Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) is a neuro-invasive virus causing lifelong latent infection in humans. It increases the risk of dementia by entering inside the brain. Herpesviruses have been implicated in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development. More than 50 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is becoming more prevalent with the increase age-related neurodegenerative diseases, dementia, etc. Therefore, there is an urgent need for better understanding of the pathogenesis of AD as well as its early detection. HSV-1 is a risk factor of for the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases, sporadic Alzheimer’s disease, prior diagnosis of disease cycle of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in brain tissue will help us to prevent AD in elderly patients. Serological assays were the first choice of detection including whole-antigen-based (non-gG-specific) methods and western blotting (WB) assays, but quantitative PCR (qPCR) & genomic sequencing has shown better efficiency. Recently RNAscope, a novel in situ RNA hybridization assay is developed to visualize and detect the multiple phases of HSV-1. In this review, we discussed about early detection of tau and β-amyloid protein which are biomarkers of AD and track the deposition of amyloid plaques reminiscent in brain. We also discussed the current work on HSV detection through RNAscope hybridization technique & summarized the role of dietary habits as a precautionary measure of the infection as well as anthropological diversification of dementia in India and factors influencing it. We also pointed out some knowledge gaps that are further required to be taken after detection of the infection.

The use of metallic nanoparticles (NPs) in various industrial and biomedical fields is increasing exponentially. As a result, research examining the potentially toxic impact of these NPs on human health is also increasing. Cytochrome P450 (P450s) enzymes are important for the endogenous and exogenous molecules metabolism. Inhibition or induction of these enzymes affects xenobiotic detoxification and causes clinically significant drug toxicity or therapeutic failures. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are the most frequently used biomarker for liver injury and their induction is an important indicator of hepatotoxicity. This review aims to understand the existing literature relevant to the effect of metallic NPs on P450s, ALT and AST (aminotransferases) enzymes. It was found that the predominant effect of metallic NPs is the inhibition of the CYP 450 gene and protein expression and induction of aminotransferases, which highlights their potential interaction and induction of drug-associated toxicity as well as their hepatotoxicity. However, further studies are recommended to investigate the effect of NPs size, morphology, surface area, charge, and NPs coating on the expression of these enzymes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Gram negative bacteria (GNB) has become a critical health concern across the globe. Unveiling of β-lactamase, extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC β-lactamase producing bacteria has led to the development of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO’s). Carbapenems are considered to be very effective in morbid infections caused by MDRO’s. Now, the upsurge of carbapenem resistance among GNB is an issue of concern as these infections are very difficult to treat. Rapid and reliable methods to detect these CPO’s in all Microbiology laboratories is essential to streamline the antimicrobial therapy. Accordingly, this study is conducted to determine the enormity of CPO’s among clinical isolates by various phenotypic tests along with differentiation of serine β-lactamases from metallo-β-lactamases. This is a Prospective Cross-sectional study meticulously planned & conducted for a period of one year. Among the 76 suspected Carbapenemase Producing Organisms (CPO’s), 42% were Klebsiella spp. followed by Escherichia coli (25%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24%), Citrobacter spp. (5%) and Proteus spp. (4%). Out of the total isolates 82% of the isolates were confirmed as CPO’s by Carba NP test, whereas 93% by mCIM test. 53% of the total isolates tested were Serine-β-lactamase producers and 41% were Metallo-β-lactamase producers. In conclusion, Carba NP test and mCIM in conjunction with eCIM test could be considered as reliable phenotypic diagnostic methods for carbapenemase detection to guide the clinicians for initiating antibiotic therapy.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease that is a significant cause of illness worldwide and has been declared one of the top ten causes of mortality across the world. It is well known that bacteria within biofilms exhibit much higher drug resistance than individual cells. Biofilms constitute a significant threat in the clinical environment by acting as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Thus, the formation of biofilms has been postulated to further aid in drug insensitivity and bacterial persistence within host tissues. The rapid increase in drug resistance in Mycobacteria poses a significant challenge to TB eradication and needs to be addressed soon. In this review, we have attempted to frame a general overview of mycobacterial pathogenesis, the role of biofilm formation in enhancing its shelf life, and some natural compounds and nanoparticles as emerging novel therapeutics reported to inhibit biofilm formation in mycobacteria. Therefore, we present some recent advances which might have potential applications in new treatment regimens for Tuberculosis.

