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This study reports for the first time the adsorption capacity of a novel adsorbent Croton bonplandianus Baill. biochar. Its adsorption capacity was further enhanced by loading magnetic composites on it, which makes it an efficient medium for the adsorption of dyes. Two azo dyes, Basic Brown 1 (BB1) and Basic Orange 2 (BO2), were studied for their effective adsorption from aqueous media. A comprehensive characterization was performed by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to study the properties of Fe2O3-loaded C. bonplandianus Baill. biochar (FO-CBPBB). A series of batch experiments were conducted to optimize various parameters (pH, contact time, adsorbent amount, initial BB1 and BO2 concentrations, and temperature) for the maximum adsorption of BB1 and BO2 on the FO-CBPBB adsorbent. The percentage of BB1 and BO2 dyes that adsorb to FO-CBPBB under the best experimental circumstances (pH of solution 7, contact time 80 min, temperature of solution 40 °C, initial BB1 and BO2 dye concentrations 80 mg L-1, and adsorbent dose 1 g L-1) was 93 and 95%, respectively. The best adsorption of BB1 and BO2 was accomplished by optimizing the effects of several factors, including the starting dye concentration, contact time, and temperature, based on the central composite design. The Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to examine the equilibrium data. The Langmuir isotherm with the greatest adsorption capacity and R2 value effectively captured the experimental results. When kinetic parameters were investigated, it was found that pseudo-second-order was appropriate, reflecting the fact that the dye-adsorbent interaction was the rate-controlling factor in this study. The sorption process was endothermic and spontaneous, as shown by the thermodynamic variables. Based on the interaction between the adsorbent and azo dyes, it was concluded that the adsorption process was electrostatic in nature. Adsorbents that have been synthesized can effectively remove azo dyes from wastewater. Excellent regeneration efficiency was exhibited by FO-CBPBB, which makes it an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative to other costly techniques applied for water purification.
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The present study was undertaken to assess the current supply chain system of pharmaceuticals and vaccines in Pakistan in terms of structure, process, and outcomes, as well as related barriers and solutions for an effective supply chain system. A qualitative study was designed to explore stakeholders' perceptions selected using the snowball sampling technique. A semi-structured interview guide was used to interview these respondents at a convenient time and place. After data collection, recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. The results highlighted that the standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists, and government guidelines were available at different levels, except for community pharmacies. Timely delivery of quality products and services along with market reputation, experience, and authorization were the key criteria used for supplier selection and evaluation. Good inventory management, financial models, effective coordination, training, and skill development programs were identified as key factors responsible for an efficient supply chain process. Availability of vaccines, their appropriate temperature monitoring, and transportation are also highly compromised in Pakistan. The results of the present study concluded that the current supply chain system in Pakistan is not up to the mark; major factors include poor forecasting and inventory control, delayed order placement, lack of training, inadequate involvement of professionally qualified staff, inadequate financing and procurement processes, and poor coordination and integration among all stakeholders.
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Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) has become considerably common in developing countries, which is a critical factor for driving antibiotic resistance. Individuals involved in SMA generally do not have adequate knowledge regarding the appropriate use, indications and dosage of these drugs. The objective of the present study was to investigate population SMA practices, knowledge and sociodemographic factors associated with SMA in Islamabad, Pakistan. The study adopted a cross-sectional methodology and data collection was performed through an anonymous, structured and pilot-tested questionnaire, which was interview-administered. Inferential statistics and multivariate logistic regression were performed. Out of 480 participants, 55.6% (n = 267) were male with a mean age of 37.1 ± 10.1 years; the total prevalence of SMA was 32.5%. Ciprofloxacin (42.9%) was the most commonly used antibiotic to treat coughs or colds, a runny nose, flu or sore throat, diarrhea or fevers, which were relevant reasons for SMA. Findings from multivariate logistic regression showed that predictors of SMA were: male gender (95% CI: 0.383-1.005), age (95% CI: 0.317-0.953) and highest level of education (95% CI: 0.961-0.649). Despite reasonable access to healthcare facilities, people are still obtaining antibiotics without prescription, bypassing diagnostic and consultative healthcare services. Thus, the government must implement strict healthcare policies to restrict the sale of antibiotics without prescriptions, while at the same time, targeted public awareness campaigns about the proper use of antibiotics are also required.
