Microbiological Safety of Street Vended Foods in Jigjiga City, Eastern Ethiopia

Introduction Ethiopian communities highly depend on local plants to safe and sound their survival and health. Local trees are subjugated and used intensively for medicinal uses. Objective The aim of the present study was too carried out phytochemical analysis of organic extract of Hagenia abyssinica and to find out antihelmentic property of Hagenia abyssinica. Methods Hagenia abyssinica female flower extracts was used for plant component analysis and for determination of antihelmentic activity. Earth worm (Pheretima posthuma) strains were used for experimental purpose. Disc diffusion method was used to assess the antibacterial effect of the extracts on micro-organisms. Results The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, tannins, steroid, alkaloid, saponins in all extracts. Antibacterial and antihelmentic activity of Ethanolic, Methanolic, Hexane and Petroleum Ether extract of Hagenia abyssinica female flowers was highly active against Adult earthworm (Pheritima posthuma) and active against Staphyloccoccus aureus and showed less activity against Salmonella typhi. Conclusion The present study finally demonstrates that Hagenia abyssinica is a good source of various phytochemical such as Saponins, Phlobathanins, Flavonoids, Anthraquinones, Phenols, Terpenoids, Alkaloids, Steroids, Glycosides, Tannins. The antibacterial activity Hagenia abyssinica was clearly shown by the present study against bacteria. All these preliminary reports affirm an in depth analysis of the usefulness of Hagenia abyssinica as miracle drug against various ailments.

A hyperactive tumour microenvironment (TME) drives unrestricted cancer cell survival, drug resistance, and metastasis in ovarian carcinoma (OC). However, therapeutic targets within the TME for OC remain elusive, and efficient methods to quantify TME activity are still limited. Herein, we employed an integrated bioinformatics approach to determine which immune-related genes (IRGs) modulate the TME and further assess their potential theragnostic (therapeutic + diagnostic) significance in OC progression. Using a robust approach, we developed a predictive risk model to retrospectively examine the clinicopathological parameters of OC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The validity of the prognostic model was confirmed with data from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) cohort. Our approach identified nine IRGs, AKT2, FGF7, FOS, IL27RA, LRP1, OBP2A, PAEP, PDGFRA, and PI3, that form a prognostic model in OC progression, distinguishing patients with significantly better clinical outcomes in the low-risk group. We validated this model as an independent prognostic indicator and demonstrated enhanced prognostic significance when used alongside clinical nomograms for accurate prediction. Elevated LRP1 expression, which indicates poor prognosis in bladder cancer (BLCA), OC, low-grade gliomas (LGG), and glioblastoma (GBM), was also associated with immune infiltration in several other cancers. Significant correlations with immune checkpoint genes (ICGs) highlight the potential importance of LRP1 as a biomarker and therapeutic target. Furthermore, gene set enrichment analysis highlighted LRP1’s involvement in metabolism-related pathways, supporting its prognostic and therapeutic relevance also in BLCA, OC, low-grade gliomas (LGG), GBM, kidney cancer, OC, BLCA, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), and stomach and oesophageal carcinoma (STES). Our study has generated a novel signature of nine IRGs within the TME across cancers, that could serve as potential prognostic predictors and provide a valuable resource to improve the prognosis of OC.

Kitchen sponges are among the possible sources of contaminants in food establishments. The main purpose of the current study was, therefore, to assess the microbiological safety of sponges as it has been used in selected food establishments of Jimma town. Accordingly, the microbiological safety of a total of 201 kitchen sponges randomly collected from food establishments was evaluated against the total counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB), Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and yeast and molds. The mean counts of aerobic mesophilic bacteria ranged from 7.43 to 12.44 log CFU/mm³. The isolated genera were dominated byPseudomonas(16.9%),Bacillus(11.1%),Micrococcus(10.6%),Streptococcus(7.8%), andLactobacillus(6%) excluding the unidentified Gram positive rods (4.9%) and Gram negative rods (9.9%). The high microbial counts (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, and yeast and molds) reveal the existence of poor kitchen sponge sanitization practice. Awareness creation training on basic hygienic practices to food handlers and periodic change of kitchen sponges are recommended.

Food-borne pathogens are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Changes in eating habits, mass catering, unsafe food storage conditions and poor hygiene practices are major contributing factors to food associated illnesses. In Ethiopia, the widespread habit of ready-to-eat food consumption is potential cause of food borne illnesses. The present study aimed at investigating the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Salmonella species from ready-to-eat foods from catering establishments in Jigjiga City and determining susceptibility pattern of bacterial isolates. This study aimed to assess the ready-to-eat foods Salmonella prevalence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of the isolates. In total, various food samples were collected from 120 hotels and processed to detect Salmonella presence. The ready-to-eat food samples were collected and assessed bacteriologically for Salmonella strains. A total of 120 food samples were bacteriologically evaluated. After confirmation, 25 samples (20.8%) were positive to Salmonella. A total of 5 drug resistance patterns were detected among Salmonella isolates. Out of the 25 isolates 10 (40%) were resistant to three antibiotics, 8 (28%) of the isolates were resistant to 4 of the antibiotics tested, whereas 5 (20%) were resistant to two antibiotics, only 1 (4%) isolate was resistant to 1 antibiotic but 1 (4%) isolate was resistant to five antibiotics. The lack of public sanitary facilities can be another hurdle to keep the desirable hands hygiene of the vendors. In this study, it is reported that severity of the current scenario among the hotel worker hygiene and they are the unknowingly playing role in spread of diseases like Salmonellosis. Key words: Food Establishments, ready-to-eat foods, Salmonella.

Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) poses significant clinical challenges due to its high incidence and poor prognosis, exacerbated by the lack of effective screening methods. The standard treatment for UCEC typically involves surgical intervention, with radiation and chemotherapy as potential adjuvant therapies. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising avenue for the advanced treatment of UCEC. This study employs a multi-omics approach, analyzing RNA-sequencing data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and GeneMANIA databases to investigate the prognostic value of MutL Homolog 1 (MLH1) gene expression in UCEC. The dysregulation of MLH1 in UCEC is linked to adverse prognostic outcomes and suppressed immune cell infiltration. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) data reveal MLH1’s involvement in immune-related processes, while its expression correlates with tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI). Lower MLH1 expression is associated with poorer prognosis, reduced responsiveness to Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, and heightened sensitivity to anti-cancer agents. This comprehensive analysis establishes MLH1 as a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity in UCEC, offering crucial insights for the clinical management of patients.