are among the most reliable members of the medical community, a greater awareness of colon cancer among pharmacists may improve public knowledge of the disease.

Genomic characterization of dengue virus serotype 2 during dengue outbreak and endemics in Hangzhou, Zhejiang (2017-2019).

Introduction: Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the dengue virus (DENV). In recent years, Hangzhou has undergone a DF epidemic, particularly in 2017, with an outbreak of 1,128 patients. The study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and molecular evolution among the DF clinical isolates during and after the outbreak to aid in mapping its spread. Methods: To understand the genetic diversity, 74 DENV-2 strains were isolated from DF epidemic cases between 2017 and 2019. Combining whole genome sequencing (WGS) technology, additional phylogenetic, haplotype, amino acid (AA) substitution, and recombination analyses were performed. Results: The results revealed that strains from 2017 were closely related to those from Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand, indicating an imported international transmission. Local strains from 2018 were clustered with those recovered from 2019 and were closely associated with Guangzhou isolates, suggesting a within-country transmission after the significant outbreak in 2017. Compared to DENV-2 virus P14337 (Thailand/0168/1979), a total of 20 AA substitutions were detected. Notably, V431I, T2881I, and K3291T mutations only occurred in indigenous cases from 2017, and A1402T, V1457I, Q2777E, R3189K, and Q3310R mutations were exclusively found in imported cases from 2018 to 2019. The recombination analysis indicated that a total of 14 recombination events were observed. Conclusion: This study may improve our understanding of DENV transmission in Hangzhou and provide further insight into DENV-2 transmission and the local vaccine choice.

Flanking N- and C-terminal domains of PrsA in Streptococcus suis type 2 are crucial for inducing cell death independent of TLR2 recognition.

Streptococcus suis type 2 (SS2), a major emerging/re-emerging zoonotic pathogen found in humans and pigs, can cause severe clinical infections, and pose public health issues. Our previous studies recognized peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PrsA) as a critical virulence factor promoting SS2 pathogenicity. PrsA contributed to cell death and operated as a pro-inflammatory effector. However, the molecular pathways through which PrsA contributes to cell death are poorly understood. Here in this study, we prepared the recombinant PrsA protein and found that pyroptosis and necroptosis were involved in cell death stimulated by PrsA. Specific pyroptosis and necroptosis signalling inhibitors could significantly alleviate the fatal effect. Cleaved caspase-1 and IL-1ß in pyroptosis with phosphorylated MLKL proteins in necroptosis pathways, respectively, were activated after PrsA stimulation. Truncated protein fragments of enzymatic PPIase domain (PPI), N-terminal (NP), and C-terminal (PC) domains fused with PPIase, were expressed and purified. PrsA flanking N- or C-terminal but not enzymatic PPIase domain was found to be critical for PrsA function in inducing cell death and inflammation. Additionally, PrsA protein could be anchored on the cell surface to interact with host cells. However, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) was not implicated in cell death and recognition of PrsA. PAMPs of PrsA could not promote TLR2 activation, and no rescued phenotypes of death were shown in cells blocking of TLR2 receptor or signal-transducing adaptor of MyD88. Overall, these data, for the first time, advanced our perspective on PrsA function and elucidated that PrsA-induced cell death requires its flanking N- or C-terminal domain but is dispensable for recognizing TLR2. Further efforts are still needed to explore the precise molecular mechanisms of PrsA-inducing cell death and, therefore, contribution to SS2 pathogenicity.

Genome-based risk assessment for foodborne Salmonella enterica from food animals in China: A One Health perspective.

