Objectives: This study determined the percent positivity of acute respiratory bacterial infections and their association with malnutrition in children under 5. Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) cause 6% of all diseases worldwide, with bacterial pneumonia being the leading cause of child mortality. Malnutrition accounts for 56% of childhood mortality worldwide, when combined with ARIs. Materials and Methods: This study included 185 hospitalized children under 5 diagnosed with ARIs. The nasal swabs were collected for bacterial isolation and analyzed using nutrient and blood agar and by Gram’s staining. The bacterial pathogens were purified on Mannitol salt agar, chocolate agar, and MacConkey agar and identified using specific biochemical tests. Children’s height and weight were compared with standards to assess their nutritional status. The data were statistically analyzed for percent positivity and Chi-square test. Results: The positive samples were collected from Allied Hospital (38.3%), Children Hospital (9.1%), and Faisal Hospital (11.8%). ARIs were categorized as mild pneumonia (35), moderate pneumonia (28), severe pneumonia (19), and no pneumonia/cold and cough (103). Among isolated bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent bacterial species (23.2%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.57%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.02%). Children with 24% stunted, 19% wasted, 23% underweight, and 34% having normal nutritional status were observed. Chi-square test ( P = 0.007) showed significant results. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is a positive correlation between malnutrition and acute respiratory bacterial infections, as 66% of malnourished children were observed suffering from ARIs.

Abstract Background: Malnutrition remains a global health issue, endangering the lives of millions of children, especially in developing nations. It profoundly affects a child’s physical and mental development, leading to severe and often irreversible consequences. Objectives: This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of mothers with acutely malnourished children concerning child feeding and the prevention of malnutrition. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted involving 139 mothers with acutely malnourished children admitted to the malnutrition ward at Mohammed Al-Ameen Hamid Pediatric Hospital between May 2022 and December 2022. Data were collected through direct interviews with the surveyed mothers utilizing a validated, structured questionnaire. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS software version 20. Results: The study revealed that 78.4% of mothers possessed adequate knowledge, 80.6% exhibited favorable attitudes, and 55.4% demonstrated good child-feeding practices and malnutrition prevention practices. A significant correlation between mothers’ education and practice was identified (P = 0.025). Furthermore, data analysis highlighted the significant association between mothers’ knowledge and attitude (P = 0.007), mothers’ knowledge and practice (P = 0.006), and mothers’ attitudes and practice (P = 0.033). Conclusion: Most mothers exhibited sufficient knowledge and positive attitudes regarding child feeding and malnutrition prevention; however, there is a need to translate this awareness into improved practices.

Abstract Medicinal plants are common in our environment and have been useful in traditional medicine. The present study was conducted to evaluate the mineral content, the phytochemical, and antimicrobial properties of Carica papaya seed extracts on clinical isolates. The C. papaya seeds were sourced from fruits sellers from the Ekosodin community in Ovia North East Local Government, Benin City, Edo State. The seeds were air-dried for 14 days. The extract was obtained by maceration using distilled water and ethanol as solvents. The results of the mineral composition for both aqueous and ethanolic extracts indicated that sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, phosphorus, nitrogen, chromium, and iron were present. The phytochemical screening for both aqueous and ethanolic extracts indicated the presence of compounds such as saponins, phenolics, alkaloids, and flavonoids. The antimicrobial assay revealed that C. papaya seed extracts had good antimicrobial properties with a minimum inhibition of 100 mg/mL observed in Staphylococcus epidermidis and Bacillus subtilis for the aqueous extract, 1.04 mg/ml S. epidermidis and B. subtilis, and 2.08 mg/ml Candida spp. for the ethanol extract. The minimum bactericidal concentration of the ethanol extract in this study was 4.16 mg/ml for S. epidermidis and 8.33 mg/ml for B. subtilis, and the minimum fungicidal concentration was 8.33 mg/ml for Candida spp. The results from this study indicated that C. papaya seeds possess sufficient mineral components and phytochemical components, indicating their potential use as supplementary antimicrobial agents and essential nutrients for both humans and animals.

