Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a zoonotic infection that may be transmitted to human beings either by consumption of raw or uncooked meat or by ingesting oocysts. Toxoplasma organisms can cross blood placenta barrier and may result in congenital toxoplasmosis. About 80% of immunocompetent individuals do not show any clinical manifestations and are silent carriers of this disease. Pregnant women especially in highly prevalent areas are recommended to be screened for this disease in order to prevent the potential vertical transmission. To our knowledge no such study has been conducted in this region of Saudi Arabia. This study attempted to carry out two objectives: first, to find out the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in pregnant women attending prenatal care services in our hospital; second, to find out risk factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence in our patients. It was carried out in Teaching Hospital in Al-Kharj over a period of one year. All 306 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic were involved in the study. A pretested selfexplanatory questionnaire was filled out by the patients and their sera were collected to be tested for IgG and/or IgM against T. gondii. The results were then statistically analyzed using SPSS software and p-value was calculated using Pearson Chi Square test. Out of the 306 blood samples tested, 99 (32.4%) were seropositive for specific anti T. gondii IgG antibodies and 3(1%) were seropositive for IgM. This show that seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies was high among pregnant women and the prevalence showed a significant association with age. The study recommends conducting educational programs to raise awareness among women about risk factors and precautions to be taken.
This study is based on the premise of investigating antibacterial activity through a novel conjugate of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in line with a green synthesis approach by developing antimicrobial-coated implants to prevent bacterial resistance. The AMPs were obtained from Bellamya Bengalensis (BB), a freshwater snail, to prepare the nanocomposite conjugate, e.g., AgNPs@BB extract, by making use of UV-Visible spectroscopy. The antimicrobial assessment of AgNPs@BB extract conjugate was performed using the Resazurin Microtiter Assay Method (REMA), followed by the use of three biocompatible implant materials (titanium alloys, Ti 6AL-4V stainless steel 316L, and polyethylene). Finally, the coating was analyzed under confocal microscopy. The results revealed a significant reduction of biofilm formation on the surfaces of implants coated with conjugate (AgNPs@BB extract) in comparison to uncoated implants. For the MTT assay, no significant changes were recorded for the cells grown on the AgNPs/AMP++ sample in high concentrations. Staphylococcus epidermidis, however, showed more prominent growth on all implants in comparison to Staphylococcus aureus. It is evident from the results that Staphylococcus epidermidis is more susceptible to AgNPs@BB extract, while the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of AgNPs@BB extract conjugates and biosynthesized AgNPs was also on the higher side. This study indicates that AgNPs@BB extract carries antibacterial activity, and concludes that an excessive concentration of AgNPs@BB extract may affect the improved biocompatibility. This study recommends using robust, retentive, and antimicrobial coatings of AgNPs@BB extract for implantable biocompatible materials in accordance with the novel strategy of biomaterial applications.
The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and the antibacterial activities has provided enormous data on populations, geographical areas, and experiments with bio silver nanoparticles' antibacterial operation. Several peer-reviewed publications have discussed various aspects of this subject field over the last generation. However, there is an absence of a detailed and structured framework that can represent the research domain on this topic. This paper attempts to evaluate current articles mainly on the biosynthesis of nanoparticles or antibacterial activities utilizing the scientific methodology of big data analytics. A comprehensive study was done using multiple databases-Medline, Scopus, and Web of Sciences through PRISMA (i.e., Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses). The keywords used included 'biosynthesis silver nano particles' OR 'silver nanoparticles' OR 'biosynthesis' AND 'antibacterial behavior' OR 'anti-microbial opposition' AND 'systematic analysis,' by using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms, Boolean operator's parenthesis, or truncations as required. Since their effectiveness is dependent on particle size or initial concentration, it necessitates more research. Understanding the field of silver nanoparticle biosynthesis and antibacterial activity in Gulf areas and most Asian countries also necessitates its use of human-generated data. Furthermore, the need for this work has been highlighted by the lack of predictive modeling in this field and a need to combine specific domain expertise. Studies eligible for such a review were determined by certain inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study contributes to the existence of theoretical and analytical studies in this domain. After testing as per inclusion criteria, seven in vitro studies were selected out of 28 studies. Findings reveal that silver nanoparticles have different degrees of antimicrobial activity based on numerous factors. Limitations of the study include studies with low to moderate risks of bias and antimicrobial effects of silver nanoparticles. The study also reveals the possible use of silver nanoparticles as antibacterial irrigants using various methods, including a qualitative evaluation of knowledge and a comprehensive collection and interpretation of scientific studies.
Unwanted agricultural waste is largely comprised of lignocellulosic substrate which could be transformed into sugars. The production of bioethanol from garbage manifested an agreeable proposal towards waste management as well as energy causation. The goal of this work is to optimize parameters for generation of bioethanol through fermentation by different yeast strains while Saccharomyces cerevisiae used as standard strain. The low cost fermentable sugars from pomegranate peels waste (PPW) were obtained by hydrolysis with HNO3 (1 to 5%). The optimum levels of hydrolysis time and temperature were elucidated via RSM (CCD) ranging from 30 to 60 min and 50 to 100 °C respectively. The result shows that optimum values (g/L) for reducing sugars was 61.45 ± 0.01 while for total carbohydrates was 236 ± 0.01. These values were found when PPW was hydrolyzed with 3% HNO3, at 75 °C for one hour. The hydrolyzates obtained from the dilute HNO3 pretreated PPW yielded a maximum of 0.43 ± 0.04, 0.41 ± 0.03 g ethanol per g of reducing sugars by both Metchnikowia sp. Y31 and M. cibodasensis Y34 at day 7 of ethanologenic experiment. The current study exhibited that by fermentation of dilute HNO3 hydrolyzates of PPW could develop copious amount of ethanol by optimized conditions.