SKIN INFECTION AND THE GLOBAL CHALLENGES: A REVIEW

The prevalence of skin infection is on the rise globally affecting millions of people. Skin infection, which was once given low priority now has better acknowledgment due to the serious impact it has on people's quality of life. The misuse or inappropriate use of antimicrobials to treat the skin infection has eventually led to the growth of emerging and spreading of microorganism. Besides that, the lack of awareness of the public on skin infection and its associated risk factors further enhances the spreading and worsening of skin infection affecting the quality of life of themselves and people around. Thus, the pharmacists play an important role to create the awareness on the appropriate use of antimicrobials for skin infection treatment among healthcare professionals as well as to educate the public on the skin infection and its risk factors for better management of skin infection.Keywords: Skin infection, Quality of life, Level of awareness, Antimicrobials, Prescribing pattern, Risk factor, Role of the pharmacis

A STUDY ON AWARENESS OF SKIN INFECTION AMONG ADULTS IN PETALING DISTRICT, MALAYSIA

Objective: The prevalence of skin infection is on the rise globally and there is a lack of published data pertaining to skin infection in Malaysia. Hence, the aim of this study is to determine the awareness of skin infection among adults and to study the effect of skin infection on quality of life (QoL).Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among adults 18 y and above in Petaling district, Malaysia. Subjects were interviewed based on a validated questionnaire to elicit information on socio-demographic data, prevalence and level of awareness of skin infection. Whereas the impact of skin infection on quality of life was questioned using a validated questionnaire Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 18.0.Results: Out of 384 participants, 230 (60%) of the subjects had a skin infection. Bacterial skin infection such as acne (54.8%) being most prevalent, followed on by a fungal infection (29.6%), viral infection (11.7%) and parasitic infection (3.9%). It was found that most of the subjects were aware of the risk factors of skin infection. Nevertheless, those with skin infection reported their quality of life was affected mainly due to the physical symptoms of skin infection and treatment of skin infection. A significant association was found between the awareness of risk factor of skin infection and QoL in those with a skin infection with a p-value<0.05.Conclusion: Most of the respondents were found to be aware of skin infection. Nevertheless, respondents reported that their QoL was affected due to physical symptoms and treatment of skin infection. The study also shows that there is association found between level of awareness of skin infection and QoL in subjects with a skin infection. Hence, dermatological community programs should be encouraged to educate the public further.Â

Establishment Of in vitro Plantlets Of Artemisia annua L. For The Analysis Of Artemisinin Biosynthetic Gene (CYP71AV1) And Trichome Initiation Gene (GL3)

Artemisia annua L. is an herb known for its secondary metabolite, artemisinin. Artemisinin is used as antimalarial drug but its availability is limited by low yield in plantation. To produce artemisinin using in vitro technique, a high yielding in vitro cultivar must first be selected. Artemisia annua L. ialah sejenis tumbuhan herba yang terkenal untuk metabolit sekundernya iaitu, artemisinin. Artemisinin digunakan sebagai ubat antimalaria tetapi pengunaannya terhad disebabkan oleh hasil artemisinin yang rendah di ladang. Untuk menghasilkan artemisinin menggunakan teknik in vitro, kultivar in vitro yang menghasilkan artemisinin tinggi perlu dipilih terlebih dahul

The utility of Trichilia dregeana leaves as a bioindicator of air pollution within selected industrial areas in the eThekwini Municipality, South Africa.