Recent emergence of carbapenem resistant non-fermenting Gram negative bacteria (CRNFGNB) predominantly Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species are responsible for significant proportion of nosocomial infections with increased mortality. Of the various mechanisms known, carbapenemases especially metallo beta lactamase (MBL) mediated resistance is the most concerning because of its easy transmissibility via mobile genetic elements and lack of MBL inhibitors for clinical use. In the present study we determined to estimate the prevalence of carbapenem resistant Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter species, their resistance mechanisms by phenotypic tests and synergistic studies with Colistin and carbapenems combination by checkerboard assay. Carbapenem resistance among these two bacteria is 53.2% being isolated predominantly from pus and endotracheal secretions and from patients within the age group of less than 9 years (44%) and more than 60 years (23%). The incidence of carbapenemase and MBL production in NFGNB is 89.8% and 87.9%, respectively. Only Colistin and Tigecycline show significant antibacterial activity while most of the tested antibiotics were found to be least effective against carbapenem resistant NFGNB. Colistin and Imipenem combination demonstrated synergistic activity in majority of the NFGNB species; however, translation of such in vitro efficacy models into highly variable in vivo conditions could be possible only with strong clinical support.

Maintaining proper sanitation and behavior of food handlers is crucial in determining the quality of food. In addition, the presence of Escherichia coli indicates food contamination, which can lead to foodborne illness. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the role of sanitation hygiene and food handlers’ behavior on the occurrence of Escherichia coli contamination in food served to children at Elementary Schools and Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI). In this study, an analytical survey method with a cross-sectional design was employed. The population consisted of 78 individuals involved in selling children’s food during the January 2023 period. The sample consisted of 43 food vendors who were selected using a purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria were respondents who sell food in Elementary Schools and MI, and the exclusion criteria were those who sell covered or packaged food. Data were collected through observation sheets and interviews, and data analysis involved both univariate and bivariate methods, using the Chi-Square test. The results showed that 31 respondents (72.1%) adhered to sanitary hygiene requirements, 33 respondents (76.7%) fulfilled the criteria for food handlers’ behavior, and 9 respondents (20.9%) had their food contaminated with Escherichia coli. There is a relationship between sanitation hygiene and Escherichia coli contamination in children’s food in Elementary Schools and MI (p-value = 0.00). Additionally, a correlation was observed between food handlers’ behavior and Escherichia coli contamination in food served at both types of schools (p-value = 0.00). These results emphasized the importance of street food vendors consistently prioritizing and implementing proper food sanitation, hygiene and healthy practices. This method was crucial to prevent Escherichia coli contamination and ensure the safety of the food served to children.

The present study was carried out between 2016 and 2020 in Makour Hamou Public Hospital, Ain Defla district, North Centre of Algeria. The study aimed to characterise the antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance in bacteria isolated from 620 patients with purulent skin wounds. Out of the 428 bacterial isolates, 283 were Gram-positive (66.12 ± 4.48%) (P<0.001). A total number of 77 Staphylococcus aureus isolates were obtained, among them 31.2 ± 9.3% (24/77) were methicillin-resistant. The most frequent Gram-negative bacteria were Escherichia coli (30.34±7.4%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (25.52±7.10%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (23.45±6.70%). All Staphylococcus aureus isolates (77/77) were sensitive to clindamycin. Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to several antibiotics with high resistance rates to amoxicillin (38/44; 86.4 ± 10.1%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (30/44; 68.2 ± 13.8%), cefazolin (21/44; 47.7 ± 7.5%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (16/44; 36.4 ± 14.2%) (P<0.001). All Gram-negative bacteria were sensitive to amikacin (145/145) and only one Gram-positive isolate (99.65 ± 0.69%) was resistant to vancomycin. Multidrug resistance was observed in 31.54% of isolates; it was significantly higher in Gram-negative compared to Gram-positive bacteria (62/145; 42.76 ± 8% and 73/283; 25.79 ± 5.10%, respectively) (P<0.001). Multidrug resistance rate was significantly correlated to patients’ age (P<0.001) but not according to years. These results showed the presence of different bacteria species from human wound infections. The resistance to one or multiple antibiotics were frequent. It is recommended to reduce irrational use of antibiotics and a more frequent use of antibiogram before any antibiotic prescription.

