Antibiotic resistance genes prevalence prediction and interpretation in beaches affected by urban wastewater discharge.

Background: The annual death toll of over 1.2 million worldwide is attributed to infections caused by resistant bacteria, driven by the significant impact of antibiotic misuse and overuse in spreading these bacteria and their associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). While limited data suggest the presence of ARGs in beach environments, efficient prediction tools are needed for monitoring and detecting ARGs to ensure public health safety.

Triple-negative breast cancer: epidemiology, molecular mechanisms, and modern vaccine-based treatment strategies.

Long-standing scarcity of efficacious treatments and tumor heterogeneity have contributed to triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a subtype with a poor prognosis and aggressive behavior that accounts for 10-15% of all new cases of breast cancer. TNBC is characterized by the absence of progesterone and estrogen receptor expression and lacks gene amplification or overexpression of HER2. Genomic sequencing has detected that the unique mutational profile of both the somatic and germline modifications in TNBC is staggeringly dissimilar from other breast tumor subtypes.

Analysis of the nasopharyngeal microbiome and respiratory pathogens in COVID-19 patients from Saudi Arabia.

Background: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 may perturb normal microbiota, leading to secondary infections that can complicate the viral disease. The aim of this study was to probe the alteration of nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiota in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection and obesity and to identify other respiratory pathogens among COVID-19 cases that may affect patients' health.

Methods: A total of 107 NP swabs, including 22 from control subjects and 85 from COVID-19 patients, were processed for 6S amplicon sequencing.

In Vitro Analysis of Cytotoxic Activities of Targeting / Genes in Breast Cancer Cells.

Breast cancer (BC) is known to be the most common malignancy among women throughout the world. Plant-derived natural products have been recognized as a great source of anticancer drugs. In this study, the efficacy and anticancer potential of the methanolic extract of leaves using human breast cancer cells targeting / signaling was evaluated.

Prediction and interpretation of antibiotic-resistance genes occurrence at recreational beaches using machine learning models.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are pollutants of worldwide concern that seriously threaten public health and ecosystems. Machine learning (ML) prediction models have been applied to predict ARGs in beach waters. However, the existing studies were conducted at a single location and had low prediction performance.

Comprehensive update on the monkeypox outbreak.

Monkeypox (MPX) was first reported in 1970 in humans and outbreaks were restricted and highly localised to endemic regions of western and central Africa. However, after the first reported case in the UK in early May, 2022, the pattern of epidemic spreading in the geographical regions was much larger compared to past, posing a risk MPX might become entrenched beyond endemic areas. This virus is less transmissible than SARS-CoV-2, as it transmitted mainly through personal, close, often skin-to-skin contact with infectious MPX rash, body fluids, or scabs from an individual with MPX.

Application of Decision-Tree-Based Machine Learning Algorithms for Prediction of Antimicrobial Resistance.

Timely and efficacious antibiotic treatment depends on precise and quick in silico antimicrobial-resistance predictions. Limited treatment choices due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) highlight the necessity to optimize the available diagnostics. AMR can be explicitly anticipated on the basis of genome sequence.

Prediction of antimicrobial minimal inhibitory concentrations for using machine learning models.

The lowest concentration of an antimicrobial agent that can inhibit the visible growth of a microorganism after overnight incubation is called as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the drug prescriptions are made on the basis of MIC data to ensure successful treatment outcomes. Therefore, reliable antimicrobial susceptibility data is crucial, and it will help clinicians about which drug to prescribe. Although few prediction studies based on strategies have been conducted, however, no single machine learning (ML) modelling has been carried out to predict MICs in .

Temporal Variation of Meropenem Resistance in Isolated from Sewage Water in Islamabad, Pakistan.

The WHO has classified carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in most critical priority pathogens that pose a threat to human health. The present study investigated the prevalence of meropenem-resistant () in relation to its temporal variation in different seasons along with its resistance markers in sewage water. was selected on MacConkey agar containing meropenem (3 µg/mL).

Bacterial diversity and the antimicrobial resistome in the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia.

Soil is a reservoir of microbial diversity and the most supportive habitat for acquiring and transmitting antimicrobial resistance. Resistance transfer usually occurs from animal to soil and vice versa, and it may ultimately appear in clinical pathogens. In this study, the southwestern highlands of Saudi Arabia were studied to assess the bacterial diversity and antimicrobial resistance that could be affected by the continuous development of tourism in the region.

