A Review on Antibiotic Resistance and the Use of Medicinal Plants in the Management of Uropathogenic Bacteria

UTIs are the most prevalent infections and are caused by uropathogenicmicrobes such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus spp. Antibiotic resistance has hampered the management of UTIs over the years, with direct repercussions on the treatment cost, the infection severity, and the duration of hospitalization. This review discussed the route of infections, risk factors connected to UTIs, antibiotic resistance issues as well as an alternative therapy to overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance. The medicinal plants which have been utilized for thousands of years to cure a variety of ailmentsrepresent a significant antibiotic substitute. This study has included both the therapy of UTIs themselves as well as the use of medicinal herbs to treat uropathogens.This review could help in the development of an effective UTI therapy formulation

An evaluation of prescribing trends of antibiotics used in neonatal sepsis in a tertiary care hospital of Lahore, Pakistan

To find out commonly used antibiotic combinations in the management of neonatal sepsis, prevalence of early onset sepsis (EOS) and late onset sepsis (LOS) in a public sector tertiary care hospital of Lahore. Neonatal sepsis is a clinical syndrome of bacteremia with systemic signs and symptoms of infection in the first 4 weeks of life. Neonatal sepsis is an important and common cause of morbidity and mortality in full term as well as preterm neonates. A retrospective observational study was conducted at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary care hospital of Lahore from September 2013 to November 2013. 50 cases of neonatal sepsis suspected on clinical grounds were included in this study. LOS was more prevalent (60%) as compared to EOS (40%). Three combinations of antibiotics were frequently being used. Combination of Amikacin, Ampicillin & Ceftazidime was the most frequently used (48%) followed by combination of Amikacin, Ampicillin and Cefotaxime (30%), and combination of Vancomycin with Meropenam (22%). High potency antibiotics were being used frequently with less reliance on performance of culture tests for definitive therapy selection

PELATIHAN PEMBUATAN KERIPIK PISANG SEBAGAI SARANA PELUANG BISNIS UNTUK IBU PKK DI KAMPUNG AIMASI, PAPUA BARAT

Pisang merupakan salah satu jenis komoditas pertanian yang dikenal oleh masyarakat Indonesia karena manfaatnya. Pisang dikenal karena hampir semua bagian tanaman pisang dapat dimanfaatkan muali dari daun, batang hingga buah. Pisang merupakan pangan lokal yang berpotensi untuk diekmabngkan. Diperlukan usaha yang komprehensif untuk mengembangkan pangan lokal skala kecil dimulai dari kalangan ibu rumah tangga. Kegiatan Pengabdian kepada masyarakat ini dilaksanakan dengan tujuan untuk memberikan pelatihan kepada ibu-ibu rumah tangga khususnya ibu PKK Kampung Aimasi untuk peningkatan nilai tambah makanan olahan pisang dalam bentuk keripik pisang coklat. Adapun indkator keberhasilan yang diperoleh berdasarkan hasil assessment melalui tanya jawab pada peserta PkM adalah dari total jumlah peserta yang hadir hampir seluruh peserta menunjukkan antusisme menyimak dan mengajukan pertanyaan terkait materi pelatihan yang disampaikan. Peserta yang hadir bersemangat mengikuti rangkaian kegiatan dari awal hingga akhir dan juga mereka memiliki keinginan untuk menerapkan ilmu yang diperoleh untuk meningkatkan keterampilan dalam berwirausah

Transformational leadership and employees' performance: the mediating role of employees' commitment in private banking sectors in Pakistan

In this competitive era, organisations face issues related to leadership styles in maintaining employee performance and commitment. Leadership, like transformational leadership, motivates employees to achieve the target for an organisation. However, employee performance and commitment are behavioural factors that help them achieve organisational goals. These factors develop emotional attachments like loyalty and faithfulness among the employees towards the organisations. This study examines the relationship between transformational leadership, employee commitment, and employee performance in a developing country like Pakistan. Although, in the twenty-first century, issues related to leadership styles have given new ways for researchers to further insight into employee performance and commitment study. However, this paper aims to determine the impact of transformational leadership on employee performance by mediating the role of employee commitment in the private banking sector. The cross-sectional and descriptive survey was used in the data collection; 466 employees of the banks participated in the study. The research indicates that transformational leadership positively impacts employee performance and commitment. The findings show that transformational leadership has a positive effect on employees' performance and employee commitment

Comparative Antibacterial Analysis of Four Different Medicinal Plants Against Human Skin Flora

