Epidemiology Of Dengue Fever, Role Of Pharmacist, Nursing, Paramedics, Physiotherapist And Respiratory Therapist In Applying Prevention Measures

Dengue virus (DENV) is a contagious illness that is spread by Aedes mosquitoes. The extensive proliferation of these mosquitoes has contributed to a significant public health concern, as this virus transmitted by mosquitoes is prevalent in numerous locations, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates. Contracting dengue fever can result in severe symptoms that have the potential to be life-threatening. Dengue infections can manifest as asymptomatic, mild-to-moderate, or severe, contingent upon the characteristics of the individual. Dengvaxia is authorized for immunization in vulnerable children who have already contracted dengue. Pharmacists have the ability to support and promote immunization efforts, offer guidance on safe travel practices, and help in the care of patients with dengue. Understanding the clinical appearance and proper care of dengue is crucial in reducing the severity of symptoms in patients. Healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, and respiratory therapists, can play a role in the effort to enhance patient outcomes for those infected with D

In vitro impact of condensed tannins on the caecal metabolites of chickens

Tannins are a diverse group of plant phenolic compounds. Condensed tannins (CTs) represent a major subgroup of tannins and were extracted from tilia (Tilia L.) flowers and black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) leaves. These extracts were examined for their effects on the metabolic profile of chicken caeca. By using in vitro, a nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), which was combined with multivariate statistics, the current study was applied for the first time to investigate how three different CT compositions, procyanidins (PC) and/or prodelphinidins (PD) units influenced the metabolic end-products in caecal contents of chickens. In the presence of tannins, glutamate, leucine, lysine, pyroglutamate, phenylalanine, proline, and sarcosine were significantly decreased. CT extracts significantly influenced the fermentation, increasing the concentrations of some fatty acids such as acetate, butyrate, and propionate whereas. In contrast, lactate decreased between the treatments. This study identified the key structural features of CTs that contain either high molar proportions of PD or PC, which might be useful to improve the efficiency of feed utilization in chickens

Challenges in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Management

Objective: The authors aim to evaluate the challenges faced by each stakeholder for Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) management, including the patients, their families/caretakers, Healthcare professionals, and Healthcare policymakers and organizations in Lowmiddle income countries (LMICs) as perceived by 140 pulmonologists from 11 countries who participated in International Respiratory Forum conference 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Methodology: A predesigned structured questionnaire was developed about challenges faced by each stakeholder for IPF management. Study participants were randomly divided into four groups, and only one section of the questionnaire was distributed among the participants of each group. Results: It was observed that the physicians greatly supported the psychological well-being of the patients/caregivers and awareness among Healthcare professionals (HCPs) for timely referrals and diagnosis. The caregivers must support the patients to keep their willpower intact. The availability of only those therapies with modest treatment outcomes with no benefits in halting the disease or reducing mortality and the absence of disease-modifying drugs was considered the major challenge faced by Pulmonologists. Patient affordability was considered the key hindering factor affecting High- Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) utilization. The development of Interstitial lung disease (ILD) national registries to keep track of disease prevalence and challenges at hand was defined as the urgent healthcare initiatives that need to be taken by the concerned healthcare policymaking authorities. Moreover, the healthcare systems considered comprehensive patient education about disease management and outcomes the most effective self-management strategy to be incorporated and disseminated. Although a small number of patients with ILDs, specifically IPF, receive a prompt and accurate diagnosis, the survey found that protracted delays, frequent misdiagnoses, exposure to expensive and invasive diagnostic procedures, and significant use of healthcare resources mark the more typical diagnostic experience for those with ILD. Conclusion: These findings indicate the requirement for novel diagnostic tools, best clinical practices, and HCPs training to improve the accuracy of diagnoses in ILD patients. Keywords: Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Management, Challenges

Significant challenges of COPD Management in developing countries

To explore the challenges faced by each stakeholder for COPD management, including the patients, their family/caretakers, healthcare professionals, and healthcare policymakers & organizations, the authors conducted a survey during the International Respiratory Forum conference 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 140 pulmonologists from 11 countries participated in the study. A predesigned structured questionnaire was developed pertaining to questions related to challenges faced by each stakeholder for COPD management in Low-middle income countries (LMIC). Each group received one of the four sections of the questionnaire. It was found that 47% of doctors thought that patients couldn't understand the early symptoms as indicators of a serious illness and were afraid of forming a dependency on long-term drugs. According to 64% of doctors, the most frequent implications experienced by caregivers when caring for COPD patients were the financial burden of lifelong therapies and disappointments from treatment failure brought on by a lack of access to high-quality or specialized healthcare. Of the difficulties experienced by healthcare professionals, 50% said that misusing investigations for diagnosis resulted in delayed or underdiagnoses of COPD. The biggest issue with COPD referrals in developing nations was general practitioners' ignorance of recognizing highrisk patients and the need for their referrals. Approximately 80% of respondents said that a sizeable percentage of annual healthcare spending was consumed by expenses related to exacerbations and repeated ER visits. It is concluded that the questionnaire responses reflect physicians' perceptions and experiences in routine clinical practice. Increased knowledge of COPD diagnosis and treatment recommendations, as well as proactive identification of patients at higher risk of developing COPD due to environmental or lifestyle exposures, will help with prompt, accurate diagnoses and efficient treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes. Keywords: COPD Management, Challenges, Developing Countries

