While it is reported that COVID-19 patients are more prone to secondary bacterial infections, which are strongly linked to the severity of complications of the disease, bacterial coinfections associated with COVID-19 are not widely studied. This work aimed to investigate the prevalence of bacterial coinfections and associated antibiotic resistance profiles among hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Age, gender, weight, bacterial identities, and antibiotic sensitivity profiles were collected retrospectively for 108 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and non-ICU ward of a single center in Saudi Arabia. ICU patients (60%) showed a significantly higher percentage of bacterial coinfections in sputum (74%) and blood (38%) samples, compared to non-ICU. Acinetobacter baumannii (56%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (56%) were the most prevalent bacterial species from ICU patients, presenting with full resistance to all tested antibiotics except colistin. By contrast, samples of non-ICU patients exhibited infections with Escherichia coli (31%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15%) predominantly, with elevated resistance of E. coli to piperacillin/tazobactam and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. This alarming correlation between multi-drug resistant bacterial coinfection and admission to the ICU requires more attention and precaution with prescribed antibiotics to limit the spread of resistant bacteria and improve therapeutic management.

Background/Aim: Persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) leaves are popular as a tea infusion in Asia and their main active ingredients are flavonoids. The present study aimed to explore the anticancer properties of flavonoids isolated from persimmon leaves (PLF). Materials and Methods: We investigated the in vitro anti-proliferative activity of PLF against several human cancer cell lines. Apoptosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by PLF were accessed using high-content analysis with florescent staining. The ability of PLF to scavenge free radicals was evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Results: PLF demonstrated significant inhibition of proliferation of liver, breast, and colorectal cancer cells in vitro. PLF induced apoptosis and increased intracellular ROS levels in HCT116 (colorectal cancer) and HepG2 (liver cancer) cells. In addition, PLF showed strong free radical scavenging ability. Conclusion: The anti-proliferation activity of PLF against cancer cells was related to the induction of apoptosis and oxidative stress.Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide and the second leading cause of death in the United States. In 2019, there were 1,762,450 new cancer cases and 606,880 cancer deaths in the United States (1). Current treatments for cancer, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have limited curative effects and notable side effects. In recent years, various traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have demonstrated great promise in treating cancer as they have anti-cancer (2) and immune-regulation (3) activities with reduced toxicity compared to existing chemotherapeutic drugs and decreased damage to normal tissue or cells. TCM have also demonstrated synergies with chemotherapeutic drugs, enhancing their therapeutic effects and reducing their toxicity (4).Persimmon leaves are the fresh or dried leaves of Diospyros kaki L. f., a species of the Ebenaceae family. Mentioned for the first time in Materia Medica of South Yunnan, a medical book written almost 600 years ago, persimmon leaves have been reported to promote the secretion of saliva, quench thirst, clear toxic heat, moisten the lung, strengthen the heart function, suppress cough, and improve clotting function (5). Because of these benefits and the absence of toxicity, users in Asian countries like China, Korea, Japan and India have developed a habit of drinking persimmon leaf tea to prevent or alleviate diseases such as cancer, hypertension, cerebral hemorrhage, and diabetes (6, 7). These uses have given persimmon leaves the reputation of "Treasure of Fitness" (8).Studies have shown that the main active ingredients of persimmon leaves are flavonoids (9). Flavonoids are known for their anticancer (10), antioxidant (11), antibacterial (12), and hemostatic (13) activities and protective activity for the cardiovascular system (14). Zhang et al. have reported that the flavonoids in persimmon leaves were absorbed and metabolized by bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract (15). Morel et al. have repo...

Neonatal infections including sepsis and urinary tract infections are considered among the leading causes of mortality in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). Thus, use of empiric antibiotics is very important in infected neonates and the success of this practice is mainly reliant on the availability of an up-to-date antibiogram for currently used antibiotic drugs. In this study, we aim to determine the bacteriological profile and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of bacteria isolated from blood or/and urine cultures belonging to patients at the NICU. A total of 54 urine samples were collected in the period between January 2015 and December 2019. Data of infants with positive urine and blood bacterial isolates were gathered retrospectively. The most commonly isolated bacteria from urine observed were K. pneumoniae (44%) and E. coli (39%), while Acinetobacter baumannii (33%) and K. pneumoniae (22%) predominated in neonatal blood samples. The majority of uropathogens and blood isolates exhibited low resistance to imipenem and tigecycline, respectively. These antibiotics would be recommended for future use as empirical treatment in neonates with urinary tract infections and/or sepsis. This investigation highlights the importance of surveillance studies to manage and ensure the effectiveness of treatment plan for critically ill infants.

