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Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant global health threat by reducing the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics, particularly against pathogens like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This study investigates the antimicrobial potential of rhizospheric soil bacteria from Prosopis cineraria (Sangri) in the Thar Desert. Bacterial strains isolated from these samples were observed to produce secondary metabolites, notably, Iturin A C-15 cyclic lipopeptide (SS1-3-P) which was extracted from strain Enterobacter cloacae SS1-3 and was purified and characterized using reverse-phase HPLC, ESI-LC/MS, Nile-Red Assay, and FT-IR analysis. The presence of the Iturin A biosynthetic gene cluster was confirmed using gene-specific polymerase chain reaction and the biocompatibility of the purified product was assessed on HEK-293, WI38, and human RBCs. The potential of SS1-3-P to bind to and destroy MRSA membranes was validated using molecular dynamics simulation along with membranolysis and membrane depolarization assays. Antimicrobial assays like growth curve analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and ROS generation confirmed the efficacy of SS1-3-P against clinical MRSA. Furthermore, the antibiofilm and anti-virulence properties of SS1-3-P were studied meticulously. Studies on NIH/3T3 cell lines and a murine excisional wound model showed significant wound-healing attributes of the lipopeptide. These results highlight the potential of desert ecosystems in developing effective antimicrobial therapies against recalcitrant nosocomial pathogens like MRSA., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted surgical volume reductions due to lockdown measures. This study evaluates COVID-19's impact on gender-affirming surgery (GAS) volume and complications from the pandemic onset through the recovery period., Methods: The 2019-2021 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases were queried for transgender or gender-diverse patients using ICD-10 codes. Five time periods were analyzed: Pre-pandemic, Immediate pre-pandemic and COVID-19 outbreak, Initial COVID-19 peak, Pre-COVID-19 vaccine, and Post-vaccine release. Complications included reoperation, urinary tract infections, and wound complications. Multivariate logistic regressions assessed factors associated with undergoing surgery during the initial COVID-19 peak and experiencing surgical complications., Results: Out of 2,963,230 patients, 4637 underwent GAS between 2019 and 2021. Chest feminizing and masculinizing procedures comprised 60.1% of all GAS. During the initial COVID-19 peak, all GAS surgeries nearly halved, with breast augmentations dropping to 15.3% of pre-pandemic volumes. White patients constituted a significantly higher proportion of GAS patients during the initial COVID-19 peak than in 2019 (74.7% vs. 61.0%, p = 0.014). Post-vaccine, GAS levels surged, exceeding pre-pandemic volumes by 45.5% and initial peak levels by 188.5%. The overall complication rate was 4.9%, and was significantly associated with older age, increased operative time, feminizing and masculinizing genital surgeries, and hysterectomies. The initial COVID-19 peak showed no significant correlations with surgical complications., Conclusions: GAS volume temporarily decreased during the initial COVID-19 outbreak and has since rebounded and surpassed pre-pandemic levels, corresponding with past-decade trends. Complication risks remained consistent despite the pandemic, though the results highlight potentially significant race-based disparities in GAS access during COVID-19., Important Points: During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health measures led to severe volume reductions in gender-affirming surgical (GAS) procedures. Since the initial COVID-19 peak, GAS volumes have fully recovered and surpassed pre-pandemic volumes. Surgical complication rates for various GAS procedures were within expected ranges, emphasizing the overall safety of these surgeries. The study's results highlight racial disparities in undergoing GAS during the COVID-19 pandemic, with White patients disproportionately represented among those who had surgery during the COVID-19 lockdown., Level of Evidence Iv: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 ., (© 2024. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature and International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.)

Thermophilic fungi are potential sources of thermostable enzymes and other value added products. Present study has focused on optimization of different physicochemical parameters for production of thermostable cellulases and xylanase by Thermoascus aurantiacus RCKK under SSF. Enzyme production was supported maximally on wheat bran fed with 20% inoculum, at initial pH 5, temperature 45 °C and moisture ratio 1:3. The supplementation of wheat bran with yeast extract, Tween-80 and glycine further improved enzyme titres (CMCase 88 IU/g, FPase 15.8 IU/g, β-glucosidase 25.3 IU/g and xylanase 6,543 IU/g). The crude enzymes hydrolyzed phosphoric acid-swollen wheat straw, avicel and untreated xylan up to 74, 71 and 90%, respectively. In addition, T. aurantiacus RCKK produced antioxidants as fermentation by-products with significant %DPPH(∙) scavenging, FRAP and in vivo antioxidant capacity against H2O2-treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These capabilities show that it holds potential to exploit crop by-products for providing various commodities.