ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF LACTOSE AND NON- LACTOSE FERMENTING BACTERIA FROM TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL AND THEIR ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTâ€

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify the fermenting and non-fermenting gram negative bacteria from the tertiary care hospital.Methods: The conventional method of identification by biochemical analysis and antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Furthermore, analysis of microbes was done by Vitek-2.Results: 424strains of lactose fermenting and non-lactose fermenting gram negative bacilli were isolated from 3097 clinical samples. From the total lactose fermenting bacteria Escherichia coli was the predominant isolate accounting for 50.94% specimens, followed by Klebsiella pneumonia 27.59% and Enterobacter 0.47%. From the total non-lactose fermenting gram negative bacilli Acinetobacter baumannii was the predominant isolate accounting for 12.73% specimens followed by Pseudomonas aeroginosa 6.13%, other isolates were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 1.17% , Burkholderia cepacia 0.94%. In the present study male were more infected than female. The study also showed that lactose fermenting bacteria were more infectious than non lactose-fermenting bacteria and isolates were from urine samples.Conclusion: Both Non-Lactose Fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli and Lactose Fermenting Gram Negative Bacilli were found to be major contaminants, and are important pathogenic bacteria causing wide range of infections in the tertiary care hospital.Keywords: Lactose fermenting gram negative bacteria, Vitek-2, Tertiary Care Hospital, Kirby-Bauer Disc Diffusion, Lactose non-fermenting gram negative bacteria Â

NOSOCOMIAL INFECTION BY NON-FERMENTING GRAM NEGATIVE BACILLI IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL: SCREENING AND CURE

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to identify the Non-Fermenting Gram Negative Bacteria from the tertiary care hospital.Methods: The conventional method was used i.e. Antibiotic susceptibility test which was performed by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method and analysis of microbes was done by Vitek-2.Results: 172 samples were identified as Non-Fermenting Gram-Negative Bacilli from 1526 respiratory samples. Acinetobacter baumanii was the predominant isolate accounting 103 (59.88%) specimens followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 33.13%. Other isolates were Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 5.23% and Burkholderi acepacia1.74%. From the 172 samples, Endotracheal Aspirate was found to be the most infected amongst all the other samples. Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common NFGNB isolated in our study from patients of Respiratory Tract Infections.Conclusion: Both Acinetobacter baumanii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed good sensitivity to colistin, amikacin, cefoperazone while in most cases carbapenam is found to be highly resistant. Colistin along with amikacin and cefoperazone should be used against this pathogen for treatment.Keywords: Nosocomial infection, Gram negative bacilli, Tertiary care hospital, Lower respiratory tract infection, Non-fermenting bacill

Immunological axis of berberine in managing inflammation underlying chronic respiratory inflammatory diseases

© 2020 Inflammatory responses play a remarkable role in the mechanisms of acute and chronic respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. Currently, there is a resurgence in the use of drugs from natural sources for various ailments as potent therapeutics. Berberine, an alkaloid prominent in the Chinese traditional system of medicine has been reported to exert therapeutic properties in various diseases. Nevertheless, the number of studies focusing on the curative potential of berberine in inflammatory diseases involving the respiratory system is limited. In this review, we have attempted to discuss the reported anti-inflammatory properties of berberine that function through several pathways such as, the NF-κB, ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways which affect several pro-inflammatory cytokines in the pathophysiological processes involved in chronic respiratory diseases. This review would serve to provide valuable information to researchers who work in this field and a new direction in the field of drug discovery with respect to respiratory diseases

Biomarkers of oxidative stress and protein–protein interaction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

<p><b>Content:</b> The increased oxidative stress in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is the result of increased inhaled oxidants, generated by various cells of the airways.</p> <p><b>Objective:</b> The investigation included measurements of malondiadehyde (MDA), uric acid, ascorbic acid, and matrix metalloproteinase-12 (MMP-12) in COPD patient. We also performed genetic analysis for protein–protein interaction (PPI) network.</p> <p><b>Materials and methods:</b> The study was conducted on healthy subjects with normal lung function (NS, 14 subjects) and 28 patients (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (Gold) 1 and Gold 2) with COPD.</p> <p><b>Results:</b> There was significant (<i>p</i> < .001) increase in MMP-12, MDA and uric acid levels as compared to healthy controls. A significant (<i>p</i> < .001) decline in ascorbic acid level was observed in COPD patients. The PPI was found to be 0.833 which indicated that proteins present in COPD are linked.</p> <p><b>Discussion and conclusion:</b> This study suggests oxidative stress plays an important role in COPD and the PPI provide indication that proteins present in COPD are linked.</p