This systematic review explored the multifaceted impact of drug price regulation on patient access to essential medicines. Recognizing the complexity of this relationship, the paper investigates the influence of various types of drug price regulation mechanisms, the disparities across different geographical regions and health-care systems, and the differential effects between branded and generic drugs. Our findings illustrate that the effects of drug price regulation are not universally uniform or predictable, but rather, they are highly context dependent. Direct price control measures can, on the one hand, improve accessibility through affordability; yet on the other hand, potentially disrupt drug supply. Indirect price control methods, such as reference pricing and value-based pricing, while designed to spur competition, can be hampered by administrative complexities and potentially stifle pharmaceutical innovation. Despite the pervasive use of drug price regulation, access to essential medicines remains disparate and inequitable, indicating a need for a comprehensive approach that includes health system reforms, improved health literacy, and greater collaboration between stakeholders. Future research should further investigate the enduring disparities in patient access to medicines, the long-term effects of various pricing mechanisms, and their interplay with the evolving pharmaceutical industry and health-care landscapes.

This paper determines the implementation of total productive maintenance (TPM) at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in the Philippines. It also assesses the significance of TPM practices from the viewpoint of employees involved in production. A total of 44 employees participated in the survey. The data gathered were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2019 Data analysis. The extent of TPM implementation was ranked by the value of the weighted mean, the practices that had the higher weighted average, implemented to a great extent. The significance of TPM practices was tested with the aid of a t-test statistical tool at a hypothesized mean of 2.5. The findings revealed that the manufacturing company implemented TPM practices to a high extent to maintain integrity and improve production quality by reducing downtime through preventive maintenance, technology assessment and usage, and employee involvement in maintaining their equipment. The results also indicated the significance of TPM practices in improving a company’s production quality. The results of the study provide guidance and references to improve maintenance procedures and improve productivity.

Background: Tonsillectomy is one of the most common surgeries performed on children of all ages. Posttonsillectomy pain is frequently severe and long-lasting, increasing morbidity, and putting the patient, parents, relatives, and even hospital staffs under stress. Objective: The goal of this study was to see how effective topical bupivacaine and lidocaine in the tonsillar fossa are at controlling postoperative pain in pediatric tonsillectomy. Materials and Methods: This prospective study was done between May 2017 and June 2022 at a tertiary care teaching hospital. There were 126 patients enrolled in this study, with 77 boys and 49 girls. The age ranges of the patients were between 3 years and 16 years. All of the children were divided into three groups after their parents gave their informed consent. In Group 1, 42 patients received topical infiltration of 0.25% bupivacaine hydrochloride with 1:200,000 epinephrine at the tonsillar fossa just after the removal of the tonsil from the tonsillar bed. Group 2 included 42 children and received topical infiltration of lidocaine hydrochloride with 1:100,000 epinephrine in the tonsillar bed. Group 3 included 42 patients and received infiltration of 0.9% normal saline into the tonsillar bed just after tonsillectomy. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the mean pain scores between the bupivacaine and lidocaine groups (P > 0.001). The difference between the two groups’ mean pain scores compared to the saline group was statistically significant (P < 0.001). None of the participants in the two groups experienced reactionary and secondary hemorrhage. Conclusion: Bupivacaine and lidocaine infiltration into the tonsillar bed just after tonsillectomy is effective for controlling posttonsillectomy pain in the pediatric age group.

Background: Indigenous people residing in rural parts of the country still use medicinal herbs to cure diseases and injuries and possess inherent knowledge of their preparation and uses. However, contemporarily, this knowledge is less being practiced and is waning along with the introduction of modern pharmaceuticals. Objective: A survey research was carried in Myagdi district to study ethnobotany of medicinal plants and their practices. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 informants from the tribal communities were selected purposively and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data was entered in MS-Excel and narrative analysis of the information was carried out to derive the inferences needed. Results: The study showed that 93.51% of the informants, having traditional knowledge on medicinal plants, have been practicing their use and 87.20% of the respondents found them effective in curing several diseases and injuries. Medicinal plants are commonly used to cure diseases like bone fractures, abdominal pain, fever, common cold, dysentery, eye opacity, scabies, worm infection, reproductive problems, mental disorder, and cardiovascular problems. As reported, with access to modern pharmaceuticals, the use of medicinal plants has less been practiced and handed over the generations these days. The knowledge on medicinal plants and practices are restricted to older-aged groups of the community (76.32%) reflecting that valuable traditional knowledge is on the wane. Conclusions: This study portrays the commonly used medicinal plants along with their preparation techniques practiced in the study area.

