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Background and Aim: Oral infections are common among people of any age and can trigger systemic inflammation. The microbiota is a diverse group of microorganisms that play important roles in metabolism, immune function, and homeostasis. Oral microbiota in human atherosclerotic plaques has been identified using various techniques. Therefore, the focus of this study was to determine the correlation between metabolic parameters and oral microbiota composition in patients with atherosclerosis using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) assays. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, saliva samples were collected from 139 patients with atherosclerosis and healthy individuals from Imam Ali Cardiovascular Hospital, Kermanshah, Iran. After DNA extraction, PCR products were examined and evaluated using DGGE assays. Results: The study included 89 (36%) patients with a history of atherosclerosis and 50 (36%) healthy individuals. There was a significant relationship between the mean total cholesterol, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS), and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) in the two groups. However, there was no significant difference in the mean high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and Triglyceride levels between the study groups. Conclusion: Our results showed a relationship between metabolic parameters and oral microbiota composition in patients with atherosclerosis. Additionally, our results indicated that the DGGE assay is a useful method for diagnosing and comparing the oral microbiota of people with atherosclerosis and healthy individuals. Therefore, further examination of the oral microbiota is necessary to determine its potential as a biomarker for atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Nosocomial infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their rapid spread threaten public health. This study aimed to determine the frequency of genes encoding Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) in gramnegative bacteria in Kermanshah city, west of Iran. Materials and Methods: Identification and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of 165 isolates were performed by biochemical and disk diffusion methods, respectively. Screening and confirming the presence of ESBL genes were performed according to the double disk combination test (DDCT) method. The presence of genes encoding ESBL in each isolate was identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. Results: Out of 165 isolates, 83 strains were resistant to all antibiotics. The lowest frequency of resistance was observed for Gentamicin, while the highest frequency was observed for Cefotaxime and Cefazolin. Among all strains, 50 (30.30 %) and 80 (48.48%) isolates were phenotypically and genotypically ESBL-positive, respectively. The most prevalent genes encoding ESBL were SHVOS and SHV-1, with a frequency of 20.61 % and 21.82 %, respectively. Conclusion: The frequency of producing ESBL bacteria and the prevalence of blaSHV and blaCTX-M genes in our studied Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli isolates were high. However, unlike some previous reports from Kermanshah, the prevalence of ESBL-encoding genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was low, and the blaVEB gene was not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Nosocomial infections caused by gram-negative bacteria are among the most important healththreatening challenges of the current century, particularly following the emergence and spreading of antibiotic-resistance strains. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), one of the most important antibiotic resistance mechanisms, is spreading worldwide. Surveillance and gathering data on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and their associated encoding genes could assist in selecting treatment strategies and policies. This systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to assess the prevalence of ESBL-positive bacteria and their resistance genes in medical centers of Kermanshah city, west of Iran. Materials and Methods: All studies published as original articles were retrieved by searching in EMBASE, Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and Persian databases of SID and Magiran, using appropriate keywords All published studies in the field were included without time restriction until 30-Mar-2022. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used to analyze the data. Results: The prevalence of ESBL-positive and multidrug resistance (MDR) bacteria in Kermanshah medical centers were 34.8% and 56.1%, respectively. The highest and lowest prevalence of ESBL-positive bacteria was observed for Enterobacter cloacae (59.14%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.55%), respectively. The highest and lowest prevalence of the resistance genes were observed for blaOXA-51 (99.3%) and blaKPC (0.6%), respectively. The highest resistance was estimated to mezlocillin antibiotic (92.2%). Conclusion: This study showed that the prevalence of ESBL-positive and MDR bacteria is high in Kermanshah medical centers, and it provides significant information to health policymakers to implement appropriate strategies to reduce the prevalence of resistant bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Worldwide, Clostridioides difficile infection is becoming one of the most common healthcare-associated infections. Management and control of this infection in healthcare facilities are associated with screening for environmental and instrumental C. difficile contamination. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the overall prevalence of C. difficile in hospital settings, medical devices, and instruments. Methods Four main databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus, were searched using the keywords Clostridioides difficile, Clostridium difficile, C. difficile, clostridia, Clostridium spp., hospital environments, antibiotic associate colitis, intensive care unit, and ward in combination as a search strategy. The PRISMA checklist was used for selecting eligible studies. Results A total of 11 eligible articles published between 2012 and 2021 were included. The overall pooled prevalence of C. difficile in hospital environments was 14.9%. The highest and lowest prevalence were reported for India (51.1%) and the USA (1.6%), respectively. The highest prevalence was reported for beds (46.3%). A significant heterogeneity was seen between C. difficile prevalence in hospital environments in different samples. The highest and lowest prevalence was reported for floor corners (63.2%) and privacy curtains (1.4%), respectively. Conclusions In conclusion, hospitals' medical devices and environmental surfaces are considered a crucial source of Clostridioides difficile infection. In this regard, we strongly recommend revising and improving the cleaning and disinfection methods in hospitals and quality control of cleaning adequacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a promising nucleic acid‐based assay for quick, accurate and cost‐effective diagnosis of many infectious agents. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of LAMP for rapid and accurate detection of Helicobacter pylori in biopsy specimens. Patients suffering from one or several gastroduodenal disorders were enrolled in the study. Specificity, sensitivity, and the positive and negative predictive values of LAMP were compared with the gold standard result, which was the assembled result of culture, rapid urease test and polymerase chain reaction. Sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative predictive values of LAMP in comparison with the gold standard result were 100%, 30.76%, and 87.67% and 100% respectively [%95 CI]. As the diagnostic value of LAMP is favourable, the method is an optimum technique for diagnosis the presence of H. pylori in different clinical and environmental samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Clostridium difficile is the leading cause of nosocomial diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. The prevalence of C. difficile infection differs in various geographical areas. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of C. difficile isolates and the prevalence of cdd3, tcdA and tcdB genes in beef samples in Kermanshah Province. Materials and Methods: One hundred ground beef samples were randomly collected from the butchers of Kermanshah province during March 2014 to March 2015. Following alcohol shock, minced meat samples were incubated in a specific culture medium for 5 to 7 days. The suspicious colonies were analyzed by biochemical tests and frequency of C. difficile and cdd3, tcdA and tcdB genes was assessed by PCR using specific primers. Results: In total, 30% samples were positive for C. difficile and all the isolates harbored Cdd3 gene. Combined dual-gene frequency of A+B+, A-B+ and A+B- strains in the positive were 0%, 3.3%, and 26.6% respectively, while 21 samples (70%) were non-toxigenic (A-B-). Conclusion: In this study, the presence of C. difficile in beef as a source of contamination was confirmed. It was also shown that the incidence of C. difficile in ground meat was relatively higher than many other studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis has been announced as a global emergency by World Health Organization and the second infectious agent of mortality worldwide. The general policy in the development of new vaccines is to develop some vaccines with higher efficiency not only for infants but also for adults compared with the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine. Recently, cytochrome P450 cyp141 has been introduced as a new target for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples., Objectives: The aim of this study was to clone this gene in order to pave the way for more evaluation., Materials and Methods: M. tuberculosis H37Rv DNA was extracted by a standard phenol-chlorophorm protocol. After designing the specific primers, P450 cyp141 gene was replicated by PCR. The purified PCR products were then subcloned into the pTZ57R/T plasmid vector. After extraction, enzyme digestion, and recombinant pTZ57R/T-cyp141 plasmid vector sequencing, the aforementioned products were cloned into a pET-26b plasmid vector. Then, the recombinant pET26b-cyp141 plasmid molecules were transformed to Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3) using the transformation method. Next, the recombinant pET26b-cyp141 plasmids were purified and evaluated by the enzyme digestion analysis., Results: The cloning of P450 cyp141 gene was confirmed by the enzyme digestion and sequencing of the recombinant pTZ57R/T-cyp141 and pET26b-cyp141 plasmid vectors., Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that the P450 cyp141 gene was successfully cloned into a pET26b plasmid vector as an expression vector. In this paper, for the first time in Iran, this gene was cloned for more purposes, including the expression and purification of the recombinant cytochrome P450 cyp141 protein.