Effect of host species on antimicrobial activity of the ethanolic extracts of Cuscuta reflexa Roxb.

The present investigation deals with antimicrobial activity of ethanolic extracts of Cuscuta reflexa parasitizing on three different angiospermic hosts.namly Populus euro- Americana ,Zizphus hysudrica and Clerodendron inerme .The extracts were reported to exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis, and fungi namely Aspergillus niger and Trichoderma reesei. The results when compared with the inhibition caused by standard reference discs of antibiotics for example Amikacine, Ciprofloxacin and Griseofulvin showed significant differences among three hosts with respect to antimicrobial activity.&nbsp

Assessment of ethnopharmacological potential of Cyperus difformis L. in terms of its’ phytochemistry, antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer attributes

The present research was carried out on Cyperus difformis L., commonly found sedge weed in rice field to evaluate its’ ethnopharmacological potential in terms of phytochemical constituents, antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activities. FTIR spectroscopy of powdered material of plant parts, rhizome (with roots), leaves and flowers showed the presence of three main chemical groups, i.e. -OH (alcohol), -C=O (carbonyl) and -CO-O-CO (anhydride). The phytochemical composition of n-Hexane, chloroform and ethanol crude extracts of same parts analysed by GC-MS and n-Hexane extract of various parts indicated 14 compounds with highest (10) in flowers extract followed by six compounds in chloroform and five in ethanol extracts of plant parts. The antibacterial activity was assessed against Salmonella enterica, E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus by using well diffusion method and similar resistance was shown by n-Hexane and ethanol extracts while noticeable inhibition by chloroform extract, especially by leaves showing zone of inhibition, 16.17±0.52mm, comparable with Gentamycin 18±0.11mm. The antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH Scavenging activity was found higher in n-Hexane and chloroform extracts, especially leaves i.e., 54.6±0.43 & 43.45±0.53 as compared to that of ethanol extracts. The percentage activity was increased with an increase of concentration of extracts. Antiproliferative activity checked by SRB proliferative assay and the crude extracts of plant parts of C. difformis showed good activity against A2780 and HCT116 cancer cells in three days. C. difformis having therapeutic action as well as its’ ethnopharmacological history, being used as fodder, it may be recommended good herbal fodder for the dairy animals

Randomized controlled trials covering pharmaceutical care and medicines management: A systematic literature review

Objective To review the effects of pharmaceutical care on hospitalizations, mortality and clinical outcomes in patients. Methods Systematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) databases to identify studies that were published between 2004 and January 2017. Studies included in this review were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that spanned across both community and hospital settings. Using strict inclusion/exclusion criteria studies were included if they reported level 1 or 2 outcomes in the hierarchy of outcome measure i.e. clinical and surrogate outcomes (e.g. blood pressure (BP) control, blood glucose level, cholesterol BMI). Each study was assessed for quality using the Jadad scoring system. Results Fifty-four RCTs were included in the present review. Forty-six of these studies ranked high quality according to the Jadad scoring system. Studies were categorized into their general condition groups. Interventions in patients with diabetes, depression, respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disorders, epilepsy, osteoporosis, and interventions in older adults were identified. In the majority of studies pharmaceutical care was found to lead to significant improvements in clinical outcomes and/or hospitalizations when compared to the non-intervention group. Some conditions had a large number of RCTs, for example for cardiovascular conditions and in diabetes. Statistically significant improvements were seen in the majority of the studies included for both of these conditions, with studies indicating positive clinical outcomes and/or hospitalizations rates. Within the cardiovascular condition, a subset of studies, focusing on cardiac heart failure and coronary heart disease, had more mixed results. In other conditions the number of RCTs conducted was small and the evidence did not show improvements after pharmaceutical care, i.e. in depression, osteoporosis, and epilepsy. The majority of interventions were face to face interactions with patients, whilst a smaller number were conducted via the telephone and one via a web-based system. Patient education was a key component of most interventions, either verbal and/or written. Longitudinal data, post intervention cessation, was not collected in the majority of cases. Conclusions RCTs conducted to evaluate pharmaceutical care appear to be effective in improving patient short-term outcomes for a number of conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, however, other conditions such as depression are less well researched. Future research should attempt to evaluate the conditions where there is a lack of data, whether the positive effects of pharmaceutical care persist in patient populations after the interventions cease and what the long-term clinical outcomes would be of continued pharmaceutical care