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of foodborne bacterial disease. Animal-borne foods are considered the primary sources of Salmonella transmission to humans. However, genomic assessment of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence of Salmonella based on One Health approach remains obscure in China. For this reason, we analyzed the whole genome sequencing data of 134 Salmonella isolates recovered from different animal and meat samples in China. The 134 Salmonella were isolated from 2819 samples (4.75 %) representing various sources (pig, chicken, duck, goose, and meat) from five Chinese provinces (Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Qinghai). AMR was evaluated by the broth dilution method using 13 different antimicrobial agents, and results showed that 85.82 % (115/134) of isolates were resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes and were considered multidrug-resistant (MDR). Twelve sequence types (STs) were detected, with a dominance of ST469 (29.85 %, 40/134). The prediction of virulence genes showed the detection of cdtB gene encoding typhoid toxins in one isolate of S. Muenster recovered from chicken, while virulence genes associated with type III secretion systems were detected in all isolates. Furthermore, plasmid-type prediction showed the abundance of IncFII(S) (13/134; 9.7 %) and IncFIB(S) (12/134; 8.95 %) in the studied isolates. Together, this study demonstrated the ability to use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) as a cost-effective method to provide comprehensive knowledge about foodborne Salmonella isolates in One Health surveillance approach.

Lateralized Learning to Solve Complex Boolean Problems.

Modern classifier systems can effectively classify targets that consist of simple patterns. However, they can fail to detect hierarchical patterns of features that exist in many real-world problems, such as understanding speech or recognizing object ontologies. Biological nervous systems have the ability to abstract knowledge from simple and small-scale problems in order to then apply it to resolve more complex problems in similar and related domains. It is thought that lateral asymmetry of biological brains allows modular learning to occur at different levels of abstraction, which can then be transferred between tasks. This work develops a novel evolutionary machine-learning (EML) system that incorporates lateralization and modular learning at different levels of abstraction. The results of analyzable Boolean tasks show that the lateralized system has the ability to encapsulate underlying knowledge patterns in the form of building blocks of knowledge (BBK). Lateralized abstraction transforms complex problems into simple ones by reusing general patterns (e.g., any parity problem becomes a sequence of the 2-bit parity problem). By enabling abstraction in evolutionary computation, the lateralized system is able to identify complex patterns (e.g., in hierarchical multiplexer (HMux) problems) better than existing systems.

Exploring Community Pharmacist's Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice toward the Provision of Pharmaceutical Care. A Prospective Cross-sectional Study from Saudi Arabia.

Background: Pharmaceutical care (PC) is the new way of practicing the pharmacist's rule; practicing the PC will improve the quality of life of the patient by providing advices and counseling such as following up the patient after taking the medicines. Objective: Evaluating the knowledge, attitude, practice, and perceived barriers of community pharmacists in Qassim, Saudi Arabia, toward the provision of PC. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study consisting of a questionnaire was conducted to gather data from pharmacy professionals working in community pharmacies in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia between September 2019 and May 2020. A sample of 130 pharmacists were given the questionnaire by the investigator. Results: The respondents showed a positive knowledge as 60% think that the medications should be dispensed to patients only, and 95.4% of the respondents are willing to counsel and offer advice to the patients. For attitude, there was also a positive response as 92.3% agreed that primary responsibility of community pharmacists is for providing PC. For practicing, a positive response was also found as 94.6% of the respondents do collect medication history from the patient, while 68.5% of the respondents follow up the patient's progress and assured that desired outcomes have been achieved. For barriers, lack of space and privacy were the most agreed barriers by the respondents with 63%. Conclusions: Community pharmacists have shown good knowledge, attitude, and practice in relation to the provision of PC in our study and major barrier we found in our study that lack of privacy in the pharmacy in which the patients will not be willing to express or explain their health or drug-related problems comfortably.

Antibiotic resistance pattern and molecular detection of ESBL-associated genes in E. coli from surface and wastewater of Islamabad capital territory, Pakistan.

The goal of this study was to determine how surface and wastewater contribute to the contamination of the environment with an extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL E. coli). Water samples (n = 32) were collected from eight different locations of Islamabad and processed for microbiological and molecular analyses of E. coli and ESBL E. coli. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out to determine the resistance pattern of the isolates. A total of 21 water samples were contaminated with E. coli and 15 isolates were identified as ESBL producers harboring blaTEM (40%) and blaCTX-M (33.33%) genes. Interestingly, all the ESBL E. coli isolates showed the least resistance against second-generation Cephalosporins compared to other generations. Moreover, the study showed that the aquatic environment is harboring multidrug-resistant E. coli; therefore, it may act as a source of transmission to humans. The recovery of ESBL E. coli isolates resistant to higher generation Cephalosporins, Monobactam, and Carbapenems from water samples indicated an alarming situation. Thus, there is an urgent need to treat water efficiently for microbial decontamination to minimize the transmission of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria.

Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus FM9 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum Y57 Are as Effective as Statins at Improving Blood Lipid Profile in High Cholesterol, High-Fat Diet Model in Male Wistar Rats.

Elevated serum cholesterol is a major risk factor for coronary heart diseases. Some Lactobacillus strains with cholesterol-lowering potential have been isolated from artisanal food products. The purpose of this study was to isolate probiotic Lactobacillus strains from traditional yoghurt (dahi) and yogurt milk (lassi) and investigate the impact of these strains on the blood lipid profile and anti-obesity effect in a high cholesterol high fat diet model in Wistar rats. Eight candidate probiotic strains were chosen based on in vitro probiotic features and cholesterol reduction ability. By 16S rDNA sequencing, these strains were identified as Limosilactibacillus fermentum FM6, L. fermentum FM16, L. fermentum FM12, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus FM9, L. fermentum Y55, L. fermentum Y57, L. rhamnosus Y59, and L. fermentum Y63. The safety of these strains was investigated by feeding 2 × 108 CFU/mL in saline water for 28 days in a Wistar rat model. No bacterial translocation or any other adverse effects were observed in animals after administration of strains in water, which indicates the safety of strains. The cholesterol-lowering profile of these probiotics was evaluated in male Wistar rats using a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFCD) model. For 30 days, animals were fed probiotic strains in water with 2 × 108 CFU/mL/rat/day, in addition to a high fat, high cholesterol diet. The cholesterol-lowering effects of various probiotic strains were compared to those of statin. All strains showed improvement in total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and weight gain. Serum cholesterol levels were reduced by 9% and 8% for L. rhamnosus FM9 and L. fermentum Y57, respectively, compared to 5% for the statin-treated group. HDL levels significantly improved by 46 and 44% for L. rhamnosus FM9 and L. fermentum Y57, respectively, compared to 46% for the statin-treated group. Compared to the statin-treated group, FM9 and Y57 significantly reduced LDL levels by almost twofold. These findings show that these strains can improve blood lipid profiles as effectively as statins in male Wistar rats. Furthermore, probiotic-fed groups helped weight control in animals on HFCD, indicating the possible anti-obesity potential of these strains. These strains can be used to develop food products and supplements to treat ischemic heart diseases and weight management. Clinical trials, however, are required to validate these findings.

In silico designed Staphylococcus aureus B-cell multi-epitope vaccine did not elicit antibodies against target antigens suggesting multi-domain approach.

The vaccine development strategies have evolved from using an entire organism as an immunogen to a single antigen and further towards an epitope. Since an epitope is a relatively tiny and immunologically relevant part of an antigen, it has the potential to stimulate more robust and specific immune responses while causing minimal adverse effects. As a result, the recent focus of vaccine development has been to develop multi-epitope vaccines that can target multiple virulence mechanisms. Accordingly, we designed multi-epitope vaccine candidates B (multi-B-cell epitope immunogen) and CTB-B (an adjuvant - cholera toxin subunit B (CTB) - attached to immunogen B) against S. aureus by employing immunoinformatics approaches. The designed vaccines are composed of B-cell epitope segments (20-mer) of the eight well-characterized S. aureus virulence factors, namely ClfB, FnbpA, Hla, IsdA, IsdB, LukE, SdrD, and SdrE connected in series. The designed vaccines were expressed, purified, and administered to C57BL/6 mice with Freund adjuvant to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective efficacy. The results revealed that the immunized mice showed high IgG titers for the immunogen, and the antibody titers increased significantly following the second immunization. However, the generated antibodies did not protect the mice from infection. The interaction of anti-B antibodies with source virulence factors showed that the generated antibodies have no binding affinity with any of the corresponding virulence factors. Our results demonstrate the limitation of the in silico designed B-cell multi-epitope vaccine and suggest that a protein domain carrying both linear and conformational B-cell epitopes might be a better choice for developing an effective multi-epitope vaccine against S. aureus.

