Dr. Godfred A. Menezes

RAK Medical and Health Sciences University | RAKMHSU · Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation (PAVM) is a cardiovascular anomaly in which an anatomic communication between the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein is formed, resulting in an additional cardiac shunt from right to left side. PAVM is a rare disease, reported more in females, but in newborns comparatively higher in males. Cases can vary from a...

The study was undertaken to determine antioxidant, anticancer and antimicrobial activities of Moringa oleifera flowers. We used three different solvents, hexane (MOF-H), ethyl acetate (MOF-EA) and methanol (MOF-M), to extract the flowers of M. oleifera using the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) approach. Disc diffusion method was used to test f...

Cancer has been on the rise in the Middle East and North African region. There is a need for newer, targeted therapies to combat this trend. Cancer growth and progression are intricately associated with immune suppression and checkpoint inhibitors, that target this immune suppression, presenting a novel treatment avenue. The aim of this review is t...

Physalis angulata L. belongs to the family Solanaceae and is distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions. Physalis angulata leaf and fruit extracts were assessed for in vitro anticancer, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic and flavonoid content. The GC-MS technique investigated the chemical composition and structure of bioactiv...

Background: Maternal Group B Streptococcus (GBS)/Streptococcus agalactiae colonization rates vary worldwide; however, no such recent data are available from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of GBS colonization among pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic of a hospital in...

Objective: The aim of this study was to retrospectively characterize E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates obtained from neonates during a suspected NICU outbreak of infection in Ha'il, Saudi Arabia during a period of one month (April 2014). Methods: Antibiotic susceptibility patterns, molecular characterization for antibiotic-resistant genes (blaT...

Mucormycosis, a deadly fungal infection, has affected thousands of COVID-19 patients in India. Mucormycosis, formerly known as zygomycosis, is caused by the many fungi that belong to the family “Mucorales.” These molds are commonly found in soil, air, and damp walls and frequently colonize oral mucosa, nose, paranasal sinuses, and throat. The patho...

One of the most common presentations of acute abdominal pain in the emergency setting is appendicitis. Although it can occur in both genders, when it comes to females with appendicitis, reaching a definite diagnosis can be challenging as it can mimic other diseases such as ovarian cysts/torsions, pelvic inflammatory diseases, endometriosis, and uri...

The study of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been a challenging field. β-lactamase enzymes have been a subject of concern and interest for researchers all over the world. The aim of this study was to determine the rate of extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and the occurrence CTX-M type ESBLs among the Gram-negative pathogens cultured from cl...

Background and Objectives: The multidrug resistant (MDR) bacterial pathogenic infection is one of the chief worldwide public health threat to humanity. The development of novel antibiotics against MDR Gram negative bacteria has reduced over the last half century. Research is in progress regarding the treatment strategies that could be engaged in co...

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019, in the City of Wuhan, China. Within the span of a few weeks, the disease had spread to other regions of China and eventually to different parts of the world. COVID 19 has affected 221 countries and territories around the world, with a total of 121,290,697 positive cases and 2,...

Microbiota is the summation of all microorganisms living in the body. The alteration in microbiota can lead to chronic diseases, however; colonization with different commensal bacteria can correct these deficits. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inadequate communication skills and social withdrawal an...

Minimally traumatic tooth removal is the norm for removing teeth when a dental implant is planned at that site. The quantity of available bone is the primary requisite to place an implant. The initial use of a scalpel blade to widen the periodontal space followed by the use of luxators is one of the techniques that is being followed for atraumatic...

The multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) infections in severely infected patients present numerous difficulties in terms of treatment failure where antibiotics cannot arrest such drug resistant bacteria. Based on the patient’s medical history and updated microbiological epidemiology data, an effective empirical treatment remains cri...

Blood Stream Infection (BSI) and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) being leading causes of morbidity and mortality represent a common complication among critically ill patients. During the last decade, clinicians have observed a rising occurrence of BSIs due to bacterial resistance. Likewise, catheter-associated UTI is a main cause of morbidity and mor...

Brucellosis is a zoonotic infection with more than 500,000 infections per year worldwide. Brucella spp. are transmitted from animals to humans by ingestion of infected food products, direct contact with an infected animal, or inhalation of aerosols. Brucellosis is considerably rare in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The objective of this manuscript is...

The purpose of this research is to examine in vitro antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic and cytotoxic efficacy of different extracts of Crocus sativus L. petals. Antioxidant activity of extracts was assessed by DPPH and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) assay. Among all extracts, ethanol (SPE) had the maximum radica...

