Bacterial biofilms are more resilient to standard killing methods than free-living bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms grown on borosilicate coupons were treated with gas-discharge plasma for various exposure times. Almost 100% of the cells were inactivated after a 5-min plasma exposure. Atomic force microscopy was used to image the biofilms and study their micromechanical properties. Results show that the adhesiveness to borosilicate and the thickness of the Pseudomonas biofilms are reduced upon plasma treatment.

It is shown that the electroweak physics of the electron and the muon is based on the left-right gauge model with the mixing parameters 0.2254 and 0.2746. These mixing parameters are determined by the masses of the electron and the muon. The electroweak physics of the Tau-lepton and its left-handed neutrino is based on the gauge group SU(2)LXU(1).The mixing parameter for this gauge model is 0.5 and is determined by the mass of the charged Tau-lepton. The W and Z bosons that mediate the electroweak physics of Tau-lepton and its neutrino have masses 173.5 GeV and 245.4 GeV, respectively.

Background: Hydrazones belonging to azomethine class of compounds have attracted the attention of many chemists owing to their wide spectrum of pharmacological activity profile with structural flexibility and ligating behavior. Objectives: We aimed to synthesize a potential ligand containing both, isonicotinoylhydrazide and 3-ethoxy-2-hydroxybenzilidine moieties, linked through azomethine group. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, a new ligand derived by the condensation of isonicotinoylhydrazide and 3-ethoxysalicylaldehyde have been synthesized. Ligand was characterized on the basis of various spectroscopic techniques like IR, 1H and 13C NMR studies, elemental analysis. The compound was subjected to antimicrobial and anti-tubercular activity screening using serial broth dilution method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is determined. The ligand was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 9144) and Gram-negative bacterium (Escherichia coli ATCC 11303). New compound synthesized showed good biological activity against tested bacteria. Furthermore, ligand shows high levels of activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (H37RV) in vitro. Results: The elemental analysis, 1H and 13C NMR studies of ligand confirm the formation of title compound with the molecular formula C15H15N3O3. Ligand shows inhibition against mycobacterium at concentration 4 µg/mL. Conclusions: The schiff bases ligand was readily prepared for evaluation against M. tuberculosis in good yield. Compound show good activity in vitro.

Background/aim: The annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which attracts more than 3 million Muslim pilgrims from around the world, has played a role in the global spread of meningococcal infection. We aimed to compare pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in Hajj pilgrims before departure and after returning to Iran, Zahedan.Materials and methods: This prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted among Hajj pilgrims in Zahedan (southeast Iran) in 2012. We studied all pilgrims who agreed to participate in this study and who met the inclusion criteria. Sampling was done by swabbing the posterior pharyngeal wall through the mouth with direct plating or keeping transport time to below 5 h. Specific culture, oxidase test, and carbohydrates tests were done on the positive samples.Results: Among 422 pilgrims (42.2% male, 57.8% female; with age range 21-95 years), 6 (1.4%) were positive for N. meningitidis after the Hajj pilgrimage. Nobody was positive before departure. During the Hajj 58.5% of the participants received antibiotics. Conclusion:According to the results of our study, the prevalence of pharyngeal carriage of N. meningitidis in pilgrims after returning to Zahedan was low (1.4%). The quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine and antibiotic therapy were effective in reducing the number of carriers among pilgrims after travel.

BackgroundThe Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus causes severe disease in humans, with a high mortality rate. Since, there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment for CCHF, an early and accurate diagnosis, as well as reliable surveillance, is essential for case management and patient improvement.ObjectivesFor this research, our aim was to evaluate the application of a novel SYBR Green based one-step real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) assay for the in-house diagnosis of the CCHF virus.Patients and MethodsIn this experimental study, the highly conserved S-region sequence of the CCHF viral genome was first adapted from GenBank, and the specific primers targeting this region were designed. Then, the viral RNA was extracted from 75 serum samples from different patients in eastern Iran. The sensitivity and specificity of the primers were also evaluated in positive serum samples previously confirmed to have the CCHF virus, by this one-step rRT-PCR assay, as well as a DNA sequencing analysis.ResultsFrom a total of 75 suspected serum samples, 42 were confirmed to be positive for CCHF virus, with no false-positives detected by the sequencing results. After 40 amplification cycles, the melting curve analysis revealed a mean melting temperature (Tm) of 86.5 ± 0.6°C (quite different from those of the primer-dimers), and the positive samples showed only a small variation in the parameters. In all of the positive samples, the predicted length of 420 bp was confirmed by electrophoresis. Moreover, the sensitivity test showed that this assay can detect less than 20 copies of viral RNA per reaction.ConclusionsThis study showed that this novel one-step rRT-PCR assay is a rapid, reliable, repeatable, specific, sensitive, and simple tool for the detection of the CCHF virus.

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Prevalence of three plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinant qnrA, qnrB, qnrS and extended spectrum Cephalosporins determinant blaCMY, among eighty-five isolates of Salmonella spp. collected in the community between 2008 and 2010 was determined by PCR. Not only qnr genes but also bla genes were positive in twenty-four different isolates. PCR assay detected that 22 of 85 (25.8%) Salmonella spp. carried the qnrA, 1 (1.17%) of 85 isolates harbored the qnrB, 1 (1.17%) of them contained the qnrS, 1 (1.17%) isolate carried all the three qnrA, qnrB, qnrS genes, 24 of 85 (28.2%) Salmonella carried blaCMY and 5 (5.88%) isolates carried qnrA and blaCMY. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolates were as follows: 49 (57.6%) exhibited resistance to Nalidixic acid and none of them to Ciprofloxacin. 33 (38.82%) isolates exhibited resistance to Cephalosporins and 2 (2.35%) of them exhibited ESBL phenotype and 12 (14.1%) isolates resistance to Ampicilin. These results were confirmed by MIC determination test as well. Having detected qnr and bla genes suggested that these genes spread antibiotic resistance among pathogenic bacteria.