Master of Science in Biological science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2016.Increased anthropogenic activities worldwide have led to dangerously high levels of gaseous emissions. Air pollution levels within industrial areas in South Africa, such as South Durban Basin (SDB), are monitored daily at a few monitoring stations; however, limited coverage of, and data generated by, these stations necessitates alternative strategies such as biomonitoring. In this regard, the use of tree leaves as bioindicators of air pollution can generate valuable data on environmental health and pollutant levels. The present study investigated the utility of Trichilia dregeana Sond. leaves as a bioindicator of air pollution within selected industrial areas in SDB. The first part of the study focussed on effects of SO₂ pollution on leaf morphological (leaf area), physiological (leaf chlorophyll content and leaf fluorescence) and biochemical (intracellular superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production, total aqueous antioxidant activity, and electrolyte leakage) biomarkers of environmental stress. Leaves were sampled over four seasons from (four) trees growing at three industrial (treatment) sites (Prospecton, Ganges and Southern Works) within SDB and from greenhouse-located trees, which served as an ex situ control. Results indicated annual SO₂ concentrations ([SO₂]) were high by global standards and significantly different (p<0.001) across sites, with levels being highest at Southern Works. All biomarkers, except leaf chlorophyll fluorescence, could discriminate between SO₂-exposed and -unexposed leaves. Seasonal data for many of these biomarkers were significantly (p<0.001) correlated with seasonal [SO₂]; however, none of them reflected differences in [SO₂] across treatment sites. The second part of the study, partial least squares regression (PLSR) was used to quantify the relationship between two air pollution biomarkers (chlorophyll content and leaf area) and hyperspectral data. Trichilia dregeana leaves (n=28) were sampled in spring and summer only. Spectral reflectance data were able to distinguish between SO₂-exposed and -unexposed leaves and PLSR was able to relate the hyperspectral dataset to both biomarkers. However, the interaction between biomarkers suggests simultaneous prediction of these, using an algorithm such as PLS-2, may be more suitable. The variable importance in projection method identified wavebands within the red-edge region of the electromagnetic spectrum that showed promise in identifying stress in the leaves of T. dregeana. Collectively, the results provide ample motivation for the establishment of T. dregeana leaves as a bioindicator of air pollution

Using an orientation programme to prepare first year medical students for a problem based curriculum : a South African case study.

Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.The Nelson R Mandela Medical School is currently implementing Curriculum 2001, which is based on integrated, student centred, problem and groupbased learning. In 2002 a three-week orientation Module was introduced to prepare students for Problem Based Learning (PBL). The aim of this programme was to assist first year students through the transition period from high school to university life and prepare them for a new way of learning. In the university context the word orientation has come to mean assisting students to become accustomed to the new environment of university education and to make the first few weeks as friendly and informative as possible so that this transition is made effectively. It is also a socialisation process whereby students get to know what the expectations of the departments and the university are as well as being an introduction to the values and standards of the group the student is entering. For the students the change from school where they are accustomed to a particular approach to learning is a huge step to a tertiary institution where the approach to learning is different. The purpose of this study was: 1) To ascertain what students understood about the new curriculum before they embarked on it and did orientation help them to understand it better? (2) In what ways did the students perceive the orientation programme as a help to prepare first year medical students and especially for PBL? (3) What particular aspects of the orientation programme do students perceive help them in a new situation and did this prepare them for a new way of learning? (4) In what ways do staff perceive the contribution of orientation to the new PBL curriculum? Both qualitative and quantitative data was gathered from questionnaires, interviews and focus group sessions with first and second year students and staff. The first year students agreed that the orientation Programme did assist them to prepare for a new way of learning. Preparing students for a new way of learning and assistance with making the many transitions into university life is very important and necessary if students are to be successful

Development Of An Evidence-Based Checklist For The Detection Of Drug-Related Problems (Drps) Among Patients With Allergy Symptoms In Community Pharmacies

Pharmacists in community practice is making many improvements in the quality and safety of patients especially in detecting drug related problems (DRP) related to pharmaceutical care. The objective of this study was to develop a checklist which would be able to detect drug related problems among patients with allergy symptoms who seek treatment in community pharmacies. This study also aimed to detect types of DRPs and its prevalence.The Checklist Development Phase involved review of literatures. The developed checklist was then tested in validation phase where it was used in a community setting to obtain data and to get it validated. Four expert panel agreement, predictive values, sensitivity and specificity tests were done to validate the checklist. This validated checklist was then field-tested in two groups (Group 1; with the checklist) and (Group 2; without checklist).During the validation phase, 378 patients were interviewed

