A comparison of novel silicone plate vs. auricular cartilage in upper eyelid reconstruction following excision of malignant tumor.

Purpose: To compare surgical and functional outcomes, safety, efficacy and cost of silicone plate vs. autogenous auricular cartilage (AAC) as alternate material to tarsal plate for upper eyelid reconstruction after excision of malignant tumor. Methods: A prospective, comparative, interventional study of over 3 years was conducted on two groups of twenty patients each. All the patients had undergone the Modified Cutler Beard procedure with AAC being used as tarsal substitute in one group and a novel silicone plate in the other. Post-operative MRD 1, LPS action, Central Lid Thickness, and Lid contour were recorded at one week, one month and six months follow-up. Results: The pre-operative MRD 1 in the silicone plate and AAC group was -2.95 ± 1.19 mm and -3.05 ± 1(1).05 mm, post-operative in the silicone plate group 3.8 ± 0.4 mm, and in the AAC group, 3.8 ± 0.41 mm. The pre-operative LPS action in the silicone plate and AAC group was 1.2 ± 1.1 mm and 1.0 ± 0.9 mm and post-operative it was 13.8 ± 0.4 mm for the silicone plate group and 13.7 ± 0.4 mm for the AAC group. The post-operative lid thickness for the silicone plate group was 4.4 ± 0.17 mm and for the AAC group it was 4.4 ± 0.08 mm. Conclusion: The cosmetic outcome in terms of lid contour maintenance is better in the silicone plate group, in which it markedly reduces the surgical time, provides earlier rehabilitation, and eliminates disease transmission. Harvesting of AAC is a skillful and time-consuming procedure and adds to the post-operative morbidity due to the presence of a second surgical site. The low manufacturing cost of silicone plate as opposed to other allogenic and synthetic tarsal substitutes makes it readily available to resource limited populations. The silicone plate is reckoned to become the material of choice as tarsal substitute in the future. Abbreviations: AAC = Autogenous auricular cartilage, MRD-1 = Margin reflex distance-1, LPS = levator palpebrae superioris, PFH = palpebral fissure height.

Ethnopharmacological Potential of Phytochemicals and Phytogenic Products against Human RNA Viral Diseases as Preventive Therapeutics.

RNA viruses have been the most destructive due to their transmissibility and lack of control measures. Developments of vaccines for RNA viruses are very tough or almost impossible as viruses are highly mutable. For the last few decades, most of the epidemic and pandemic viral diseases have wreaked huge devastation with innumerable fatalities. To combat this threat to mankind, plant-derived novel antiviral products may contribute as reliable alternatives. They are assumed to be nontoxic, less hazardous, and safe compounds that have been in uses in the beginning of human civilization. In this growing COVID-19 pandemic, the present review amalgamates and depicts the role of various plant products in curing viral diseases in humans.

Bioinoculant mediated regulation of signalling cascades in various stress responses in plants.

Bio-inoculation involves the association of plant with some beneficial microorganisms, and among these microbiotas, those bacteria which can promote plant growth and development are known as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). It can help a plant directly or indirectly, which includes root development, biological nitrogen (N2) fixation, stress tolerance, cell division and elongation, solubilization of Zinc, Phosphate, Potassium, soil health improvement and many more. PGPR have gained attention as it can be used as biofertilizers and helpful in bioremediation techniques, which in turn can reduce the chemical dependency in agriculture. PGPR mediated plant growth and stress management is developed by the virtue of the interaction of plant and microbial signalling pathways. On the other hand, environmental stresses are something to which a plant is always exposed irrespective of other factors. The present review is all about the better understanding of the convergence strategies of these signalling molecules and the ambiguities of signalling activities occurring in the host due to the interaction with PGPR under environmental stressed conditions.