Designing Short Peptides to Block the Interaction of SARS-CoV-2 and Human ACE2 for COVID-19 Therapeutics.

To date, the current COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has infected 99.2 million while killed 2.2 million people throughout the world and is still spreading widely.

Mutation-Based Antibiotic Resistance Mechanism in Methicillin-Resistant Clinical Isolates.

β-Lactam antibiotics target penicillin-binding proteins and inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan, a crucial step in cell wall biosynthesis. acquires resistance against β-lactam antibiotics by producing a penicillin-binding protein 2a (PBP2a), encoded by the gene. PBP2a participates in peptidoglycan biosynthesis and exhibits a poor affinity towards β-lactam antibiotics.

Prevalence of clinical malaria and household characteristics of patients in tribal districts of Pakistan.

Background: Malaria, disproportionately affects poor people more than any other disease of public health concern in developing countries. In resource-constrained environments, monitoring the occurrence of malaria is essential for the success of national malaria control programs. Militancy and military conflicts have been a major challenge in monitoring the incidence and controlling malaria and other emerging infectious diseases.

Dual activity of PNGM-1 pinpoints the evolutionary origin of subclass B3 metallo--lactamases: a molecular and evolutionary study.

Resistance to -lactams is one of the most serious problems associated with Gram-negative infections. -Lactamases are able to hydrolyze -lactams such as cephalosporins and/or carbapenems. Evolutionary origin of metallo--lactamases (MBLs), conferring critical antibiotic resistance threats, remains unknown.

The novel metallo-β-lactamase PNGM-1 from a deep-sea sediment metagenome: crystallization and X-ray crystallographic analysis.

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) are present in major Gram-negative pathogens and environmental species, and pose great health risks because of their ability to hydrolyze the β-lactam rings of antibiotics such as carbapenems. PNGM-1 was the first reported case of a subclass B3 MBL protein that was identified from a metagenomic library from deep-sea sediments that predate the antibiotic era. In this study, PNGM-1 was overexpressed, purified and crystallized.

PNGM-1, a novel subclass B3 metallo-β-lactamase from a deep-sea sediment metagenome.

Objectives: In order to find antimicrobial resistance gene(s) pre-dating the use of antibiotics through metagenomics, functional screening of a metagenomic library from the deep-seep sediments of Edison Seamount (ca. 10000 years old) was performed.

Methods: Among 60 antimicrobial-resistant clones, a single clone with the highest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for ampicillin was selected.

Why cannot a β-lactamase gene be detected using an efficient molecular diagnostic method?

Objective: Fast detection of β-lactamase () genes can minimize the spread of antibiotic resistance. Although several molecular diagnostic methods have been developed to detect limited gene types, these methods have significant limitations, such as their failure to detect almost all clinically available genes. We have evaluated a further refinement of our fast and accurate molecular method, developed to overcome these limitations, using clinical isolates.

Complex Class 1 Integron Carrying qnrB62 and blaVIM-2 in a Citrobacter freundii Clinical Isolate.

The coexistence of qnrB62 and bla was detected in a Citrobacter clinical isolate. The reduced fluoroquinolone susceptibility is attributable to qnrB62, mutations of quinolone-resistance-determining regions, and an efflux pump or pumps. The genetic context surrounding chromosomal qnrB62 was a novel complex class 1 integron (In1184::ISCR1::qnrB62) containing a unique gene array (bla-aacA4'-8-gucD).

Epidemiology and Clinical Burden of Malaria in the War-Torn Area, Orakzai Agency in Pakistan.

Background: Military conflict has been a major challenge in the detection and control of emerging infectious diseases such as malaria. It poses issues associated with enhancing emergence and transmission of infectious diseases by destroying infrastructure and collapsing healthcare systems. The Orakzai agency in Pakistan has witnessed a series of intense violence and destruction.

Structural basis for carbapenem-hydrolyzing mechanisms of carbapenemases conferring antibiotic resistance.

Carbapenems (imipenem, meropenem, biapenem, ertapenem, and doripenem) are β-lactam antimicrobial agents. Because carbapenems have the broadest spectra among all β-lactams and are primarily used to treat infections by multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, the emergence and spread of carbapenemases became a major public health concern. Carbapenemases are the most versatile family of β-lactamases that are able to hydrolyze carbapenems and many other β-lactams.