Background: As we are facing continuously increasing antibiotic resistance, increased infections, diseases and pandemics, the researching community is turning to find the solutions from nature and plants play a vital role in this scenario. Pakistan due to its unique geography and a variety of climatic zones harbors a huge floral diversity.Methods: In this study extracts of four plants of Pakistan namely Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, Moringa oleifera and Eucalyptus camaldulensis prepared by Aqueous. Ethanol and Methanol extract preparation methods were examined for their phytochemical content by employing various reagents and methods like foam test for saponins, xanthoprotein test for proteins, Braemar’s test for tannins etc. Antibacterial activity against stored human skin flora samples was performed using the agar well diffusion assay and statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA one way analysis on Microsoft Excel 2010.Result: Each plant extract exhibited antibacterial activity and statistical analysis performed for extracts of each plant showed p value for A. indica as 0.36 (P > 0.05), for C. longa as 0.09 (P > 0.05), for M. oleifera as 0.67 (P > 0.05) and for E. camaldulensis as 0.02 (P < 0.05), which indicates significant antibacterial activity of E. camaldulensis depending on the size of zones of inhibition produced by it. Conclusion: All the extracts prepared from selected plants showed some degree of antibacterial activity against the human skin flora that can also act as opportunistic pathogen. This supports the use of traditionally used plants and herbs for fighting present day soaring health related issues as antimicrobial resistance. Study also suggests further investigations for estimating exact concentrations of extracts to be used that work efficiently in relevant cases and molecular mechanism of action of these extracts.Keywords: Skin Flora; Antibiotic Resistant; Plant Extract; Antibacterial Activity, Medicinal plants   

Synthesis of 4-phenylazo-1-naphthol and its antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici

This study is based on the synthesis of 4-phenylazo-1-naphthol (C16H12N2O) as an azo coupled dye through coupling reaction of phenyl diazonium salt and &alpha;- naphthol in ice-cold chilled water. Azo coupling involved an electrophilic substitution reaction of phenyl diazonium cation with &alpha;- naphtholate ion, the coupling partner. The 4-phenylazo-1-naphthol was characterized through fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Antifungal activity of 4-phenyl-azo-1-naphthol was checked against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL), a soil-borne fungal pathogen causing wilt disease in tomato. Eight concentrations ranging from 0.78 to 100 mg mL-1 were tested against the fungus. None of the concentration suppressed the fungal growth. Instead, all the concentrations variably enhanced the fungal biomass over control by 8&ndash;28%. This study concludes that the synthesized compound did not possess antifungal potential against FOL

Synthesis of 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol and evaluation of its fungicidal potential against Sclerotium rolfsii

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many azo compounds are known for their antifungal property. In the present study, synthesis of 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol (C16H12N2O) was carried out as an azo coupled dye through coupling reaction of phenyl diazonium salt and &beta;- naphthol in ice-cold chilled water. The azo coupling preferably occurs at ortho position of the same ring since the charge density get reinforced at this position. The 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol-naphthol was characterized through FTIR. The antifungal activity was tested against a highly problematic soil-borne plant pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii. The compound was dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and mixed with malt extract broth to prepare 6 mL of 100 mg mL-1 growth medium. Its concentrations in the range of 0.78 to 100 mg mL-1 were tested against the fungal pathogen. None of the concentration was found antifungal. In contrast, all the concentrations increased the fungal biomass to variable extents ranging from 0 to 29%. This study concludes that 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol does not possess antifungal property against S. rolfsii

Association of burnout with doctor–patient relationship and common stressors among postgraduate trainees and house officers in Lahore—a cross-sectional study

Introduction Burnout is defined as a prolonged state of physical and psychological exhaustion. Doctors, due to the demanding nature of their job, are susceptible to facing burnout, which has far reaching implications on their productivity and motivation. It affects the quality of care they provide to patients, thus eroding the doctor–patient relationship which embodies patient centeredness and autonomy. The study aims at addressing the stressors leading to burnout and its effect on the doctor–patient relationship. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study design with convenience (non-probability) sampling technique was employed in six major hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 600 doctors were approached for the study which included house officers or “HOs” (recent graduates doing their 1 year long internship) and post-graduate trainees or “PGRs” (residents for 4–5 years in their specialties). Burnout was measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventor (CBI) while attitudes towards the doctor–patient relationship was measured using the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), which measures two components of the relationship: power sharing and patient caring. Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data via SPSS v.21. Results A total of 515 doctors consented to take part in the study (response rate 85.83%). The final sample consisted of 487 doctors. The burnout score was not associated with the total and caring domain scores of PPOS (P > 0.05). However, it was associated with the power sharing sub-scale of PPOS. Multiple linear regression analysis yielded a significant model, by virtue of which CBI scores were positively associated with factors such as female gender, feeling of burn out, scoring high on sharing domain of PPOS and a lack of personal control while CBI scores were negatively associated with private medical college education, having a significant other, accommodation away from home and a sense of never ending competition. Burnout levels varied significantly between house officers and post graduate trainees. Twenty-three percent of the participants (mostly house officers) had high/very high burnout levels on the CBI (Kristenson’s burnout scoring). Both groups showed significant differences with respect to working hours, smoking status and income. Conclusion Although burnout showed no significant association with total and caring domain scores of PPOS (scale used to assess doctor–patient relationship), it showed a significant association with the power sharing domain of PPOS suggesting some impact on the overall delivery of patient care. Thus, it necessitates the monitoring of stressors in order to provide an atmosphere where patient autonomy can be practiced

