Health-care-associated infections (HAIs) are considered a serious public health issues that contribute substantially to the global burden of mortality and morbidity with respect to infectious diseases. The aim is to assess the burden of health-care-associated infections by collation of available data from published point prevalence surveys (PPS) on HAIs to give future guidance. Study protocol and methodology were designed according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Published research papers that conducted a point prevalence survey of HAIs in hospital settings by following the structured survey methodology employed by European Centre of Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) were included. Of 1212 articles, 67 studies were included in the final analysis conducted across different countries. Overall, 35 studies were conducted in Europe, 21 in Asia, 9 in America, and 2 in Africa. The highest prevalence of HAIs was recorded in a study conducted in adult ICU settings of 75 regions of Europe (51.3%). The majority of the studies included HAI data on urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections, and bloodstream infections. Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli were the most frequent pathogens responsible for HAIs. PPS is an useful tool to quantify HAIs and provides a robust baseline data for policymakers. However, a standardize surveillance method is required. In order to minimize the burden of HAIs, infection prevention and control programs and antibiotic stewardship may be effective strategies to minimize the risk of HAIs.
Background. Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging problem worldwide, having a negative influence on patient outcomes. As compared to high and upper middle-income countries, the condition is miserable in low-and middle-income countries, including Pakistan. Objectives. This study aims to assess the perception of physicians concerning antibiotic use and resistance, the factors influencing the prescription of antibiotics and interventions to improve the prescribing behavior in Pakistan. Material and methods. A cross-sectional survey was performed among physicians practicing in different hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A 60-item survey instrument was developed in consultation with a group of experts after a literature review of previous comparable studies. The questionnaire was distributed to physicians practicing in different healthcare settings of Lahore, Pakistan. Results. A total population of 200 physicians filled in the questionnaire, with a response rate of 72.7%. The majority of physicians were younger (n = 124, 62%), with an age group of 23-29 years. Most of the physicians reported that antibiotics are overused nationally (n = 190, 95%). However, they did not always agree that antibiotics are overused in their own institutions. A majority of physicians believed that strong knowledge of antibiotics is important in their career (n = 184, 92%). Of the total, 176 (88%) physicians believed that inappropriate use of antibiotics is professionally unethical. Conclusions. Our findings showed that physicians are well aware of the importance of antibiotic resistance and reported that rational use of antibiotics will aid in resolving this issue. Therefore, the introduction of educational sessions regarding antibiotic use and its resistance and innovative approaches to attract healthcare practitioners' attention towards antibiotic stewardship programs are urgently needed.
In the current study, the reversed-phased high-pressure liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was proposed for the estimation of lignocaine hydrochloride (LIG), hydrocortisone (HYD) and Ketoprofen (KET) according to International Conference for Harmonization (ICH) Q2 R1 guidelines, in a gel formulation. The chromatographic evaluation was executed using Shimadzu RP-HPLC, equipped with a C8 column and detected using UV at 254 nm wavelength, using acetonitrile and buffer (50:50) as a mobile phase and diluent, at flow rate 1 mL/min and n injection volume of 20 μL. The retention time for LIG, HYD, and KET were 1.54, 2.57, and 5.78 min, correspondingly. The resultant values of analytical recovery demonstrate accuracy and precision of the method and was found specific in identification of the drugs from dosage form and marketed products. The limit of detection (LOD) for LIG, HYD, and KET were calculated to be 0.563, 0.611, and 0.669 ppm, while the limit of quantification (LOQ) was estimated almost at 1.690, 1.833, and 0.223 ppm, respectively. The AGREE software was utilized to evaluate the greenness score of the proposed method, and it was found greener in score (0.76). This study concluded that the proposed method was simple, accurate, precise, robust, economical, reproducible, and suitable for the estimation of drugs in transdermal gels.
Melia azedarach L. has been utilized in traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of various diseases including urolithiasis. The study aimed to perform phytochemical studies and anti-urolithiatic potential of fruit-seed extracts of Melia azedarach. Sequential extraction was performed using chloroform, methanol and water. The extracts of the plant were then subjected to quantitative tests for phytochemical analysis. An anti-urolithiatic activity was investigated via in vitro nucleation and aggregation assay using spectrophotometer. The preliminary phytochemical analysis showed the presence of proteins (31.97 ± 0.56%), lipids (2.95 ± 0.03%) and carbohydrates (64.90 ± 0.56%). The chloroform extract contained the maximum quantity of polyphenols (77.65 ± 0.53 mg/g) and flavonoids (74.71 ± 0.67 mg/g). At a concentration of 5 mg/ml, the chloroform extract exhibited the maximum inhibitory activity in both aggregation and nucleation assay (55.85 ± 1.43%; 56.42 ± 4.49%) respectively. All extracts showed substantial anti-urolithiatic activity by inhibiting the crystallization of calcium oxalate. Due to presence of primary and secondary metabolites, the plant could serve as a source of useful drugs.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.