Frequency of Repeating Antinuclear Antibody Testing: When Less Is More.

Objectives Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are autoantibodies that are associated with and ordered to diagnose autoimmune connective tissue disease. ANA have high sensitivity (~98%) but low specificity (~75%), and because they can be found in healthy individuals and non-rheumatologic conditions leading to their elevation, ANA tests are often requested and interpreted inappropriately by clinicians. The aim of this study was to retrospectively assess how frequently ANA testing is repeated in the adult population of Saudi Arabia (SA) and which factors are associated with and lead to inappropriate testing.

Thermodynamic Insights into Variation in Thermomechanical and Physical Properties of Isotactic Polypropylene: Effect of Shear and Cooling Rates.

In order to elucidate the effect of shear and cooling process on structural, thermomechanical, and physical properties of polymer melt, excess entropy, a thermodynamic quantity is calculated from radial distribution function generated from equilibrated parts of the molecular simulation trajectories. The structural properties are calculated, which includes the density of polypropylene melt, end to end distance, radius of gyration of the polypropylene polymer chain, and monomer-monomer radial distribution function. Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation was employed to investigate the role of the applied shear rate on the properties of polypropylene.

Biogenic Preparation and Characterization of Silver Nanoparticles from Seed Kernel of and Their Antibacterial Potential against spp.

Shigellosis is a serious foodborne diarrheal disease caused by the species. It is a critical global health issue. In developing countries, shigellosis causes most of the mortality in children below 5 years of age.

Molecular insight into the modulation of ovalbumin fibrillation by allura red dye at acidic pH.

The synthetic food additive dye induces amyloid fibrillation has many implications in the laboratory and industries. The effect of Allura red (AR), on the fibrillation of ovalbumin (Ova) at pH 2.0 was investigated.

Prevalence of post-COVID symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) symptoms in patients who have survived COVID-19.

Methods: The study used an observational cross-sectional design between July and October 2021. The target population was adult patients who had confirmed COVID-19 infection prior to joining the study, OCD symptoms were assessed using the Arabic OCD scale created by Abohendy and colleagues, which included 83 questions covering 12 different domains and was administired online.

Whole transcriptome sequencing analysis of synergistic combinations of plant-based antimicrobials and zinc oxide nanoparticles against Campylobacter jejuni.

The emergence of antibiotic resistance among animal farms impels the development of novel antimicrobials or strategies for agri-food production. The combinational use of agents to achieve a synergistic antimicrobial effect provides many advantages such as dosage reduction, shortened treatment time, and avoidance of antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we evaluated the killing efficacy of single agent or combinational use of three antimicrobials, including cinnamon oil, encapsulated curcumin and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), against a leading foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni.

Role of salts and solvents on the defibrillation of food dye "sunset yellow" induced hen egg white lysozyme amyloid fibrils.

Several food dyes are known to induce amyloid fibrillation when interacting with proteins. Here, we studied the role of sunset yellow (SY) in the amyloid fibrillation of hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL) and characterized the changes using spectroscopy techniques. Turbidity results showed that SY dye induces aggregation in HEWL in concentrations dependent manner.

Antibacterial Mechanisms of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle against Bacterial Food Pathogens Resistant to Beta-Lactam Antibiotics.

The increase in β-lactam-resistant Gram-negative bacteria is a severe recurrent problem in the food industry for both producers and consumers. The development of nanotechnology and nanomaterial applications has transformed many features in food science. The antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) and their mechanism of action on β-lactam-resistant Gram-negative food pathogens, such as , , , , , and , are investigated in the present paper.

Sunset Yellow Dye Induces Amorphous Aggregation in β-Lactoglobulin at Acidic pH: A Multi-Techniques Approach.

Protein aggregation is of two types: (i) amorphous and (ii) amyloid fibril. Several extrinsic factors (temperature, pH, and small ligands) stimulate protein aggregation in vitro. In this study, we have examined the role of sunset yellow (SY) on the β-lactoglobulin (BLG) aggregation at pH 2.

