ORCID Profile
0000-0003-2312-3137
Current Organisations
Jouf University
,
Rabdan Academy
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Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-08-2022
DOI: 10.3390/ANTIBIOTICS11091168
Abstract: The emergence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex (CRACB) in clinical environments is a significant global concern. These critical pathogens have shown resistance to a broad spectrum of antibacterial drugs, including carbapenems, mostly due to the acquisition of various β-lactamase genes. Clinical s les (n = 1985) were collected aseptically from multiple sources and grown on blood and MacConkey agar. Isolates and antimicrobial susceptibility were confirmed with the VITEK-2 system. The modified Hodge test confirmed the CRACB phenotype, and specific PCR primers were used for the molecular identification of blaOXA and blaNDM genes. Of the 1985 s les, 1250 (62.9%) were culture-positive and 200 (43.9%) were CRACB isolates. Of these isolates, 35.4% were recovered from pus s les and 23.5% from tracheal secretions obtained from patients in intensive care units (49.3%) and medical wards (20.2%). An antibiogram indicated that 100% of the CRACB isolates were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics and β-lactam inhibitors, 86.5% to ciprofloxacin, and 83.5% to amikacin, while the most effective antibiotics were tigecycline and colistin. The CRACB isolates displayed resistance to eight different AWaRe classes of antibiotics. All isolates exhibited the blaOXA-51 gene, while blaOXA-23 was present in 94.5%, blaVIM in 37%, and blaNDM in 14% of the isolates. The blaOXA-51, blaOXA-23, and blaOXA-24 genes co-existed in 13 (6.5%) isolates. CRACB isolates with co-existing blaOXA-23, blaOXA-24, blaNDM, blaOXA-51 and blaVIM genes were highly prevalent in clinical s les from Pakistan. CRACB strains were highly critical pathogens and presented resistance to virtually all antibacterial drugs, except tigecycline and colistin.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-09-2022
Abstract: Foodborne pathogens have acquired the ability to produce biofilms to survive in hostile environments. This study evaluated biofilm formation, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and heavy metal tolerance of bacteria isolated from dairy and non-dairy food products. We aseptically collected and processed 200 dairy and non-dairy food specimens in peptone broth, incubated them overnight at 37 °C, and sub-cultured them on various culture media. Bacterial growth was identified with biochemical tests and API 20E and 20NE strips. The AMR of the isolates was observed against different antibacterial drug classes. Biofilm formation was detected with the crystal violet tube method. Heavy metal salts were used at concentrations of 250–1500 µg/100 mL to observe heavy metal tolerance. We isolated 180 (50.4%) bacteria from dairy and 177 (49.6%) from non-dairy food s les. The average colony-forming unit (CFU) count for dairy and non-dairy s les was 2.9 ± 0.9 log CFU/mL and 5.1 ± 0.3 log CFU/mL, respectively. Corynebacterium kutscheri (n = 74), lactobacilli (n = 73), and Staphylococcus aureus (n = 56) were the predominant Gram-positive and Shigella (n = 10) the predominant Gram-negative bacteria isolated. The correlation between biofilm formation and AMR was significant (p 0.05) for most cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. Heavy metal tolerance tended to be higher in biofilm producers at different metal concentrations. The pathogens isolated from dairy and non-dairy food showed a high burden of AMR, high propensity for biofilm formation, and heavy metal tolerance, and pose an imminent threat to public health.
