Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) deficient Salmonella Typhimurium displays enhanced susceptibility towards β-lactam antibiotics: third-generation cephalosporins (ceftazidime) and carbapenems (meropenem)

The invasive non-typhoidal serovar of Salmonella enterica, namely Salmonella Typhimurium ST313, causes bloodstream infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Like other bacterial pathogens, the development of antimicrobial resistance is a severe problem in curing non-typhoidal Salmonella infection. In this work, we have investigated the role of four prominent outer membrane porins of S. Typhimurium, namely OmpA, OmpC, OmpD, and OmpF, in resistance against broad-spectrum β-lactam antibiotics- ceftazidime and meropenem. We found that deleting OmpA from Salmonella makes the bacteria susceptible to β-lactam drugs. The MIC for both the antibiotics reduced significantly for STM ΔompA compared to the wild-type and the ompA complemented strains. Despite the presence of antibiotics, the uninterrupted growth of STM ΔompC, ΔompD, and ΔompF endorsed the dispensability of these three porins in antimicrobial resistance. The β-lactam antibiotics caused massive depolarization in the outer membrane of the bacteria in the absence of OmpA. We have proved that none of the extracellular loops but the complete structure of perfectly folded OmpA is required by the bacteria for developing antimicrobial resistance. Our data revealed that STM ΔompA consumed more antibiotics than the wild-type and the complemented strain, resulting in severe damage of the bacterial outer membrane and subsequent killing of the pathogen by antibiotic-mediated oxidative stress. Upon deleting ompA, the steady decrease in the relative proportion of antibiotic-resistant persisters and the clearance of the STM ΔompA from the liver and spleen of C57BL/6 mice upon treatment with ceftazidime proved the role of OmpA in rendering protection against β-lactam antibiotics.

Nematode–Microbe Complexes in Soils Replanted with Apple

Apple replant disease is a severe problem in orchards and tree nurseries. Evidence for the involvement of a nematode–microbe disease complex was reported. To search for this complex, plots with a history of apple replanting, and control plots cultivated for the first time with apple were sampled in two fields in two years. Shoot weight drastically decreased with each replanting. Amplicon sequencing of the nematode community and co-extracted fungal and bacterial communities revealed significant differences between replanted and control plots. Free-living nematodes of the genera Aphelenchus and Cephalenchus and an unidentified Dorylaimida were associated with replanted plots, as indicated by linear discriminant analysis effect size. Among the co-extracted fungi and bacteria, Mortierella and Methylotenera were most indicative of replanting. Some genera, mostly Rhabditis, Streptomyces and a fungus belonging to the Chaetomiaceae indicated healthy control plots. Isolating and investigating the putative disease complexes will help to understand and alleviate stress-induced root damage of apple in replanted soil.

Transcriptional analysis of Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 cryptic species under the selection pressure of neonicotinoids imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiamethoxam

Background Neonicotinoids are widely applied in the control of the destructive agricultural pest Bemisia tabaci, and resistance against these chemicals has become a common, severe problem in the control of whiteflies. To investigate the molecular mechanism underlying resistance against nenonicotinoids in whiteflies, RNA-seq technology was applied, and the variation in the transcriptomic profiles of susceptible whiteflies and whiteflies selected by imidacloprid, acetamiprid and thiamethoxam treatment was characterized. Results A total of 90.86 GB of clean sequence data were obtained from the 4 transcriptomes. Among the 16,069 assembled genes, 584, 110 and 147 genes were upregulated in the imidacloprid-selected strain (IMI), acetamiprid-selected strain (ACE), and thiamethoxam (THI)-selected strain, respectively, relative to the susceptible strain. Detoxification-related genes including P450s, cuticle protein genes, GSTs, UGTs and molecular chaperone HSP70s were overexpressed in the selected resistant strains, especially in the IMI strain. Five genes were downregulated in all three selected resistant strains, including 2 UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 2B18-like genes (LOC 109030370 and LOC 109032577). Conclusions Ten generations of selection with the three neonicotinoids induced different resistance levels and gene expression profiles, mainly involving cuticle protein and P450 genes, in the three selected resistant whitefly strains. The results provide a reference for research on resistance and cross-resistance against neonicotinoids in B. tabaci.

Recent Patents on Petroleum Pipe Inspection Gauge in China

Background: With a great growing demand for petroleum, the amount of petroleum pipe is also increasing, and petroleum pipe blockage has become a severe problem in China. It is necessary to clean and inspect the petroleum pipe regularly. But the current petroleum pipe in-spection gauge can very easily block the petroleum pipe ,while the cleaning efficiency is poor. Therefore, the anti-blocking capacity and high-efficiency cleaning ability of the petroleum pipe inspection gauge has been paid more and more attention. Objective: By analyzing and discussing the patents of petroleum pipe inspection gauges in China in recent years, the future design of petro-leum pipe inspection gauge has been provided and some valuable conclusions have been summarized to solve the current problems of pipe inspection gauge. Methods: This paper studied and compared various representative patents relevant to the petroleum pipe inspection gauge. Results: By summarizing a large number of patents about petroleum pipe inspection gauges in China, the anti-blocking capacity or cleaning efficiency of those patents are analyzed and compared, and the further development tendency of petroleum pipe inspection gauges has been discussed. Conclusion: The problems of easy blocking for petroleum pipe inspection gauge and poor cleaning efficiency are still exist. It is still the main development trend for the study on anti-blocking capacity and the improvement of cleaning efficiency. The future work can be focused on pigging technical cooperation, new materials, power source and intelligent control.

