Assessment of dynamics of pathogenic environmental T4 and T9 genotypes isolated from three recreational lakes in Klang Valley, Malaysia over the HaCaT cell monolayer.

Free-living amoebae of the genus are causative agents of keratitis and amoebic encephalitis. They are widely found in various ecological environments. Therefore, the present study brings results that can help to better understand the genotypes of the environmental isolates and their pathogenicity.

Vascular Graft Infections: Updates on a Challenging Problem.

Vascular graft infections (VGI) pose a significant challenge in vascular surgery, characterized by substantial morbidity and mortality. This review delves into the epidemiology, pathogenesis, microbiology, risk factors, and clinical presentation of VGI. It highlights diagnostic criteria and methodologies, including imaging techniques and laboratory tests.

Freshwater microalgae Nannochloropsis limnetica for the production of β-galactosidase from whey powder.

This study investigated the first-ever reported use of freshwater Nannochloropsis for the bioremediation of dairy processing side streams and co-generation of valuable products, such as β-galactosidase enzyme. In this study, N. limnetica was found to grow rapidly on both autoclaved and non-autoclaved whey-powder media (referred to dairy processing by-product or DPBP) without the need of salinity adjustment or nutrient additions, achieving a biomass concentration of 1.

Expanding the Genetic Spectrum of Gene Variants in Egyptian Patients with Primary Hyperoxaluria Type I.

Approximately 80% of primary hyperoxaluria cases are caused by primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1, OMIM# 259900), which is characterized by pathogenic variants in the gene, resulting in deficiency of the liver-specific enzyme alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT). This leads to increased production of oxalate, which cannot be effectively eliminated from the body, resulting in its accumulation primarily in the kidneys and other organs. This study included 17 PH1 Egyptian patients from 12 unrelated families, recruited from the Inherited Kidney Disease Outpatient Clinic and the Dialysis Units, Cairo University Hospitals, during the period from January 2018 to December 2019, aiming to identify the pathogenic variants in the gene.

Knowledge and Perception of Bidirectional Relationship Between Periodontal Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Questionnaire Study.

Aim: The bidirectional relationship between type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and inflammatory periodontal disease (PD) is globally recognized. However, oral health components are often given lower priority, and studies related to knowledge and the bidirectional association are limited. This study assesses the knowledge and perceptions of PD and its associated risk factors among T1DM patients and/or their parents.

Association between severity of sepsis and thyroid function profile.

Background And Aim: Critical illness conditions such as sepsis are often accompanied by altered hormone levels, which may result in decreased thyroid axis activity. This condition aims to provide metabolic substrates for vital organs such as the brain and immune system. Significant alteration of the thyroid axis in critical illnesses such as sepsis known as Low-T3 Syndrome which is associated with increased mortality.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients' Self-perception of Periodontal Diseases.

Objectives:  The study aimed to evaluate type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients' self-perceived periodontal health status and to identify the association between periodontal disease (PD) and DM.

Materials And Methods:  This cross-sectional study included 113 T1DM children between 3 and 18 years old from the Universiti Teknologi MARA and the University of Malaya. Periodontal health parameters, including plaque index, gingival index, probing pocket depth, simplified basic periodontal examination, and clinical attachment loss, were recorded.

Molecular characterisation and potential pathogenicity analysis of Acanthamoeba isolated from recreational lakes in Peninsular Malaysia.

The present study aims to identify the Acanthamoeba genotypes and their pathogenic potential in three recreational lakes in Malaysia. Thirty water samples were collected by purposive sampling between June and July 2022. Physical parameters of water quality were measured in situ while chemical and microbiological analyses were performed in the laboratory.

Preliminary Study of sCD14 and sCD163 as Predictors of Disease Severity and ICU Admission in COVID-19: Relation to Hematological Parameters, Blood Morphological Changes and Inflammatory Biomarkers.

Background And Objectives: Research supports the role of monocyte/macrophage activation in COVID-19 immunopathology. This study aimed to evaluate sCD14 and sCD163 - the monocyte activation markers - and to investigate their relation to hematological parameters and blood morphology in COVID-19 infection.

Methods: This is a case-control study that included 70 COVID-19 patients.

Quantitative analysis of serum cell-free DNA as a predictive and prognostic marker in breast cancer patients.

Introduction: According to the GLOBOCAN (Global Cancer Observatory) 2020 report, 13,028 new cases of breast cancer (19%) were diagnosed in the United States, and 6,783 of them succumbed to the disease, making it the most common cancer among women. The clinical stage at the time of diagnosis is one of the most significant survival predictors in breast cancer. With delayed illness detection comes a lower survival rate.

Evaluation of synergistic activity of antibiotic combinations in extensive drug-resistant species using checkerboard assay.

is one of the challenging drug-resistant organisms that can endanger patients' lives if not treated properly. This study was designed to investigate the activity of three synergistic antimicrobial combinations against extensive drug-resistant isolates; ampicillin/sulbactam plus amikacin, ampicillin/sulbactam plus ciprofloxacin, and meropenem plus amikacin. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of 100 XDR- isolates were determined using the Vitek2 system.

Nitrogen and phosphate removal from dairy processing side-streams by monocultures or consortium of microalgae.

Acid-casein production generates waste streams that are rich in nitrogen (in the form of protein and nitrate) and phosphate. This makes this type of waste very difficult to treat using conventional techniques resulting in a high amount of operating cost and costly investment. In this research, the application of single culture or consortium of microalgae for uptake of nitrogen and phosphate in the wastewater of an acid-casein factory was investigated.