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BACKGROUND: Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) is an important public health issue, which can result in the facilitated development of antibiotic resistance, and may increase the risk of inappropriate utilization of antibiotics. So, the objective of the present study was to estimate the prevalence rate of SMA and to also explore SMA practices among the lay population of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). METHODS: The current study was cross-sectional population-based and used a convenient sampling technique. Moreover, Lorenz's formula was used to calculate the sample size and the required sample size was 480. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a pre-validated questionnaire and the study was conducted in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and logistic regression were executed by using SPSS version 24. RESULTS: Out of 480 participants, 45.8% were polled male and the prevalence of SMA in this study was found to be 15.1%. The majority of participants 23.1% indicated that they practiced antibiotics at least once in the last six months. The commonly self-medicated antibiotics were amoxicillin-clavulanate 20.6%, ampicillin/cloxacillin 14.2%, and levofloxacin 8.3%. Moreover, 64.8% of participants indicated that they bought their antibiotics from pharmacies. Whereas, most of the participants practice antibiotics to save money 19.2% and time 23.1%. Findings from multivariate logistic regressions showed that predictors of SMA were male gender, (95% CI: 0.300-0.877) occupation (95% CI: 0.122-10.797), health insurance (95% CI: 0.025-0.472), and education (95% CI: 0.084-0.800). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that SMA persists among the community and education level has a significant impact on this behavior. Thus, concerning health management authorities should step in with developing legislation to stop this practice, and by implementing such interventions and policies to educate and to raise awareness about the risk of SMA for the future.
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Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, with considerable impacts on people's health. Parents' perception of their knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction is an important factor, as they may be targeted by interventions for better immunization coverage. Therefore, this study aimed to assess parents' perceptions in terms of their knowledge, attitude, and satisfaction of the immunization of their children aged less than two years of age, in two cities of Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the vicinity of Rawalpindi and Islamabad from March to August 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for the data collection on a convenient sample of parents. The questionnaire was hand-delivered to the parents by data collectors. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis via SPSS version 22. A total of n = 382 respondents were included in the data analysis. Statistically significant differences were found between the parents' knowledge scores and their education levels and monthly incomes (p < 0.05). Parents with master's education degrees and low monthly incomes had significantly better knowledge (p < 0.05). Additionally, 96.85% of the respondents believed that child immunization was important. In addition, more than half of the respondents (57.58%) thought that the affordability of vaccines was a principal factor for delays in immunization. Although the parents' knowledge regarding the immunization of their children was not adequate, they had positive perceptions toward it.
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The global epidemiology of atopic dermatitis (AD) in the current decade (2009-2019) has not been extensively reported. Epidemiological studies play an important role in presenting the risk factors of AD, as detailed prevalence and incidence data could demonstrate the burden of disease in the population of adults, adolescents, and children in different geographical regions. Thus, the primary objective of this review was to assess and summarize the epidemiological studies of the prevalence and incidence of AD in different age groups, focusing on data from studies published for 2009 to 2019. After a thorough literature search, six countries were identified from African, Asian, and European regions respectively, who published studies on AD. In contrast, only two studies were identified from Australia and New Zealand, three countries from North America and two from South America published AD studies, respectively. The highest prevalence of AD from included studies was noted among Swedish children with 34%, while the lowest prevalence was in Tunisian children with 0.65%; studies reporting incidence data were far less numerous. A common trend in the prevalence of AD was that children would have a higher prevalence as compared to adolescents and adults. The severity and morbidity of the disease showed variance with age, sex, socioeconomic characteristics, geographical location, and ethnicity. Environmental factors played an important role as causative agents in AD. The risk factors that were proven to cause and induce AD were skin barrier impairments due to FLG mutation, changes in the environment, and diet. FLG mutation may impair the skin barrier function by disruption of pH and hydration maintenance of the skin. Lastly, there were only a few studies on the incidence of AD in the 21st century. Therefore, epidemiological studies on childhood and adulthood AD in different continents are still needed, especially on the incidence of AD during adulthood.
