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Objective:The present study aimed to evaluate the current trends of drug resistance patterns of Acinetobacter baumannii infection in blood transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients.Study Design:This study was a cross sectional study, conducted at the Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro/Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan from October 2014 to January 2016.Subjects and Methods:Of 921 blood samples, A. baumannii strains were isolated from 100 blood samples. Blood samples were processed for the isolation, identification, and drugs sensitivity as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. A. baumannii strains were identified by microbiological methods and Gram's staining. API 20 E kit (Biomeriuex, USA) was also used for identification. Data were analyzed on Statisti × 8.1 (USA).Results:Mean ± standard deviation age was 11.5 ± 2.8 years. Nearly 70% were male and 30% were female (P = 0.0001). Of 921 blood transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients, 100 (10.8%) patients showed growth of A. baumannii. Drug resistance was observed against the ceftazidime, cefixime, cefepime, imipenem, meropenem, amikacin, minocycline, tigecycline, and tazocin except for the colistin.Conclusion:The present study reports drug-resistant A. baumannii in blood transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients. National multicenter studies are recommended to estimate the size of the problem.

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Flexible strain sensors with high sensitivity, wide sensing range, and excellent long-term stability are highly anticipated due to their promising potential in user-friendly electronic skins, interactive wearable systems, and robotics. Fortunately, there have been more flexible sensing materials developed during the past few decades, and some important milestones have been reached. Among the various strain sensing approaches, liquid-type (fluidic type) sensing has attracted great attention due to its appealing qualities, including its high flexibility, broad electrochemical window, variety in design, minimal saturated vapor pressure, and outstanding solubility. This review provides the comprehensive and systematic development of fluidic-type flexible strain sensors, especially in the past 10 years, with a focus on various types of liquids used, fabrication methods, channel structures, and their wide-range applications in wearable devices and robotics. Furthermore, it is believed that this work will be of great help to young researchers looking for a detailed study on fluidic strain sensors.

Objective: Evaluation of free radical scavenging activity of Berberine (BBR) in acetaminophen (AAP) induced liver injury. Study design: Experimental study. Place and Duration: Animal House, Isra University Hyderabad from October 2015 to March 2016. Methodology: A sample of 80 male Wistar rats was selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria and was divided into a control and three experimental groups. Acetaminophen, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and BBR were administered in standard doses. Cardiac puncture collected blood samples after 18 hours of the post-experiment period. Liver function test, antioxidant enzymes, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected by ELISA assay kit (Fortress Diagnostics). The data was analyzed on Statistix 10.0 software (USA) at 95% CI (P≤ 0.05). Results: The BBR showed antioxidant and antiperoxidant activity against acetaminophen-induced liver injury. BBR treated animals showed increased serum and tissue SOD, GPX, CAT, and GSSH with a reduction in tissue MDA (p=0.0001). Liver injury ameliorating effect of BBR was superior to N-acetyl cysteine. Conclusion: The present study suggests Berberine protects against acetaminophen-induced liver injury by its free radical scavenging activity.