BioMed Research International最新文献

Background: The use of alternative technique such as rapid antigen diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) is needed in countries with limited resources for fast tracking of COVID-19 cases. This study evaluated the performance of the STANDARD Q COVID-19 antigen test compared with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) among suspected COVID-19 cases using nasopharyngeal and/or oropharyngeal swabs in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to September 2021. The respiratory secretions of suspected COVID-19 cases were collected at the Virology Laboratory of Sourô Sanou University Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso. The respiratory secretions consisted of nasopharyngeal or combined nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs. Each sample was analyzed using the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag test and RT-PCR on the Abbott m2000 RealTime system.

Results: A total of 152 respiratory specimens were collected from suspected COVID-19 cases and processed in this study. The sensitivity and specificity of the Ag-RDT were 26.32% (9.15-57.20) and 98.65% (92.7-99.9), respectively, in the suspected cases with nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected cases, while a sensitivity of 25.0% (3.2-65.1) and a specificity of 98.65% (92.7-99.9) were shown with combined nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs from suspected cases. The accuracy and Cohen's kappa of the test were 83.87% and 0.36 in suspected cases with nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected cases, while they were 83.37% and 0.32 in oropharyngeal swabs. In our study, Ag-RDT was not sensitive on the specimens of suspected COVID-19 cases with Ct values ≥ 20, whereas its sensitivity increased to 41.18% (18.4-67.1) on specimens with Ct < 20.

Conclusion: The study findings have shown that the Ag-RDT is useful in suspected COVID-19 cases. However, the sensitivity of the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag test was low with minimal agreement in comparison to RT-PCR on the Abbott m2000rt system.

Currently available drugs for trypanosomiasis are few, and their use is limited by toxicity and growing resistance. This highlights the need for safer and more effective alternatives. In this study, the in vitro and in vivo antitrypanosomal activities of an 80% methanol root extract of Lobelia rhynchopetalum and its major constituent were evaluated against Trypanosoma congolense field isolates. Phytochemical separation of the extract yielded lobetyolin (a polyacetylene compound), confirmed through spectroscopic analysis. At 4 mg/mL, both the crude extract and lobetyolin inhibited parasite motility, with lobetyolin acting slightly faster (25 min) than the extract (30 min). The blood incubation assay demonstrated dose-dependent protection, with 4 mg/mL of DA, the lobetyolin-rich extract, or pure lobetyolin preventing infection, while lower doses only delayed parasitemia. In vivo testing showed that lobetyolin at 100 mg/kg exhibited stronger activity than the crude extract at 400 mg/kg. Molecular docking demonstrated that lobetyolin binds strongly to the homology-modeled trypanothione reductase (TR) enzyme of T. congolense, achieving a Glide score of -8.002 kcal/mol, which is close to that of the native ligand (-8.307 kcal/mol). This suggests that lobetyolin may inhibit TR, thereby disrupting the parasite's redox balance essential for survival. Overall, these findings provide the first evidence supporting the antitrypanosomal activity of L. rhynchopetalum root extract and lobetyolin, providing scientific support to the plant's traditional use. Further studies are needed to fully validate its therapeutic potential.

Infections are a cause of delayed wound healing, and the development of effective therapeutic strategies remains a key challenge. This study is aimed at developing and evaluating Zea mays leaf extract-mediated zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnZM NPs) for their antibacterial, antioxidant, and wound-healing potential. Z. mays leaf extract was utilized for the green synthesis of ZnZM NPs, which were characterized using multiple analytical techniques. The UV-visible spectrum exhibited a characteristic sharp absorption peak at 390 nm, and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrometry confirmed the presence of zinc and oxygen. FT-IR confirmed that the phytochemicals from Z. mays extract were involved in the reduction and capping of NPs. The ZnZM NPs were slightly aggregated, partially spherical, and crystalline, with an average crystallite size of 10.86 nm. The nanoparticles exhibited significant antibacterial activity against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and K. pneumoniae. They also exhibited notable ferric ion-reducing power and free radical-scavenging ability. Topical gels containing 1% ZnZM NPs accelerated wound healing in rats compared with the control and standard (commercial product). Histopathological studies further confirmed enhanced tissue regeneration and accelerated wound healing in rats treated with NPs compared with the control and standard groups. Our findings suggest that biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles possess antibacterial, antioxidant, and accelerated wound-healing properties and can serve as an economic, safe, and sustainable nanomedicine for use in clinical settings.