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Background: Self-medication and acquisition of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are emerging community health issues. Besides being a cheap alternative for treating common illnesses, the behavior entails serious ramifications, such as medication wastage, increasing pathogen resistance, and adverse drug reactions. So, the purpose of the present study was to explore and understand the consumption of commonly used OTC drugs and dietary supplements in Dubai and also assess individuals' self-care behaviors related to OTC and dietary supplements. Methodology: A cross-sectional study design was adopted in the present study and 200 participants were included in this study. Data was entered and analyzed through SPSS version 22. While the chi-square test was conducted to find out significance among variables. Findings: Results from the current study showed that more than a quarter of the participants (31%) were male and 69% of them were females. The prevalence of OTC drugs and dietary supplements was higher (98%) among the individuals living in Dubai. The majority of participants (80%) used analgesics as OTC drugs. Results also revealed that 35.5% of participants used vitamins on a daily basis, 11% used them on weekly basis, and 5.5% used them on monthly basis. While 79.5% of participants obtained their OTC drugs and dietary supplements from community pharmacies. Conclusion: This study provides significant findings regarding an individual's knowledge and behavior for utilizing OTC drugs and dietary supplements. The result has drawn from the present study can help the policymakers, and stakeholders to promulgate and effectiveness of policies and program implementation within the country. Lastly future studies with larger samples are required for the generalizability of the study results.
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The current scoping review is an attempt to explore the key reasons, determinants, patterns and prevalence related to self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) among the lay public. An online search was conducted using Google Scholar, Science Direct, ProQuest and PubMed. A two-phase mapping approach was used. In the first phase, studies were screened. In the second phase, the data were extracted from selected studies followed by the assessment of data quality. A total of 24 studies were included; 20 were cross-sectional, 3 were qualitative and one was observational. The most common indications were flu, cough, common colds, sore throat, diarrhea, toothache and fever. The most common determinants reported were past good experience and suggestions from friends or relatives. The use of SMA was observed to be more frequent in younger aged individuals belonging to low- or middle-income groups. The prevalence rate was reported to be high among the South Asian lay public and may be a major contributor to antibiotic resistance. In conclusion, this scoping review identifies a need for education campaigns and mass media campaigns to strengthen lay public awareness about the side effects and risks associated with SMA. In addition to this, there is a need to implement strict policies by government agencies to restrict over the counter availability of antibiotics.
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It is well documented that injudicious antibiotic use and practicing self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) can lead to antibiotic resistance. The objective was to validate and develop an instrument in Bahasa Melayu to assess the awareness and practices towards SMA in the Malaysian population. A pilot study was conducted among 100 Malaysians participants. Reliability testing in terms of test-retest, internal consistency, and content validity was performed. One-way ANOVA and t-test were applied to determine significant differences between groups. A panel of nine experts evaluated the research instrument for content validity and it was found to have strong content item validity (Indices = 1). Each domain (level of knowledge and understanding about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance: Practice towards self-medication) showed good internal consistency of Cronbach's alpha 0.658 and 0.90. While test-retest reliability value for each domain was 0.773 (p = 0.009), and 0.891 (p = 0.001. The mean ± standard deviation (SD) for level of knowledge about antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance was 21.8 ± 7.02 and for practice scores (SMA) 6.03 ± 2.30. The instrument established sound reliability and validity and, therefore, can be an effective tool for assessing public awareness, and practices toward self-medication with antibiotics in the Malaysian population.
