Activity

n influenza vaccination seems to be the reason for the disparity. Copyright © 2020, Bednarz et al.Thousands of people are affected by central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions each year, with stroke and spinal cord injury (SCI) being the most frequent causes. Although there is some evidence of partial CNS self-repair (via migration of neural stem cells to the injury zone and adult neurogenesis), due to restricted regeneration capacity in mammals, acute or chronic spinal cord injuries cannot be repaired completely. Therefore, to expand the availability of treatment options for SCI, research on highly regenerative animals has become essential. Among vertebrates, axolotl, a salamander species, has been emerging as a powerful model to explore the molecular mechanisms of regeneration due to its exceptional regenerative capacity. In this study, gene expression modulation for regenerative-capable neotenic axolotl during spinal cord regeneration has been investigated. Next-generation sequencing was applied for the collected regeneration samples at zero and seven days post-amputation (dpa). The data obtained from the analyzed samples revealed 363 genes differentially expressed, mostly downregulated, between zero dpa and seven dpa. The extracellular matrix, cell-cell adhesion, and immune system-related processes and pathways were enriched by gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Based on these data, we conclude that the downregulation of immune system-related biological processes is crucial for spinal cord regeneration. Copyright © 2020, Demircan et al.Objective To study the culture and sensitivity patterns of urinary tract infections in patients presenting with urinary symptoms in a tertiary care hospital. Study design  A cross-sectional study. Place and duration of the study The departments of General Medicine, Nephrology, and Urology at Nishtar Hospital, Multan, from May 5, 2019, to November 5, 2019. Methodology A total of 120 patients suffering from complicated urinary tract infection (UTI) between 20 and 60 years of age were selected for the study. Mid-stream samples of urine were collected in sterile containers and immediately processed for further procedures. MacConkey agar (Oxoid, England) was used to subculture the colonies to get pure growth of the microorganisms. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated colonies. Müller-Hinton agar plates were used to identify the sensitivity pattern. After this, the measurement of the zone of inhibition of bacterial growth was performed and comparison was done with the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI, 2013). Results Among 53 positive urine cultures, Escherichia coli was detected in 21 (39.6%), Enterococcus species were detected in 18 (33.9%), and Pseudomonas was detected in seven (13.2%). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Coliform, Streptococci, and Klebsiella were detected in 03 (5.7%), 02 (3.8%), 01 (1.9%), and 01 (1.9%) of the positive cultures, respectively. Conclusion The current study shows E. coli to be the most common pathogen in UTI, with very high antibiotic resistance. This warrants the careful selection and conservative use of antibiotics. Copyright © 2020, Muzammil et al.Background People with cancer usually experience some degree of depression, anxiety, and fear, as if embracing the fact that cancer has become part of their lives. Additionally, religious beliefs can influence a patient’s support system, as well as the patient’s own emotional response, behavior, and decision-making, which can create a conflict with medical treatment. The objective of this study was to assess cancer patients’ religious beliefs and social support. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 294 adult patients at the Comprehensive Cancer Center of King Fahad Medical City in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients were interviewed using the System of Belief Inventory (SBI-15R) questionnaire, and responses were noted in the survey form. Results The majority (82.3%) of patients were newly diagnosed with cancer and in the treatment phase, whereas 9.9% were in the metastatic phase. The total mean score of the SBI-15R scale was 27.9. DIRECTRED80 The mean score of the social support subscale was 13.1 ± 1.68, whereas the mean score for the beliefs and practice subscale was 29.7 ± 0.81. For the social support subscale, a statistically significant difference was found in age (P less then 0.001), gender (P less then 0.001), and occupation (P = 0.009). However, for the beliefs and practice subscale, a statistically significant difference was found only with gender (P = 0.001).  Conclusions This study concluded that social support is important for the study participants, and they were attached to their beliefs and cultural practices, as indicated by the high total mean score on the SBI-15R. Understanding this topic is important in order for healthcare organizations to provide holistic patient care. Copyright © 2020, Bany Hamdan et al.Melioidosis, also called Whitmore’s disease, is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. It is predominantly a disease of tropical climates, especially in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Due to a wide range of signs and symptoms that can be mistaken for other diseases such as tuberculosis or common forms of pneumonia, patients can be frequently misdiagnosed, which can have adverse consequences and can make management more complicated. This case report elaborates on the clinical course of a middle-aged nondiabetic male patient who presented to our hospital with fever for two months and painful swelling of the right proximal leg for 10 days, following a previous diagnosis of disseminated abdominal tuberculosis made at a different healthcare center. Preliminary investigations confirmed multiple diagnoses of acute osteomyelitis and septic arthritis complicated by multiple hepatic and splenic abscesses. Given the patient was in a state of septic shock at the time of presentation, he was managed as an emergency case and an arthrotomy of the knee joint was performed followed by decompression and drainage of the right proximal tibia.