Antibiotic-resistant bacteria contaminating leafy vegetables in Saudi Arabia's eastern region.

BACKGROUND: Food-associated antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause infections that may critically impact human health. The objectives of this study were to determine the microbial contamination level of green leafy vegetables and their antibiotic resistance pattern. METHODS: Sixty-three samples of leafy vegetables were collected from Dammam Central Fruit and Vegetables Market from January to June 2023. The vegetables included lettuce (Lactuca sativa), parsley (Petroselinum crispum), and watercress (Nasturtium officinale). Samples were tested by standard microbiological techniques for identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing. RESULT: Eight types of bacteria belonging to six different genera were detected. Enterobacteriaceae family was represented by four genera: Klebsiella, Proteus, Morganella, and Enterobacter. The other two genera were Pseudomonas and Aeromonas. Enterobacter cloacae was the most abundant organism, followed by Pseudomonas putida and Aeromonas sobria. On the other hand, Morganella morganii, Aeromonas hydrophila, and Proteus mirabilis were the least abundant. The three vegetable types had different levels of bacterial contamination. All isolated organisms were sensitive to penicillin, cephalosporin, aminoglycoside, and fluoroquinolone. However, Klebsiella oxytoca, M. morganii, and K. pneumonia showed resistance to ampicillin. A. hydrophila, Morganella morganii, and E. cloacae showed resistance to amoxicillin. M. morganii and E. cloacae were found to be resistant to cefalotin. Moreover, A. hydrophila, M. morganii, and E. cloacae were resistant to cefoxitin. Again, A. hydrophila was found to be resistant to imipenem. Only M. morganii was resistant to Ciprofloxacin. Two isolates, P. mirabilis and M. morganii were resistant to tigecycline. Another two, M. morganii and P. mirabilis were resistant to Nitrofurantoin. Only M. morganii was found to be resistant to trimethoprim. CONCLUSION: This study aligns with the broad consensus in the literature about the significance of bacterial contamination in vegetables and the public health implications. The unique focus on antibiotic resistance patterns adds an essential dimension to the existing body of knowledge.

Role of HLA typing and chimerism analysis in post-liver transplantation GVHD in pediatrics: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: GVHD is a well-documented complication after liver transplantation. GVHD occurs when donor immune cells mount a destructive immune response against host cells. The rarity of the GVHD complication and the nonspecific presentation of symptoms and histopathological features provide a diagnostic challenge. Therefore, diagnosis and initiation of treatment are often delayed. AIM: In this systematic review, we assessed relevant literature to better understand the utilization of HLA typing and chimerism analysis in liver transplantation. We mainly focused on their importance in diagnosing GVHD incidence after liver transplantation. RESULTS: A total of 18 articles reported 21 cases of GVHD after liver transplantation in pediatrics. Generally, there is a consensus on the advantage of HLA typing and chimerism analysis in confirming the diagnosis of GVHD after liver transplantation. However, there is an inconsistency in the timing and the application of the accurate HLA typing and chimerism analysis. CONCLUSION: Further studies are required to assess the incidence of GVHD post-LT and to determine the impact of HLA typing and chimerism analysis in assessing the risk, early determination of GVHD incidence, and improving outcomes. This systematic review highlights the gap in the field of liver transplantation and calls for revisiting the guidelines to consider HLA typing and chimerism analysis in predicting GVHD before transplantation and diagnosing GVHD incidence after liver transplantation.

The impact of age, gender and fasting blood glucose on serum lipid profile at tertiary care hospital: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: This relatively large retrospective study explores the impact of age, gender and fasting blood glucose level on lipid profile. It has been known that many factors could influence the lipid profile. It is crucial to investigate these relationships as dyslipidemia has been linked to many critical diseases such as cardiovascular disease.   Methods:Data of 3115 individuals were collected include the age, gender, total serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), triglyceride (TGL) and fasting glucose levels at King Fahad Military Medical Complex's Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, Dhahran, from January 2019 to July 2019.   Results: The results shows that people who were 65 years or older had significant association with total cholesterol (p<0.001), LDL (p-value= 0.001) and triglycerides (p-value= 0.001). Regarding gender,  women, in general, are 1.2 times more likely to have hypercholesterolemia than men. Diabetes was significantly associated with all lipid profile parameters.   Conclusions: There is a variable association between lipid profile with age, gender, and fasting glucose.

Manganese Ferrite-Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposite Synthesis: Biogenic Waste Remodeling for Water Decontamination.

Environmental pollution, especially water pollution caused by dyes, heavy metal ions and biological pathogens, is a root cause of various lethal diseases in human-beings and animals. Water purification materials and treatment methods are overpriced. Consequently, there is an imperative outlook observance for cheap materials for the purification of wastewaters. In order to fill up the projected demand for clean water, the present study aimed to make use of cost-effective and environmentally friendly methods to convert bone-waste from animals such as cows into novel composites for the decontamination of water. The bone-waste of slaughtered cows from the Najran region of Saudi Arabia was collected and used for the synthesis of hydroxyapatite based on the thermal method. The synthesized hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) was utilized to prepare a manganese ferrite/hydroxyapatite composite. The nanocomposite was categorized by diverse sophisticated procedures, for instance XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, UV, PL and FT-IR. This composite possesses outstanding photocatalytic activity against methylene blue dye, which is a common pollutant from industrial wastes. Moreover, the synthesised composite revealed exceptional bacteriostatic commotion towards E. coli and S. aureus bacteria, which are accountable for acute waterborne infections. The outcome of this study demonstrated that the integration of manganese ferrite into hydroxyapatite significantly intensified both antimicrobial and photocatalytic actions when compared to the virgin hydroxyapatite.

Factors related to COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To assess the amount of vaccine hesitancy and its determinants in relation to various demographic, social, and personal characteristics among the Saudi population. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: we utilized a structured questionnaire on a five point-Likert scale that included immunization process awareness, perception towards immunization and factors leading to vaccine refusal. Results: The study included 5965 participants characterized according to various demographical factors. The participant's knowledge, perception, and the factors affecting the decision of taking the vaccine were calculated. About 40.7% had enough information about COVID-19 vaccines and were willing to take it. The participant's perception towards COVID-19 vaccines is proportional to their knowledge and varied with the personal characteristics. Factors influencing vaccine use varied also with personal characteristics. Intent to be vaccinated was higher among older age groups, advanced education, retirees, and higher income persons (P < 0.001). Moreover, the influence of heterogeneity in personal perception towards COVID-19 vaccines has been discussed. Vaccine barriers scores were significantly higher among lower educational and income levels (P = 0.004). The leader's influence on vaccine decision was high (p < 0.001). The side effects of COVID-19 vaccine is the most important barrier to vaccine acceptance. Knowledge and perception score were consistently and significantly higher among the group who received their information from official websites, followed by those who had used both websites and social media (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Additional approaches will be needed to effectively meet the needs of the hesitant population, particularly the safety and efficacy concerns, the speed of vaccine development, and the distrust in government and health organizations.