ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the antibacterial and phytochemical activities of bioactive elements in the leaves of Annona reticulata Linn, a historically used Bangladeshi medicinal plant. METHODS: Shade-dried and crushed plant leaves were soaked with various solvents to obtain samples for different chemical analyses. All extracts were selected for antimicrobial, physicochemical, and Pharmacological investigations. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion assay, and broth microdilution methods determined potentiation of the activities of the antibiotic antibacterial activity of the plant extracts was investigated using either gram-positive or gram-negative pathogenic wild-type bacteria. RESULTS: From the initial phytochemical and pharmacological studies, it was clear that all extracts, methanol, chloroform, and ethyl acetate, of the leaves of A. reticulata, were proven to process potent bioactive constituents. While differential antimicrobial properties were found to be possessed by all extracts, methanolic extract was the most potent one against all tested microorganisms. It also has potentiated the activities of antibiotics in E. coli. CONCLUSION: Bioactive constituents in the plant extracts were shown to possess phytochemical and antimicrobial activities. More investigation is needed to segregate the chemical components responsible for the respective phytochemical and antimicrobial activities.
Subject(s)
Annona , Anti-Infective Agents , Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Bacteria , Escherichia coli , Plant Extracts/chemistry , Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology , Gram-Negative Bacteria , Phytochemicals/pharmacology , Phytochemicals/analysis , Methanol , Plant Leaves/chemistry , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused a slew of mental illnesses due to a lack of cures and vaccinations, as well as concerns about students well-being and satisfaction with life, resulting in psychological symptoms and dissatisfaction with their lives. As students are highly susceptible to mental health issues, researchers discovered that perceived SWL and MWB decreased. The present study investigated the prevalence and determinants of mental well-being and satisfaction with life among university students in Bangladesh. MethodsAn e-survey based cross-sectional study was carried out from February to April 2021 among 660 students. A purposive sampling technique was utilized in the study. Self-reported mental well-being and satisfaction with life psychological tools were also used. The e-questionnaire survey was conducted with informed consent and questions were related to socio-demographics, satisfaction with life, and mental well-being scales. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were performed. The data were rechecked and analyzed with the R programming language ResultsThe prevalence estimates of mental well-being and satisfaction with life were 27% and 13%, respectively. In a total of 660 participants, 58.2% of them were male and the rest of them were female (41.8%). Among the participants, 22.5% suffer the worst conditions regarding their financial conditions, and 16.5% badly seek a job for livelihood. ConclusionThe present findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and longtime educational institution closure significantly affect the students mental health. Students mental well-being was in vulnerable conditions and their satisfaction with life was extremely poor. A comprehensive student psychological support service should be expanded to help students mental health.
ABSTRACT
BackgroundHuman health is largely affected by self-medication in both ways, adversely and favorably, as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fear of spreading COVID-19 among health workers and hospital environments has led many Bangladeshi people to practice self-medicate for as a preventive strategy against this disease. Consequently, this practice entails an improper and injudicious use of medicine to cure self-recognized symptoms. To date, the COVID-19 has no effective treatment. The lack of a cure for COVID-19 and the continual progression of the diseases in educational settings induce a substantial population to practice self-medication. Therefore a study of self-medication practices is necessary for the framework of the pandemic. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication to prevent or manage future COVID-19 infections among recovered COVID-19 patients. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021 using an e-survey along with 360 participants. Data were collected using a pre-tested self-reported questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and correlations analysis were performed in the study. ResultsAmong 360 participants, males were 69.7%, and females 30.3%. The prevalence of self-medication is 11%, and monthly family income, residence, education, occupation, and previous history of SM are the associated factors. Among the participants, 29.7% use antibiotics, and 30% use herbal products or drugs as medication. ConclusionThe present study found SMP is moderately prevalent among COVID-19 recovered patients. To minimize the rate of SMP, adequate health care access systems and public education should be introduced, and media & community should be engaged in rational use of medication.
ABSTRACT
Limitations in laboratory diagnostic capacity and reporting delays have hampered efforts to mitigate and control the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally. To augment traditional lab and hospital-based surveillance, Bangladesh established a participatory surveillance system for the public to self-report symptoms consistent with COVID-19 through multiple channels. Here, we report on the use of this system, which received over 3 million responses within two months, for tracking the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh. Although we observe considerable noise in the data and initial volatility in the use of the different reporting mechanisms, the self-reported syndromic data exhibits a strong association with lab-confirmed cases at a local scale. Moreover, the syndromic data also suggests an earlier spread of the outbreak across Bangladesh than is evident from the confirmed case counts, consistent with predicted spread of the outbreak based on population mobility data. Our results highlight the usefulness of participatory syndromic surveillance for mapping disease burden generally, and particularly during the initial phases of an emerging outbreak.