Draft genome sequences of 25 Salmonella enterica serovar Agona strains isolated from poultry and associated food products harbouring multiple antibiotic resistance genes.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial-resistant livestock-associated Salmonella enterica serovar Agona infection poses a significant public health threat worldwide. The present study aimed to identify antibiotic resistance genes in livestock-associated S. Agona strains isolated from chickens and associated food products (meat and eggs) in Pakistan via whole-genome sequencing. METHODS: The genomic DNAs of S. Agona strains (n=25) were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq platform. The generated reads were trimmed and de novo assembled using CLC Genomics Workbench v.7. The draft genomes were annotated using the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Prokaryotic Genome Annotation Pipeline and were characterised by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The antimicrobial-resistance genes (acquired and chromosomal mutations), extrachromosomal plasmids and Salmonella pathogenicity islands were predicted using ResFinder and CARD, PlasmidFinder and SPIFinder, respectively. RESULTS: The genome size of S. Agona ranges from 4.9 to 5.1 Mb with 52.1% GC contents. The strains belong to ST13 and harbour several antibiotic-resistance genes, including aac (6')-Iaa, aadA1, aadA2, bla OXA-10, qnrS1, cmlA, floR, tet(A), dfrA12 and point mutations in gyrB, gyrA, ParC conferring antibiotic resistance to fluoroquinolones. The strains also contain several plasmids and Salmonella pathogenicity islands. CONCLUSION: This study reports draft genomes of multidrug-resistant S. Agona from Pakistan isolated from chickens and associated food products. The data may help with understanding the antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and transmission dynamics of this serovar in poultry and associated food products and their possible transmission to humans.

Lactobacillus reuteri and Enterococcus faecium from Poultry Gut Reduce Mucin Adhesion and Biofilm Formation of Cephalosporin and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Salmonella enterica.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) can cause infection in poultry, livestock, and humans. Although the use of antimicrobials as feed additives is prohibited, the previous indiscriminate use and poor regulatory oversight in some parts of the world have resulted in increased bacterial resistance to antimicrobials, including cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones, which are among the limited treatment options available against NTS. This study aimed to isolate potential probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains from the poultry gut to inhibit fluoroquinolone and cephalosporin resistant MDR Salmonella Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. The safety profile of the LAB isolates was evaluated for the hemolytic activity, DNase activity, and antibiotic resistance. Based on the safety results, three possible probiotic LAB candidates for in vitro Salmonella control were chosen. Candidate LAB isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as Lactobacillus reuteri PFS4, Enterococcus faecium PFS13, and Enterococcus faecium PFS14. These strains demonstrated a good tolerance to gastrointestinal-related stresses, including gastric acid, bile, lysozyme, and phenol. In addition, the isolates that were able to auto aggregate had the ability to co-aggregate with MDR S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. Furthermore, LAB strains competitively reduced the adhesion of pathogens to porcine mucin Type III in co-culture studies. The probiotic combination of the selected LAB isolates inhibited the biofilm formation of S. Typhimurium FML15 and S. Enteritidis FML18 by 90% and 92%, respectively. In addition, the cell-free supernatant (CFS) of the LAB culture significantly reduced the growth of Salmonella in vitro. Thus, L. reuteri PFS4, E. faecium PFS13, and E. faecium PFS 14 are potential probiotics that could be used to control MDR S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis in poultry. Future investigations are required to elucidate the in vivo potential of these probiotic candidates as Salmonella control agents in poultry and animal feed.

Extraosseous extradural ewing sarcoma of the thoracic spine: Case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: As part of the 'small round-cell tumor' family, Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is a malignant mesenchymal tumor classified as a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET). Within the PNETs, spinal extraosseous extradural lesions are exceedingly rare. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 19-year-old male presented with a one-month history of back pain and paraparesis with loss of urinary control. The MRI revealed an intradural, extramedullary mass at the T3-T4 level. Intraoperatively, the tumor was solely extradural, without evidence of local invasion; it was entirely removed. Due to the high risk of metastasis, the patient was subsequently treated with chemotherapy and radiation. In addition, similar studies on PNETs were reviewed. CONCLUSION: A 19-year-old male presented with a paraparesis attributed to an extraosseous extradural ES at the T3-T4 level. Following total gross resection, he was successfully managed with chemotherapy and radiation. The patient has been in remission for one month.

