Ghahreman Shiri∗Although Hindi style has been apparently used in the most non-political poetic period in Iranian literature, in fact most of its principle features have been formed in reaction to cultural policies of Safavid era. Intricate imageries and reasoning characteristics are in response to superficiality and shallowness of the people. An attempt to discover tenor and aversion and dissidence to tradition, politics and ideology are as well reactions to political and cultural limitations and prohibitions which eventually results in a quite different world from the present realities in the society.

Background and Objectives: Non-fementer gram-NEGATIVE bacilli (NFGB) are ubiquitous pathogen that has emerged as a major cause of health care associated infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of NFGB in an Iranian hospital.Materials and Methods: From July 2005 to November 2006 a total of 257 strains of NFGB including 109 (42.41%) strains of Pseudomonas aeruoginosa, 88 (34.24%) strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, 48 (18.67%) stains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and 12 (4.66%) strains of Burkholderia cepacia were isolated from clinical specimens taken from patients hospitalized in Milad Hospitsl, Tehran, Iran. Conventional bacteriological methods were used for identification and susceptibility testing of NFGB. Susceptibility testing was performed by method as recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). Data were analyzed using SPSS 11.5 for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL).Results: A total of 257 non-duplicating of NFGB strains were isolated from 234 hospitalized patients. The most effective antibiotic against P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii was imipenem followed by tobramycin. Fluoroquinolones had moderate activity against P. aerugunosa. Most isolates of A.baumannii were multi-drug resistant. Susceptibility of S. maltophila to ticarcillinclavuanic, ofloxacin and ceftazidim was 96%, 94% and 81%, respectively. Thirty three percent of this bacterium isolates were resistant to co-trimoxazole.Conclusion: In our study, imipenem was the most effective antibiotic against P. aeruginosa and A. baummannii isolates. Previous history use of antibiotics, longer duration of hospital stay and mechanical ventilation were the major risk factors for RESISTANCE acquisition in NFGB especially in P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii.

Background and Objectives: Macrolide, lincosamide and streptogramin B (MLSB) antimicrobial agents are widely used in the treatment of staphylococcal infection. Clindamycin is the medicine of choice for some staphylococcal infections, particularly skin and soft tissues infections. Erythromycin and clindamycin are two distinct classes of antimicrobial agents which inhibit protein synthesis in bacterial cells. Inducible RESISTANCE to clindamycin is not diagnosed using conventional antibiotic susceptibility testing and most of the physicians do not prescribe clindamycin in cases where isolates show RESISTANCE to erythromycin. However, not all of the erythromycin resistant strains are resistant to clindamycin. To detect co-RESISTANCE to both antibiotics, the inducible test should be performed to determine the potency of clindamycin for treatment. The aim of this study was to detect inducible clindamycin resistant isolates of methicillin resistant isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase NEGATIVE staphylococci.Material and Methods: The inducible test was performed by disk diffusion, placing an erythromycin disk adjacent to a clindamycin disk on Muller Hinton agar plate. If the isolates were resistant to erythromycin and this RESISTANCE was induced to clindamycin an inhibitiom zone shaped like the letter D was produced.  In this study all methicillin RESISTANCE Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase NEGATIVE staphylococci were tested for induced RESISTANCE.Results: Of 128 isolates of Staphylococci, 6 were D and 1 was D+.Conclusion: The inducible test correctly identified the inducible RESISTANCE to clindamycin caused by erythromycin. The RESISTANCE to clindamycin was not induced by erythromycin in the majority of isolates of staphylococci in our collection of isolates. We recommend the test routinely be used for correct determination of RESISTANCE to clindamycin.

