Introduction: Hospital-acquired infections continue to be a major public health problem, especially among neonates. Large proportions of infants are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and receive potent systemic antibiotics while the diagnostic work-up is still in progress. This study aimed to evaluate the recent methods for diagnosing neonatal sepsis (NS) and compare them to conventional diagnostic work-up. Methodology: The study included 100 neonates divided into three groups: proven early-onset NS, clinical early-onset NS, and negative infectious status. Bacterial DNA was detected in the blood by broad-range 16S rDNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Markers for diagnosis of bacterial infection, which includedprocalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Blood culture was positive in 25 cases, while PCR for 16S rDNA was positive in 32 cases. Hs-CRP was significantly elevated in 30 patients in group 1, 35 patients in group 2, and 8 patients in group 3. IL-6 was significantly elevated in 28 patients in group 1, 24 patients in group 2, and 9 patients in group 3. PCT was found to be significantly elevated in 29 patients in group 1, 31 patients in group 2, and 2 patients in group 3. Conclusions: The16S rDNA PCR assay was more sensitive than blood culture. The combination of markers (hs-CRP, PCT, and IL-6) is better than single markers to diagnose sepsis. PCT had greater diagnostic value than did hs-CRP and IL-6, while IL-6 was better for diagnosis of neonatal infection.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective anticancer agent with a wide spectrum of activities. However, it has many adverse effects on various organs especially on the liver. Thymol, one of the major components of thyme oil, has biological properties that include anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Thus, this study was designed to examine thyme oil and thymol for their ability to prevent doxorubicin‐induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats. Hepatotoxicity was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of doxorubicin, at a dose of 2 mg/kg bw/week, for seven weeks. Doxorubicin‐injected rats were supplemented with thyme oil and thymol at doses 250 and 100 mg/kg bw, respectively, four times/week by oral gavage for the same period. Treatment of rats with thyme oil and thymol reversed the high serum activities of AST, ALT, and ALP and total bilirubin, AFP, and CA19.9 levels, caused by doxorubicin. Thyme oil and thymol also reduced the high levels of TNF‐α and the decreased levels of both albumin and IL‐4. These agents ameliorated doxorubicin‐induced elevation in hepatic lipid peroxidation and associated reduction in GSH content and GST and GPx activities. Further, the supplementation with thyme oil and thymol significantly augmented mRNA expression of the level of antiapoptotic protein Bcl‐2 and significantly downregulated nuclear and cytoplasmic levels of the hepatic apoptotic mediator p53. Thus, thyme oil and thymol successfully counteracted doxorubicin‐induced experimental hepatotoxicity via their anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic properties.

Introduction: Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important organisms causing hospital-acquired infections worldwide. Molecular analysis of MRSA strains from Taif, Saudi Arabia, had not been previously done. Phenotypic and molecular characteristics of MRSA isolated from Taif hospitals were investigated. Methodology: This study involved S. aureus strains isolated from different clinical samples from Taif hospitals. MRSA strains were identified and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to identify S. aureus-specific sequence, mecA genes, and type of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec). MRSA strains were typed using coagulase gene polymorphism. Results: In total, 390 strains of S. aureus were isolated, and 58 MRSA strains – 40 hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA) and 18 community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) – were detected. HA-MRSA strains included three SCCmec types, while CA-MRSA strains included two SCCmec types. PCR amplification and restriction of the coagulase gene of the 58 MRSA isolates showed nine different patterns, while three strains were non-typable. HA-MRSA strains showed seven distinct restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns; the most frequent was pattern 2 (15 isolates), followed by patterns 1 and 4 (5 isolates each). CA-MRSA showed five RFLP patterns; the most frequent was pattern 3 (7 isolates) followed by pattern 8 (6 isolates). Conclusions: HA-MRSA strains were more common than CA-MRSA strains. SCCmec typing and coagulase gene polymorphism analysis may be useful methods for studying clonal relatedness of isolates and for discriminating between HA-MRSA and CA-MRSA.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) has a wide range of outcomes depending on host immune responses mainly Toll-like receptors (TLRs) signaling and released cytokines. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) may influence the course of CHB. We aimed to elucidate the relation between TLR-2 polymorphism, IL-6 profile, and CHB progression. We analyzed TLR-2 polymorphism (SNP; rs3804099) in 185 CHB patients and 60 controls using TaqMan allelic discrimination assay. Serum IL-6 levels were assessed by ELISA. IL-6 levels were considerably higher in active CHB and cirrhotic patients compared with inactive carriers and controls (P < 0.001). IL-6 showed positive correlation with ALT and advanced fibrosis in active CHB patients (r = 0.31,P = 0.02). A significant positive correlation was noticed between IL-6 and HBV DNA PCR in all CHB groups. TT genotype of rs3804099/TLR-2 was significantly more prevalent in inactive carriers compared to active hepatitis patients (P = 0.04, OR = 0.39 and 95% CI: 0.16–0.95). Both heterozygous CT and mutant TT genotypes were significantly more frequent among inactive carriers compared to cirrhotic patients (P = 0.01, OR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13–0.81 andP = 0.009, OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.13–0.77). TT genotype was significantly related to lower IL-6 levels in active hepatitis and cirrhotic groups (P = 0.005 andP = 0.001, respectively) showing that TLR mutations would be associated with milder hepatitis activity and lower possibility for disease progression. There may be a positive association between TLR2 rs3804099 polymorphism and hepatitis B activity. IL-6 is a good indicator of CHB disease progression.