University of Garden City

Acinetobacter baumannii is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen linked to over 400,000 deaths annually, with International Clone 2 (IC2) recognised as a major multidrug-resistant (MDR) lineage. We analysed 668 IC2 genomes from BIGSdb, assessed completeness using usegalaxy-BUSCO, and annotated them with Prokka. Protein-protein interactions were mapped using STRING; interacting genes were identified using Cytoscape; functional enrichment was conducted using Enrichr and KEGG, retrieving protein from UniProt; and potential drug candidates were obtained from ChEMBL. Molecular docking was carried out using Autodock 4, and the complexes were visualised in Discovery studio. ADME profiling with SWISSADME and toxicity were assessed using MCULE and ProTOX-3.0. We identified polA as a major hub gene involved in DNA repair and essential for survival under genotoxic antibiotic stress, suggesting that it could impair bacterial adaptability and resistance mechanisms. Molecular docking using AutoDock Vina identified Nodulisporone and Nodulisporol from ChEMBL as potential inhibitors that also fulfilled Lipinski's criteria, with higher binding affinities for A. baumannii PolA than for human DNA polymerase lambda (PolL). This suggests that polA inhibition may potentiate existing antibiotics, reducing the dissemination of resistance and disrupting essential repair processes. Our bioinformatic and computational biology approach offers an effective strategy for developing novel treatments against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

Abstract Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a widespread highly morbid tropical infection. Protein-calorie and micro-nutrient deficiencies contribute to susceptibility and disease severity. This study aimed to delineate the effects of protein-calorie malnutrition, selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu)] level derangements on immune responses in VL patients. Following informed consent, 77 sequential parasitologically confirmed VL patients and 112 apparently healthy controls were recruited. Weight for height Z-score (WHZ), albumin, Se, Zn, and Cu were markers for protein-calorie and micro-nutrient disturbances. Leishmanin skin test (LST), direct agglutination test (DAT), and IL-10/TNF-α/IFN-γ levels in supernatants of soluble Leishmania–antigen whole blood-stimulated samples were measured as indicators of immune responses. VL patients have significantly lower baseline WHZ levels compared to controls (−2.2 ± 1.1 and −1.4 ± 1.3, respectively, P = 0.0006). Albumin levels were similarly reduced (2.9 and 3.4 g/dL, P = 0.06). Patients had marginally significant lower Se levels compared to controls (57.6 ± 13.1 and 61.7 ± 13.4 µg/L, respectively, P = 0.04). Pretreatment Se levels were significantly lower compared to post-treatment ones (56.9 ± 13.1 and 65.2 ± 22.1 µg/dL, respectively, P = 0.02). Zn levels were significantly lower in patients compared to controls (36.2 ± 17.3 and 72.9 ± 12.5 µg/L, respectively, P = 0.0002). Cu levels were four-fold higher in patients compared to controls [median 336 and 73.5 µg/L, respectively P = 0.00001]. The Cu:Zn ratio was significantly higher in patients compared to controls (9.6 and 1.0, respectively, P = 0.0001). LST was non-reactive in all VL patients with DAT levels >6400. Pre- and post-VL treatment levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 levels were comparable in patients and controls. Pretreatment TNF-α levels were significantly higher compared to post-treatment ones (median: 64.1 and 36.7 pg/mL, respectively, P = 0.0002). Five per cent (6/112, 5.4%) of the healthy controls developed VL during follow-up, and 15.2% (17/112) developed subclinical infection with LST conversion in 14/17 (82.4%, mean induration of 8.5 ± 2.6 mm). Three (3/17, 17.6%) converted in DAT and LST. Low WHZ, Se, and Zn levels with high Cu/Cu: Zn ratios probably increase susceptibility to VL.