Recent Developments of Hydrogel Based Solar Water Purification Technology

Water scarcity is a severe problem all over the world, however most current large-scale water purification technologies are energy-intensive and require high capital and maintenance costs. Recently, hydrogel-based solar water...

Verifiable Authentication and Issuance of Academic Certificates using Permissioned Blockchain Network

Fake certificates pose a severe problem in today's world; they vouch for an individual's false skillset and put an organization's reputation at risk. Moreover, the existing verification process is performed in a centralized manner, often too cumbersome and time-consuming to the end-user, lacking transparency in the educational institutions' Issuance of certificates. Of-late, blockchain is a promising technology that provides transparent, secure, and reliable features, which offers solutions to the education sector. This paper provides the solution to the educational certification problem by employing the blockchain network. We proposed a permissioned blockchain network that identifies, authenticates the Issuer, adequate verification, securely shares academic records to the recipients, and stores the certificate credentials in the blockchain in a distributed manner.

Legal Comparison against the Death Penalty Sanctions regulated in the Positive Laws of Indonesia and China

Corruption is a severe problem worldwide, so it takes a strict rule of law and strong law enforcement efforts to eradicate it. China's legal system has proven to be effective in reducing corruption among state officials. One of China's anti-corruption efforts is to impose harsh penalties on perpetrators, including the death penalty. In light of this success, this study will conduct a legal comparison with the death penalty, which is regulated in Indonesian and Chinese positive law. The type of research used is normative juridical with a conceptual and statute approach. The data processed in this study include primary data and secondary data with data collection techniques and management using a literature review. The findings of this study highlight the threat of the Death Penalty, as outlined in Article 2 Paragraph (2) of the Corruption Crime Act, which focuses on corrupt acts committed under certain conditions. In Indonesia, no one has ever been sentenced to death for corruption. The People's Republic of China's Criminal Law of the death penalty threat has existed since 1900 AD. Article 383 of the Chinese Criminal Code stipulates that anyone who accepts bribes is subject to the death penalty. A significant difference from this Comparison lies in the classification of capital punishment with a corruption amount of more than 50,000 Yuan and for bribery cases in Chinese regulations. Meanwhile, there is no such regulation in Article 2 paragraph (2) of the Indonesian Corruption Laws.

Management of Acne in Unani System of Medicine: A Case Report

Introduction: Acne is a common skin disorder of pilosebaceous gland. It caused due to excessive production of sebum, hyperkeratinisation and proliferation of Propionibacterium acnes bacteria. Case presentation: This case report is of 38 years of female having severe problem of acne. She has no family history and her menstrual order was normal. Previously she had taken modern medicine orally and topically but did not relieve. Conclusion: The treatment with Majoon Ushbah orally and multicomponent powdered formulation applied topically proved to be effective. There was significant (p<0.05) reduction of Global Acne Grading Score (GAGS) nearly 81% as compared to baseline. VAS (Visual Analogue Scale)) indicated changes in appearance and symptoms at the end of study. There was significant improvement in DQLI (Dermatology Quality of Life Index). The tested drug proved to be effective in management of acne

Cryotherapy as A Prophylaxis of Mucositis in Children with Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital

Background: Mucositis is one of the side effects of chemotherapy, which can be a severe problem for children with cancer. Cryotherapy can cause vasoconstriction and decrease blood flow to the oral mucosa, resulting in lower concentrations of chemotherapy agents to prevent mucositis. This study aims at determining the effectiveness of oral cryotherapy as prophylaxis mucositis in children with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.Methods: This quasi-experiment study with a pretest-posttest control-group design involved 45 respondents (22 in the intervention group and 23 in the control group) selected using consecutive sampling. The data collection instrument was the WHO mucositis scale. Results: Of the 45 children undergoing chemotherapy, 24 (53.3%) were of school age, 25 (55.6%) were male, 33 (73.3%) had good nutritional status, and 17 (37.8%) had mild neutropenia before undergoing chemotherapy. All respondents (100%) did not experience mucositis, but after chemotherapy, 9 children (40.9%) in the intervention group had mucositis, and 19 children (82.6%) experienced mucositis in the control group. The data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon test to see the difference between the intervention group and the control group and the Chi-Square test with Yates’s correction to see the effect of cryotherapy on the prevention of mucositis. The results showed that there was a difference in the incidence of mucositis between before and after intervention in the intervention group (p = 0.003) and the control group (p = 0.000), and cryotherapy was effective in preventing mucositis (p = 0.01).Conclusions: Cryotherapy is effective against the prevention of mucositis. Nurses and families need to be able to apply oral cryotherapy and other evidence-based treatment as a method to prevent mucositis

Extracellular Nucleotides Affect the Proangiogenic Behavior of Fibroblasts, Keratinocytes, and Endothelial Cells

Chronic wound healing is currently a severe problem due to its incidence and associated complications. Intensive research is underway on substances that retain their biological activity in the wound microenvironment and stimulate the formation of new blood vessels critical for tissue regeneration. This group includes synthetic compounds with proangiogenic activity. Previously, we identified phosphorothioate analogs of nucleoside 5′-O-monophosphates as multifunctional ligands of P2Y6 and P2Y14 receptors. The effects of a series of unmodified and phosphorothioate nucleotide analogs on the secretion of VEGF from keratinocytes and fibroblasts, as well as their influence on the viability and proliferation of keratinocytes, fibroblasts, and endothelial cells were analyzed. In addition, the expression profiles of genes encoding nucleotide receptors in tested cell models were also investigated. In this study, we defined thymidine 5′-O-monophosphorothioate (TMPS) as a positive regulator of angiogenesis. Preliminary analyses confirmed the proangiogenic potency of TMPS in vivo.