Aurone derivatives devoid of the unusual oxygenation found in the coumaranone fragment are potential leads for new anti-cancer agents.

Infections caused by multi-drug-resistant bacteria in patients with chronic diseases have been associated with high mortality and morbidity. While few reports have evaluated bacterial infections in multiple chronic disease patients, the focus of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of bacterial infections and the susceptibility profiles of causative strains among various groups of patients suffering from chronic diseases. Microbiological reports of patients suffering from cancer, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and skin burns were retrospectively collected from a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 54.2% of recruited patients were males, and positive urine was the most prevalent specimen associated with kidney disease patients (25%). Escherichia coli isolates were predominant among cardiovascular, kidney, and cancer patients. Staphylococcus aureus was commonly detected in diabetics and those with burns. Although resistance patterns varied based on the type of specimens and underlying diseases, Escherichia coli showed limited resistance to colistin, carbapenems, and tigecycline, while S. aureus demonstrated susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, and rifampin. These observations are crucial for clinicians and policymakers to ensure effective treatment plans and improve outcomes in these patients with comorbidity.

The level of association between hemoglobin level/anemia and obesity during pregnancy is not yet fully understood. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hail Maternity Hospital in northern Saudi Arabia from March to May 2023 to assess the associations between hemoglobin levels, anemia, and obesity among pregnant women. Reproductive history was gathered through a questionnaire. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated/computed from the women’s weight and height. Linear and binary regression analyses were performed. A total of 334 pregnant women were enrolled. The median (interquartile range (IQR)) age and parity were 33.2 (27.4–37.8) years and 3 (1–5), respectively. Of the 334 women, 52 (15.6%) were normal weight, while 87 (26.0%) were overweight and 195 (58.4%) were obese. In the multiple linear regression, parity (coefficient = −0.121, p = 0.001) and BMI (coefficient = 0.030, p = 0.006) were negatively associated with the hemoglobin level. Ninety-nine (26.9%) women had anemia. In the multivariate analysis, primiparity (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.30–0.97), increasing BMI (AOR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.89–0.97), and obesity (AOR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.16–0.61) were associated with decreased ORs of anemia. Increasing parity was associated with increased ORs of anemia (AOR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.05–1.32). Being overweight was not associated with anemia (AOR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.27–1.16). In the current study, a high hemoglobin level and lower prevalence of anemia were observed among obese pregnant women.

Background:The oligostilbenes cis-and trans-gnetin H were previously studied for their ability to inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis. However, an in-depth understanding of the proteins involved in this process remains poorly understood. Methods: The ability of cis-and trans-gnetin H to act as an antioxidant by scavenging one of the stable free radicals DPPH was tested. We also tested the ability of both compounds to generate oxidative stress through elevating the reactive oxygen species (ROS) resulting in apoptosis using lung cancer cell line A549. Also, immunoassay Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was performed to test the levels of the major apoptotic proteins using a negative estrogen receptor (ER-) breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231.Results: Cis-and trans-gnetin H treatment showed a high percentage of the radical scavenging activity =%24 at the lowest concentration 12.5μM (p≤0.0001) and elevated the levels of ROS in A549 to 50%, 45%, respectively (p≤0.001). In addition, cis-and trans-gnetin H induced early apoptosis in A549 cell line to 59% and 38.9%, respectively, at the highest concentration of 25μM compared to the untreated control (p≤0.0001). Results from apoptosis protein array showed certain up-regulated proteins such as Bid, Bad, cytochrome c, FasL, TRAIL1-4 and down regulated proteins such as XIAP, surviving, Hsp60, suggesting inducing apoptosis was facilitated by cross talk between intrinsic and extrinsic pathway through TRAIL pathway. Conclusion:These observations suggested that cis-and trans-gnetin H induces apoptosis in human lung and breast cancer cells in vitro through elevating the levels of oxidative stress and directly affecting the primary regulator of apoptosis proteins.