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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The present study was aimed to evaluate the antiinflammatory effect of different seed extracts of Trachyspermum ammi at different doses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three different seed extracts were prepared through Soxhlet extraction method by using n-hexane, chloroform and methanol solvents. Acute toxicity test performed at dose of 400 mg/ kg, 800 mg/kg, 1600 mg/kg and 3200 mg/kg. Two different strengths of seed extracts (minimum therapeutic dose of 500 mg/kg and maximum therapeutic dose of 1000 mg/kg) were given to Wistar rats to measure anti-inflammatory activity through Carrageenan induced paw edema method. RESULTS: The standard drug diclofenac sodium was (percentage of inhibition of paw edema 29.68%) more effective as compared to test drug. When efficacy of all extracts compared with each other, n-hexane extract showed more anti-inflammatory effect (percentage inhibition of paw edema 22.21%) at maximum effective dose 1000 mg/kg. CONCLUSION: Seed extracts of T. ammi showed anti-inflammatory activity by potentiating the neurotransmission of GABA and also by repression glutamate receptor.
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OBJECTIVE: The aim and objective of this study was to find the immunostimulant and immunomodulatory effect of T. ammi seed extracts. METHODS: Seeds of T. ammi were extracted using three different solvents n-hexane, chloroform, and methanol by using soxhlet apparatus. To assess the immunomodulatory effect, delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) assay method was used and by the DTH assay, the effect of T. ammi on the skin thickness of rats was estimated. To find the exact dose for administration, acute toxicity test was performed using crude methanolic extract at a dose of 400, 800, 1600, and 3200mg/kg. After acute toxicity test, 500mg/kg dose was determined as safe for therapeutic effect and immunomodulatory effect was evaluated at this dose. Dose of 500mg/kg was administered to Wistar rats daily for 14 days and skin thickness of rats was measured at 24, 48, and 72h. RESULTS: Results were obtained from six groups of rats, which were positive control group, negative control group, and the groups receiving the test drugs. Standard drug was the combination of sodium selenite, vitamin E, and sodium chloride and it showed more positive results as compared to that of test drug. Furthermore, among the three extracts, methanol extract showed more effectiveness on skin thickness. CONCLUSION: There was a meaningful difference was observed between the skin thickness of rats which shows that T. ammi have good immunomodulatory as well as immunostimulant activity.
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Ensuring drug safety among the patients is the main domain of pharmacovigilance activities worldwide. A pharmacovigilance system was established in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008. Research evidence reflects that the current system is lacking in active participation from patients, and also, the inadequate role of healthcare professionals is anticipated. In this context, it is pertinent to know the general public's understandings and their patterns of safe use of medication, which are unexplored areas in Dubai, UAE. The current study aimed to explore the public views, attitudes, and experiences toward medication safety, and to explore key factors enhancing the safe use of medications among the public in Dubai. This study adopted a qualitative approach and face-to-face, 14 in-depth interviews with public individuals, selected purposively using the snowball sampling technique. The interviews were conducted in different places in Dubai recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed for data analysis. Reporting of adverse drug reaction was not well-known among all the participants. Public views towards safe use of medicines were limited to the side effects of the consumed medicines only, and to a lesser extent to the inappropriate indication and dosage. Most of the participants mentioned that gaining knowledge about the side effects of the prescribed drug was the main reason for reading the patient information leaflet. Quite a few participants have experienced side effects while consuming their medicines and they were unsure of how to deal with the situation. The current research also reflected the lack of proper communication between pharmacists and physicians in managing drug safety issues. Conclusively, the current research revealed gaps in public views regarding medication's safety, which consequently may impact their attitudes during the course of medication use. Efforts need to be strengthened to enhance positive views and attitudes of the public towards medication safety and ADR reporting in the UAE.
