Plasmodium falciparum resistance and malaria presentation in children at Dongola specialist hospital: A prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To provide evidence about the susceptibility of anti-malarial drugs, and to identify the clinical features of the disease in children. Methods: The prospective observational comparative study was conducted at the Dongola Specialist Hospital, Dunqulah, Sudan, from February 2016 to February 2017, and comprised children aged <16 years with bodyweight >5kg who had malaria. The subjects were enrolled into group 1, which received treatment based on physician's discretion, and group 2, which received treatment in accordance with the national guidelines. The follow-up was conducted on days 3, 7 and 14 to identify cases as early treatment failure, late treatment failure, or treatment success. Data were analysed in terms of frequencies and percentages using statistical analysis software R version 3.1.2. RESULTS: Of the 120 children, 60(50%) were in each of the two groups. Overall, 63(52.5%) were aged 1-6 years, 66(55%) were males, and 42(35%) were exposed to malaria for the first time. Post-treatment test was negative for all 120(100%) the subjects in both the groups. showing no inter-group difference. Conclusion: Although resistance to combination therapy was not detected, it remains extremely important to remain vigilant for the emergence of resistance in the future.

Evaluation of the Antibacterial Activity of Quinoxaline Derivative Compound Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: While the frequency of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) continues to rise globally, there is a fear regarding an increase in vancomycin resistance among S. aureus strains. As far back as the 1960s, MRSA was one of the world's most prevalent antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Among hospitalized patients and community members, MRSA is the cause of a significant number of infections. As a result of its resistance to classical beta-lactam and, in some cases, vancomycin antibiotics, efforts must be made as soon as feasible to find a new approach to fighting MRSA. Purpose: This study is designed to evaluate the antibacterial activity of quinoxaline derivative compound against MRSA in comparison with vancomycin as a reference drug. Methods: Sixty MRSA isolates were subjected to susceptibility testing by broth microdilution method for quinoxaline derivative compound and vancomycin. Each drug's minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined and compared. Results: Among the sixty MRSA isolates, most of the quinoxaline derivative compound MIC findings (56.7%) were 4 µg/mL compared to vancomycin MIC values (63.3%) of 4 µg/mL. In comparison, 20% of quinoxaline derivative compound MIC readings were 2 µg/mL, while the vancomycin MIC results were 6.7%. However, the overall proportion of MIC readings at ≤2 µg/mL for both antibacterial agents was equal (23.3%). None of the isolates were resistant to vancomycin. Conclusion: This experiment revealed that most MRSA isolates were associated with low MICs (1-4 µg/mL) for quinoxaline derivative compound. Overall, the susceptibility of the quinoxaline derivative compound signifies a promising efficacy against MRSA and may set a novel treatment approach.