Molecular detection and antibiotyping of multi-drug resistant Enterococcus faecium from healthy broiler chickens in Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecium is a ubiquitously distributed member of the intestinal microbiota of both humans and animals. Antibiotic resistant E. faecium are a major public health concern. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to detect multi-drug resistant (MDR) E. faecium and their antibiotic resistance genes from broiler chickens in Bangladesh. METHODS: A total of 100 faecal samples of healthy broilers were screened by conventional methods and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect E. faecium and their resistance genes. Disk diffusion test was employed to determine antibiotic profiles. RESULTS: By PCR, among 100 samples, 45% [95% confidence interval (CI): 35.62%-54.76%] were positive for E. faecium. Based on antibiogram, all the E. faecium isolates were found resistant to ampicillin, and frequently (93.33%-55.56%) resistant to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, streptomycin, erythromycin, and imipenem; moderate to lower (26.67%-4.44%) resistance to tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, and vancomycin. Interestingly, 80% (95% CI: 66.18%-89.10%) E. faecium isolates were MDR in nature. In addition, the indices of multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) ranged from 0.08 to 0.83. By bivariate analysis, high positive significant correlations were observed between resistance profiles of erythromycin and imipenem, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin, erythromycin and streptomycin, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime, tetracycline and chloramphenicol, and streptomycin and imipenem. Furthermore, the prevalence of resistance genes of E. faecium was 58.33% (tetA), 33.33% (tetB), 35.56% (blaTEM ), 60% (CITM), 13.33% (aadA1), and 12% (SHV). CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Bangladesh to detect MDR and MAR E. faecium and their associated resistance genes. The detection of MDR and MAR E. faecium and their corresponding resistance genes from healthy broilers is of public health concern because of their potential to enter into the food chain.

Migratory birds travelling to Bangladesh are potential carriers of multi-drug resistant Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp., and Vibrio spp.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health crisis globally. Migratory birds could be a potential source for antibiotic resistant (ABR) bacteria. Not much is known about their role in the transmission of ABR in Bangladesh. In this study, a total of 66 freshly dropped fecal materials of migratory birds were analyzed. Bacterial isolation and identification were based on cultural properties, biochemical tests, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The disk diffusion method was employed to evaluate antibiogram profiles. By PCR, out of 66 samples, the detection rate of Enterococcus spp. (60.61%; 95% confidence interval: 48.55-71.50%) was found significantly higher than Salmonella spp. (21.21%; 95% CI: 13.08-32.51%) and Vibrio spp. (39.40%; 95% CI: 28.50-51.45%). Enterococcus isolates were frequently found resistant (100-40%) to ampicillin, streptomycin, meropenem, erythromycin, and gentamicin; Salmonella isolates were frequently resistant (72-43%) to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, ampicillin, streptomycin, and erythromycin; and Vibrio spp. isolates were frequently resistant (77-31%) to vancomycin, ampicillin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and streptomycin. In addition, 60% (95% CI: 44.60-73.65%) Enterococcus spp., 85.71% (95% CI: 60.06-97.46%) Salmonella spp., and 76.92% (95% CI: 57.95-88.97%) Vibrio spp. isolates were multi-drug resistant (MDR) in nature. Three isolates (one from each bacterium) were found resistant against six classes of antibiotics. The bivariate analysis revealed strong associations (both positive and negative) between several antibiotic pairs which were resistant to isolated organisms. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in detecting MDR Enterococcus spp., Salmonella spp., and Vibrio spp. from migratory birds travelling to Bangladesh. Frequent detection of MDR bacteria from migratory birds travelling to Bangladesh suggests that these birds have the potential to carry and spread ABR bacteria and could implicate potential risks to public health. We recommend that these birds should be kept under an AMR surveillance program to minimize the potential risk of contamination of the environment with ABR as well as to reduce their hazardous impacts on health.

Oxidative Stress in Autoimmune Diseases: An Under Dealt Malice.

