Medical principles and practice : international journal of the Kuwait University, Health Science Centre
-
Education often reflects socioeconomic status. Research indicates that lower socioeconomic status may increase the risk of diverticulosis, and ccording to data from the USA, diverticular disease is a significant and costly health problem. Our study explores the link between educational level and colonic diverticula occurrence. ⋯ Low education correlated with higher colon diverticula risk, while medium education showed lower rates even after adjustments. This trend persisted at higher education levels, highlighting the potential for strategies for cost-reduction tailored to socioeconomic conditions.
-
HLA typing serves as a standard practice in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to ensure compatibility between donors and recipients, preventing the occurrence of allograft rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Conventional laboratory methods that have been widely employed in the past few years, including Sequence-Specific Primer PCR and Sequencing Based Typing (SBT), currently face the risk of becoming obsolete. This risk stems not only from the extensive diversity within HLA genes but also from the rapid advancement of Next Generation Sequencing and third-generation sequencing technologies. ⋯ It explores how the adoption of third-generation sequencing technologies can revolutionize the field by offering improved accuracy, reduced ambiguity, and enhanced assessment of compatibility in HSCT. Embracing these cutting-edge technologies is essential to advancing the success rates and outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This review underscores the importance of staying at the forefront of HLA typing techniques to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients undergoing HSCT.
-
The success in determining the whole genome sequence of a bacterial pathogen was first achieved in 1995 by determining the complete nucleotide sequence of Haemophilus influenzae Rd using the chain-termination method established by Sanger et al. in 1977 and automated by Hood et al. in 1987. However, this technology was laborious, costly, and time-consuming to obtain whole genome sequences. Since 2004, high-throughput next-generation sequencing technologies have been developed, which are highly efficient, require less time, and are cost-effective to perform whole genome sequencing (WGS) of all organisms, including bacterial pathogens. ⋯ WGS has also helped in determining resistance to antibiotics by the detection of antimicrobial resistance genes and point mutations. Furthermore, WGS data have helped in the epidemiological tracking and surveillance of pathogenic bacteria in healthcare settings as well as in communities. This review focuses on the above-mentioned applications of WGS in clinical bacteriology.
-
AAim: Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors have emerged as a vital part of management of type 2 diabetes, as they have been shown to have both cardiovascular and renal benefits along with an improved survival rate in several randomized clinical trials. We designed a retrospective cohort study to investigate the impact of SGLT2 inhibitors on mortality among type 2 diabetes patients. ⋯ This observational study demonstrated substantial long-term reduction in mortality risk among patients with type 2 diabetes treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. This is irrespective of the stage of their renal diseases or GLP1 agonist.
-
Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is an opportunistic bacterium with multiple virulence factors, including capsule and biofilm, and is known for its high drug resistance. Anti-virulence natural substances have been suggested as novel alternatives to conventional antibiotics. We aimed to evaluate the effect of citric acid and ascorbic acid as anti-biofilm and anti-capsular agents against multidrug resistant (MDR) A. baumannii clinical isolates. ⋯ Phenotypically, all the isolates were biofilm producers and were capsulated. The MIC of citric acid ranged from 1.25 to 2.5 mg/ml while that of ascorbic acid was 3 mg/ml for all isolates. Both agents showed significant reduction in biofilm and capsular thinning. Ascorbic acid showed a dose-dependent effect in both biofilm reduction and capsule thinning unlike citric acid. Four genes, papG23, sfa1, fyuA and cvaC, were absent among all isolates, while iutA was present in 100% of isolates. Other genes showed different distributions among the isolates. These virulence genes were not correlated to the antibiofilm effect of both agents. Ascorbic acid was observed to have a better effect than citric acid. This can provide a clue for a better treatment regimen including ascorbic acid against MDR A. baumannii infections. .