Assessment of public knowledge and attitude toward antibiotics use and resistance: a community pharmacy-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial resistance is a public health challenge affecting all aspects of healthcare systems. Policies to reduce antimicrobial resistance should be implemented and monitored in community pharmacies, because they are patients' first point of care. Public awareness of relevant knowledge and attitudes on antimicrobials is a feasible strategy to mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance by exploiting the relationship between pharmacists and patients in the community pharmacy setting. The study evaluated and determined predictors of antibiotic knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic use and resistance in community pharmacy patients. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used to retrieve data in five randomly selected community pharmacies in Lagos and Abuja using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized for characterizing and determining the associations between predictors and outcomes at p < 0.05. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of patients' knowledge and attitude to antibiotic use. RESULTS: A total of 964 clients participated in the study: 526(54.7%) were females, and 358(37.3%) were aged 25-34. chlorpheniramine-maleate and levonorgestrel were wrongly identified as antibiotics by 621 (64%) and 490 (50%) respondents, respectively. Many respondents, 448(46.5%), strongly agree that antibiotic creams should be mixed with body creams. The result of the multivariable logistic regression showed secondary education [Odds Ratio (OR): 0.31, 95% CI 0.10-0.97, p value: 0.044], urban residence (OR: 1.45, 95% CI 1.01-2.08, p value: 0.043) and age 34 (OR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.01-2.37, p value: 0.045) were strong predictors of knowledge on antibiotics, while community pharmacy location (OR: 5.48, 95% CI 3.45-8.70, p value: ≤ 0.001), urban residence (OR: 2.57, 95% CI 1.67-3.96, p value: ≤ 0.001), and antibiotic recommender (OR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.35-0.85, p value: 0.008) were predictors of respondents' attitude to antibiotic use. CONCLUSIONS: The study established that sociodemographic factors could impact community pharmacy clients' knowledge and attitude toward antibiotic use and resistance and should be considered when developing policies to curb the spread of resistant microbes. Community pharmacies should educate community pharmacy clients on the dangers associated with the misuse of antibiotics with stringent antibiotic stewardship programs and restrict access to antibiotics over-the-counter.

Recent findings on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of novel food-derived antihypertensive peptides.

Hypertension impacts negatively on the quality of life of sufferers, and complications associated with uncontrolled hypertension are life-threatening. Hence, many research efforts are exploring the antihypertensive properties of bioactive peptides derived from food proteins using in vitro ACE-inhibitory assay, experimentally-induced and spontaneous hypertensive rats, normotensive and hypertensive human models. In this study, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of blood pressure-lowering properties of novel peptides reported in recent studies (2015-July 30, 2021) were discussed. In addition to common mechanisms such as the inhibition of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) and renin activities, recently recognized mechanisms through which bioactive peptides exert their antihypertensive properties including the induction of vasodilation via upregulation of cyclo-oxygenase (COX) and prostaglandin receptor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and L-type Ca2+ channel blockade were presented. Similarly, emerging mechanisms of blood pressure-lowering by bioactive peptides such as modulation of inflammation (TNF-α, and other cytokines signaling), oxidative stress (Keap-1/Nrf2/ARE/HO-1 and related signaling pathways), PPAR-γ/caspase3/MAPK signaling pathways and inhibition of lipid accumulation were discussed. The review also highlighted factors that influence the antihypertensive properties of peptides such as method of hydrolysis (type and number of enzymes, and chemical used for hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation), and amino acid sequence and chain length of peptides.

Lupin-Derived Bioactive Peptides: Intestinal Transport, Bioavailability and Health Benefits.

There is a renewed interest on the reliance of food-based bioactive compounds as sources of nutritive factors and health-beneficial chemical compounds. Among these food components, several proteins from foods have been shown to promote health and wellness as seen in proteins such as α/γ-conglutins from the seeds of Lupinus species (Lupin), a genus of leguminous plant that are widely used in traditional medicine for treating chronic diseases. Lupin-derived peptides (LDPs) are increasingly being explored and they have been shown to possess multifunctional health improving properties. This paper discusses the intestinal transport, bioavailability and biological activities of LDPs, focusing on molecular mechanisms of action as reported in in vitro, cell culture, animal and human studies. The potentials of several LDPs to demonstrate multitarget mechanism of regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, chemo- and osteoprotective properties, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities position LDPs as good candidates for nutraceutical development for the prevention and management of medical conditions whose etiology are multifactorial.