Antibiotic resistance toward commonly used medicinal drugs is a dangerously growing threat to our existence. Plants are naturally equipped with a spectrum of biomolecules and metabolites with important biological activities. These natural compounds constitute a treasure in the fight against multidrug-resistant microorganisms. The development of plant-based antimicrobials through green synthesis may deliver alternatives to common drugs. Lepidium sativum L. (LS) is widely available throughout the world as a fast-growing herb known as garden cress. LS seed oil is interesting due to its antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Nanotechnology offers a plethora of applications in the health sector. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are used due to their antimicrobial properties. We combined LS and AgNP to prevent microbial resistance through plant-based synergistic mechanisms within the nanomaterial. AgNP were prepared by a facile one-pot synthesis through plant-biomolecules-induced reduction of silver nitrate via a green method. The phytochemicals in the aqueous LS extract act as reducing, capping, and stabilizing agents of AgNP. The composition of the LS-AgNP biohybrids was confirmed by analytical methods. Antimicrobial testing against 10 reference strains of pathogens exhibited excellent to intermediate antimicrobial activity. The bio-nanohybrid LS-AgNP has potential uses as a broad-spectrum microbicide, disinfectant, and wound care product.

Background: The emergence of COVID-19 has been a major challenge to public health and the world economy. During a wave of COVID-19, the usage of widespread vaccination procedures and broader coverage to the whole of humanity will be made possible if the general population has access. An intended effect of vaccination is to provide “herd immunity,” which protects those who have not been vaccinated along with those who have been. However, some concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines were raised. Aim: This study aims to provide evidence on the short-term safety and efficacy of four types of vaccines that are officially approved by the Ministry of Health in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These include Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. Method: This study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design. Data on the efficacy and short-term protection of COVID-19 vaccines on vaccinated citizens and residents (n = 764) of the UAE were collected between February and April 2021. Participants were conveniently approached using a Google Forms survey, where they responded to a semi-structured questionnaire pertaining to socio-demographic questions and in-depth questions related to COVID-19, including whether they suffer from any comorbidities, the most commonly encountered post-vaccination side effects, and the severity of their symptoms, using a 5-point Likert scale. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 24, calculations of p-values and descriptive statistics were used for data differentiation. Results: The majority of the participants (n = 612 or 94.4%) stated that they did not become reinfected after receiving two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, the incidence of being hospitalized after vaccination was negligible. In terms of adverse effects, the most common individually reported side effects, regardless of the vaccination type, included “pain at the site of injection”, followed by “general fatigue”, then “lethargy”. Moreover, most of these side effects occurred after the second dose of the vaccine, irrespective of the type of vaccine. Females were found to be more susceptible to the adversities of COVID-19 vaccination. The occurrence of side effects was not found to be related to the nationality/ethnicity of the vaccine recipient. Furthermore, none of the vaccines affected sleep pattern, since a significant number of respondents reported a regular sleep pattern after being vaccinated. The majority respondents who received two doses of vaccination (n = 585 or 76.6%) reported that they did not become infected post vaccination, regardless the type of vaccine received, whereas only (n = 11 or 1.9%) were reinfected with COVID-19 after 2–4 weeks. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that vaccines can offer short-term protection against COVID-19 reinfection. Moreover, both the first- and second-vaccination side effects were described as very mild to moderate, which indicates tolerability. These data may strengthen the public confidence in receiving vaccinations.

Antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance is a major threat to mankind due to increasing resistance towards existing medicinal drugs. Plant-based antimicrobials are promising alternatives to conventional drugs. Cress (Lepidium sativum L.) is known as garden cress, garden cress pepper weed or garden pepperwort and is a member of the Brassicaceae family. Lepidium satvium L. (LS) is widely spread throughout the world as a fast-growing annual herb. LS seed oil has antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) gained attention due to their antimicrobial properties. We aimed to synthesize LS encapsulated AgNP to enhance the microbicidal activities of the nanoparticles and prevent microbial resistance by plant-based synergistic mechanisms. AgNP were prepared in a one-pot synthesis by plant-biomolecules-induced reduction of silver nitrate via green method. The biomolecules and metabolites in the aqueous LS extract act as reducing, capping and stabilizing agents of AgNP. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Ultravioletvisible spectroscopy (UV-Vis) and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) confirmed the composition of the LS-AgNP biohybrids. Antimicrobial testing by disc dilution method against a total of 9 reference strains of microorganisms verified excellent to intermediate antimicrobial activity. The Gram-negative pathogens E. coli WDCM 00013 and P. aeruginosa WDCM 00026 were highly inhibited, followed by good results for the Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus ATCC 25923, B. subtilis WDCM 00003, S. pyogenes ATCC 19615, E. faecalis ATCC 29212, and the fungus C. albicans WDCM 00054. Our biohybrid LS-AgNP showed increased antimicrobial activity with potential uses as disinfectant and wound care product.

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