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HIGH PREVALENCE OF MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE IN A TERTIARY TEACHING HOSPITAL IN WESTERN KENYA
Get PDFIntroduction: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a gram negative enterobacteriaciae commonly associated with nosocomial infections. Multidrug
resistant strains are increasingly being reported with corresponding increase in morbidity and mortality. The study outlines the
epidemiology and antibiotic resistance pattern of K. pneumonia over a 10 year period in Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret,
Kenya.
Methodology and Study Design: This is a retrospective analysis of all the blood culture results for K. pneumoniae isolates in the
hospital for the period 2002-2013.
Results: K. pneumoniae accounted for 23% of the hospital isolates (231/1356) during the study period; of these, 82.6% were from the
New Born Unit. Most of the isolates were multi drug resistant with highest resistance of over 80% to Penicillins, Cephalosporins,
Macrolides, Tetracyclines, Sulphonamides, Lincosamides and Chloramphenicol. Aminoglycoside and Quinolone resistance was also high
at 49.2% and 41.3% respectively. The lowest resistance rates were documented for Carbapenems (23.2%). For specific antibiotics, there
was high resistance to commonly used antibiotics (over 80% for Ceftriaxone, Cefipime, Gentamycin and Ceftazidime). The antibiotics
with least resistance were Amikacin and Meropenem (21% and 7 % respectively).
Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of multidrug resistant K. pneumoniae isolates in the hospital, the majority originated from the
New Born Unit. Resistance to third generation Cephalosporins and Gentamycin was high while Meropenem and Amikacin had the least
resistance
CHILDHOOD RESPIRATORY MORBIDITY AND COOKING PRACTICES AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN A PREDOMINANTLY RURAL AREA OF GHANA
Get PDFBackground: Household air pollution is a leading risk factor for respiratory morbidity and mortality in developing countries where
biomass fuel is mainly used for cooking.
Materials and Method: A household cross-sectional survey was conducted in a predominantly rural area of Ghana in 2007 to
determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and their associated risk factors. Household cooking practices were also assessed
as part of the survey.
Results: Household heads of twelve thousand, three hundred and thirty-three households were interviewed. Fifty-seven percent
(7006/12333) of these households had at least one child less than five years of age. The prevalence of symptoms of acute lower
respiratory infections (ALRI) was 13.7% (n= 957, 95% CI 12.8 – 15.5%). A majority (77.8%, 95% CI, 77.7 - 78.5%) of households
used wood as their primary fuel. Majority of respondents who used wood as their primary fuel obtained them by gathering wood
from their neighborhood (95.6%, 9177/9595) and used a 3-stone local stove for cooking (94.9%, 9101/9595). In a randomly
selected subset of respondents, females were the persons who mostly gathered firewood from the fields (90.8%, 296/326) and did the
cooking (94.8%, 384/406) for the household.
Conclusion: Symptoms of ALRI reported by caregivers is high in the Kintampo area of Ghana where biomass fuel use is also high.
There is the need to initiate interventions that use improved cook stoves and to test the health benefits of such interventions
THE USE OF COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES IN CHILDHOOD CANCER: A QUESTIONNAIRE BASED ON A DESCRIPTIVE SURVEY FROM THE WESTERN BLACK SEA REGION OF TURKEY
Get PDFThe objective of this sBackground: The objective of this study was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of
childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies.
Materials and Methods: The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with
cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis
tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the
fathers of 44.6%.
Results: The mean age of the children was 8.66±4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents was making use of complementary and
alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor,
53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed
their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parents that were interviewed: the age of the mother, the age of the father and
the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents
with children with cancer is not negligible.
Conclusion: It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that
the patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional
treatment.tudy was to determine what complementary and alternative therapies are used in cases of childhood cancer, the frequency of their use and the factors that affect the tendency to resort to these therapies. The study, of cross-sectional design, was conducted with the parents of 101 children diagnosed with cancer, using a questionnaire and the technique of face-to-face interviews. Mean scores, percentages, chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used in the statistical analysis. During the study, interviews were held with 42.6% of the children's mothers and with the fathers of 44.6%. The mean age of the children was 8.66±4.52 years. A group of 33.7% of the parents were making use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for their children. Of the parents, 76.5% stated that CAM had been instrumental in reducing a tumor, 53.8% said that their child's general condition had improved and 15.4% expressed an increase in morale. Another 41.2% concealed their use of CAM from their doctors and nurses. The parent that was interviewed, the age of the mother, the age of the father and the family's economic status were determining factors in the parents' use of CAM. The prevalence of the use of CAM among parents with children with cancer is not negligible. It is the researchers' belief that health professionals must be informed about the use of CAM and its methods and that patients should be evaluated with an impartial approach and given information about the use of CAM, together with conventional treatment
ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA EXTRACT ON A CISPLATIN-INDUCED NEUROPATHIC MODEL
Get PDFBackground: Natural products including Agrimonia eupatoria are considered an incomparable source of molecular diversity that has led to the medicines, especially for pain treatment. To investigate the antinociception of Agrimonia eupatoria, we examined its activity in a rat model of cisplatin neuropathy.
Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal (i.p.) cisplatin twice a week at a dose of 2 mg/kg (cumulative dose, 20 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Before each injection, 2 ml of sterile saline solution was given subcutaneously to prevent renal damage via hyperhydration. The mice were treated with gabapetin as a positive control drug with a 100mg/kg intraperitoneal injection. A. eupatoria extract of 200mg/kg was solved in saline and then treated by oral administration.
Results: The mice treated with A. eupatoria showed lower withdrawal duration in the pin-prick and plantar tests, and a higher withdrawal threshold in the paw-withdrawal threshold test as compared to control animals in a cisplatin-induced neuropathic model. In the case of cold-allodynia, A. eupatoria treatment increased paw-withdrawal duration in a chemical test. A. eupatoria showed a more outstanding effect than gabapentin in all used tests for preventing cisplatin-induced nerve injury for 4 weeks.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that A. eupatoria extract showed an antinociceptive effect in the pin-prick test, plantar test, and paw-withdrawal threshold test using a cisplatin-induced neuropathic rat model
ANTIULCEROGENIC BENEFITS OF HERBAL INGREDIENTS IN ETHANOL-INDUCED ANIMAL MODELS
Get PDFpathogenesis of gastric ulcer. Although therapeutic approaches are widely available, preventive regimens are limited. Numerous studies
have demonstrated that herbal medicines display preventive benefit in the development of ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in both rat and
mouse models. The preventive efficacy of herbal medicines on the development of ethanol-induced gastric ulcers is comparable or
superior to histamine receptor 2 antagonists. But herbal medicines have fewer side effects.
Materials and Methods: Keywords including gastric ulcer, herbal medicines, prevention and natural ingredients were used to search
on http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed. The search was performed on January 12, 2014. Only articles published in English were used
in this review.
Result and Conclusion: According to the mechanisms of their action and pathogenesis of gastric ulcer, combination of certain herbal
medicines could be a valuable alternative to prevent the development of gastric ulcer, particularly for the subjects who are at a higher risk
of developing gastric ulcer
HEXANE EXTRACT OF DACRYODES EDULIS FRUITS POSSESSES ANTI-DIABETIC AND HYPOLIPIDAEMIC POTENTIALS IN ALLOXAN DIABETES OF RATS.
Get PDFBackground: The fruit extract of Dacryodes edulis (D. edulis), the African pear or plum, a tree indigenous to the humid tropics has been used for managing wounds, skin diseases, sickle cell anaemia, dysentery and fever in some African nations. In South Eastern Nigeria, 'herbal doctors' include its marshed fruit in decoctions administered to diabetic patients. However no scientific substantiation of their claim and use exist in literature. Hence, the need to evaluate the antidiabetic and hypolipidaemic activity of hexane extracts of D. edulis fruit in alloxanised animal model.
Materials and Methods: Sub-toxic doses between 400 and 1600mg/kg were orally administered sub-chronically to alloxan-induced
diabetic rats for 15 days and compared to glibenclamide (2.5mg/kg). The glycaemia levels, body weights, lipid profile, blood urea, creatinine and liver enzyme levels were measured. Basic histology of the pancreatic tissue was also performed to examine the effects on the pancreas as possible mechanistic lead.
Results: Oral acute dosing of D. edulis hexane extract decreased blood glucose levels, while sub-chronic treatment of the extract
down-regulated significantly hyperglycaemia, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, ALT and ALP levels. However, the HDL-C
levels increased significantly. Histopathological examination of the pancreatic tissues after sub-chronic treatment showed that
glibenclamide and the highest dose of the extract 1600mg/kg restored the afore-damaged pancreatic β-cell architecture.
Conclusion: Our findings portend that D. edulis hexane fruit extract possesses hypoglycaemic and hypolipidaemic activities as well as restoration of the pancreatic architecture without any obvious untoward hepatic damages, suggesting that its use in the
management of the diabetes may be valid
MEDICINAL HERBS IN IRANIAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE FOR LEARNING AND MEMORY
Get PDFBackground: There are some factors such as age, stress and emotions that may lead to impaired learning, memory loss, amnesia,
and dementia or threats like Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Traditional Iranian medicine (TIM) recommended some
herbs and herbal preparations for treatment or prevention of CNS problems. In this study, the scientific evidences related to
effectiveness of TIM herbal medicine on memory and learning will be reviewed.