Background: According to the World Health Organization 2024 bacterial priority pathogens list, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) were listed among the critical priority pathogens. Heteroresistance (i.e., a bacterial isolate that appears susceptible but harbors resistant subpopulations) represents a challenge in traditional laboratory testing, which may lead to treatment failure with colistin. This phenomenon has been studied in many bacteria, including K. pneumoniae. To our knowledge, this is the first report of colistin heteroresistance in K. pneumoniae isolates using population analysis profiles (PAPs) in Iran.

Methods: Between 2019 and 2020, 100 K. pneumoniae isolates were collected from various samples of hospitalized patients in Iran. This study primarily determined antibiotic resistance by antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Thereafter, the prevalence of colistin heteroresistance in K. pneumoniae isolates was evaluated by the PAP test. Heteroresistant isolates were typed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST).

Results: The MIC test showed that 79 (79%) of the 100 K. pneumoniae isolates were susceptible to colistin. Overall, 2/79 colistin-susceptible isolates were classified as heteroresistant isolates by the PAP method, with a colistin MIC of 0.5 μg/ml. Importantly, after 5 serial passaging on colistin-free plates, there was no increase in the MIC of the colistin-resistant subpopulations, showing that heteroresistance cases were unstable. MLST revealed that heteroresistant isolates belong to ST377 and ST15.

Conclusions: In conclusion, the current study contributes to our understanding of the challenges posed by heteroresistant isolates in clinical laboratories. Since heteroresistant isolates may be misidentified as susceptible by standard tests, these findings raise concerns regarding the interpretation of colistin susceptibility results.

Background: Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) presents considerable complexity in tumor microenvironment (TME) because of its intricate intercellular heterogeneity and the presence of an immunosuppressive milieu. In order to understand the complex gene expression patterns and cell interactions in GCTB, we carried out a thorough investigation using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).

Methods: We examined scRNA-seq data from 7091 cells that were collected after surgical removal of GCTB. Following the initial quality control process, 10 separate groups of cells were distinguished, which consisted of dendritic cells, endothelial cells, macrophage cells, mast cells, monocyte cells, neutrophil cells, tumor cells, osteoclast cells, pericyte cells, and T cells. Additional analysis uncovered distinct categories within tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), CD8+ T cells, and CD4+ T cells. The differentiation mechanisms of TAMs, CD8+ T cells, and CD4+ T cells were explored using pseudo-time trajectory analysis. The CellPhoneDB study revealed the interactions between various cell types within the TME of GCTB.

Results: TAMs have been identified as the main infiltrating cells in GCTB. These TAMs exhibit several subtypes that are characterized by specific marker genes and functional states. The identification of several subgroups within CD8+ T cells that are involved in regulating immunological checkpoints underscores the difficulties encountered when attempting to employ immune checkpoint blockade therapy for GCTB. T cell exhaustion poses a major barrier to the efficacy of antitumor immune responses. Research suggests a strong correlation between TAMs and exhausted T cells (Texs) in the TME. The high number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) highlights the immunosuppressive nature of the immunological environment in GCTB. Significant interactions have been observed between TAMs and tumor cells, highlighting their crucial involvement in immune evasion strategies.

Conclusion: This scRNA-seq study provides a general overview of the different cellular compositions and immune interactions within GCTB. The identified subtypes and communication networks provide valuable information about the immunosuppressive environment of GCTB, laying the foundation for prospective therapeutic approaches targeting specific cell types or interactions.

All therapeutic interventions aimed at modulating the immune response to pathogens, self-antigens, carcinogens, or xenogeneic antigens are referred to as immunomodulation, which either prevents hyperactivation or restores the appropriate response of the immune system. Since antiquity, medicinal plants have been used as a source of immune-boosting medicines with fewer side effects. These medicinal plants, for example, Curcuma longa, Camellia sinensis, Artemisia annua, and Andrographis paniculata, have been used to treat immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, lupus, and organ transplantation. Herein, we review the currently accessible medicinal plants, their phytoconstituents, and underlying mechanisms of immunomodulation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/bmri/6602281.].

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of severe nosocomial infections worldwide. This opportunistic pathogen is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates due to its high levels of antibiotic resistance. The identification of novel therapeutic targets is therefore a pressing global health priority. This study aims to identify potential drug targets and vaccine candidates through structural characterization and functional annotation of hypothetical proteins (HPs) commonly found in multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.

