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Abstract Background and Objective: Klebsiella pneumoniae is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen causing a variety of infections including urinary tract infections, pneumonia, septicemia, wound infections and infections in the intensive care units. Since the ESBL producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains are increasingly causing urinary tract infections, we aim to assess antibiotic resistance pattern and evaluate the prevalence of ESBL in Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from urinary tract infections. Material and Methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted on 122 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains collected from Zahedan hospitals. After final identification of isolates, antibiotic susceptibility tests were carried out by using disk diffusion in agar method for 16 antibiotics and ESBL production was determined by the combined disk method. Results: The Klebsiella pneumoniae strains showed susceptibility to imipenem and amikacin ( 94.3%) ,chloramphenicol (88.5%) , gentamicin (81.1%) , ciprofloxacin (80.3%) , cefepime (73%) ,streptomycin (72.1%), nalidixic acid (68%) , tetracycline (65.6%), and cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefpodoxime (62.3%) . The resistance of strains was seen to nitrofurantoin (53.3%), cotrimoxazole (39.3%), Cefpodoxime (37.7%), cefotaxime (36.9%), ceftriaxone (36.1%), aztreonam (34.4%), ceftazidime (32.8%). Thirty-eight isolates (31.1%) were shown to produce ESBLs. Conclusion: A high rate of resistance was observed to most of the antibiotics among ESBL producing strains therefore, it is important to be careful about the use of antibiotics and identification of ESBL using phenotypic methods. Keywords: Antibiotic Resistance, Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamases,KlebsiellaPneumoniae, Urinary Tract Infection, Isolate

Background and Objective: Enterococci is gram positive bacteria which is the inhabitants of gastrointestinal tract. Hospital infections and antibiotic resistance to enterococci is increased. This study was done to determine the molecular evaluation of vanA and vanB genes of enterococci isolates resistant to Vancomycin and Teicoplanin. Methods: In this descriptive study, 113 isolates samples were collected and identified according to biochemical test and cultural characteristics in Ali ibn Abi Talib hospital in Zahedan, Iran. Antibiogram test was done to determine antibiotic resistance pattern. E-test strip was used to evaluate the minimum inhibitory of concentration (MIC). PCR was used to detect the vanA and vanB genotype in Vancomycin and Teicoplanin resistance enterococci. Results: 92%, 6.2% and 1.8% of isolated samles collocted from urine, blood culture and pleura fluid, respectively. According to phenotype, 18.6% and 17.69% were resistance to Vancomycin and Teicoplanin, respectively. Resistance was observed in strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium. VanA genotype was seen in all of the resistance isolated species. Conclusion: This study showed that strains of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium have more antibiotic resistance to the Vancomycin and Teicoplanin, morever vanA genotype precence in all of resistance isolated samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Silver nanoparticles are widely used in various fields such as industry, medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture. However, the inevitable release of these nanoparticles into the environment poses potential risks to ecosystems and may affect plant productivity. Coronatine is one of the newly identified compounds known for its beneficial influence on enhancing plant resilience against various stress factors. To evaluate the effectiveness of coronatine pretreatment in mitigating the stress induced by silver nanoparticles on cress plants, the present study was carried out., Results: Our findings indicated a decrease in multiple growth parameters, proline content, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids in cress plants exposed to silver nanoparticle treatment. This decline could be attributed to the oxidative stress induced by the presence of silver nanoparticles in the plants. Conversely, when coronatine treatment was applied, it effectively mitigated the reduction in growth parameters and pigments induced by the silver nanoparticles. Furthermore, we observed an increase in silver content in both the roots and shoot portions, along with elevated levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) content, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), anthocyanins, glutathione (GSH), and antioxidant enzyme activities in plants exposed to silver nanoparticles. Concurrently, there was a decrease in total phenolic compounds, ascorbate, anthocyanins, and proline content. Pre-treatment of cress seeds with coronatine resulted in increased levels of GSH, total phenolic compounds, and proline content while reducing the silver content in both the root and shoot parts of the plant., Conclusions: Coronatine pre-treatment appeared to enhance both enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities, thereby alleviating oxidative stress and improving the response to stress induced by silver nanoparticles., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The biochemical and growth changes resulting from exposure of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) seedlings to silver nanoparticles and silver were investigated. Over a two-week period, seedlings were exposed to different concentrations (0, 40, and 80 ppm) of silver nanoparticles and silver., Results: Our findings revealed that at concentrations of 40 and 80 ppm, both silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate led to decreased weight, root and shoot length, as well as chlorophyll a and b content. Conversely, these treatments triggered an increase in key biochemical properties, such as total phenols, carotenoids and anthocyanins, with silver nanoparticles showing a more pronounced effect compared to silver nitrate. Moreover, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) rose proportionally with treatment concentration, with the nanoparticle treatment exhibiting a more substantial increase. Silver content showed a significant upswing in both roots and leaves as treatment concentrations increased., Conclusions: Application of varying concentrations of silver nanoparticles and silver nitrate on basil plants resulted in reduced growth and lower chlorophyll content, while simultaneously boosting the production of antioxidant compounds. Notably, anthocyanin, carotenoid, and total phenol increased significantly. However, despite this increase in antioxidant activity, the plant remained unable to fully mitigate the oxidative stress induced by silver and silver nanoparticles., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A molecule's antibacterial and antiviral action is exclusively linked to substances that selectively eradicate bacteria and viruses or inhibit their growth without significantly damaging adjacent tissues. The purpose of this research is to evaluate quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis and the antibacterial effects of Manilkara zapota fruit extract on some Gram-positive ( Staphylococcus aureus , Enterococcus faecalis , Micrococcus luteus , Bacillus cereus , and Listeria monocytogenes ) and Gram-negative ( Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Klebsiella pneumoniae ) bacteria in laboratory conditions. Qualitative chemical screening was used to identify different classes of active chemical compounds, and quantitative analysis of the chemical composition of the plant was used to measure the contents of flavonoid, total phenol, anthocyanin, and antioxidant activity. Antibacterial effects of Manilkara zapota ethanol extract were determined by disk diffusion methods, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Qualitative chemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins, quinones, terpenoids, and glycosides while the presence of saponins was not observed. The bacterial inhibition zones against Listeria monocytogenes , Enterococcus faecalis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Staphylococcus aureus , Micrococcus luteus , Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Bacillus cereus are 15.44 ± 0.33, 12.23 ± 0.11, 8.85 ± 0.2, 14.22 ± 0.33, 15 ± 0.44, 9.33 ± 0.13, 10.33 ± 0.36 and 14.55 ± 0.45 mm, respectively. MIC and MBC of the extract in Gram-positive bacteria were 25 and 50, and in Gram-negative bacteria were 50 and 100 mg/ml, respectively. The findings imply that Manilkara zapota extract includes a good amount of plant compounds and can be a significant source for a variety of uses, including antibacterial., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Shahla Hashemi Shahraki et al.)