Publisher: Hindawi Limited
Date: 2013
DOI: 10.1155/2013/905471
Abstract: This study evaluated the effect of solubilized and dispersed bacterial cellulose (BC) on the physicochemical characteristics and drug release profile of hydrogels synthesized using biopolymers. Superabsorbent hydrogels were synthesized by graft polymerization of acrylamide on BC solubilized in an NaOH/urea solvent system and on dispersed BC by using N , N′ -methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker under microwave irradiation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the resulting hydrogels confirmed the grafting, and an X-ray diffraction pattern showed a decrease in the crystallinity of BC after the grafting process. The hydrogels exhibited pH and ionic responsive swelling behavior, with hydrogels prepared using solubilized BC (SH) having higher swelling ratios. Furthermore, compared to the hydrogels synthesized using dispersed BC, the hydrogels synthesized using solubilized BC showed higher porosity, drug loading efficiency, and release. These results suggest the superiority of the hydrogels prepared using solubilized BC and that they should be explored further for oral drug delivery.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 04-01-2023
Abstract: Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), synthesized from organic monomers, are porous crystalline polymers. Monomers get attached through strong covalent bonds to form 2D and 3D structures. The adjustable pore size, high stability (chemical and thermal), and metal-free nature of COFs make their applications wider. This review article briefly elaborates the synthesis, types, and applications (catalysis, environmental Remediation, sensors) of COFs. Furthermore, the applications of COFs as biomaterials are comprehensively discussed. There are several reported COFs having good results in anti-cancer and anti-bacterial treatments. At the end, some newly reported COFs having anti-viral and wound healing properties are also discussed.
Publisher: Informa Healthcare
Date: 30-12-2014
DOI: 10.1517/17425247.2015.997707
Abstract: Supramolecular hydrogels, formed by noncovalent crosslinking of polymeric chains in water, constitute an interesting class of materials that can be developed specifically for drug delivery and biomedical applications. The biocompatibility, stimuli responsiveness to various external factors, and powerful functionalization capacity of these polymeric networks make them attractive candidates for novel advanced dosage form design. This review summarizes the significance of supramolecular hydrogels in various biomedical and drug delivery applications. The recent advancement of these hydrogels as potential advanced drug delivery systems (for gene, protein, anticancer and other drugs) is discussed. The importance of these hydrogels in biomedical applications, particularly in tissue engineering, biosensing, cell-culture research and wound treatment is briefly described. The use of supramolecular hydrogels in drug delivery is still in very early stages. However, the potential of such a system is undeniably important and very promising. A number of recent studies have been conducted, which mainly focus on the use of cyclodextrin-based host-guest complex as well as other supramolecular motifs to form supramolecular hydrogels for delivery of various classes of drugs, therapeutic agents, proteins and genes. However, there are still plenty of opportunities for further development in this area for drug delivery and other biomedical applications.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 19-11-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU142215399
Abstract: The aim of this study is to address a gap in the literature associated with the influence of demographic characteristics of personnel working in disaster risk management on the organisational level of preparedness in this field. The study further aims to identify the impact of human, organisational, technological, coordination and environmental factors on the level of readiness in Saudi Arabia in dealing with crises and disasters. The case study applied a purposeful s ling approach in collecting 550 questionnaires from representatives of five geographical regions, 20 government organisations comprising 13 administrative regions. The study tested two hypotheses with the single-variance analysis test (P) performed for each stage (level) of the readiness of the relevant government departments inclusive of the demographics—age, education, position/job title, academic specialisation, number of disaster risk management related short courses completed and residential region of the study members. The findings suggest the influence of disaster management short course education and the region in which the respondent is located impacted significantly on the level of crisis and disaster organisational preparedness. Lesser impact on level of readiness for dealing with crises and disasters was identified for demographics of age, education level, position held and academic specialisation. Further, in the second area of the study findings indicate minimal variation in the impact of human, organisational, technological, coordination and environmental factors on the readiness of government departments in all phases of disaster risk management with all factors trending neutral and consistent with the weighed response averages.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 06-03-2023