Awareness of Risk Factors for Skin Infections and its Impact on Quality of Life among Adults in a Malaysian City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose: To explore the level of awareness of risk factors related to skin infection and its impact on quality of life (QoL) in Klang, Malaysia.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adults in Klang, Malaysia using a validated questionnaire and Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI). A stratified and convenient sampling technique was executed. Multivariate analysis was employed to summarize significant relationships between variables.Results: The prevalence of skin infection was 59 %. A majority (51.9 %) of the participants had experienced or claimed to have bacterial infections of the skin. More than 50 % of them were aware of the risk factors for skin infection. Several significant associations (p &lt; 0.05) between variables of awareness of risk factors associated with skin infection and QoL were documented.Conclusion: Awareness of the risk factors contributing to skin infection do play a major role in improving basic understanding of skin infections and quality of life among Malaysians in Klang.Keywords: Skin infection, Awareness, Risk factors, Quality of Lif

Effect of Basal Medium on In Vitro Leaf Morphology, Growth and Artemisinin Production of Artemisia annua L.

Artemisia annua L. was classified as one of the important medicinal plants due to its potential in the treatment of malaria. However, the propagation of this plant was limited by environmental and geographical factors. Therefore, in vitro culture technique was an alternative to overcome these limitations. Five different basal media were examined for their effect on the growth and artemisinin content of in vitro plantlets of A. annua. They were found to give different effect on the growth in term of height, fresh biomass and rooting ability of the plantlets. Glandular and non-glandular filamentous trichomes were observed on the adaxial and abaxial surface of A. annua leaf. The five basal media was found to affect the distribution and the number of trichomes and stomata formed on the leaf surfaces. LV medium induced more trichomes formation of both types on both leaf surfaces. Highest number of stomata was found on the leaf surface of the plantlets cultured in MS medium. While B5 medium resulted in non formation of stomata on the abaxial leaf surface of all the studied clones. Artemisinin production was found to greatly affect by the choice of basal medium used for cultivation. Keywords: Artemisia annua, artemisinin, basal medium, growth pattern, stomata, trichome

Pharmacists’ knowledge and perception of topical antibacterial drug dispensing in community pharmacy setting in Kedah, Malaysia

Purpose: To assess Pharmacists’ Perceptions and Experiences of Topical Antibacterial Drug Dispensing in Community Pharmacy Setting in Kedah State, Malaysia in order to minimize drug resistance issues.Methods: A cross-sectional study involving a pre-validated questionnaire was conducted in community pharmacies within Kedah State, Malaysia. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. The collected were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 18.0.Results: The result shows that, 53.4 % of CPs in Kedah State perceived that topical antibacterial is not necessary for every topical bacterial infection. Fusidic acid was the most frequently dispensed topical antibacterial drug while superficial wound was reported to be the most frequently encountered topical bacterial infection. CPs (12.60 %) encountered antibacterial resistance cases but none reported them. The drug that had resistance issue was neomycin.Conclusion: CPs in Kedah State, Malaysia generally have the right perceptions on the dispensing of topical antibacterial drugs. However, their knowledge on the rational use of topical antibacterial drugs and vigilance on antibacterial resistance issue need improvement.Keywords: Topical antibacterial, Perception, Community pharmacists, Inappropriate antibiotic us

High quality of bacterial dna extraction from Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774) tissue in Kelantan

Corbicula fluminea is a freshwater clam that is served as a popular traditional food in Kelantan, Malaysia. However, there are limited studies that report on high quality bacterial metagenome deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from C. fluminea. Therefore, this study compares the effectiveness and efficiency of conventional cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) protocol, a commercial kit, and modified CTAB protocol for bacterial DNA extraction from the soft tissue surface of raw C. fluminea. The instruments used to examine the quality of the extracted bacterial DNA were DeNovix DS-11 spectrophotometer, gel electrophoresis machine, and UV transilluminator. The results showed that the bacterial DNA extracted from modified CTAB protocol had the highest purity and integrity with the A260/A280 ratio of 1.92 ± 0.01 and A260/A230 ratio of 1.83 ± 0.06 as well as the DNA band with minimum smear. This concludes that modified CTAB protocol is the best approach for the bacterial extraction from the C. fluminea