Antimicrobial Resistance Profiling of Biofilm Forming Non Typhoidal Salmonella enterica Isolates from Poultry and Its Associated Food Products from Pakistan.

Salmonellosis caused by non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica from poultry products is a major public health concern worldwide. This study aimed at estimating the pathogenicity and antimicrobial resistance in S. enterica isolates obtained from poultry birds and their food products from different areas of Pakistan. In total, 95/370 (25.67%) samples from poultry droppings, organs, eggs, and meat were positive for Salmonella. The isolates were further identified through multiplex PCR (mPCR) as Salmonella Typhimurium 14 (14.7%), Salmonella Enteritidis 12 (12.6%), and other Salmonella spp. 69 (72.6%). The phenotypic virulence properties of 95 Salmonella isolates exhibited swimming and/or swarming motility 95 (100%), DNA degrading activity 93 (97.8%), hemolytic activity 92 (96.8%), lipase activity 87 (91.6%), and protease activity 86 (90.5%). The sopE virulence gene known for conferring zoonotic potential was detected in S. Typhimurium (92.8%), S. Enteritidis (100%), and other Salmonella spp. (69.5%). The isolates were further tested against 23 antibiotics (from 10 different antimicrobial groups) and were found resistant against fifteen to twenty-one antibiotics. All isolates showed multiple drug resistance and were found to exhibit a high multiple antibiotic-resistant (MAR) index of 0.62 to 0.91. The strong biofilm formation at 37 °C reflected their potential adherence to intestinal surfaces. There was a significant correlation between antimicrobial resistance and the biofilm formation potential of isolates. The resistance determinant genes found among the isolated strains were blaTEM-1 (59.3%), blaOxA-1 (18%), blaPSE-1 (9.5%), blaCMY-2 (43%), and ampC (8.3%). The detection of zoonotic potential MDR Salmonella in poultry and its associated food products carrying cephalosporin and quinolone resistance genes presents a major threat to the poultry industry and public health.

Prevalence, Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Clostridium perfringens Type A and D Isolated from Feces of Sheep (Ovis aries) and Goats (Capra hircus) in Punjab, Pakistan.

Clostridium perfringens poses a serious threat to small ruminants by causing moderate to severe enterotoxaemia. Due to its ability to produce a wide arsenal of toxins, it is ranked among the most prevalent and important pathogens in livestock. This study focused on the molecular characterization of different Clostridium perfringens types along with their antimicrobial resistance profile. An overall higher prevalence of C. perfringens (46.1%) was detected based on mPCR among sheep and goats (healthy and diseased) in the Punjab province, Pakistan. The majority of the isolates were characterized as type A (82%), followed by type D (18%). Among the isolates from diseased sheep and goats, 27% were positive for cpa, 49% for cpa and cpb2, 9% for cpa and etx, 15% for cpa, cpb2 and etx. In the case of isolates from healthy sheep and goats, 59% were positive for cpa, 34% for cpb2 and cpa, 4% for cpa and etx, and 3% for cpa, cpb2 and etx. The prevalence of the beta2 toxin gene in the diseased sheep and goat population was 64% as compared to 37% in healthy animals. All 184 isolates (100%) were sensitive to rifampin and ceftiofur; the majority (57%) was sensitive to teicoplanin, chloramphenicol, amoxicillin, linezolid and enrofloxacin. A lower proportion of isolates (43%) were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and only 14% were susceptible to erythromycin. The findings of this study highlight the higher prevalence of C. perfringens in small ruminants and indicate that detailed pathogenesis studies are necessary to understand the explicit role of various toxins in causing enteric infections in sheep and goats including how they might be exploited to develop vaccines against these diseases.