DOI: 10.3390/SU15054647
Abstract: Understanding the complex dynamics of landslides is crucial for disaster planners to make timely and effective decisions that save lives and reduce the economic impact on society. Using the landslide inventory of the Chittagong Metropolitan Area (CMA), we have created a new artificial intelligence (AI)-based insight system for the town planners and senior disaster recovery strategists of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Our system generates dynamic AI-based insights for a range of complex scenarios created from 7 different landslide feature attributes. The users of our system can select a particular kind of scenario out of the exhaustive list of 1.054 × 1041 possible scenario sets, and our AI-based system will immediately predict how many casualties are likely to occur based on the selected kind of scenario. Moreover, an AI-based system shows how landslide attributes (e.g., rainfall, area of mass, elevation, etc.) correlate with landslide casualty by drawing detailed trend lines by performing both linear and logistic regressions. According to the literature and the best of our knowledge, our CMA scenario-based AI insight system is the first of its kind, providing the most comprehensive understanding of landslide scenarios and associated deaths and damages in the CMA. The system was deployed on a wide range of platforms including Android, iOS, and Windows systems so that it could be easily adapted for strategic disaster planners. The deployed solutions were handed down to 12 landslide strategists and disaster planners for evaluations, whereby 91.67% of users found the solution easy to use, effective, and self-explanatory while using it via mobile.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 07-03-2022
DOI: 10.3390/IJMS23052899
Abstract: Biopolymer-based antibacterial films are attractive materials for wound dressing application because they possess chemical, mechanical, exudate absorption, drug delivery, antibacterial, and biocompatible properties required to support wound healing. Herein, we fabricated and characterized films composed of arabinoxylan (AX) and sodium alginate (SA) loaded with gentamicin sulfate (GS) for application as a wound dressing. The FTIR, XRD, and thermal analyses show that AX, SA, and GS interacted through hydrogen bonding and were thermally stable. The AXSA film displays desirable wound dressing characteristics: transparency, uniform thickness, smooth surface morphology, tensile strength similar to human skin, mild water/exudate uptake capacity, water transmission rate suitable for wound dressing, and excellent cytocompatibility. In Franz diffusion release studies, % GS was released from AXSA films in two phases in 24 h following the Fickian diffusion mechanism. In disk diffusion assay, the AXSA films demonstrated excellent antibacterial effect against E.coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. Overall, the findings suggest that GS-loaded AXSA films hold potential for further development as antibacterial wound dressing material.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 20-04-2021
DOI: 10.3390/ANTIBIOTICS10040467
Abstract: Plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (Col-R) conferred by mcr genes endangers the last therapeutic option for multifarious β-lactamase-producing bacteria. The current study aimed to explore the mcr gene molecular epidemiology in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria. Col-R gram-negative bacterial strains were screened using a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoint ≥4 µg/mL. Resistant isolates were examined for mcr variants, extended-spectrum β-lactamase, AmpC, and carbapenemase genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The MIC breakpoints for mcr-positive strains were determined using broth microdilution and E-test strips. Overall, 19/718 (2.6%) gram-negative rods (GNRs) harboring mcr were identified, particularly in pus (p = 0.01) and tracheal secretions (p = 0.03). Molecular epidemiology data confirmed 18/19 (95%) mcr-1 and 1/19 (5%) mcr-2 genes. Integron detection revealed 15/17 (88%) Int-1 and 2/17 (12%) Int-2. Common co-expressing drug-resistant β-lactamase genes included 8/16 (50%) blaCTM-1, 3/16 (19%) blaCTM-15, 3/3 (100%) blaCMY-2, 2/8 (25%) blaNDM-1, and 2/8 (25%) blaNDM-5. The MIC50 and MIC90 values (µg/mL) were as follows: Escherichia coli, 12 and 24 Klebsiella pneumoniae, 12 and 32 Acinetobacter baumannii, 8 and 12 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 32 and 64, respectively. Treatment of XDR strains has become challenging owing to the co-expression of mcr-1, mcr-2, multifarious β-lactamase genes, and integrons.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 27-04-2022
