Occupational Exposure to Sharp Object Injuries Among Healthcare Workers in Dammam and Jeddah Hospitals, Saudi Arabia‏.

Objective: This study identify the prevalence of sharp object injuries (SOIs) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Dammam and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: Quantitative methodology using a cross-sectional design was applied. Chi-square testing was employed for comparative analyses, and logistic regression encompassing univariate and multivariate models was implemented to ascertain the predictors of SOIs.

Public Anxiety, Attitudes, and Practices towards COVID-19 Infection in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, still has a terrifying potential due to its continuous genetic variation. Although vaccines have been created, adherence to preventive measures remains a privileged choice to tackle the pandemic. This study aims to investigate the anxiety, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) towards COVID-19 infection in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Synthesis of M-AgPO, (M = Se, Ag, Ta) Nanoparticles and Their Antibacterial and Cytotoxicity Study.

Silver Phosphate, Ag3PO4, being a highly capable clinical molecule, an ultrasonic method was employed to synthesize the M-Ag3PO4, (M = Se, Ag, Ta) nanoparticles which were evaluated for antibacterial and cytotoxicity activities post-characterization. Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used for antibacterial testing and the effects of sonication on bacterial growth with sub-MIC values of M-Ag3PO4 nanoparticles were examined. The effect of M-Ag3PO4 nanoparticles on human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT-116) and human cervical carcinoma cells (HeLa cells) was examined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay and DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) staining.

Impact of Nanolayered Material and Nanohybrid Modifications on Their Potential Antibacterial Activity.

Due to an escalating increase in multiple antibiotic resistance among bacteria, novel nanomaterials with antimicrobial properties are being developed to prevent infectious diseases caused by bacteria that are common in wastewater and the environment. A series of nanolayered structures and nanohybrids were prepared and modified by several methods including an ultrasonic technique, intercalation reactions of fatty acids, and carbon nanotubes, in addition to creating new phases based on zinc and aluminum. The nanomaterials prepared were used against a group of microorganisms, including , , and .

Handwashing Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among Students in Eastern Province Schools, Saudi Arabia.

. Lack of knowledge about appropriate handwashing practices has caused great concerns for human health, especially in the risk of many communicable diseases. The objective of the current study is to determine the level of handwashing knowledge, attitudes, and practices among school students in Eastern Province Schools, Saudi Arabia.

Insights into the COVID-19 pandemic: Origin, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and therapeutic interventions.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a member of the human coronavirus (HCoV) family that targets the lower part of the respiratory tract and causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In a short span of time, this infection has led to a global pandemic and has become a significant threat to the existence of present human society. Currently, there are no treatments for this infection and the measures established across various countries such as social distancing, usage of mask to prevent entry of the virus into the respiratory tract, quarantine, and containment together have reduced the prevalence of this disease and mortality in highly susceptible individuals.

Enhanced Microbial Decontamination Using Non-thermal Low Pressure Argon Plasma Jet.

Background And Objective: Atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) gained great interest due to its effectiveness as selective non-lethal technique with low operational costs. In this study, argon APPJ system was designed and the generated cold plasma was applied in disinfection of microbial cells.

Materials And Methods: Argon APPJ was generated by blowing argon through capillary metallic tube inserted in alumina and powered by 8-25 kHz sinusoidal voltage waveform.

Bacterial biopolymer (polyhydroxyalkanoate) production from low-cost sustainable sources.

Twenty-six different bacterial strains were isolated from samples taken from different locations Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for screening of their polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production capability. The initial screening was conducted by staining with Sudan Black B and Nile Red, followed by examination under fluorescence and electron microscopes to characterize PHA granule formation. The PHA-producing bacterial isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene analyses; the most potent bacterial strain was identified as Pseudomonas sp.

Enhanced production of lipase by the thermophilic Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain-5 using statistical experimental designs.

Statistically based experimental designs were applied to optimize the cultural conditions for the production of a glycerol-inducible lipase from the thermophilic Geobacillus stearothermophilus strain-5. The effect of nineteen culture conditions on enzyme production was evaluated using Plackett-Burman factorial design. Tween 80, K(2)HPO(4), glycerol and glucose were the most significant factors in improving enzyme production.

Production of Poly-γ-Glutamate (PGA) Biopolymer by Batch and Semicontinuous Cultures of Immobilized Bacilluslicheniformis strain-R.

Production of Polyglutamate (PGA) biopolymer by immobilized Bacillus licheniformis strain-R was intensively investigated. Preliminary experiments were carried out to address the most suitable immobilization methodology. Entrapment of Bacillus cells in alginate-agar led optimal PGA production (36.

Possible involvement of an extracellular superoxide dismutase (SodA) as a radical scavenger in poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) degradation.

Gordonia westfalica Kb1 and Gordonia polyisoprenivorans VH2 induce the formation of an extracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) during poly(cis-1,4-isoprene) degradation. To investigate the function of this enzyme in G. polyisoprenivorans VH2, the sodA gene was disrupted.

Degradation of natural rubber by Achromobacter sp. NRB and evaluation of culture conditions.

A natural rubber degrading candidate was isolated from a soil sample from Aswan, Egypt. The strain was able to grow on natural rubber as a sole source for carbon and energy. According to its degradation behavior, it grew adhesively and in direct contact with the rubber substrate and led to disintegration of the material during cultivation.

Polyglutamic acid (PGA) production by Bacillus sp. SAB-26: application of Plackett-Burman experimental design to evaluate culture requirements.

A locally isolated thermostable Bacillus strain producing polyglutamic acid (PGA) was characterized and identified based on 16S rRNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis revealed its closeness to Bacillus licheniformis. To evaluate the effect of different culture conditions on the production of PGA, Plackett-Burman factorial design was carried out.

Identification, cloning and expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ps-x putative urate oxidase gene in Escherichia coli.

In a previous study we reported for the first time the isolation and characterization ofurate oxidase enzyme from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In this work we isolated and cloned a 1.350 kilobase DNA fragment that encode a putative urate oxidase gene from the genomic library of P.

Gordonia westfalica sp. nov., a novel rubber-degrading actinomycete.

A cis-1,4-polyisoprene-degrading bacterium (strain Kb2T) was isolated from foul water taken from the inside of a deteriorated automobile tyre found on a farmer's field in Westfalia, Germany. The strain was aerobic, Gram-positive, exhibited orange smooth and rough colonies on complex nutrient agar, produced elementary branching hyphae that fragmented into rod/coccus-like elements and showed chemotaxonomic markers which were consistent with its classification within the genus Gordonia, i.e.