Oxidative stress is the off-balance of antioxidants and free radicals. All kinds of diseases and disorders give rise to oxidative damage including autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disorder is a pathological condition characterized by the breakdown of self-tolerance of the immune system in the body. Immunological processes against tissues and organs lead to enhanced oxidative stress and, in turn, misbalance of oxidative stress aggravates the pathobiology of the disease. Highly reactive nature of free radicals, for example hydroxyl and superoxide ions, alters DNA, protein, and lipids in the body which augment the pathologic processes of diseases. The damaged biomolecules are responsible for systemic complications and secondary disease co-morbidities. In this review, we discuss the role of oxidative stress in some incapacitating autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Type 1 Diabetes, and Multiple Sclerosis. Oxidative stress plays a central and course defining role in these diseases and it has become a necessity to study the pathological mechanism involved in oxidative stress to better understand and offer treatment holistically. Presently there are no clinically available parameters for measurement and treatment of pathological oxidative stress, therefore it requires intensive research. Probably, in the future, the discovery of easily detectable markers of oxidative stress can aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of progressively destructive autoimmune diseases.

Reactivity of cyclopentadienyl transition metal(ii) complexes with borate ligands: structural characterization of the toluene-activated molybdenum complex [Cp*Mo(CO)2(η3-CH2C6H5)].

Reactions of cyclopentadienyl transition-metal halide complexes [Cp*Mo(CO)3Cl], 1, and [CpFe(CO)2I], 2, (Cp = C5H5; Cp* = η5-C5Me5) with borate ligands are reported. Treatment of 1 with [NaBt2] (Bt2 = dihydrobis(2-mercapto-benzothiazolyl)borate) in toluene yielded [Cp*Mo(CO)2(C7H4S2N)], 3, and [Cp*Mo(CO)2(η3-CH2C6H5)], 4, with a selective binding of toluene through C-H activation followed by orthometallation. Note that compound 4 is a structurally characterized toluene-activated molecule in which the metal is in η3-coordination mode. Under similar reaction conditions, [NaPy2] (Py2 = dihydrobis(2-mercaptopyridyl)borate) produced only the mercaptopyridyl molybdenum complex [Cp*Mo(CO)2(C5H4SN)], 5, in good yield. On the other hand, when compound 2 was treated individually with [NaBt] (Bt = trihydro(2-mercapto-benzothiazolyl)borate) and [NaPy2] in THF, formation of the η1-coordinated complexes [CpFe(CO)2(C7H4S2N)], 6, and [CpFe(CO)2(C5H4SN)], 7, was observed. The solid-state molecular structures of compounds 3, 4, 6, and 7 have been established by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analyses.

Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. Using leaf explants: bactericidal effect of leaf extracts and counteracting strategies.

An optimized protocol for Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of patchouli using leaf disk explants is reported. In vitro antibacterial activity of leaf extracts of the plants revealed Agrobacterium sensitivity to the extracts. Fluorometric assay of bacterial cell viability indicated dose-dependent cytotoxic activity of callus extract against Agrobacterium cells. Addition of 0.1% Tween 20 and 2 g/l L-glutamine to Agrobacterium infection medium counteracted the bactericidal effect and significantly increased the T-DNA delivery to explants. A short preculture of explants for 2 days followed by infection with Agrobacterium in medium containing 150 µM of acetosyringone were found essential for efficient T-DNA delivery. Cocultivation for 3 days at 22 °C in conjunction with other optimized factors resulted in maximum T-DNA delivery. The Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of leaf disk explants were found significantly related to physiological age of the explants, age and origin of the of the donor plant. Leaf explants from second node of the 3-month-old in vivo plants showed highest transformation efficiency (94.3%) revealed by transient GUS expression assay. Plants selected on medium containing 20 mg/l kanamycin showed stable GUS expression in leaves and stem. The elongated shoots readily developed roots on kanamycin-free rooting medium and on transfer to soil, plants were successfully established. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse-transcriptase PCR analysis in putative plants confirmed their transgenic nature. The established transformation method should provide new opportunities for the genetic improvement of patchouli for desirable trait.