Salmonella species are frequently associated with gastrointestinal infections such as diarrhea. However, extraintestinal Salmonella infections, including burn infections, have been described. Here, we report the first case of a carbapenem-resistant and metallo-β-lactamase (New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase), extended-spectrum β-lactamase (SHV-12), and...

Proceedings of the conference.

Background: Increase in antimicrobial resistance is of major concern worldwide. This is largely attributed to broad spectrum ␣-lactamase production. New Delhi Metallo ␣-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) is a recently identified type of metallo-␣-lactamase which has been increasingly viewed as a potential threat to global health. Objective: The aim of this study...

Enteric fever is a public health problem with the upsurge in the occurrence of Salmonella isolates that are resistant to ciprofloxacin. In this study, a total of 284 blood culture isolates of S. Paratyphi A were investigated. Of these isolates, 281 (98.9%) were nalidixic acid resistant. A high rate (6.3%) of high-level resistance (≥4 μg/mL) was fou...

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a genetically heterogeneous rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by congenital malformations, hematological problems and predisposition to malignancies. The genes that have been found to be mutated in FA patients are called FANC. To date 16 distinct FANC genes have been reported. Among these, mutations in FANCA are...

Infections with Salmonella are an important public health problem worldwide. Salmonella are one of the most common causes of food-borne illness in humans. There are many types of Salmonella but they can be divided into two broad categories: those that cause typhoid and those that do not. The typhoidal Salmonella (TS), such as S. enterica subsp. ent...

Salmonella infections are responsible for significant public health problem worldwide. Salmonella are one of the most common causes of food-borne illness in humans. Salmonellae are of two broad categories: those that cause typhoid [typhoidal Salmonella] and those that do not [much broader group of non-typhoidal Salmonella- NTS]. Infection by the NT...

Antibiotics are used in livestock production (food animals) not only for treatment and control of diseases but also as growth promoters. Antibiotics residues in meat/food have serious consequences for public health, it contributes to the development and/or transmission of resistant bacterial pathogens. Further, transfer of such pathogens threatens...

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were reported for the first time in 1983 and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases were reported for the first time in 1988. ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase producers are responsible for majority of the cephalosporin resistance, limiting the therapeutic options. Enterobacter spp. are significant causes of nosocomial in...

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were reported for the first time in 1983 and plasmid- mediated AmpC β-lactamases were reported for the first time in 1988. ESBL and AmpC β -lactamase producers are responsible for majority of the cephalosporin resistance, limiting the therapeutic options. Enterobacter spp. are significant causes of nosocomial...

Objective: To report our experience with two tests, anti-cardiolipin antibody test [venereal disease reasearch laboratory (VDRL) test] and specific treponemal test (Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay), used for screening antenatal, high risk cases and cases from sexually transmitted infection in a tertiary care hospital from January 2006 til...

ABSTRACT Background: Salmonella, a genus of more than 2500 serological variants (serovars), includes many organisms that can cause human disease. Enteric fever remains an important public health problem in developing countries. Non typhoidal Salmonella generally produce a self limited gastroenteritis in healthy individuals whereas in extremes of ag...

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) refers to the use of a combination of three or more Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to inhibit the replication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and to delay the immune deterioration, in turn to improve the survival rate and quality of life. There has been an increase in the number of individuals receiving antiretroviral...

Hemophilia is a genetic bleeding disorder. Hemophilia A or B is treated by recombinant clotting factor VIII or factor IX and immunosuppressives to prevent formation of alloantibodies and inhibitors. Formation of inhibitors to these factors poses a challenge in treating hemophila. Plasma derived activated prothrombin complex concentrate and activate...

To detect carbapenemases in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and to study its prevalence in various wards of a tertiary care hospital. The study was done from March 2013 to February 2014. A total of 98 E. coli from different clinical samples were taken. Those isolates which showed intermediate or resistant zones to meropenem by disc diffusion were includ...

Cervical radiculopathy leads to neck and radiating arm pain or numbness in the distribution of a specific nerve root. Often this radicular pain is accompanied by motor or sensory disturbances. There are various causes of radiculopathy, such as acute disk herniation; cervical spondylosis; and foraminal narrowing. However, all these causes lead to co...

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the second most common infectious disease in both community and hospitalized patients. In majority of the cases, the patients are treated empirically before the results from the laboratory, which increases the antibiotic resistance in uropathogens due to improper use of drugs. This study was done to find out the eti...

