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The initial step in diagnosing tuberculosis involves the microscopic examination of sputum samples using acid-fast staining to identify bacilli. However, this conventional method is labor-intensive, requires specialized expertise, is susceptible to errors, and has limited sensitivity. Research literature indicates that deep learning models demonstrate significant potential for detecting acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in sputum smear preparations. This study investigates the effectiveness of deep learning methods in identifying AFB within sputum smear samples. Our objective was to assess the performance of these models in tuberculosis diagnosis based on microscopic examination and to identify improvements they could bring in terms especially of sensitivity and availability within this field. We employed several transfer learning models: DenseNet201, ResNet101V2, Xception, InceptionResNetV2, and InceptionV3. In order to determine the effectiveness of these models, basic performance metrics such as accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 score were used. Among the transfer learning models we recommended, the InceptionV3 and Xception models exhibited the highest performance, achieving 99.00% high performance across all evaluation metrics. Our findings underscore that deep learning models can be effectively utilized for rapid and accurate detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in acid-fast stained sputum preparations.

The ocular surface hosts commensal bacteria that play essential roles in its development, defense, nutrition, and physiological processes, actively contributing to both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the inappropriate or excessive use of antibiotics has significantly contributed to the emergence and spread of resistant strains, posing a growing public health challenge. In this context, this study aimed to taxonomically identify and assess the antibacterial potential of the CS05 and CS83 bacterial isolates, obtained from the human conjunctival sac. The latter was accomplished through assays designed to evaluate their ability to inhibit the growth of reference pathogenic strains from the American Type Culture Collection. Antibacterial activity assays, including cross-diffusion, drop agar diffusion, well diffusion, disk diffusion, and polystyrene microplate assays, were performed, and taxonomic identification was carried out by Sanger sequencing. The bacteria CS05 was identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis and demonstrated inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Meanwhile, the isolate CS83, identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, inhibited the growth of E. coli, L. monocytogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. faecalis, and S. aureus. These findings suggest that the bacterial microbiota of the human conjunctival sac may represent a promising biotechnological source to develop alternative antibacterial agents.

The most contagious forms of shigellosis and bacterial dysentery are caused by the gram-negative bacteria Shigella flexneri. Antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and synthetic antimicrobial agents are used to treat this infection; however, their limitations in terms of human health and antibiotic resistance call for better drugs for treatment. Polyphenols, being plant-derived, have the potential to be an effective agent for bacterial infections. Flavonoids, naturally occurring antioxidants with antibacterial properties, can disrupt biofilm formation and reduction, which aids in the treatment. The objective of this work is to investigate the function of naringenin in the prevention of biofilm and antibacterial activity against S. flexneri. Naringenin was shown to inhibit both the growth and biofilm formation of S. flexneri at a concentration of 1000 μg/mL. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated the morphological changes of S. flexneri following treatment with naringenin. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting revealed an 87.76% increase in dead cells with naringenin (1000 μg/mL). Upon treatment with naringenin, downregulation of adhesion (yebL), quorum-sensing (rcsC, sdiA), and biofilm development (s0482) associated genes was observed through qRT-PCR analysis.

Liquid-Based Cytology (LBC) is widely used for cervical cancer screening, which significantly improves cell dispersion and morphological preservation compared to cytology smears, but its detection rate is still limited, and the LBC block further improves on its technical deficiencies. This study optimized LBC block preparation by evaluating five methods using 90 cervical samples. Metrics included visual assessment, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) performance, and production efficiency. The modified adhesive centrifugal sedimentation method demonstrated superior outcomes, yielding well-preserved cell clusters with enhanced H&E contrast (reduced impurities) and precise IHC localization. Its preparation success rate reached 92.9%. Validation with 114 cervical cases showed cell blocks achieved 87.5% sensitivity and 96.9% specificity compared to biopsy histology, outperforming standard LBC. The method's simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and cell preservation advantages support its utility in primary settings for cervical lesion screening. Findings highlight LBC blocks as a reliable adjunct to cytology, improving diagnostic precision while maintaining workflow feasibility.

