Probiotic bacteria and phytosterols are natural hypocholesterolemic agents with potential cardiovascular benefits. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of supplementation of probiotics and phytosterols alone or in combination on serum and hepatic lipid profiles and thyroid hormones of hypercholesterolemic rats. Mixed probiotics treatment consisted of 8 probiotic strains: 2 strains of each of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus reuteri. The rats were fed for 8 wk with the given treatments in addition to a high-fat-high-cholesterol basal diet to induce hypercholesterolemia. Results showed that supplementation significantly reduced serum total cholesterol, low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides compared with the controls. The symbiotic treatment was more effective in lowering LDL-C, whereas mixed probiotics treatment more effectively lowered serum total cholesterol and LDL-C than the phytosterol-containing treatment. The phytosterol-containing treatments induced the increased activity of thyroid glands, as evident by elevated levels of serum total thyroxine, total triiodothyronine, and free triiodothyronine. In conclusion, the lipid profile can effectively be reduced to lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease using combinations of Lactobacillus-based probiotics and phytosterols in functional foods.

Background. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major bacterial pathogen. Aim. The present study aimed to determine the incidence of MRSA infections among kidney dialysis patients and the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and investigate the prevalence of mecA gene among MRSA isolates. Materials and Methods. A total of 83 nasal sterile cotton swabs samples were obtained from hemodialysis patients from Al-Karak Governmental Hospital, Al-Karak, Jordan. Collected and cultured on nutrient agar and mannitol salt agar and incubating at 37C for 2448hours, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) strains were identified by gram stain, coagulase test, and catalase tests. The MRSA isolates were tested for the presence of MecA and SCCmec genes using the Xpert SA Nasal Complete assay real-time PCR. Factors such as age and gender were included in the study. The antibiotic profile tested by using the disc diffusion method tested all MRSA isolates. Results. This study showed that 10.8 of the cultures growth was S. aureus and 9.6 of all the patients were infected with MRSA, with no relationship between the number and frequency of MRSA according to the patients gender or age. All MRSA (100) isolates have both genes (MecA genes and SCCmec genes), and all samples were resistant to oxacillin, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, aztreonam, and ampicillin. Conclusion. The MRSA prevalence was determined among kidney dialysis patients in the hospital. All positive samples were resistant to oxacillin, ceftazidime, cefoxitin, aztreonam, and ampicillin, which is a very rare finding, and this will give the scientists and doctors a dangerous indication about health-care centers in the Al-Karak city of Jordan.

Background and Objectives: Healthcare workers in hospitals are exposed to infectious diseases that occur in the hospital making them a source of infection for the patients. It is interfaced as cross-contamination agents for MRSA and MR-CoNS, and preventive measures need to be adapted accordingly. The study aimed to assess Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) on the skin and nasal cavities of healthcare workers (HCWs) and identifying isolates to the species level. Materials and Methods: Swab samples were cultured on mannitol salt agar (MSA) to obtain MRS and determine their ability to produce coagulase. Their susceptibility to antibiotics were determined by agar screening and disk diffusion methods and further identification was done at the species level. Results: The highest percentage of methicillin resistant coagulase positive Staphylococci (MRCoPS) was reported among skins of male HCWs, (71.4%) were identified as MRSA. The highest levels of methicillin resistant coagulase negative Staph-ylococci (MRCoNS) were mainly detected in both nasal cavities, (75%) were identified as MRSE. MRSA was reported from doctors (p-value 0.033), whereas the highest incidence of MRSE was obtained from the nurses (p-value 0.048). Conclusion: This study highlighted that incidence of MRSA was mainly detected in doctors and MRCoNS in both nasal cav- ities. The highest percentage of MRCoNS was recovered from the patients’ room followed by the reception table. Moreover, vancomycin is suggested to be highly effective in managing and controlling S. aureus, MRSA- and MRSE related infections.

Background and Objectives: Microbial biofilm is characterized by the irreversible attachment of planktonic cells to a surface and is usually associated with high antimicrobial resistance with worsening the wound healing. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) of diabetic patients and to in- vestigate antibiotic susceptibility patterns of these isolates. In addition to screen biofilm forming ability of isolated S. aureus. Materials and Methods: A total of 112 non-healing wound swabs of diabetic foot patients were collected and cultured on different culture media to identify and characterize 98 isolates. The S. aureus isolates were examined for their antibiotic susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents. Furthermore, S. aureus isolates were evaluated for their biofilm production capability using the Tissue Culture Plate Method (TPC). The level of icaA gene expression was determined by RT-PCR. Results: The results of this study showed that these non-healing wounds yield positive cultures, with an average of 1.67 or- ganisms per sample. The isolates showed highest resistance against oxacillin (95.2%) and lowest resistance against linezolid (3.7%). All isolates were biofilm producers and a significant association with the icaA gene expression level was recorded. Conclusion: This study showed that S. aureus isolates have a great ability to produce biofilms that are associated with the chronicity of wounds in diabetic patients. Routine screening for biofilm formers in chronic wounds and their antibiotic sus- ceptibility testing will help in early treatment and prevent any other complications.

Background and Objectives: Urinary tract infections are one of the world's major health problems. In addition, clinical disorders may result from the presence of bacteria or fungi in urine. The aim of this study was to isolate Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains from midstream urine samples, and to determine molecular characterization of encoded Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) genes.Materials and Methods: Collected urine samples were streaked on MacConkey, blood and EMB agar plates, then identifying E. coli isolates by using antibiotic susceptibility tests. ESBL production was measured using double disc diffusion. Furthermore, uniplex PCR was performed to identify two ESBL genes (blaCTX and blaTEM).Results: Among 412 isolates, 198 (48.1%) were E. coli strains, followed by Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Klebsiella sp., Serratia sp., Enterococci sp. and Proteus sp. with frequency of 132 (32.0%), 51 (12.4%), 15 (3.6%), 10 (2.4%), and 6 (1.5%) respectively. Female participants who were between the ages of 40 and 49 years old, married, and pregnant were more likely to develop urinary tract infections (UTIs). E. coli species were present in 189 (95.5) of the recurrent UTIs. Regarding antimicrobial susceptibility testing of E. coli isolates, the highest percentage of resistance and susceptible rates were found for nalidixic acid (75.8%) and gentamicin (64.1%) respectively. Among the E. coli isolates, 25 (12.6%) were ESBL-producers. The blaCTX-M gene was genetically confirmed in 20 (10.1%) of the isolates.Conclusion: E. coli is the most common cause of UTI and ESBL production leads to increased resistance to common antibiotics and complicates treatment strategies.