APPRAISAL OF ETHNOBOTANICAL USES OF THE WETLAND PLANTS OF PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

The present study was carried out during the years 2008-2011 to document the ethnobotanical data on the traditional uses of Punjab, Pakistan. The data included local name, habit and habitat of these plants with special emphasis on their therapeutic uses against different human ailments. Various visits of the study area were made to interview the local elderly, knowledgeable people and herbal healers. A total of eighteen aquatic and semi-aquatic plants belonging to three monocotyledonous and fourteen dicotyledonous families were reported, having medicinal and food value as well as the uses making ropes, mats, baskets and as soil binders and ornamentals.Background: Aquatic and semiaquatic plants have a multiplicity of traditional and ethnopharmacological uses ranging from medicinal, famine food to fodder and others. Therefore, the present study was carried out during the years 2008-2011 to document the locally used medicinal, ethnobotanical and traditional data of aquatic and semiaquatic plants of the Punjab, Pakistan. Material and Method: Various visits of the study area were made to collect the data of these plants included local name, habit and habitat with special emphasis on their therapeutic uses against different human ailments. The local elderly, knowledgable people and herbal healers were also interviewed during the visits. Results: A total of thirty-four aquatic and semiaquatic plants were collected and out of these, eighteen plants belonging to the three monocotyledonous and fourteen dicotyledonous families were reported to medicinal and food value as well as found useful in making ropes, mats, baskets and soil binding. Conclusion: The wetland of Punjab (Pakistan) possesses a variety of medicinal plants that are being utilized against various human diseases, e.g. Respiratorical, dermatological, gastrontological, neurological and cardio-vascular diseases

Diagnostic Measures in Childhood Tuberculosis: A Short Review

The trends of incidence, morbidity and mortality of tuberculosis in children have always remained unclear because of lack of a definitive diagnostic tool in mostly cases. The diagnosis of tuberculosis in children remains a major challenge as it is seldom confirmed and is mostly based on clinical signs, symptoms and special investigations e. g. TST, chest X-ray and sputum smear microscopy. Sputum smear microscopy is positive in less than 10-15% of children with TB and culture yields are nearly about 30-40%. In low burden countries, the triad of (a) known contact with an infectious source case, (b) a positive tuberculin skin test and (c) a suggestive CXR is usually used to establish a diagnosis of childhood TB. The research on childhood tuberculosis is often neglected due to technical difficulties like slow growth in culture, the difficulty of obtaining specimens and the diverse and relatively nonspecific clinical presentation of tuberculosis in this age group. The complexity in making an exact diagnosis of tuberculosis in children have led to the development of several diagnostic approaches like point scoring systems, diagnostic classifications and diagnostic algorithms. The aim of this study was to review and analyse the different diagnostic approaches to childhood tuberculosis. In this paper, the mostly used techniques like culture methods as well as the non-culture methods including serology, biochemistry and polymerase chain reaction and DNA fingerprinting for the diagnosis of tuberculosis will be discussed. Keywords: Diagnostic measures, Childhood, Tuberculosi

3-Ammonio-4-hydroxy­benzoate monohydrate

The title compound, C7H7NO3·H2O, which crystallized as a hydrate, was obtained from an extraction of the plant species Saussurea atkinsonii of the asteraceae family collected from the hilly area (Ayubia) of Pakistan during the flowering season. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the carboxyl­ate group is 25.64 (5)°. In the crystal, the packing is consolidated by N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as weak aromatic π–π stacking [centroid–centroid separation = 3.9365 (9) Å] and C=O⋯π inter­actions

MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF INFECTIOUS BURSAL DISEASE VIRUS FROM COMMERCIAL POULTRY IN PAKISTAN

