Antibiotic Resistance and Carriage Class 1 and 2 Integrons in Clinical Isolates of Acinetobacter Baumannii From Tehran, Iran.

Antibiotic resistance and carriage class 1 and 2 integrons in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii from Tehran, Iran.

Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Feb; 3(2): 140-145
Mirnejad R, Mostofi S, Masjedian F, Fooladi AA

To investigate antibiotic resistance and carriage class 1 and 2 integrons in clinical isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) from Tehran, Iran.Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The presence of integrons was investigated by PCR using specific primers.Among isolated A. baumannii strains, 82% were multidrug resistant, 27 samples (54%) were resistant to three or more than three antibiotics and 16 samples (32%) showed resistance to two antibiotics. Integrons were detected from 44 of 50 isolates (88%), with classes 1 and 2 being observed in 42% (21/50) and 82% (41/50) of isolates, respectively. Integron-positive A. baumannii isolates showed higher antibiotic resistance than integron-negative isolates and all showed a multidrug-resistant phenotype.Our findings show that classes 1 and 2 integrons, and especially classes 2 integrons are widely disseminated among A. baumannii strains isolated from Tehran and these structures are playing a major role in the acquisition of multidrug resistance in these strains. So monitoring of drug resistance with investigating carriage class 1 and 2 integrons is very important to plan speci?c infection control measures due to multidrug resistance A. baumannii in Iran hospitals. HubMed – drug

 

Hepatoprotective effect of acetone semicarbazone on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma induced carcinogenesis in experimental mice.

Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2013 Feb; 3(2): 105-110
Islam F, Ali SM, Khanam JA, Kabir SR

To determine the hepatoprotective effect of acetone semicarbazone (ASC) in vivo in normal and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) bearing male Swiss albino mice.Drug-induced changes in biochemical and behavioral parameters at dose of 2.0 mg/kg body weight for 14 d and nullifying the toxicity induced by EAC cells were studied. The histopathology studies of the protective effects of ASC on vital organs were also assessed.The administration of ASC made insignificant changes in body weight and behavioral (salivation, diarrhea, muscular numbness) changes during treatment period due to minor toxicity were minimized after the treatment in normal mice. The biochemical parameters, including serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, glutamate oxaloactate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, serum glucose, cholesterol, urea, triglyceride and billirubin changed modestly in normal mice receiving ASC. Though the treatment continued, these values gradually decreased to normal level after the treatment. In EAC bearing mice, the toxic effects due to EAC cells in all cases were nullified by treatment with the ASC. Significant abnormalities were not detected in histology of the various organs of the normal mice treated with ASC.ASC can, therefore, be considered safe in formulating novel anticancer drug, as it exhibits strong protective effect against EAC cell bearing mice. HubMed – drug

 

Pharmacological properties of Datura stramonium L. as a potential medicinal tree: An overview.

Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2012 Dec; 2(12): 1002-1008
Soni P, Siddiqui AA, Dwivedi J, Soni V, Sahu RK

India has a great wealth of various naturally occurring plant drugs which have great potential pharmacological activities. Datura stramonium (D. stramonium) is one of the widely well known folklore medicinal herbs. The troublesome weed, D. stramonium is a plant with both poisonous and medicinal properties and has been proven to have great pharmacological potential with a great utility and usage in folklore medicine. D. stromonium has been scientifically proven to contain alkaloids, tannins, carbohydrates and proteins. This plant has contributed various pharmacological actions in the scientific field of Indian systems of medicines like analgesic and antiasthmatic activities. The present paper presents an exclusive review work on the ethnomedical, phytochemical, pharmacological activities of this plant. HubMed – drug

 

SKCa Channels Blockage Increases the Expression of Adenosine A2A Receptor in Jurkat Human T Cells.

Biores Open Access. 2013 Apr; 2(2): 163-168
Regaya I, Aidi-Knani S, By Y, Condo J, Gerolami V, Berge-Lefranc JL, Ben Hamida J, Sabatier JM, Fenouillet E, Guieu R, Ruf J

Adenosine is a nucleoside displaying various biological effects via stimulation of four G-protein-coupled receptors, A1, A2A, A2B, and A3. Adenosine also modulates voltage-gated (Kv) and small conductance calcium-activated (SKCa) potassium channels. The effect of these potassium channels on the expression of adenosine receptors is poorly understood. We evaluated the action of BgK (a natural Kv channel blocker) and Lei-Dab7 (a synthetic SKCa channel blocker) on the expression of adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) in Jurkat human T cells. We found that Lei-Dab7, but not BgK, increased the maximal binding value of the tritiated ligand ZM241385 to A2AR in a dose-dependent manner (+45% at 5?nM; +70% at 50?nM as compared to control). These results were further confirmed by Western blotting using a specific monoclonal antibody to human A2AR. The ligand affinity-related dissociation constant and A2AR mRNA amount were not significantly modified by either drug. We suggest that modulation of SKCa channels can influence membrane expression of A2AR and thus has a therapeutic potential. HubMed – drug