Ipomoea pes-caprae is one of the herbal plants that can treat various health problems such as skin infections, burns, boils, and various diseases caused by microbial infections. This study aims to identify ethanol extract compounds of I. pes-caprae leaf and evaluate their antibiofilm activity through in-vitro and in-silico assays. This study used two test bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Methicilin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Antibacterial activity is carried out using the agar diffusion method and antibiofilm using a microplate reader. The biological activity was also evaluated through a computational approach using molecular docking. The results of preliminary test demonstrated the antibacterial activity. At a concentration of 100 mg/mL, I. pes-caprae extract produced a substantial inhibitory zone of 13.9 mm for P. aeruginosa and a moderate 8.5 mm zone for MRSA. The extract also showed high antibiofilm activity. It achieved impressive biofilm inhibition rates of 82.58% and 78.29%, respectively. Molecular docking shows the interaction between extract compounds and macromolecules that play a role in biofilm formation, namely SrtA and associated protein biofilms. 1,3,4,5-Tetrahydroxy-Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acid has the lowest binding energy of -7.5 Kcal/Mol and -5.9 Kcal/Mol at each target receptor. This study demonstrated the antibiofilm potential of I. pes-caprae extract, which was clarified through molecular docking studies.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections diagnosed in clinical practice. Treatment is often initiated before microbiological confirmation and anti-microbial susceptibility testing. With the rapidly rising antibiotic resistance treatment failures are not uncommon. Beta-lactamase production by gram-negative bacteria causing UTI is the commonest mode of drug resistance. The aim of current study was to detect and determine the hospital based prevalence of UTI, causative uropathogens and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. A total of 9,518 clean catch, mid stream urine samples were processed over 2 years. Semi-quantitative urine cultures and AST were performed. Diverse underlying resistance mechanisms were determined by detecting ESBLs, Carbapenemases, AmpC β-Lactamases, and Metallo-β-Lactamases through various standardized phenotypic methods. Out of the 9,518 samples tested 1171 (12.3%) were culture positive. Majority (66.7%) were from female patients. Highest prevalence (60%) was seen in patients > 40 years of age. E. coli (48%) was the predominant causative organism, followed by Enterococcus spp. (23%). Among GNB high resistance rates were observed against Beta-lactams, Beta-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations, and fluoroquinolones. 34.5% of GNB were confirmed as ESBL, 40% as carbapenemase, 36.5% as AmpC β-Lactamase, and 41.5% as MBL producers. We found very high levels of resistance against a broad range of antibiotics including the most widely used β-lactam group. With the resistance slopes getting steeper and steeper empirical treatment of UTIs might be fraught with the danger of many failures. Culturing and performing AST for all patients with UTI might be a prudent step for their rationale treatment and a step forward in halting the emergence of further resistance.

In India and other affected countries, Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has shown faster transmission but less clinical severities when compared to Delta strain. Present study was aimed to investigate how molecular changes in the spike proteins of Omicron variant has increased its transmission but reduced the disease severity. We report molecular interactions of Spike proteins of Delta and Omicron variants with ACE-2 receptor to explain how change in chemical and physical nature of mutated amino acids of Omicron variant has affected the internalization competence of virus into host cell. The Research Collaboratory Structural Bioinformatics (RCSB) and Protein Data Bank (PDB) were used to construct ACE2-Spike Protein interaction. The binding affinity of both omicron and delta variant spike proteins with human ACE2 receptor was observed. Spike protein of Omicron variants has revealed total number of 93 dissimilarities of amino acids from Delta strain,15 of which are in its Receptor Binding Domain (RBD). Our study showed that RBD of Delta variant contained only one hydrophobic amino acid whereas there were 6 hydrophobic amino acids in the RBD of Omicron variant. We report that increased number of Hydrophobic Amino Acids in RBD of Omicron variant affects its binding with ACE2 receptor to enter into the cell. The failure of internalization of virus has increased concentration of extracellular virions at nasopharyngeal region leading to faster expulsion of infective droplets during coughing or sneezing to increase transmission but has reduced the severity of infection. The reported observations could prove to be of public health and therapeutic significance.