Biogenically synthesized ZnO nanorods using Cucurbita moschata seed have demonstrated significant antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Building on our previous findings, the current study extends to investigate the interactions of the nanorods during the pre- and postbiofilm formations. The pre-biofilm investigations include monitoring the changes in cellular zeta potential and hydrophobicity upon nanorod treatment. The post-biofilm assessments focus on the inhibition of cellular revival, extracellular polymeric substance components, and vital virulence factors―staphyloxanthin and pyocyanin; loss of cellular viability and biofilm architecture; and loss of cellular integrity and observation of the alterations in the pH of biofilm cultured media. Notably, the cellular hydrophobicity decreases to 5% and 17% for S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, respectively, at 250 μg/mL. Meanwhile, staphyloxanthin was inhibited by 48.49% ± 1.3% (250 μg/mL), and pyocyanin reduction hit a dose-dependent plateau at 500 μg/mL with 89.78% ± 0.47%. Further propositions on the strain-specific mechanistic insights by evaluating the relative mode of interaction with the green-synthesized ZnO nanorods have been discussed. Interestingly, the antibacterial modes of action by 1D-biogenic ZnO nanorods offer a novel approach and insight into the use of eco-friendly resources for an integrated approach towards antibiofilm strategies.

Undifferentiated round cell sarcomas (URCSs) are aggressive neoplasms with overlapping histology but distinct molecular profiles. Accurate subclassification is crucial for prognosis and therapy, particularly in tumors lacking classic Ewing sarcoma alterations. In this retrospective study, 59 URCSs were re-evaluated morphologically, immunohistochemically, and molecularly. Fifty-three were classified as Ewing sarcoma, and six as non-Ewing sarcoma: three BCOR::CCNB3, two CIC::DUX4, and one ZC3H7B::BCOR. Ewing sarcomas showed uniform round cells with thin fibrovascular stroma. BCOR-altered sarcomas often contained spindle cells and myxoid stroma, whereas CIC::DUX4 tumors displayed epithelioid cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm, nucleoli, and myxoid stroma. Stromal features and cellular morphology differed significantly between Ewing and non-Ewing groups. Immunohistochemically, Ewing sarcomas had higher NKX2.2 and CD99 expression while BCOR-altered tumors showed strong nuclear BCOR positivity. WT1 staining revealed distinct paranuclear positivity in both CIC::DUX4 cases. Our unique ZC3H7B::BCOR case involved a young adult with spindle cell morphology, myxoid stroma, and negative BCOR staining, underscoring diagnostic challenges and contributing novel clinicopathologic data on this exceedingly rare subtype. These findings highlight key morphologic and immunophenotypic clues to differentiate URCS subgroups and reinforce the importance of integrated histopathological and molecular evaluation to achieve accurate diagnosis and subclassification.

Biofilms pose a significant threat to public health due to their role in antibiotic-resistant infections, including urinary tract infections, cystic fibrosis, and infective endocarditis. Enterobacter hormaechei, a Gram-negative bacterium within the Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC), is a known biofilm-former that contributes to infections in the urinary tract, soft tissues, and medical devices. This study investigates the antibiofilm activity of naringin (NA), a flavonoid derived from naringenin, against E. hormaechei using various assays. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assay revealed that NA inhibits planktonic bacterial growth, with an MIC value of 4.096 mg/mL. Crystal Violet (CV) assay revealed a significant reduction in biofilm formation at NA concentrations of 0.5 mg/mL, 1 mg/mL, and 1.5 mg/mL compared to controls. Fluorescence microscopy further confirmed a decrease in bacterial population and disruption of biofilm architecture following NA treatment. In silico analysis was conducted to investigate the potential molecular interactions of NA with the biofilm regulatory proteins MrkB and FimA. The results indicated that NA might effectively inhibit biofilm formation in E. hormaechei by targeting these two key proteins involved in pilus biogenesis and bacterial adherence. These findings suggest that NA could serve as a potential therapeutic agent against E. hormaechei-associated infections.