Abstract: Modern dressings should provide for local delivery of antibiotics and protect the wound from bacterial infection, dehydration and environmental factors to achieve optimal healing. The local delivery of antibiotics can reduce adverse effects and resistance challenges. In this study, we fabricated film dressings composed of arabinoxylan (AX) from Plantago ovata seed husks and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) by a solvent cast method for the delivery of the antibiotic amikacin (AMK). To determine the suitability of the prepared AX-CMC composite films as wound dressings and drug delivery materials, their physical, chemical, mechanical, morphological, thermal, pharmaceutical, antimicrobial, cytocompatible, and drug delivery properties were investigated. The results demonstrated that the dressings were suitable for delivering the drug at the wound site in a sustained manner and keeping the environment moist for rapid healing. The AMK-loaded AX-CMC films exhibited controlled release of AMK, excellent antibacterial activity, and cytocompatibility. Thus, the AX-CMC composite films appear to be promising bioactive dressing materials for the prevention of wound infections.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2022
Publisher: Copernicus GmbH
Date: 04-2022
Abstract: Abstract. Understanding the complex dynamics of landslides is crucial for disaster planners to make timely and effective decision that saves lives and reduces the economic impact on society. Using the landslide inventory of Chittagong Metropolitan Area (CMA), we created a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) based insight system for the town planners and senior disaster recovery strategists of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Our system generates dynamic AI-based insights for a range of complex scenarios created from 7 different landslide feature attributes. The users of our system can select a particular kind of scenario out of the exhaustive list of 1.054X1041 possible scenario sets and our AI-based system will immediately predict how many casualties are likely to occur based on the selected kind of scenario. Moreover, an AI-based system shows how landslide attributes (e.g., rainfall, area of mass, elevation, etc.) correlate with landslide casualty by drawing detailed trend lines performing both linear and logistic regressions. According to literature and the best of our knowledge, our CMA scenario-based AI insight system is the first of its kind providing the most comprehensive understanding of landslide scenarios and associated deaths and damages in CMA. The system was deployed on a wide range of platforms including Android, iOS, and Windows systems so that it could be easily adapted to strategic disaster planners. The deployed solutions were handed down to 12 landslide strategists and disaster planners for evaluations whereby 91.67 % of users found the solution easy to use, effective and self-explanatory while using via mobile.
Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
Date: 07-10-2014
DOI: 10.1021/MP5003015
Abstract: Stimuli-responsive bacterial cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels were investigated for their potential use as an oral delivery system for proteins. These hydrogels were synthesized using electron beam irradiation without any cross-linking agents, thereby eliminating any potential toxic effects associated with cross-linkers. Bovine serum albumin (BSA), a model protein drug, was loaded into the hydrogels, and the release profile in simulated gastrointestinal fluids was investigated. Cumulative release of less than 10% in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) demonstrated the potential of these hydrogels to protect BSA from the acidic environment of the stomach. Subsequent conformational stability analyses of released BSA by SDS-PAGE, circular dichroism, and an esterase activity assay indicated that the structural integrity and bioactivity of BSA was maintained and preserved by the hydrogels. Furthermore, an increase in BSA penetration across intestinal mucosa tissue was observed in an ex vivo penetration experiment. Our fabricated hydrogels exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and showed no sign of toxicity, indicating the safety of these hydrogels for in vivo applications.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 28-04-2021
