Objective: To determine the urinary tract infections (UTIs)-causing bacterial profile and antibiotic susceptibility pattern for the proper and complete treatment of UTIs in pregnant women with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: We collected 300 urine samples from diabetic and nondiabetic pregnant women at various gestational ages. After isolating and identifying uropathogens, we conducted an antibiotic sensitivity assay against fourteen commonly used antibiotics: amikacin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, azithromycin, cefixime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, gentamicin, levofloxacin, netilmicin, nitrofurantoin. Results: Among the participants, 70% had DM but only 37.3% had positive uropathogen growth. Five gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter spp., Citrobacter spp., and Pseudomonas spp.) and 3 gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp.) were indentified. Escherichia coli was the most prevalent bacteria (57.1%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (19.6%). In the antibiotic susceptibility assay, we found 96.5% of the isolated organisms were highly susceptible to levofloxacin, 94.2% to netilmicin, 88.2% to nitrofurantoin, 85.1% to amikacin, 79.8% to gentamicin, respectively. On the other hand, 64.8%, 63.6%, 61.8% of the isolates demonstrated high-level resistance to ampicillin, ceftazidime and amoxicillin whereas 38.0%, 37.1%, 33.6%, 30.9% and 30.0% of the organisms were resistant to co-trimoxazole, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime, cefixime, respectivey. Conclusions: Our results suggest that amikacin, levofloxacin, netilmicin, nitrofurantoin, and gentamycin can be used as first-line treatments for UTIs, whether the patient has DM or not. Contrarily, amoxicillin, ampicillin, ceftazidime, azithromycin, and co-trimoxazole should be avoided in treating UTIs.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of the brain. Currently, approximately 55 million people have dementia across the globe and the number of AD patients is estimated by the WHO to reach about 78 million people by 2030 and nearly 139 million by 2050 globally. Amyloid β42, amyloid β oligomers, and tau proteins are the major biomarkers to understand the AD-like pathology. Therapies target β-amyloid (Aβ) for the modification of AD but poor permeability hampers the uses of drugs against AD. Other drugs including NMDA-receptor antagonists, cholinesterase inhibitors and their combination provide only temporary symptomatic relief. Meanwhile nutraceuticals are studied for mitigating the course of dementia. This study reviews therapeutic nutraceuticals which could be effective for treating AD.

Mpox (monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus. Concern has recently been expressed over the appearance of the human monkeypox virus and its severe clinical presentation that resembles smallpox. Currently, due to the decrescence of immunity among smallpox-vaccinated residents, and the accumulation of unvaccinated cohorts, people are generally susceptible to mpox. A cumulative number of 79411 laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox and 50 fatalities have been reported to the World Health Organization from 110 countries between 1 January and 13 November 2022. This paper provides an overview of the epidemiology and clinical features of mpox, and control and prevention approaches for mpox to fully understand and prevent human infections.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the carriage of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes in third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCR) Escherichia (E.) coli from frequently contacted surfaces, wastewater and disinfectant-cleaning solutions of selected healthcare institutions in South-western Nigeria. Methods: Samples were collected over three months for the isolation of 3GCR E. coli on MacConkey agar containing 6 μg/mL of cefotaxime. 3GCR E. coli isolates were identified by detection of uidA gene and susceptibility to selected antibiotics was performed using disc-diffusion method. Detection of ESBL genes was done using primer-specific PCR. Results: A total of 22 ESBL-producing E. coli (11 each from the frequently contacted surfaces and wastewater) were obtained from the pool of 3GCR isolates in this study. No isolate was recovered from the disinfectant-cleaning solution. All the ESBL-producing E. coli obtained from the frequently contacted surfaces and wastewater were multidrug resistant, with complete resistance observed to ampicillin, cefotaxime, cefpodoxime, tetracycline and ertapenem. The ESBL genotyping showed that 54.5% carried bla_CTX-M, 63.6% carried bla_TEM and 9.1% carried bla_SHV in isolates from the frequently contacted surfaces, while 63.6%, 9.1% and 18.2% carried bla_CTX-M, bla_TEM and bla_SHV, respectively, in the isolates obtained from the wastewater. Conclusions: This study showed a high burden of multidrug resistance E. coli on frequently contacted surfaces and wastewater of the studied healthcare institutions, indicating the need for good hygiene and proper mitigation measures to prevent potential public health and environmental challenges.

Rabies is widely prevalent worldwide, and China is among the countries most affected. To achieve the goal of zero human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030, dog management and immunization must be improved and comprehensive prevention and control measures must be adopted. We analyze the epidemiological profile of rabies in China in the past 30 years to clarify the origins of China’s high prevalence, and propose a comprehensive rabies prevention and control concept based on “One Health” by drawing on successful international control efforts.