ABSTRACT
            Background and objectives: The present study was conducted to detect class 1 integrons and evaluate antibiotic susceptibility patterns among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa.
            Methods: Sixty clinical samples from blood, tracheal wounds, burns and urinary tract infections were collected from three general hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Culture of specimens was performed on common bacteriological culture media. Bacteria were  identified based on mobility, pigment production, growth at 42 ^oC, and oxidase and catalase tests. Overall, 21 P.  aeruginosa strains were isolated. Antimicrobial susceptibility of was evaluated via the disk diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer) according to the CLSI guidelines. Presence of the intI1, sul1, aadA2 and aadB gene cassettes was investigated using PCR. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 21).
            Results: The most effective antimicrobial agents against P. aeruginosa isolates were tetracycline and gentamicin. All P. aeruginosa isolates were multidrug re­sistant. Moreover, the intI1, sul1, aadA2 and aadB genes were found in 90.5%, 90.5%, 47.6% and 19% of the P. aeruginosa isolates, respectively.
            Conclusion: The results indicate that the presence of aadB, aadA2 and sul1 gene cassetes may play an important role in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance determinants.
          Keywords: Pseu­domonas aeruginosa, integron, multidrug resistance.

ABSTRACT
          Background and Objectives: Proper diagnosis of clinical conditions is a major goal of clinical and biochemical analyses. Recently, increasing efforts have been put on the use of less invasive sampling techniques with optimal sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of saliva instead of blood for measuring biochemical parameters of liver and kidney function in healthy individuals.
          Methods: Plasma and saliva samples were collected from 100 healthy volunteers to measure level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), urea and creatinine using a fully automated chemistry analyzer (ACE Alera) with ready to use validated kits. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was carried out using MediCal program to calculate sensitivity and specificity and area under ROC (AUC).
          Results: The mean (standard deviation) salivary level of ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea was 20.9 (20.7) U/L, 25.8 (17.9) U/L, 10.6 (11.8) U/L, 9.6 (4.37) U/L, 0.16 (0.13) mg/dL, 0.09 (0.05) mg/dL and 35.6 (15.2) mg/dL, respectively. Saliva to blood ratios of ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea was 14%, 113%, 65%, 45%, 19%, 12% and 130%, respectively. The suggested normal saliva ranges of ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, total bilirubin, creatinine and urea were 7-98 (U/L), 31-104 (U/L), 6-31 (U/L), 15-24 (U/L), 0-0.13 (mg/ dL), 0.14-0.31 (mg/ dL) and 45-74 (mg/ dL), respectively.  The calculated sensitivity and specificity values were 38%  and 85% for ALP), 80% and 76% for AST, 75% and 45% for ALT, 60%  91% for GGT, 49% and 38% for total bilirubin, 20% and 91% for creatinine and 100% and 75% for urea. The AUC was higher than 0.7 for urea, GGT and AST, indicating good sensitivity and specificity of saliva testing for evaluation of these enzymes.
          Conclusion: Based on the results, saliva could be as a noninvasive method of assessing kidney and liver function. Saliva may be a favorable alternative to plasma for measuring level of urea, GGT and AST in humans.