Functionality of Cordia and Ziziphus Gums with Respect to the Dough Properties and Baking Performance of Stored Pan Bread and Sponge Cakes.

The functionality of hydrocolloids of different origins, gum Cordia (GC), and gum ziziphus (GZ) on pan bread and sponge cake quality and their potential use in retarding the staling process have been studied. The effects of the gums were determined by assessing the pasting qualities of wheat flour slurry, dough properties, and the finished product. After 24 and 96 h of storage, investigations were conducted on the finished product.

Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Studies of Leaf Extract of DC In Vitro.

The current study aimed to screen the preliminary phytochemicals in the leaf extract of the medicinal plant and to analyze its potential antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer properties. The phytochemical profile of the methanol extract was analyzed, and bioactive compounds were identified using chromatography, FTIR and GCMS. Antimicrobial activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) were determined against 14 bacterial and 6 fungal strains.

Engineered CRISPR-Cas systems for the detection and control of antibiotic-resistant infections.

Antibiotic resistance is spreading rapidly around the world and seriously impeding efforts to control microbial infections. Although nucleic acid testing is widely deployed for the detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria, the current techniques-mainly based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-are time-consuming and laborious. There is an urgent need to develop new strategies to control bacterial infections and the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Survival and Control of in Poultry Production Environment.

species are Gram-negative, motile, and non-spore-forming bacteria with a unique helical shape that changes to filamentous or coccoid as an adaptive response to environmental stresses. The relatively small genome (1.6 Mbp) of with unique cellular and molecular physiology is only understood to a limited extent.

Active Packaging of Immobilized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Controls Campylobacter jejuni in Raw Chicken Meat.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are regarded as a safe and stable antimicrobial that can inactivate bacteria by several potential working mechanisms. We aimed to incorporate ZnO NPs into packaging material to control in raw chicken meat. ZnO NPs were first incorporated into three-dimensional (3D) paper tubes to identify the lethal concentration against , which was selected as the working concentration to develop 2D functionalized absorbing pads by an ultrasound-assisted dipping technique.

A Novel Mathematical Model for Studying Antimicrobial Interactions Against .

The aim of this study is to investigate the antimicrobial synergistic effect against , a leading foodborne pathogen that causes human gastroenteritis, by cinnamon oil, encapsulated curcumin, and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). We compared three approaches to study the antimicrobial interactions, including the time-killing method, the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) method, and a mathematical concentration-effect model. Isobologram analysis was performed to evaluate the synergy in different combinations, and a median-effect equation was applied to identify the combinations of synergistic effects at median, bacteriostatic, and bactericidal reduction levels.

Obstetric and Perinatal Morbidity in Northern Tasmanian Aboriginal Population: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are at increased risk of maternal morbidity and mortality as compared to non-Aboriginals. Similarly, aboriginal babies are at increased risk of low birth weight and infant mortality.

Aim: To investigate the independent association of aboriginality with Tasmanian maternal and neonatal morbidity.

Development of prototypes of bioactive packaging materials based on immobilized bacteriophages for control of growth of bacterial pathogens in foods.

Due to lack of adequate control methods to prevent contamination in fresh produce and growing consumer demand for natural products, the use of bacteriophages has emerged as a promising approach to enhance safety of these foods. This study sought to control Listeria monocytogenes in cantaloupes and RTE meat and Escherichia coli O104:H4 in alfalfa seeds and sprouts under different storage conditions by using specific lytic bacteriophage cocktails applied either free or immobilized. Bacteriophage cocktails were introduced into prototypes of packaging materials using different techniques: i) immobilizing on positively charged modified cellulose membranes, ii) impregnating paper with bacteriophage suspension, and iii) encapsulating in alginate beads followed by application of beads onto the paper.

Outcomes of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia using cool gel packs - experience from Western Australia.

Unlabelled: Therapeutic hypothermia is the standard clinical practice for neonates with moderate to severe hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Aim: To describe the two year neurodevelopmental outcomes of neonates who were routinely cooled using cool gel packs for HIE in Western Australia.

Methods: Retrospective study.