Methods: The multidrug-resistant and carbapenem-resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were retrieved from genomic databases and 15 common HPs among these resistant strains, with a minimum length of 200 amino acids, were obtained and bioinformatics tools were employed to predict the structural, functional, and immunological properties of these common HPs.

Results: Two common HPs (gene ID: 2877781443 and 2877781545) were identified as the most promising drug and vaccine candidates among the investigated HPs based on their structural and physicochemical properties, functional domains, signals peptides, subcellular localization, pathogenicity factors, toxicity, antigenicity, and allergenicity.

Conclusion: The findings of this study will contribute to the development of novel vaccine and drug candidates against Pseudomonas aeruginosa through experimental validations.

Hypertension, widely recognized as the "silent killer," remains a leading cause of cardiovascular, renal, and neurological complications worldwide. This study proposes a dual-scenario hybrid machine learning framework for hypertension risk prediction using noninvasive body composition features, aimed at enhancing both interpretability and predictive reliability. In Scenario 1, an unsupervised clustering analysis inspired by self-labeling principles was performed exclusively on hypertensive individuals, where five physiological subgroups were identified via K-Means clustering and validated using Silhouette (0.3371), Davies-Bouldin (1.0094), and Calinski-Harabasz (720.10) indices. Significant intercluster variability (p < 0.001) was observed across key indicators such as FATP, RLFATP, LLFATP, FATM, and age. Among the tested models, the support vector machine (SVM) with random oversampling achieved the best performance (accuracy = 99.08%, F1 = 98.04%, AUC = 99.98%), confirming effective subgroup discrimination. In Scenario 2, a comprehensive binary classification between healthy and hypertensive subjects was conducted using five models-ExtraTrees, KNN, SVM, Gaussian Naive Bayes, and Decision Tree-across multiple configurations. The cluster-augmented dataset yielded the best results, with the ExtraTrees classifier achieving superior performance (accuracy = 98.23%, recall = 98.30%, precision = 98.17%, F1 = 98.23%, AUC = 99.87%). Clustering and feature selection both improved generalization, particularly for ensemble-based learners. Overall, Scenario 2 demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy and stability, whereas Scenario 1 provided valuable interpretability through subgroup discovery. These findings highlight that integrating unsupervised clustering with supervised classification offers a robust and explainable framework for personalized hypertension risk prediction, contributing to early detection and precision healthcare.

Background: Oral cancer, particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is a major global health concern, with late-stage diagnoses significantly lowering survival rates. Salivary gland tumors (SGTs), though less common, pose diagnostic challenges due to their varied presentation. This study investigates the role of interleukin-35 (IL-35) in OSCC and SGTs, aimed at assessing its potential as a biomarker for early detection and prognosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 65 OSCC patients, 65 SGTs patients, and 50 healthy individuals as a control group. Inclusion criteria included age over 18 years, negative HPV confirmation, and histopathologically confirmed cancer diagnosis (SGT or OSCC). Blood samples were collected from all participants. Serum IL-35 levels were measured using the ELISA kit.

Results: IL-35 levels varied significantly between the groups (p = 0.002), with the lowest levels detected in the SGT group. Pairwise comparisons revealed that IL-35 levels were significantly lower in the SGTs patients (5.45 ± 6.03 pg/mL) compared to both the OSCC group (9.21 ± 10.81 pg/mL, p = 0.002) and the control group (10.50 ± 11.77 pg/mL, p = 0.004). IL-35 levels were significantly lower in patients with malignant SGTs (5.45 ± 6.03 pg/mL) compared to healthy controls (p = 0.002). There were no significant differences in IL-35 levels between benign and malignant SGTs (p = 0.133). In OSCC patients, IL-35 levels did not significantly differ from those in the control group (p > 0.05). Furthermore, OSCC tumor characteristics, including tumor origin and lymphatic involvement, showed no significant correlation with IL-35 levels (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: The study indicates that IL-35 levels are notably reduced in SGTs compared to healthy individuals. However, no significant difference was observed between benign and malignant SGTs. The absence of significant correlation in OSCC patients suggests that IL-35 may have a minor role in this type of cancer, highlighting the potential need for other biomarkers to improve early detection.