RESUMO
The spread of bacterial infectious diseases is a major public threat. Herbs and spices have offered an excellent, important and useful source of antimicrobial agents against many pathological infections. In the current study, the antimicrobial potency of fresh, naturally and commercial dried Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale extracts had been investigated against seven local clinical bacterial isolates such as Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Serratia marcesnces by the agar disc diffusion method. All tested pathogens except P. aeruginosa and E. coli were most susceptible to ethanolic and methanolic extracts of A. sativum. Similarly, chloroform and diethyl ether extracts of Z. officinale showed a greater zone of inhibition of tested pathogens except for P. aeruginosa and E. coli. We found that all extracts of A. sativum and Z. officinale have a strong antibacterial effect compared to recommended standard antibiotics through activity index. All results were evaluated statistically and a significant difference was recorded at P< 0.05. Antioxidant activity of extracts showed that 10 out of 13 extracts have high scavenging potential. Thin layer chromatography profiling of all extracts of A. sativum and Z. officinale proposed the presence of various phytochemicals such as tannins, phenols, alkaloids, steroids and saponins. Retention factor of diverse phytochemicals provides a valuable clue regarding their polarity and the selection of solvents for separation of phytochemicals. Significant inhibition of S. aureus was also observed through TLC-Bioautography. FT-IR Spectrometry was also performed to characterize both natural and commercial extracts of A. sativum and Z. officinale to evaluate bioactive compounds. These findings provide new insights to use A. sativum and Z. officinale as potential plant sources for controlling pathogenic bacteria and potentially considered as cost-effective in the management of diseases and to the threat of drug resistance phenomenon
RESUMO
To identify the adverse events reported following monovalent single dose intramuscular Swine Flu Vaccine within a period of 6 weeks after vaccination. This descriptive study was conducted from November 2010 to January 2011 in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar, a 1400 bedded, tertiary care hospital, where single dose monovalent swine flu vaccine was available free of cost. Recipients were all healthy hospital employees, above 18 years of age. A printed proforma was designed, in which adverse events were recorded [either by telephone or personal appearance] after 24 hours, 1 week and then after 6 weeks. Informed consent was taken before vaccine administration. The study was approved by the ethical review committee of the institution. Seven hundred and ninety two individuals were included in the study with mean age of 27.67 [SD=10.7]. Males were 52.3% while the rest were female. Two hundred and fifty [31.6%] were students, 214 [27%] were paramedical staff, 153 [19.3%] were doctors, 139 [17.6%] were nursing staff, while 19 [2.4%] were senior teaching staff. After 24 hours of vaccination, redness at injection site was found in 36 [4.5%], soreness in 29 [3.7%], and itching in 23 [2.9%], headache in 66 [8.3%], nausea in 35 [4.4%], fever in 21 [2.7%], dizziness in 6 [0.8%], and muscle aches in 1 [0.1%]. After 7 days, only 3 [0.4%] individuals had soreness and tenderness at injection site, 2 [0.3%] had fatigue, 4 [0.5%] had fever and 2 [0.3%] had dizziness. After 6 weeks, no local or systemic adverse events were noted. Swine flu vaccine causes minor local or systemic side-effects in the form of pain, headache, fever, and fatigue in the first 24 hours of administration, and is free of short term and serious adverse events