Objective: To evaluate the antibacterial effect of lantana camara Linn. on gram negative bacteria and NDM-1 strain by in vitro method. Methods: The antibacterial activities of leaf extract (LELC) of lantana camara alone or in combination with Gentamicin, Ceftrioxone were determined by in vitro study namely disc diffusion and agar dilution methods....

Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) is a rare disorder which presents with anemia in early infancy. This disorder is genetically and clinically heterogeneous in nature. The inheritance is mainly autosomal dominant. Approximately 25% of the cases are associated with craniofacial anomalies and some cases may end up in malignancy. The diagnosis is made by b...

A 2-month-old female baby born of a third degree consanguineous marriage was brought to our hospital with history of being pale at birth and having received 2 blood transfusions, one at 48 hours of life and the second transfusion within one month of life. There was no history of jaundice. The developmental milestones were appropriate for age. The i...

Dengue is one of the rapidly emerging global threats. Many outbreaks are being noticed nowadays all around the world. In situations of epidemic, early diagnosis is the key to successful management of dengue cases. Many diagnostic kits are available commercially for the same purpose. But their validity is unknown. The gold standard in such situation...

The aim of the study is to detect the prevalence of Staphylococcus species (spp.) in the oral cavity and to screen for methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus spp. isolated from the oral cavity. The present study was done in a tertiary care hospital from South India. A total of 80 oral swabs, 40 swabs were from oral mucosal lesions and the other 4...

Blood stream infections (BSIs) are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric age group, worldwide. There is changing trends in epidemiological profile of bacterial isolates as well as the antibiotic susceptibility pattern. Hence this study was done to determine bacterial profile and antibiogram of blood isolates of paediatric age...

The threat of chemical weapons (CW) of mass destruction has intensified to a great extent that it has assumed an inevitable part of the daily news papers. The effect of CWs is devastating to the mankind as well as the environment. The biggest concern now is the disposal of CWs which is even more dangerous than the deployment itself. Many years afte...

Diabetes mellitus is the major metabolic disorder which is one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality in India. Diabetic foot ulcer, the challenging clinical complications of diabetes mellitus is usually ignored by diabetic patient. The objectives of this study were to analyse the spectrum of bacteria in diabetic foot infections (DFIs...

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) during pregnancy is known to cause serious effects on the outcome of pregnancy. This study was done to know the association between parity and prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria during second trimester pregnancy. This is a cross sectional study done between July 2011 and July 2012. The sample size was 125 subjects...

Human vagina has various defence mechanisms to prevent infections. Any disturbance in the defence mechanisms can cause vaginitis. Vaginitis can be due to infectious or non infectious cause. Infectious vaginitis can be due to bacteria, fungi or trichomonas species. The infectious cause must be treated appropriately to prevent recurrence and emergenc...

Biological warfare comprise of any intentional means to spread disease to humans, animals or plants. It includes a complex cluster of potentially deadly pathogens, genetically-engineered strain of highly infectious disease and toxins which can be delivered by variety of methods. Biological agents are easy to develop, more toxic than chemical weapon...

GA et al. Prevalence of aerobic bacterial organism causing asymptomatic bacteriuria during second trimester pregnancy. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences (J Pharm Biomed Sci.) 2013, January; 26(26); 273-277. (Article no 02) The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the World Wide W...

GA et al. Prevalence of aerobic bacterial organism causing asymptomatic bacteriuria during second trimester pregnancy. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences (J Pharm Biomed Sci.) 2013, January; 26(26); 273-277. (Article no 02) The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the World Wide W...

Human vagina has various defence mechanisms to prevent infections. Any disturbance in the defence mechanisms can cause vaginitis. Vaginitis can be due to infectious or non infectious cause. Infectious vaginitis can be due to bacteria, fungi or trichomonas species. The infectious cause must be treated appropriately to prevent recurrence and emergenc...

The threat of chemical weapons (CW) of mass destruction has intensified to a great extent that it has assumed an inevitable part of the daily news papers. The effect of CWs is devastating to the mankind as well as the environment. The biggest concern now is the disposal of CWs which is even more dangerous than the deployment itself. Many years afte...

Bioterrorism is the deliberate release of bacteria, toxins and viruses, or other microbes used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has classified the biological agents into three categories based on the potential of use and risk factors as weapons. The biological agent should...