Background: Both Solanum lycopersicum and S. Pimpinellifolium possess much nutritional and therapeutic usefulness. Aim: This study is aimed at investigating the phytochemical, chemical and antimicrobial contents of foliar extracts of both plants. Methodology: The analyses were carried out using standard methods; the organic contents of the extracts were determined by GC-MS before the extracts were tested for antibacterial and antifungal potentials using the disc diffusion method. Results: The biochemical analysis revealed the presence of crude fibre, crude fat, crude carbohydrate, moisture content, total ash, dry matter and crude protein. Various mineral elements such as Manganese, Zinc, Copper, Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron and Phosphorus were detected in the extracts, even as GC-MS revealed 6 different organic compounds belonging to two groups of chemicals (ester and alkanol). The methanolic extract of both plants showed significant antibacterial and antifungal activities on some of the test organisms at a dose range of 5 and 25mg/ml. Cardiac glycosides was observed to be the highest constituent of the phytochemicals detected and it has been reported to inhibit sodium and potassium pump which in turn cause an increase in the amount of calcium ions and are thus useful in the treatment of heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. Conclusion: This study concluded that the leaf extracts of both plants investigated are highly nutritive, containing appreciable amounts of nutrients which are required in human and animal diet. Recommendation: An advocacy for a higher consumption of these tomatoes as well as their use in the formulation of antimicrobial agents and drugs is highly recommended.

Background: Poultry farming has become an integral part of animal husbandry and has been developed rapidly during the last few decades. Antibiotics have been used and adopted as growth promoters for improving feed efficiency and performance in poultry industry. The prolonged use of antibiotics has led to the development of resistant bacteria and destruction of beneficial bacteria. Search on additives that can replace antibiotics without causing any negative impact in productivity and quality has been progressed. Objective: To review the various growth promoters available alternate to antibiotic, that can perform better in the existing condition according to their genetic potential and keep up health, growth, and performance of poultry. Materials and Methods: Our study relies on the literature analysis; clinical and biological data were collected from different literatures and reports. Result of Study: A brief description of alternatives and their efficaciousness, use, and advantage for enhancing production and safeguarding the health of poultry is presented. Although the beneficial activities of the developed alternative are well demonstrated, their mode of actions is not well defined. Conclusions and Recommendations: The article is useful to the researchers to enhance their idea on poultry birds and perform further research on antibiotics and other alternatives without sacrificing birds.

A study was conducted from March to April 2020 at Veterinary Laboratory, Birendranagar, to ascertain the antibiotic sensitivity pattern and associated factors of Escherichia coli isolated from the poultry samples. Objective: A total of 50 liver samples were collected and the questionnaire was filled for the corresponding demographic data. The organisms were identified and isolated. Based on the culture characteristics in different agars (nutrient agar, MacConkey agar, and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar) and the response of the culture toward the biochemical tests, the microorganisms were identified and isolated. Method: Institute of Clinical and Laboratory Standards - recommended Kirby - Bauer disc diffusion method - diffusion method performed for antibiotic susceptibility testing on Muller - Hinton agar. The antibiotic disks used in the study were ciprofloxacin (CP), amikacin (AK), enrofloxacin (EX), gentamicin, azithromycin, tetracycline (TE), and amoxicillin (AMX). Result: The results showed that 36% of the samples were positive for E. coli. Out of 23 birds of age below 28 days, 5 (21.74%) birds were tested positive for E. coli. Similarly, out of 27 birds of age above 28 days, 13 (48.15%) birds were tested positive for E. coli. The relation between E. coli prevalence and the age of the bird was found to be nonsignificant (P > 0.05) according to the Pearson Chi square test. Out of 33 samples from the farm with treated water, 13 (39.39%) of the samples were tested positive for E. coli. Similarly, out of 17 samples from the farm with untreated water, 5 (41.67%) of the samples were tested positive for E. coli. The prevalence of E. coli was significantly (P 0.05) relation of the prevalence of E. coli with the type of bird. Among the E. coli positive samples(36%), the antibiotic sensitivity pattern was 55.56% for AK, 0.00% for AMX, 61.11% for EX, 38.89% for gentamycin, and 22.22% for TE. Among all the antibiotics, CP showed the highest sensitivity (83.33%) against E. coli. Conclusion: Among all the associated factors, water treatment in the poultry farm showed a significant (P < 0.05) effect on the prevalence of E. coli. Thus, treatment of the water in the farm is recommended to decrease the chances of E. coli prevalence in the farm.