Materials and Methods: The scientific evidences of the plant efficacy were searched in electronic databases including Pub Med,
Scopus, SID, Science Direct, and Google Scholar by keywords like memory, Alzheimer, amnesia, learning and scientific plant
names from 1969 to 2014.
Results: The finding of this study confirmed effectiveness of some of TIM medicinal plants on enhancing memory and learning or in
treatment or prevention of amnesia and AD. Some of TIM plants like Melissa officinalis, Crocus sativus and Nigella sativa showed
improving effect on memory in clinical trials. In some cases, the active principles responsible for efficacy of these plants on memory
were also determined.
Conclusion: Most of the studies on TIM plants were designed in animal models and a few herbs were evaluated in clinical trials on
AD. Also, for some of the herbal medicine used in TIM, there are no or not enough studies to confirm their effectiveness on memory
and learning. Therefore, further experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these plants on
memory and AD and also to determine the active components of them
MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINE IN THE PROVINCE OF CHIMBORAZO, ECUADOR.
Get PDFBackground: Phyto-therapy studies on Chimborazo province in Ecuador are really limited. This area, located within the
Andes, is considered a millenarian and intercultural province, where multiples cultures and ethnic groups coexist.
Materials and Methods: The study was conducted through direct interviews with 84 ancestral healers from the Province of
Chimborazo, Ecuador.
Results: We presented ten most used species by ancestral healers of Chimborazo province to cure different illnesses and
their medicinal uses. We also provided the application mode and some features of healing that should be emphasized.
Conclusion: The nettle was the medicinal plant employed for more different illness and the chamomile was the one with
higher prevalence. We could confirm that the Native Ecuadorians have a vast variety of traditions and popular medicinal
practices that have great value and are needed to be researched and studied extensively
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AMOMUM VILLOSUM: A SYSTEMATIC INVESTIGATION ON THREE DIFFERENT PRODUCTION MODES
Get PDFBackground: Amomum Villosum (A. Villosum), called Chunsharen in Chinese, is widely used in treating gastrointestinal disease. Its
clinical benefits have been confirmed by both in vitro and in vivo studies. Facing the shortage of wild A. Villosum, artificial
cultivating and natural fostering have been practiced in recent years. Therefore, it would be wondered whether the three different
types of A. Villosum are comparable or not, particularly the herbal qualities, technological challenges, ecological impacts and
economic benefits.
Material and methods: In this study, we combined quality research by using GC-MS, and field investigation to provide a systematic
assessment about the three types of A. Villosum from these four aspects.
Results: It found that the wild type had low output and was in an endangered situation. The artificial cultivation had larger
agriculturing area with higher productivity, but faced the ecological challenges. Lastly, the natural fostering type generated the
highest economic benefit and relatively low ecological impact. In addition, the natural fostering type had relatively better quality
than the other types.
Conclusion: Therefore, it suggests that natural fostering can be applied for long-term sustainable development of A. Villosum
ANTIFUNGAL POTENTIAL OF LEAF EXTRACTS OF LEGUMINOUS TREES AGAINST SCLEROTIUM ROLFSII
Get PDFBackground: Sclerotium rolfsii Sacc. is a destructive soil-borne plant pathogen that infects over 500 plant species and causes significant yield losses in many economically important plant species. Synthetic fungicides used to combat the menace also pollute the environment and cause health hazards. In order to search environmental friendly alternatives from natural resources, in the present study, methanolic extracts of three leguminous tree species namely Acacia nilotica (L.) Willd. ex Delile subsp. indica (Benth.) Brenan, Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) DC. and Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. were evaluated for their antifungal activity against S. rolfsii.
Materials and Methods: Two hundred grams dried leaf material of each of the three test plant species were extracted with methanol for two weeks. After filtration, methanol was evaporated on a rotary evaporator. Malt extract broth was used to make various concentrations of the crude methanolic extracts and their antifungal potential was determined by comparing the fungal biomass in various treatments with control. Chemical composition of methanolic leaf extract of A. nilotica subsp. indica was determined through GC-MS analysis.
Results: Methanolic leaf extract of A. nilotica subsp. indica showed the highest fungicidal activity. Fungal biomass was decreased by 17-55% due to various concentrations of this extract over control. Different concentrations of P. juliflora reduced fungal biomass by 3-52%. Fourteen compounds were identified in methanolic extract of A. nilotica subsp. indica. 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, methyl ester, (Z,Z,Z,)- (16.59%) was the most abundant compound followed by 1-pentanol, 2 methyl-, acetate (14.80%); hexanedioic acid, dimethyl ester (13.10%) and cyclotriaconta- 1, 7, 16, 22-tetraone (10.28%).
Conclusion: This study concludes that methanolic leaf extract of A. nilotica subsp. indica can be used for management of S. rolfsii