The meteoric rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), marked by decreased antibiotic effectiveness against pathogenic bacteria, has sparked widespread concern. This phenomenon increases potential threats to public health by significantly hampering the clinical use of currently available antimicrobial agents, such as macrolides, β-lactam and glycopeptides antibiotics. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), namely the Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a common opportunistic pathogen that causes various types of infections and has become one of the top healthcare problems, particularly in low-income countries. In light of bacterial evolution and the unintentional use of antibiotics for medical purposes in communities and hospitals, as well as in agriculture and livestock for non-medical purposes. These events have contributed to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance. Furthermore, resistant to our most muscular treatments against invasive S. aureus infections, such as vancomycin, is no longer successful due to the emergence of Vancomycin-Resistant S. aureus (VRSA). The scientific community is looking for creative and spectacularly effective strategies to address this global issue in response to this pandemic threat generated by the spread of antimicrobial resistance strains, with the threat of limited treatment choices against S. aureus. In this review, we highlighted the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and explained the antibiotic resistance profile of Methicillin-resistant S. aureus. On the other hand, we discuss distinguished tactics for manipulating S. aureus resistance mechanisms, such as the discovery of new chemical entities that possess antimicrobial activity with novel mechanisms of action, utilization of combinatorial antibiotic therapies, chemical derivatization and repurposing of existing known drugs to improve their antibacterial efficacy, design novel vaccine for S. aureus, antimicrobial peptides and nanoparticles as a magic bullet, and finally, by implementing the One Health Agenda against S. aureus, this holistic strategy seeks to address the spread of antibiotic resistance across the interrelated health loop of human, animals, and environments.

Cryptococcus neoformans is the highest-ranked fungal pathogen in the Fungal Priority Pathogens List (FPPL) released by the World Health Organization (WHO). In this study, through in silico simulations, a multi-epitope vaccine against Cryptococcus neoformans was developed using the mannoprotein antigen (MP88) as a vaccine candidate. Following the retrieval of the MP88 protein sequences, these were used to predict antigenic B-cell and T-cell epitopes via the bepipred tool and the artificial neural network, respectively. Conserved B-cell epitopes AYSTPA, AYSTPAS, PASSNCK, and DSAYPP were identified as the most promising B-cell epitopes. While YMAADQFCL, VSYEEWMNY, and FQQRYTGTF were identified as the best candidates for CD8+ T-cell epitopes; and YARLLSLNA, ISYGTAMAV, and INQTSYARL were identified as the most promising CD4+ T-cell epitopes. The vaccine construct was modeled along with adjuvant and peptide linkers and the expasy protparam tool was used to predict the physiochemical properties. According to this, the construct vaccine was predicted to be antigenic, nontoxic, nonallergenic, soluble, stable, hydrophilic, and thermostable. Furthermore, the three-dimensional structure was also used in docking analyses with Toll-like receptor (TLR4). Finally, the cDNA of vaccine was successfully cloned into the E. coli pET-28a (+) expression vector. The results presented here could contribute towards the design of an effective vaccine against Cryptococcus neoformans.

Background and need of research: Abnormal patellar biomechanics and patellar arrangement result in patellofemoralpain syndrome. The initial course of treatment for non-operative management is physical therapy.Therefore, it is necessary to compare the effectiveness of Tibio femoral joint mobilisation with Maitland mobilisationin treating patellofemoral pain syndrome.Methods: Sample where collected from YMT college of Physiotherapy. Group A consists of 20 female and 10 Malesubjects of age group 30 to 40 years Tibiofemoral mobilization was given while Group B Maitland Mobilizationhaving 17 female and 13 male subjects. The study was conducted during the month of March 2023 to June 2023.Each group attended five therapy sessions a week for a total of 6six weeks. As pre and Post outcome assessments,the NPRS scale, Knee range of motion and KUJALA Score Questionnaire were utilised,both before and after thetreatment. patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, ranging in age from 25 to 40, were both male and female.Tibiofemoral mobilisation was used in Group A’s conventional therapy while Maitland mobilisation was used inGroup B’s conventional therapy. Each group attended five therapy sessions a week for a total of six weeks. As preandpost-outcome assessments, the visual analogue scale, knee range of motion, and KUJALA score Questionnairewere utilised. both before and after the treatment, in the sixth week.Result: The intragroup comparison of the NPRS, knee range of motion, and KUJALA patellofemoral scale among the30 patients in each group was statistically highly significant with p=0.001 for both groups. In contrast to the Maitlandmobilisation in Group B, the Tibiofemoral mobilisation in Group A demonstrated a Highly Significant improvement.Conclusion: Tibiofemoral mobilisation combined with traditional therapy is more effective at reducing pain,enhancing range of motion, and improving functional ability in PFPS after six weeks.

Poisoning is one of the most common causes of death after natural death. According to the World Health Organization estimated that about one million people die due to pesticide poisoning annually. Pesticide poisoning is increasing rapidly from year to year. Overall mortality in cases of Aluminium phosphide poisoning varies between 70-100 percent. The most common pesticide agents are organophosphorus and Aluminium phosphide in particular. Aluminium phosphide is a fumigant pesticide rapidly used in the Indian sub-continent as a grain preservative. In our research, we collected data from the years 2019 -2023 during an internship period of three months in the state of Himachal Pradesh. We noticed that Aluminium phosphide cases are increasing heavily in numbers. It is observed that in the three districts of Himachal Pradesh poison cases are rising from year to year. The three districts are Una, Chamba, and Kangra. Over the last five years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases of Aluminium phosphide patients with aluminum phosphide death in the past 5 years. In Aluminum poisoning 95 per of deaths occur within 24 hours of Aluminum phosphide ingestion.