Abstract: This study evaluates bacteriological profiles in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and assesses antibiotic resistance, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production by gram-negative bacteria, and heavy metal tolerance. In total, 436 retail food s les were collected and cultured. The isolates were screened for ESBL production and molecular detection of ESBL-encoding genes. Furthermore, all isolates were evaluated for heavy metal tolerance. From 352 culture-positive s les, 406 g-negative bacteria were identified. Raw food s les were more often contaminated than refined food (84.71% vs. 76.32%). The predominant isolates were Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 76), Enterobacter cloacae (n = 58), and Escherichia coli (n = 56). Overall, the percentage of ESBL producers was higher in raw food s les, although higher occurrences of ESBL-producing E. coli (p = 0.01) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (p = 0.02) were observed in processed food s les. However, the prevalence of ESBL-producing Citrobacter freundii in raw food s les was high (p = 0.03). Among the isolates, 55% were blaCTX-M, 26% were blaSHV, and 19% were blaTEM. Notably, heavy metal resistance was highly prevalent in ESBL producers. These findings demonstrate that retail food s les are exposed to contaminants including antibiotics and heavy metals, endangering consumers.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 13-02-2023
DOI: 10.3390/PH16020281
Abstract: In the presented study, eight novel Meldrum’s acid derivatives containing various vanillic groups were synthesized. Vanillidene Meldrum’s acid compounds were tested against different cancer cell lines and microbes. Out of nine, three showed very good biological activity against E. coli, and HeLa and A549 cell lines. It is shown that the O-alkyl substituted derivatives possessed better antimicrobial and anticancer activities in comparison with the O-acyl ones. The decyl substituted molecule (3i) has the highest activity against E. coli (MIC = 12.4 μM) and cancer cell lines (HeLa, A549, and LS174 = 15.7, 21.8, and 30.5 μM, respectively). The selectivity index of 3i is 4.8 (HeLa). The molecular docking study indicates that compound 3i showed good binding affinity to DNA, E. coli Gyrase B, and topoisomerase II beta. The covalent docking showed that 3i was a Michael acceptor for the nucleophiles Lys and Ser. The best Eb was noted for the topoisomerase II beta-LYS482-3i cluster.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 22-05-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU14106303
Abstract: Tropical cyclones devastate large areas, take numerous lives and damage extensive property in Bangladesh. Research on landfalling tropical cyclones affecting Bangladesh has primarily focused on events occurring since AD1960 with limited work examining earlier historical records. We rectify this gap by developing a new Tornado catalogue that include present and past records of Tornados across Bangladesh maximizing use of available sources. Within this new Tornado database, 119 records were captured starting from 1838 till 2020 causing 8735 deaths and 97,868 injuries leaving more than 102,776 people affected in total. Moreover, using this new Tornado data, we developed an end-to-end system that allows a user to explore and analyze the full range of Tornado data on multiple scenarios. The user of this new system can select a date range or search a particular location, and then, all the Tornado information along with Artificial Intelligence (AI) based insights within that selected scope would be dynamically presented in a range of devices including iOS, Android, and Windows. Using a set of interactive maps, charts, graphs, and visualizations the user would have a comprehensive understanding of the historical records of Tornados, Cyclones and associated landfalls with detailed data distributions and statistics.
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2021
DOI: 10.2147/IDR.S310478
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 09-08-2022
DOI: 10.3390/SU14169830
Abstract: Tropical cyclones take precious lives, damage critical infrastructure, and cause economic losses worth billions of dollars in Australia. To reduce the detrimental effect of cyclones, a comprehensive understanding of cyclones using artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial. Although event records on Australian tropical cyclones have been documented over the last 4 decades, deep learning studies on these events have not been reported. This paper presents automated AI-based regression, anomaly detection, and clustering techniques on the largest available cyclone repository covering 28,713 records with almost 80 cyclone-related parameters from 17 January 1907 to 11 May 2022. Experimentation with both linear and logistic regression on this dataset resulted in 33 critical insights on factors influencing the central pressure of cyclones. Moreover, automated clustering determined four different clusters highlighting the conditions for low central pressure. Anomaly detection at 70% sensitivity identified 12 anomalies and explained the root causes of these anomalies. This study also projected parameterization and fine-tuning of AI-algorithms at different sensitivity levels. Most importantly, we mathematically evaluated robustness by supporting an enormous scenario space of 4.737 × 108234. A disaster strategist or researcher can use the deployed system in iOS, Android, or Windows platforms to make evidence-based policy decisions on Australian tropical cyclones.
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: Bangladesh
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Naveed Ahmad.