ZnO Nanoparticle-Mediated Seed Priming Induces Biochemical and Antioxidant Changes in Chickpea to Alleviate Fusarium Wilt

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the main pulse crops of Pakistan. The yield of chickpea is affected by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors. Due to their environmentally friendly nature, different nanoparticles are being synthesized and applied to economically important crops. In the present study, Trichoderma harzianum has been used as a stabilizing and reducing agent for the mycosynthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Before their application to control Fusarium wilt of chickpea, synthesized ZnO NPs were characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the average size (13 nm) of ZnO NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated their spherical structure, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) confirmed the oxide formation of ZnO NPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) described the size and shape of nanoparticles, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy displayed the presence of reducing and stabilizing chemical compounds (alcohol, carboxylic acid, amines, and alkyl halide). Successfully characterized ZnO NPs exhibited significant mycelial growth inhibition of Fusarium oxysporum, in vitro. In a greenhouse pot experiment, the priming of chickpea seeds with ZnO NPs significantly increased the antioxidant activity of germinated plants and they displayed 90% less disease incidence than the control. Seed priming with ZnO NPs helped plants to accumulate higher quantities of sugars, phenol, total proteins, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) to create resistance against wilt pathogen. These nanofungicides were produced in powder form and they can easily be transferred and used in the field to control Fusarium wilt of chickpea

First Report of Fruit Rot of Cherry and Its Control Using Fe2O3 Nanoparticles Synthesized in Calotropis procera

Cherry is a fleshy drupe, and it is grown in temperate regions of the world. It is perishable, and several biotic and abiotic factors affect its yield. During April–May 2021, a severe fruit rot of cherry was observed in Swat and adjacent areas. Diseased fruit samples were collected, and the disease-causing pathogen was isolated on PDA. Subsequent morphological, microscopic, and molecular analyses identified the isolated pathogen as Aspergillus flavus. For the control of the fruit rot disease of cherry, iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs) were synthesized in the leaf extract of Calotropis procera and characterized. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of synthesized Fe2O3 NPs showed the presence of capping and stabilizing agents such as alcohols, aldehydes, and halo compounds. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis verified the form and size (32 nm) of Fe2O3 NPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed the spinal-shaped morphology of synthesized Fe2O3 NPs while X-ray diffraction (EDX) analysis displayed the occurrence of main elements in the samples. After successful preparation and characterization of NPs, their antifungal activity against A. flavus was determined by poison technique. Based on in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity analyses, it was observed that 1.0 mg/mL concentration of Fe2O3 can effectively inhibit the growth of fungal mycelia and decrease the incidence of fruit rot of cherry. The results confirmed ecofriendly fungicidal role of Fe2O3 and suggested that their large-scale application in the field to replace toxic chemical fungicides

Biocontrol of Fruit Rot of Litchi chinensis Using Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Synthesized in Azadirachta indica

Lychee (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is a famous fruit species of tropical and subtropical regions of the world and many biotic and abiotic stresses affect its yield. In this study, lychee fruit rot has been observed and its incidence has been controlled by using zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Diseased lychee fruits were collected and diagnosed to identify disease-causing pathogens. Morphological appearance, microscopic observation, and sequence analysis of the amplified ITS region identified this isolated pathogen as Aspergillus niger. To control this problem, ZnO NPs were prepared in the leaf extract of Azadirachta indica. Before their antifungal activity, ZnO NPs were characterized using sophisticated approaches. FTIR revealed the presence of reducing and stabilizing molecules on ZnO NPs including alcohol, carboxylic acid, alkyl halide, amine, and alkyl halide. Crystalline nature and average size (29.024 nm) of synthesized ZnO NPs were described by X-ray diffraction. EDX analysis depicted the mass percentage of zinc (30.15%) and oxygen (14.90%). SEM analysis displayed the irregular shape of nanoparticles and confirmed the nano-size of ZnO NPs. Maximum mycelial growth inhibition (70.5%) was observed at 1.0 mg/mL concentration of ZnO NPs in vitro. In in-vivo disease-control analysis, maximum control of lychee fruit rot disease was observed at the same concentration. These results reveal the potential use of these ZnO NPs on a larger scale to replace hazardous chemical fungicides