HighlightsPhenolic acids are key class of dietary polyphenols, natural antioxidants.They exhibit a variety of functions including plant growth, development, and defense.They are precursors of other significant bioactive molecules regularly used for therapeutic, cosmetics, and food industries.These dietary antioxidants shields against growth and evolution in pathological conditions arise from oxidative stress.

Gram negative multidrug resistant organisms were the main cause of septicemia in all the age groups. Therefore great caution is required in selection of antibiotic therapy.

Background:Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are the most frequent infections among patients in Intensive care units (ICUs).Aims:To know the bacterial profile and determine the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the lower respiratory tract isolates from patients admitted to the ICU.Settings and Design:Tertiary care hospital, retrospective study.Materials and Methods:Transtracheal or bronchial aspirates from 207 patients admitted to the ICU were cultured, identified, and antibiotic sensitivity was performed by standard methods.Statistical Analysis Used:SPSS software was used for calculation of % R of 95% confidence interval (CI).Results:Of 207 specimens, 144 (69.5%) were culture positive and 63 (30.4%) showed no growth. From 144 culture positives, 161 isolates were recovered, of which 154 (95.6%) were Gram negative bacilli (GNB). In 17 (11.0%) patients, two isolates per specimen were recovered. The most common GNB in order of frequency were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (35%), Acinetobacter baumannii (23.6%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.6%). A very high rate of resistance (80-100%) was observed among predominant GNB to ciprofloxacin, ceftazidime, co-trimoxazole, and amoxycillin/clavulanic acid combination. Least resistance was noted to meropenem and doxycycline.Conclusion:Nonfermenters are the most common etiological agents of LRTIs in ICU. There is an alarmingly high rate of resistance to cephalosporin and β-lactam-β-lactamase inhibitor group of drugs. Meropenem was found to be the most sensitive drug against all GNB. Acinetobacter and Klebsiella spp. showed good sensitivity to doxycycline.

Aims:To know the distribution and antifungal susceptibility pattern of Candida species in neonatal septicemia cases.Materials and Methods:In a prospective analysis blood samples from 825 clinically suspected cases of neonatal septicemia, collected aseptically, were cultured to look for the role of Candida spp. in septicemia. Candida isolates were speciated by germ tube test, Hi-CHROME agar, sugar fermentation, and sugar assimilation tests using standard protocol. All the Candida isolates were tested for antifungal susceptibility to fluconazole by the Disk Diffusion (DD) method and broth micro dilution-minimum inhibitory concentration (BMD-MIC) method using NCCLS guidelines.Results:Isolation rate of Candida from neonatal septicemia cases was 8.1%. Most common isolate was C. tropicalis (61.19%), followed by C. albicans (19.40%), C. glabrata (11.94%), C. parapsilosis (5.97%) and C. guillermondii (1.49%). Low birth weight and previous antibiotic prophylaxis was found in 100% cases. Crude mortality rate was 50.1%. By DD method, 95.53% of the Candida isolates were sensitive to fluconazole. A discrepancy between DD method and BMD-MIC method was noted in 4.47% strains. One isolates each of C. tropicalis, C. albicans, and C. glabrata showed discrepancy.Conclusion:Nonalbicans Candida has emerged as an important cause of neonatal septicemia. Routine susceptibility testing of Candida isolates by DD method should be confirmed by BMD-MIC method. Fluconazole can be used as empirical therapy for neonatal candidemia at our center.

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