Aim: To assess the preference and acceptance of the scientific alternatives to animals in medical experiments in research. Materials and Methods: This questionnaire based study was conducted in Sree Balaji Medical College and Hospital, and Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The numbers of participants were 100 and the...

et al. Correlation between chronological, dental and skeletal ages in twins. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences (J Pharm Biomed Sci.) 2013, January; 26(26): 359-368. (Article no 19) The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the World Wide Web at: www.jpbms.info Journal of Pharmaceu...

V et al. Evaluation of the association between the incidences of extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) producing organisms in diabetic patients with recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI). Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences (J Pharm Biomed Sci.) 2013, January; 26(26): 278-282. (Article no 03) The online version of this article, al...

Dengue fever is an arboviral infection with the largest incidence worldwide, transmitted by Aedes aegypti. The aim of the study is to study the role of serum transaminases on dengue fever. The serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminases (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminases (SGPT) were estimated by enzymatic (kinetic) methods for 50 dengue p...

GA et al. Prevalence of Trichophyton rubrum infections in diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences (J Pharm Biomed Sci.) 2013, January; 26(26): 283-285. (Article no 04) The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the World Wide Web at: www.jpbms.info Jou...

During the past decade the escalation of antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae has become a major concern worldwide. Antimicrobial resistance among Enterobacteriaceae is growing, largely due to broad spectrum beta-lactamase production. Until recently, the most common MBLs (carbapenemases) found worldwide in Enterobacteriaceae were VIMs and...

Dengue fever is an arboviral infection with the largest incidence worldwide, transmitted by Aedes aegypti. The aim of the study is to study the role of serum transaminases on dengue fever. The serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminases (SGOT) and serum glutamic pyruvic transaminases (SGPT) were estimated by enzymatic (kinetic) methods for 50 dengue p...

Background & objectives: Typhoid fever caused by Salmonella Typhi continues to be a major health problem in spite of the use of antibiotics and the development of newer antibacterial drugs. Inability to make an early laboratory diagnosis and resort to empirical therapy, often lead to increased morbidity and mortality in cases of typhoid fever. This...

Background: The risk of diabetic cochleopathy is proportionately increased with elevated glycated hemoglobin value. The aim of the study was to study the significance of HbA1c in deafness in type-2 diabetes mellitus. Material & Methods: Hundred diabetic patients attending a tertiary care hospital were included in the study. Serum HbA1c was estimate...

Estrogen deficiency around menopause can cause growth of abnormal flora leading to infections. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of bacterial vaginal infections among the asymptomatic pre and postmenopausal women. High vaginal swab samples were collected and the microorganisms were identified. Their antibiotic susceptibility pattern...

Oxaliplatin is a relatively new platinum analogue that has been approved by FDA and has been licensed in the European Union since 1999, and United States since 2002. The drug is currently applied in new promising chemotherapeutic regimens in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men (663,0...

Infections with Salmonella are an important public health problem worldwide. On a global scale, it has been appraised that Salmonella is responsible for an estimated 3 billion human infections each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that annually typhoid fever accounts for 21.7 million illnesses (217,000 deaths) and paratyphoid...

Clin Microbiol Infect 2012; 18: 239–248 Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, a major public health concern in developing countries. Recently, there has been an upsurge in the occurrence of bacterial isolates that are resistant to ciprofloxacin, and the emergence of broad spectrum β-lactamases in typhoidal salmonellae consti...

Owing to multidrug resistance, quinolones and third-generation cephalosporins are currently used as key antibiotics to combat Salmonella organisms. Therapy failure due to reduced ciprofloxacin susceptibility has been reported in endemic areas, but also in imported disease. Different bacterial resistance mechanisms may result in reduced ciprofloxaci...

A decrease in the incidence of multidrug resistant Salmonella Typhi was observed in a tertiary care hospital along with an increase in non-multidrug resistant isolates of same organism. This is most likely due to reduced use of traditional antimicrobial agents (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole) and increasing reliance on ciprofloxacin as...

Nanoscience is at the leading edge of the rapidly developing field of nanotechnology. Nanosciences and nanotechnology are transforming a wide array of products and services that have the potential to enhance the practice of medicine and improve public health. Several areas of medical care are already benefiting from the advantages that nanotechnolo...

Extended-spectrum cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones are essential antimicrobials for treating invasive salmonellosis, although emerging resistance to these antimicrobials is of growing concern, especially in India. Therefore, a study was conducted to characterize the antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes, types of extended-spectrum β-lactamase...