Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae shows varying degrees of resistance to antibiotic treatment; this resistance arises from multiple mechanisms, including the increased expression of multidrug (MDR) efflux pumps. An efflux pump inhibitor (EPI) is required to overcome this challenge and restore the effectiveness of antibiotics against the present MDR K. pneumoniae. Objective: To investigate the synergistic effect of the EPI Phenylalanine-Arginine β-Naphthylamide (PaβN) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) on the expression of efflux pump genes AcrAB-TolC, isolated from CIP-resistant K. pneumoniae. Methods: 50 isolates of K. pneumoniae were collected from five different hospitals in Baghdad, Iraq. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were determined for the CIP and CIP and PaßN combination using the broth micro-dilution method conducted on ten isolates resistant to CIP. Moreover, the expression level of AcrA, AcrB, and TolC genes from four selected isolates of K. pneumoniae were measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: K. pneumoniae isolates showed that 40/50 (80%) were multidrug-resistant, and 54% of isolates were resistant to CIP. The MIC was reduced significantly from 2–8-fold in the isolates treated with PaβN and CIP compared to the CIP-treated group. The gene expression levels varied among the four selected isolates, with a slight decrease in AcrAB-TolC gene expression in some isolates treated with the CIP and PaβN combination compared to those treated with CIP alone. Conclusions: The promising finding is the effectiveness of synergistic combinations between the antibiotic and efflux pump inhibitors in eliminating resistance of MDR bacteria.
Copper zinc tin sulfide selenide, Cu2 ZnSn(S1−x Se x)4 , absorbers are promising earth-abundant and environmentally benign materials for low-cost photovoltaic applications. This study investigates the structural and optical properties of Cu 2 ZnSn(S1−x Se x)4 nanostructured thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition using melt-quenched targets with selenium compositions x = 0.0–1.0. X-ray diffraction revealed that films with low selenium content remained amorphous, whereas higher selenium incorporation promoted the formation of polycrystalline kesterite–stannite phases with preferred orientations along (112), (200), (220), and (312). The crystallite size increased from 12.3 to 17.9 nm as selenium reached x = 1.0, indicating enha
... Show MoreThe reaction of LAs-Cl8 : [ (2,2- (1-(3,4-bis(carboxylicdichloromethoxy)-5-oxo-2,5- dihydrofuran-2-yl)ethane – 1,2-diyl)bis(2,2-dichloroacetic acid)]with sodium azide in ethanol with drops of distilled water has been investigated . The new product L-AZ :(3Z ,5Z,8Z)-2- azido-8-[azido(3Z,5Z)-2-azido-2,6-bis(azidocarbonyl)-8,9-dihydro-2H-1,7-dioxa-3,4,5- triazonine-9-yl]methyl]-9-[(1-azido-1-hydroxy)methyl]-2H-1,7-dioxa-3,4,5-triazonine – 2,6 – dicarbonylazide was isolated and characterized by elemental analysis (C.H.N) , 1H-NMR , Mass spectrum and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FT-IR) . The reaction of the L-AZ withM+n: [ ( VO(II) , Cr(III) ,Mn(II) , Co(II) , Ni(II) , Cu(II) , Zn(II) , Cd(II) and Hg(II)] has been i
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