Amelioration of obesity-related metabolic disorders via supplementation of in rats fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet.

Dietary modification, including functional foods, could reduce comorbidities due to obesity. An increase in serum glucose and lipids is often seen in obesity. Furthermore, obesity is also characterized by a decrease in antioxidant capacity (i.

The effect of cell disruption on the extraction of oil and protein from concentrated microalgae slurries.

Novel cell-disruption combinations (autolytic incubation and hypotonic osmotic shock combined with HPH or pH12) were used to investigate the fundamental mass transfer of lipids and proteins from Nannochloropsis slurries (140 mg biomass/g slurry). Since neutral lipids exist as cytosolic globules, their mass transfer was directly dependent on disintegration of cell walls. Complete recovery was obtained with complete physical disruption.

Autoimmune Regulator Gene Polymorphisms in Egyptian Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: Preliminary Results.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease. The autoimmune regulator () is a master regulator of self-tolerance development. mutations lead to the development of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 while polymorphisms have been linked to organ-specific autoimmunity.

Vitamin D status in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and its association with vitamin D receptor genetic variants.

Background: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is considered the predominant cause of hypothyroidism in iodine sufficient countries. The deficiency of 25-OH-vitamin D3 serum level and the variation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene were implicated in a number of autoimmune disorders. This study aimed to test the hypothesis linking between VDR FokI and BsmI variants and HT, in addition to explain their impact on 25-OH-vitamin D3 serum level.

Periodontal health status of children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycaemia resulted from defects in insulin secretion or action, or both. Various studies have reported on the bidirectional relationship between DM and periodontal disease. A systematic search of the literature was performed in several databases, EBSCO Medline Complete, PubMed, Science Direct and a manual search for articles from 2000 until 2019.

Role of Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) in Assessing Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis.

Background: Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an increasingly recognized form of diffuse parenchymal lung disease. Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) is now classified as a human MUC1 mucin protein, and regenerating type II pneumocytes are the primary cellular source of KL-6/MUC1 in the affected lungs of patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILD). Serum KL-6/MUC1 levels have been demonstrated to be useful for the evaluation of various ILD.

Superiority of rectal snip over serology in detection of schistosomiasis eradication: A pilot study.

Background And Study Aims: The diagnosis of schistosomiasis is based on serological determination of anti-schistosoma antibody and schistosoma antigen in serum and urine but the gold standard test is the microscopic detection of schistosoma eggs in urine and stool. However, there is an urgent demand to reach the elimination goal with higher sensitivity and specificity tools. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of anti-schistosoma antibody and schistosoma antigen in comparaison with rectal snip in the detection and prediction of eradication of schistosomiasis in previously and/or incidentaly diagnosed patients.

The Utility of Neutrophil CD64 and Presepsin as Diagnostic, Prognostic, and Monitoring Biomarkers in Neonatal Sepsis.

Background: Neonatal septicemia is a critical medical situation; current conventional laboratory methods still have many limitations and diagnostic obstacles. For this purpose, last decades have witnessed a challenge between the battery of sepsis biomarkers including many leukocyte surface antigens, not only for early diagnostic purposes but also for better follow-up and good management of sepsis patients.

Aim: To evaluate the diagnostic, prognostic, and monitoring performance of both neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) and presepsin as sepsis biomarkers compared to each other and to the conventional laboratory sepsis parameters aiming to decide which is the best fitting for routine daily use in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Thermally coupled dark-anoxia incubation: A platform technology to induce auto-fermentation and thus cell-wall thinning in both nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-deplete Nannochloropsis slurries.

Nitrogen-deprived Nannochloropsis cells invested their fixed carbon into the accumulation of triacylglycerol and cell wall cellulose (thickness of N-replete cell walls = 27.8 ± 5.8, N-deplete cell walls = 51.

Vancomycin MIC Distribution among Methicillin-Resistant . Is Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility Related To MIC Creep?

Aim: To determine the distribution of vancomycin MIC and the frequency of strains with reduced vancomycin susceptibility among Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) isolates.

Methods: MRSA isolates (n = 100) were tested for reduced susceptibility to vancomycin using MIC broth microdilution method (BMD), vancomycin screening agar with different vancomycin concentrations with and without casein, and Vitek 2 system.

Results: BMD detected (22%) vancomycin-intermediate (VISA) and (78%) vancomycin-susceptible (VSSA) but couldn't detect nine (Heterogeneous VISA) (hVISA) isolates (9%) with MIC ≤ 2 µg/ml that grew on screening agar 4 µg/ml or 6 µg/ml.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Modified Hodge Test (PAE-MHT) and ChromID Carba Agar for Detection of Carbapenemase Producing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Recovered from Clinical Specimens.

Aims: This study aims to evaluate the ability of ChromID Carba agar, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa modified Hodge test (PAE-MHT) for detection of carbapenemase-producing P. aeruginosa and to determine the associated carbapenemase gene classes by PCR.

Methods: One hundred Carbapenem-resistant P.

Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the yield and quality of silage corn intercropped with soybean.

Background: Corn silage is an important feed for intense ruminant production, but the growth of corn relies heavily on the use of chemical fertilizers. Sustainable crop production requires careful management of all nutrient sources available on a farm, particularly in corn-based cropping systems.

Methods: Experiments were conducted to determine the appropriate technique of corn-legume intercropping in conjunction with the supplemental use of chemical fertilizers, organic manure, and biofertilizers (BFs).