This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine household food security status and sociodemographic factors influencing it and to examine whether food insecurity of household is a risk factor for underweight, stunting, and thinness in primary school children of Sistan and Baluchestan Province in southeastern Iran. A sample of 610 students aged 7-11 years was selected by a multistage cluster random sampling method during December 2013-May 2014. Using U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Security questionnaire, 42.3% of households showed some degree of food insecurity. Food insecurity was positively associated with household size (p = .002) and number of children per household (p = .001) and negatively associated with mother's and father's education level (p = .005 and p = .042, respectively), father's occupation status, and household income (p < .0001). Children living in food insecure with severe hunger households were 10.13, 10.07, and 4.54 times as likely to be underweight, stunted, and thin, respectively, as counterparts from food secure households. The findings showed food insecurity was prevalent and associated with sociodemographic factors among households with schoolchildren in southeastern Iran. Nutritional status of children was also associated with food security status of their households.

Introduction: Traffic injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability in many countries. The knowledge, attitudes, and practice of drivers towards traffic regulations are key factors in decreasing traffic injuries and deaths. The objectives of this research were to study the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of taxi drivers towards traffic regulations in Bandar-Abbas, Iran, and to determine the relationships between demographic features and knowledge, attitudes, and practice of taxi drivers towards traffic regulations., Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in 2014 in Bandar-Abbas, Iran (Hormozgan Province). To study the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of 241 intra-city taxi drivers towards traffic regulations, researchers developed questionnaires and a checklist. The chi-squared test was performed to determine the relationships between knowledge, attitude, and practice of drivers towards traffic regulations and demographic features., Results: Among the 241 drivers, 50 of them (20.7%) thought that the seat belt could cause discomfort while driving, and 107 (44.4%) did not wear a seat belt while driving. The study determined that there was a significant difference between the knowledge and work experience of the drivers (p = 0.014). The 94 drivers (43.5%) in the 31-40 year age group had positive attitudes towards traffic regulations (among 216 drivers expressed positive attitudes) and 92 (44.4%) of the drivers in this age group had safe practices towards traffic regulations (among 207 drivers with safe practice)., Conclusion: Many of the taxi drivers in Bandar-Abbas had inadequate knowledge, less positive attitudes, and risky practices towards traffic regulations. Implementation of effective intervention programs may increase the taxi drivers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards traffic regulations.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate erythrocyte antioxidant enzyme activities in general and abdominal obese women., Methods: In this study, 160 women 20-45 years old were randomly selected. General information data were gathered from each sample using questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. Activities of erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes were also evaluated by measuring activities of copper zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) in selected subjects., Results: Mean activity of CuZn-SOD was significantly lower in overweight and obese groups compared to normal weight group (721 ± 81 vs. 987 ± 84, p < 0.01 and 638 ± 74 vs. 987 ± 84, p < 0.001, respectively). Furthermore, both erythrocyte GSH-Px (97.6 ± 45.2 vs. 148.7 ± 54.2, p < 0.01) and CAT (184.2 ± 37.8 vs. 316.7 ± 65.8, p < 0.01) activities was significantly lower in obese women compared to normal weight women. In addition, women with abdominal obesity had lower erythrocyte CuZn-SOD (632 ± 76 vs. 871 ± 84, p < 0.001), GSH-Px (103.6 ± 52.8 vs. 154.7 ± 62.4, p < 0.01) and CAT (216.6 ± 76.4 vs. 298.3 ± 71.1, p < 0.05) activities compared to women with normal body fat distribution. Moreover, multiple linear regression analysis suggests higher prediction of waist circumference (i.e. higher R(2)) on antioxidant enzyme activities in relation to other adiposity indicators., Conclusion: Our results provides further evidence suggesting that obesity and, especially, abdominal adiposity associated with decreased antioxidant enzyme activities which in turn, may contribute to oxidative stress related to obesity., (© 2014 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity . Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)