Protective effects of lutein against vancomycin-induced acute renal injury in mice via upregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 and inhibition nuclear factor-kappaB/caspase 3.

Vancomycin, an antibiotic used occasionally as a last line of treatment for methicillin-resistant , is reportedly associated with nephrotoxicity. This study aimed at evaluating the protective effects of lutein against vancomycin-induced acute renal injury. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) and its associated role in renoprotection by lutein was also examined.

Role of Cardiac Biomarkers in COVID-19: What Recent Investigations Tell Us?

Purpose Of Review: Although the respiratory system is the main target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it is evident from recent data that other systems, especially cardiovascular and hematological, are also significantly affected. In fact, in severe form, COVID-19 causes a systemic illness with widespread inflammation and cytokine flood, resulting in severe cardiovascular injury. Therefore, we reviewed cardiac injury biomarkers' role in various cardiovascular complications of COVID 19 in recent studies.

The Evolution of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 during Pandemic and Adaptation to the Host.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 is a zoonotic virus with a possible origin in bats and potential transmission to humans through an intermediate host. When zoonotic viruses jump to a new host, they undergo both mutational and natural selective pressures that result in non-synonymous and synonymous adaptive changes, necessary for efficient replication and rapid spread of diseases in new host species. The nucleotide composition and codon usage pattern of SARS-CoV-2 indicate the presence of a highly conserved, gene-specific codon usage bias.

Non-Invasive Delivery of Nano-Emulsified Sesame Oil-Extract of Turmeric Attenuates Lung Inflammation.

Turmeric, the golden Indian spice, and the edible oil of sesame seeds are the essential ingredients of Indian food created by ancestors and established the belief of the curative effect of food for many generations. Considering the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric, we formulated a nano-emulsion of turmeric infused in edible sesame oil, with a globule size of 200-250 nm using high-energy microfluidization. The product with a zeta potential of -11.

Monitoring of Non-β-Lactam Antibiotic Resistance-Associated Genes in ESBL Producing Isolates.

Genetic context of extended spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) producing and its association with plasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR), aminoglycoside modifying enzymes (AME) and Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) resistance is little known from North India. Therefore, the current study was aimed to investigate the frequency of Non-β-Lactam antibiotic resistance associated genes in extended spectrum β-Lactamase producing . For this study, Non-Duplicate phenotypically confirmed ESBL producing isolates (N = 186) were analyzed for ESBLs, PMQRs, AMEs and TMP-SMX resistance genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Current Use of Cardiac Biomarkers in Various Heart Conditions.

Biomarkers are increasingly recognized to have significant clinical value in early identification and progression of various cardiovascular diseases. There are many heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure (CHF), ischemic heart diseases (IHD), and diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), and cardiac remodeling, in which the severity of the cardiac pathology can be mirrored through these cardiac biomarkers. From the emergency department (ED) evaluation of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with cardiac marker Troponin to the diagnosis of chronic conditions like Heart Failure (HF) with natriuretic peptides, like B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), N-terminal pro-B- type natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP) and mid regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR- proANP), their use is continuously increasing.

Evaluation of Counseling Practices and Patient's Satisfaction Offered by Pharmacists for Diabetics Attending Outpatient Pharmacies in Al Ahsa.

Introduction: Patient counseling can be helpful in improving the outcome of disease management, particularly chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus, which is common in Saudi Arabia. The present study looks to investigate the levels of counseling and satisfaction among patients attending diabetic clinics in outpatient hospital pharmacy in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.

Method: This is a cross-sectional investigation, carried out by using interview-structured questionnaire, targeting diabetes mellitus patients with or without comorbid states.

Analysis of Codon Usage and Nucleotide Bias in Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Genes.

The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is an emerging disease caused by a recently identified human coronavirus (CoV). Over 2494 laboratory-confirmed cases and 858 MERS-related deaths have been reported from 27 countries. MERS-CoV has been associated with a high case fatality rate, especially in patients with pre-existing conditions.

A detailed analysis of synonymous codon usage in human bocavirus.

Human bocavirus (HBoV) is a recently discovered parvovirus associated with respiratory and gastroenteric infections in children. To date, four distinct subtypes have been identified worldwide. HBoV1 is the most frequently detected bocavirus in clinical samples derived from the respiratory tract.

Analysis of synonymous codon usage in Zika virus.

Zika virus is a zoonotic pathogen, which have made frequent incursion into the human population in Africa and South East Asia over the course of several decades but never reached to the pandemic proportions until the most recent outbreak. Viruses are solely dependent on host synthetic machinery for their replication cycle; therefore, replication and persistence in a host species of different genetic background requires certain degree of adaptation. These adaptations are necessary to avoid detection from host immune surveillance and maximize the utilization of available resources for efficient viral replication.

A study assessing the impact of different teaching modalities for pharmacy students in a Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) course.

The current study aims to assess the effectiveness of different teaching methods adopted for the practical session of Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). CPR training is one of the compulsory modules of the Public Health Pharmacy (PHP) course at Universiti Sains Malaysia. CPR training comprises of 10% of total marks of the PHP course.

Hepatitis B virus enhances interleukin-27 expression both in vivo and in vitro.

The immune system plays important roles in determining the outcomes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) is a recently identified pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by macrophages, dendritic cells, and epithelial cells. To determine the correlation between HBV infection and IL-27 expression, we investigated the serum IL-27 levels in patients with HBV infection and in healthy individuals.

Single-chain intracellular antibodies inhibit influenza virus replication by disrupting interaction of proteins involved in viral replication and transcription.

Influenza A virus is responsible for influenza epidemics in avian and human populations and poses a great threat to human health. Many researches have been focused on the prevention and treatment of influenza A virus infection. The nucleoprotein (NP) of the virus is an important protein due to its ability to interact with a variety of viral and cellular factors and its role in the viral RNA synthesis.

Activation of interleukin-32 pro-inflammatory pathway in response to influenza A virus infection.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-32 is a recently described pro-inflammatory cytokine that has been reported to be induced by bacteria treatment in culture cells. Little is known about IL-32 production by exogenous pathogens infection in human individuals.

Methods And Findings: In this study, we found that IL-32 level was increased by 58.

Increased level of IL-32 during human immunodeficiency virus infection suppresses HIV replication.

Interleukin-32 was recently identified as a pro-inflammatory cytokine produced by T-lymphocytes, natural killer cells, epithelial cells, and blood monocytes. IL-32 is induced by IFN-gamma in a time-dependent manner suggesting a role for IL-32 in innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study we present evidence that Human immunodeficiency virus promotes interleukin-32 production at both mRNA and protein levels.

Origin of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in China and genetic characterization of donor and recipient viruses.

Genetic analysis of all eight genes of two Nanchang avian influenza viruses, A/Duck/Nanchang/1681/92 (H3N8-1681) and A/Duck/Nanchang/1904/92 (H7N1-1904), isolated from Jiangxi province, China, in 1992, showed that six internal genes of H3N8-1681 virus and five internal (except NS gene) genes of H7N1-1904 virus were closely similar to A/Goose/Guangdong/1/96 (H5N1) virus, the first highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus of subtype H5N1 isolated in Asia. The neuraminidase (NA) gene of Gs/Gd/1/96 had the highest genetic similarity with A/Duck/Hokkaido/55/96 (H1N1-55) virus. The haemagglutinin (HA) gene of Gs/Gd/1/96 virus might have originated as a result of mutation of H5 HA gene from A/Swan/Hokkaido/51/96 (H5N3-51)-like viruses.