Punica granatum L (pomegranate) is a deciduous shrub, native to Iran. Nowadays, besides its use as a fruit, its medicinal properties have attracted the interest of researchers of many countries. Pomegranate fruit has medicinal properties such as antiinflammatory and antibacterial activities. The pomegranate seed oil has inhibitory effect on skin and breast cancers. The pomegranate seed oil has phytoestrogenic compounds and the fruit is rich in phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. Ellagic acid is one of the main components of pomegranate with phenolic structure and antioxidant activity. This review article presents the recently published findings on different aspects of this plant focusing on its medicinal properties

Background:Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of main health problems caused by many microorganisms, including uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). UPEC strains are the most frequent pathogens responsible for 85% and 50% of community and hospital acquired UTIs, respectively. UPEC strains have special virulence factors, including type 1 fimbriae, which can result in worsening of UTIs.Objectives:This study was performed to detect type 1 fimbriae (the FimH gene) among UPEC strains by molecular method.Materials and Methods:A total of 140 isolated E. coli strains from patients with UTI were identified using biochemical tests and then evaluated for the FimH gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.Results:The UPEC isolates were identified using biochemical tests and were screened by PCR. The fimH gene was amplified using specific primers and showed a band about 164 bp. The FimH gene was found in 130 isolates (92.8%) of the UPEC strains. Of 130 isolates positive for the FimH gene, 62 (47.7%) and 68 (52.3%) belonged to hospitalized patients and outpatients, respectively.Conclusions:The results of this study indicated that more than 90% of E. coli isolates harbored the FimH gene. The high binding ability of FimH could result in the increased pathogenicity of E. coli; thus, FimH could be used as a possible diagnostic marker and/or vaccine candidate.

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This study was conducted to identify patterns of cagA EPIYA motifs in H . pylori strains isolated from patients with gastrointestinal diseases in Hospitals of Shahrekord, and investigate the association between these biomarkers and clinical outcomes of gastrointestinal diseases due to H . pylori . In this study, 253 patients with gastrointestinal diseases were studied within 1395–1396. Histopathological investigations and urease test showed that 207 isolates were H . pylori -positive. Then, screening using a molecular technique, PCR, confirmed that 159 isolates had cagA. Finally, the pattern and prevalence of the motifs were determined by PCR and identified a number of motifs were sequenced. Results of this study showed that the pattern of motifs was as follows: ABC (140 isolates) (93/7%), ABCC (6 isolates) (3/77%), ABCCC (4 isolates) (2/5%), AB (7 isolates) (4/4%), AC (1 isolate) (0/6%), and BC (1 isolate) (0/6%). Sequencing results showed the presence of changed EPIYA motif in some isolates. CM motif sequence was also seen in all isolates. In this study, no significant association was seen between the prevalence rate of different patterns and clinical symptoms ( p = 0.71). There is a slight association between the presence of ABC motifs and the type of digestive disorder (p = 0.056). Results indicated that ABC was the most frequently seen pattern however, in such that positive cases of ABC motifs were more common in gastritis. All isolates had kinase phosphorylation region, and the observed pattern in this region was a generally western type (ABC).

ObjectiveOne of the most important causes of nosocomial infections is Staphylococcus aureus. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of these genes and the rate of expression of these genes during nasal colonization among the personnel of Kashani and Hajar hospitals.ResultsIn this Analytical-descriptive study, 240 nasal swab specimens were collected from personnel of different departments of Kashani and Hajar hospitals in Shahr-e-kord. Nasal specimens were cultured and 110 Staphylococcus strains were isolated. Based on the results, 110 carriers of Staphylococcus aureus were identified. The frequency of clfA, clfB, fnbA and fnbB genes were 36.3%, 86.3%, 7.2% and 43.6% respectively. It was also observed that the fnbA gene showed no expression, but of 95 clfB-positive samples, 73 isolates (76.8%) were expressed clfB gene. This study showed that the abundance of these genes varies in nasal colonization. It was also observed that clfB gene with a high frequency and high expression rate has an important role in nose colonization. These results not only provide insight into the factors involved in S. aureus colonization but also provide potential therapeutic targets.

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Background and aims: Carbapenems are the final-line treatments for multidrug-resistant, gram-negative infections. The patterns of resistance to carbapenems among hospital bacterial pathogens vary widely across different hospitals in a country. Considering that Escherichia coli is one of the most important causes of nosocomial infections, it is essential to study its drug resistance. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, a total of 80 samples of E. coli isolated from inpatients with urinary tract infections (UTIs) were collected in different wards (i.e., women, urology, infectious, and ICU) of Shahrekord hospitals. After the diagnosis and confirmation of bacteria by standard bacteriological methods, their sensitivity to imipenem and meropenem was investigated by the antibiogram (diskdiffusion) method. Then, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the E-test strip according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) standard. Results: In this study, resistance to meropenem and imipenem by antibiogram (disc diffusion) was observed in 21 (25.26%) and 20 (25%) of the isolates, respectively. Twenty isolates had MIC ≥4 μg/mL for meropenem, 13 isolates demonstrated MIC≥4 μg/mL for imipenem, and 14 isolates had 1≤MIC<4 μg/mL and were semi-sensitive. Conclusion: In general, E. coli had significant resistance to carbapenems. Therefore, rapid and accurate identification of these strains can be a major step to the treatment and control of these strains and prevention of the spread of the resistance.

Background: Klebsiella is one of the Enterobacteriaceae family that causes infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections (UTI), and meningitis. Klebsiella strains are capable of producing enzymes that can degrade the third-generation of cephalosporins known as broad-spectrum beta-lactamase enzymes. The resistance of Klebsiella strains to β-lactam antibiotics is related to the presence of β-lactamase genes. Methods:In this study, 90 isolates of Klebsiella were isolated from two inpatient and outpatient groups, each of them was 45 isolates, which were collected from patients with urinary tract infection in educational hospitals of Shahrekord. The isolates were identified using phenotypic agar diffusion, disc phenotypic confirmation tests, and E-test of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). The PCR molecular method was used to diagnose and determine the strains containing broad-spectrum β-lactamases. Results: Thirty (66%) inpatients and 8 (17.8%) outpatients had broad-spectrum β-lactamase enzymes. The frequency of β-lactamase OXA-10 genes and PER in inpatients were 90% and 33%, respectively and also in outpatients were 50% and 12.5%, respectively. Conclusions:This study showed that the prevalence of isolated Klebsiella producing broad-spectrum β-lactamases is higher in inpatients in comparison to outpatients. Therefore, the rapid and accurate identification of bacteria and their resistance genes in clinical microbiology labs are highly recommended.