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an immunosuppressive disease of young, growing chickens which results in impaired growth or mortality of rearing flocks. In the current era there is a re-emergence of very virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Viruses (vvIBDV) and classical variant (cv) IBDV strains which increased the financial losses of poultry industry worldwide. Recent studies were conducted to characterize the existing vvIBDVs prevailing in Pakistan. The suspected samples were collected from the field outbreaks during the period from 2014–2017. IBDV was detected by RT-PCR. The sequences of VP2 gene (hyper variable region) were determined and available details were aligned with sequences submitted inGenBank. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that both vvIBDV and classical variant strains were circulating in different regions of Pakistan. In Indo-Pak isolates, the presence of virulent markers, amino acids (A222, I242, Q253, I256 and S299) and “Serine rich- heptapeptide” indicated the presence of very virulent viruses. The presence of T284A isan indicator of vvIBDVs in local poultry farms. More than 99% similarity of Pakistani isolates with Indian sequences reflects the trans-boundary spread of IBD. In recent studies amino acid, Glutamine (Q) is present at position 221 (as reported in previous studies) rather than Histidine (H) in Pakistani sequences. It is investigated that Glutamic acid (E) is located at position 300 in minor hydrophilic region III of VP2 protein in all reported Pakistani isolates. It is the unique feature of indigenous strains. This study will be useful in understanding the origin and pathotypes of IBDV circulating in Pakistan

Human Cryptosporidiosis: An insight into Epidemiology, Modern Diagnostic Tools and Recent Drug Discoveries

Cryptosporidiosis is an emerging food and water borne zoonotic disease, which is caused by genusCryptosporidium. The first Cryptosporidium spp. was isolated from mice in 1907 and gained importance when it was found in an HIV positive patient. It usually causes self-limiting diarrhea in young children and immunocompetent patients. However, it may lead to chronic diarrhea with life threatening condition in immunocompromised patients. Other complications related to this transmittable infection may include respiratory problems, skin rashes and headache. HIV/AIDS patients are highly susceptible host for this parasite. Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis are the known pathogenic species, prevalent among humans and they are being transmitted through contaminated food and water. Usually, the diagnosis of Cryptosporidium spp. is dependent on microscopic technique in many countries, which has a low sensitivity and specificity leading to false positive results. However, for a step forward to successful epidemiological studies, advanced techniques (Serological and DNA-based) provide us the better ways of diagnosis with more sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, no antiparasitic drug has found to be effective againstCryptosporidium spp. except Nitazoxanide which is FDA-approved and effective only when administered along with antiretroviral therapy. In this regard, present review summarizes the various epidemiological studies conducted around the globe along with modern diagnostic tools and the suitable treatment available now a days. This systemized review will help the scientists to better understand all the aspects of cryptosporidiosis at one platform which may help in designing surveillance studies through selection of sensitive diagnostic techniques. The new drugs mentioned in this review may also help to better control this parasite in humans, especially immunocompromised individuals

A qualitative study exploring perceptions and attitudes of community pharmacists about extended pharmacy services in Lahore, Pakistan

Background In recent decades, community pharmacies reported a change of business model, whereby a shift from traditional services to the provision of extended roles was observed. However, such delivery of extended pharmacy services (EPS) is reported from the developed world, and there is scarcity of information from the developing nations. Within this context, the present study was aimed to explore knowledge, perception and attitude of community pharmacists (CPs) about EPS and their readiness and acceptance for practice change in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. Methods A qualitative approach was used to gain an in-depth knowledge of the issues. By using a semi-structured interview guide, 12 CPs practicing in the city of Lahore, Pakistan were conveniently selected. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and were then analyzed for thematic contents by the standard content analysis framework. Results Thematic content analysis yielded five major themes. (1) Familiarity with EPS, (2) current practice of EPS, (3) training needed to provide EPS, (4) acceptance of EPS and (5) barriers toward EPS. Majority of the CPs were unaware of EPS and only a handful had the concept of extended services. Although majority of our study respondents were unaware of pharmaceutical care, they were ready to accept practice change if provided with the required skills and training. Lack of personal knowledge, poor public awareness, inadequate physician-pharmacist collaboration and deprived salary structures were reported as barriers towards the provision of EPS at the practice settings. Conclusion Although the study reported poor awareness towards EPS, the findings indicated a number of key themes that can be used in establishing the concept of EPS in Pakistan. Over all, CPs reported a positive attitude toward practice change provided to the support and facilitation of health and community based agencies in Pakistan