Mitochondria-Targeted Antioxidants as a Therapeutic Strategy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Oxidative stress is a major hallmark of COPD, contributing to inflammatory signaling, corticosteroid resistance, DNA damage, and accelerated lung aging and cellular senescence. Evidence suggests that oxidative damage is not solely due to exogenous exposure to inhaled irritants, but also endogenous sources of oxidants in the form of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mitochondria, the major producers of ROS, exhibit impaired structure and function in COPD, resulting in reduced oxidative capacity and excessive ROS production. Antioxidants have been shown to protect against ROS-induced oxidative damage in COPD, by reducing ROS levels, reducing inflammation, and protecting against the development of emphysema. However, currently available antioxidants are not routinely used in the management of COPD, suggesting the need for more effective antioxidant agents. In recent years, a number of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant (MTA) compounds have been developed that are capable of crossing the mitochondria lipid bilayer, offering a more targeted approach to reducing ROS at its source. In particular, MTAs have been shown to illicit greater protective effects compared to non-targeted, cellular antioxidants by further reducing apoptosis and offering greater protection against mtDNA damage, suggesting they are promising therapeutic agents for the treatment of COPD. Here, we review evidence for the therapeutic potential of MTAs as a treatment for chronic lung disease and discuss current challenges and future directions

Beyond the Obvious: Smoking and Respiratory Infection Implications on Alzheimer's Disease

Tobacco smoke is not only a leading cause for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disorders, and lung and oral cancers, but also causes neurological disorders such as Alzheimer 's disease. Tobacco smoke consists of more than 4500 toxic chemicals, which form free radicals and can cross blood-brain barrier resulting in oxidative stress, an extracellular amyloid plaque from the aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide deposition in the brain. Further, respiratory infections such as Chlamydia pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus have also been involved in the induction and development of the disease. The necessary information collated on this review has been gathered from various literature published from 1995 to 2019. The review article sheds light on the role of smoking and respiratory infections in causing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, resulting in Alzheimer's disease (AD). This review will be of interest to scientists and researchers from biological and medical science disciplines, including microbiology, pharmaceutical sciences and the translational researchers, etc. The increasing understanding of the relationship between chronic lung disease and neurological disease is two-fold. First, this would help to identify the risk factors and possible therapeutic interventions to reduce the development and progression of both diseases. Second, this would help to reduce the probable risk of development of AD in the population prone to chronic lung diseases

Pulmonary Bioadhesive Drug Delivery Systems and Their Applications

Mucoadhesive based pulmonary drug delivery is an advanced novel intervention against several pulmonary diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, etc. Mucoadhesive polymers are required to prolong the residence time of the drug to promote drug absorption via mucosa at a controlled rate in order to enhance the therapeutic effect. The drug interacts with the mucus layer and mucin molecules to prolong the residence time. Such a drug delivery system has low enzymatic degradation with improved patient compliance as its formulation depends on the use of a mucoadhesive and biocompatible polymer. Therefore, in this chapter, we have discussed the novel dosage formulations i.e. nanoparticles, liposomes, and microparticles for delivery via inhalation. However, there is an urgent need to study novel bioadhesive formulations with different polymeric materials and to identify many new drug molecules for pulmonary drug delivery

Interactions with the macrophages: An emerging targeted approach using novel drug delivery systems in respiratory diseases

Macrophages are considered as the most flexible cells of the hematopoietic system that are distributed in the tissues to act against pathogens and foreign particles. Macrophages are essential in maintaining homeostatic tissue processes, repair and immunity. Also, play important role in cytokine secretion and signal transduction of the infection so as to develop acquired immunity. Accounting to their involvement in pathogenesis, macrophages present a therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory respiratory diseases. This review focuses on novel drug delivery systems (NDDS) including nanoparticles, liposomes, dendrimers, microspheres etc that can target alveolar macrophage associated with inflammation, intracellular infection and lung cancer. The physiochemical properties and functional moieties of the NDDS attributes to enhanced macrophage targeting and uptake. The NDDS are promising for sustained drug delivery, reduced therapeutic dose, improved patient compliance and reduce drug toxicity. Further, the review also discuss about modified NDDS for specificity to the target and molecular targeting via anti-microbial peptides, kinases, NRF-2 and phosphodiesterase