Obesity is a chronic medical condition characterized by excessive body fat accumulation. It is a primary global health concern associated with various adverse health outcomes. Lack of physical activity is one of the primary reasons for obesity. This study compares the abdominal pressure changes and cardiac parameters between obese individuals with and without powerlifting exercises. This study included 50 individuals divided into 25 in each group. The first group was only obese individuals who weren't doing any exercises, whereas the second group of individuals were participating in the powerlifting exercises. Selection criteria are male powerlifters, obese individuals with a BMI over 30, age group of 25-40 years, and powerlifters doing powerlifting for a minimum of two years without cardiac anomalies, pain, or pulmonary complications. The intra-abdominal pressure and cardiac parameters were measured using the Chattanooga stabilizer pressure feedback device and pulse oximeter. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 24.0. There was no significance when comparing the pre-intervention values; all the p-values are insignificant. While comparing the values of the immediate powerlifting intervention (6.926 p < 0.462, 4.599 p < 0.0001, 10.437 p < 0.617) and five minutes post power lifting intervention (6.178 p < 1.133, 6.871 p < 1.161, 9.975 p < 4.96), there is a marked significance. This study concludes that when comparing intra-abdominal pressure and cardiac parameters between obese individuals who engage in powerlifting exercises and those who do not, a significant reduction in intra-abdominal pressure is noted in powerlifters. In contrast, obese individuals who do not engage in powerlifting exercises do not experience a reduction in intra-abdominal pressure, and their cardiac parameters remain unchanged.

This paper focuses on sustainable packaging as it introduces various opportunities in packaging industry and contributed towards its growth. This research aims to study more about the impact of sustainable packaging on consumer behaviour. It also focuses on various factors that affect consumer behaviour towards sustainable packaging. There has been increase in sustainable packaging as the consumers are shifting towards healthy lifestyle and concerned about the environmental security. As a result of the study sustainable packaging plays a positive role on consumer behaviour. However, various factors affect the consumer behaviour such as price of a product, income of the consumer and visual aspect created sentimental impact on consumer behaviour. Therefore, it is very important for the producers to focus on these factors to influence the consumers towards sustainable packaging. This study clearly states that sustainable packaging plays a very important role in protecting the environment and creating the eco-friendly society. This is possible only by using the eco-friendly products, recyclable materials. This study further identified various sustainability pillars such as use of energy, water, waste management and utilisation of available resources. The study found that different packaging innovation trends have produced a business climate that is sustainable. Because to consumer concerns about their health and their trend towards sustainable living, COVID has also helped to create a more sustainable environment.

Albright's Hereditary Osteodystrophy (AHO) is a rare, complex genetic metabolic disorder that was first delineated by American endocrinologist Fuller Albright in 1942. This syndrome is characterized by physical features such as short stature, abnormal finger and toe bones, skin ossification, obesity, rounded facial appearance, flat nasal bridge, and in some cases, developmental and mental abnormalities. AHO is classified as a subtype of pseudohypoparathyroidism type 1A due to its association with resistance to parathyroid hormone. When AHO is inherited from parents, it leads to the development of the syndrome without hormonal issues, resulting in a condition known as Pseudo-Pseudo Hypoparathyroidism (PPHP). PPHP is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, caused by a mutation in the GNAS gene. This gene is responsible for producing a subunit of a protein called a G protein, which regulates the activity and production of specific hormones, including parathyroid hormone. Globally, AHO is considered a rare syndrome, with a prevalence of 0.7 in 100 individuals. It is further classified into subtypes 1a, 1b, 1c, and 2 based on different phenotypes and underlying mechanisms. However, the purpose of this study is to investigate the rarity of the syndrome in the Asian subcontinent, specifically examining its prevalence, recent trends, and awareness within the selected demographic population. A survey-based approach was employed to gather data from several Asian countries. The findings of this study revealed significant variations in terms of gender distribution, family history, associated complications, Gs alpha subunit deficiency, and the age at which individuals are diagnosed with the syndrome. These variations underscore the need for a versatile approach to accurately diagnose and promptly treat individuals at risk of or already affected by the syndrome.