Background: The rapid emergence of antibiotic RESISTANCE, especially broad-spectrum antibiotics, resulted in the avid use of new potent antibiotics. Ceftriaxone and ceftazidime, two third-generation cephalosporin, are usually used to manage complicated and uncomplicated infections. The use of cefepime in resistant infections is increasing gradually, which put this potent antibiotic at risk of RESISTANCE.Patients and methods: During an 18-month period, a total of 220 gram-NEGATIVE bacteria including Pseudomonas spp, Serratia spp, Acinetobacter spp, Proteus spp, E-coli and Klebsiella spp. have been isolated by standard microbiological methods from nosocomial surgical site, abscess, blood stream and urinary tract infections. MIC of antibiotics on isolated bacteria was determined by gradient concentration method.Results: Totally, 29.4%, 19.5% and 23.3% of isolated bacteria with MIC£8μg/ml were sensitive to cefepime, ceftriaxone and ceftazidime, respectively. High level RESISTANCE with MIC³256mg/ml to cefepime, ceftriaxone and ceftazidime was also observed in 47.1%, 70.8% and 62.5% of cases, respectively (p<0.05). High level RESISTANCE to cefepime were more commonly observed for pseudomonas (73.1%) and Klebsiella spp. (73.5%), respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to CLSI criteria, 47.1% of isolated bacteria in this study showed high level of RESISTANCE (MIC³256mg/ml) to cefepime. Therefore application of cefepime, as a drug of choice, for gram-NEGATIVE organisms is not reasonable. Our result demonstrated that this potent antibiotic should not be used as a choice for empiric antibiotic therapy, in the cases of nosocomial infections caused by gram-NEGATIVE organisms.

Introduction: Biodesulfurization is used as a selective method for lowering the sulfur content of petroleum products.Materials and methods: A sulfur-oxidation bacterial strain named Rhodococcus erythropolis R1 (NCBI GenBank Accession No. GU570564) was used in this study for desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT).Results: The induced culture of strain R1 was able to produce 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2- HBP) from DBT followed 4S pathway without further degrading carbon backbone. This process confirmed by gas chromatography (GC) analysis. The specific activity of DBT desulfurization by R1 was 45 mM (g dry wt) -1 h-1. The addition of Tween 80 as surfactant and glycerol as carbon source determines a 100% rate of DBT-desulfurization during 3 days. The heavy plasmid detected in R1 strain carries dsz genes responsible for biodesulfurization of DBT that was shown by PCR reaction. The mutant strains which had lost this plasmid also had lost desulfurization phenotype. Both mutant and wild strain were sensitive to high concentration of 2-HBP and some antibiotics.Discussion and conclusion: Strain R1 desulfurize DBT through the sulfur-specific degradation pathway or 4S pathway with the selective cleavage of carbon-sulfur (C-S) bonds without reducing the energy content. Addition of surfactant enhanced the desulfurization of DBT by increasing its bioavailability and also could improve the growth and desulfurization rate. The location of desulfurization genes was on a heavy plasmid in strain R1. Based on the results of this study, R. erythropolis R1 could serve as a model system for efficient biodesulfurization of petroleum oil without reducing the energy value.

From Mar 2000 to Nov 2001 the prevalence of RESISTANCE to ampicillin, sulfomethaxazol-trimetoprim, (SXT) nitrofurantoin, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, cephalothin, and gentamicin in 740 gram-NEGATIVE bacilli isolated from outpatients with acute urinary tract infections (UTIs) at Kashan Central Laboratory was prospectively evaluated. Eschericia coli (Ecoli) (75%) were the most common causing UTIs, followed by Klebsiella spp. (17%) and Proteus spp. (2.1%). Among them 80°% more isolates were RESISTANCE to ampicillin and 47% more isolates to SXT. Cephalothin RESISTANCE among E.coli isolates was >28%, Klebsiella spp 32.1% and Proteus spp. 40%. Overall, the rate of ciprofloxacin RESISTANCE among them was 7.8 to 18.2%. Nalidixic acid RESISTANCE among E.coli isolates was 6.5°0, Klebsiella spp 9.7% and Proteus spp 15%. Among the isolates, 15% less isolates were RESISTANCE to gentamicin. Nitrofurantoin showed the lowest RESISTANCE rates (<4.5%) with exception of the Proteus spp. (10%). The high prevalence of RESISTANCE is surprising, it may reflect the widespread use of antibiotics in Kashan continued regional, and national surveillance is warranted.