Impact of natural killer cells on outcomes after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells play a vital role in early immune reconstitution following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods: A literature search was performed on PubMed, Cochrane, and Clinical trials.gov through April 20, 2022. We included 21 studies reporting data on the impact of NK cells on outcomes after HSCT. Data was extracted following the PRISMA guidelines. Pooled analysis was done using the meta-package (Schwarzer et al.). Proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Results: We included 1785 patients from 21 studies investigating the impact of NK cell reconstitution post-HSCT (8 studies/1455 patients), stem cell graft NK cell content (4 studies/185 patients), therapeutic NK cell infusions post-HSCT (5 studies/74 patients), and pre-emptive/prophylactic NK cell infusions post-HSCT (4 studies/77 patients). Higher NK cell reconstitution was associated with a better 2-year overall survival (OS) (high: 77%, 95%CI 0.73-0.82 vs low: 55%, 95%CI 0.37-0.72; n=899), however, pooled analysis for relapse rate (RR) or graft versus host disease (GVHD) could not be performed due to insufficient data. Higher graft NK cell content demonstrated a trend towards a better pooled OS (high: 65.2%, 95%CI 0.47-0.81 vs low: 46.5%, 95%CI 0.24-0.70; n=157), lower RR (high: 16.9%, 95%CI 0.10-0.25 vs low: 33%, 95%CI 0.04-0.72; n=157), and lower acute GVHD incidence (high: 27.6%, 95%CI 0.20-0.36 vs low: 49.7%, 95%CI 0.26-0.74; n=157). Therapeutic NK or cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cell infusions for hematologic relapse post-HSCT reported an overall response rate (ORR) and complete response (CR) of 48.9% and 11% with CIK cell infusions and 82.8% and 44.8% with NK cell infusions, respectively. RR, acute GVHD, and chronic GVHD were observed in 55.6% and 51.7%, 34.5% and 20%, and 20.7% and 11.1% of patients with CIK and NK cell infusions, respectively. Pre-emptive donor-derived NK cell infusions to prevent relapse post-HSCT had promising outcomes with 1-year OS of 69%, CR rate of 42%, ORR of 77%, RR of 28%, and acute and chronic GVHD rates of 24.9% and 3.7%, respectively. Conclusion: NK cells have a favorable impact on outcomes after HSCT. The optimal use of NK cell infusions post-HSCT may be in a pre-emptive fashion to prevent disease relapse

Computer-aided identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis resuscitation-promoting factor B (RpfB) inhibitors from Gymnema sylvestre natural products

Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), has been a global health concern. Mtb affects over a third of the world’s population, causing two million deaths annually due to its dormancy and propensity to spread infection during this period. Resuscitation-promoting factor B (RpfB) plays a pivotal role in the growth of Mtb during dormant periods, making it a critical target for eliminating Mtb and curing TB. Gymnema sylvestre is a famous medicinal plant with several medicinal properties, including antimicrobial activity; however, the therapeutic potential of the various reported metabolites of this plant against Mtb has not yet been explored. The aim of this study was to explore the reported natural products of G. sylvestre against the RpfB of the Mtb. A total of 131 reported secondary metabolites of this plant were collected and virtually screened against the RpfB. We particularly targeted the Glu292 residue of RpfB as it is crucial for the catalysis of this protein. From our in-house library, 114 compounds showed a binding affinity higher than the standard drug. The binding stability of the top three lead compounds was further confirmed through MD simulation analysis. Drug likeness analyses indicated that the ten hits had zero violations of the Lipinski rule of five. In addition, analyses of pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and target prediction revealed that the top compounds are devoid of toxicity and do not affect human proteins. Additionally, they reflect multifaceted approach as anti-TB agents. Our selected hits not only exhibit molecular properties favoring physiological compatibility but also exhibit properties enhancing their potential efficacy as therapeutic candidates. The compounds investigated here are worthy of experimental validation for the discovery of novel treatments against TB. Further, this study also provides a promising avenue for research on the pharmacological potential of G. sylvestre