Incorporating Antimicrobial Activity During Synthesis of New Acid-Azo Dyes: Thermal Stability and Application on Various Fabrics.

BACKGROUND: Textile materials are susceptible to microbial attack as they provide suitable conditions for their growth. The microbes grow with normal body secretions on garments. These microbes are responsible for the weakening, brittleness, and discoloration of the substrate. Furthermore, they cause many health issues to the wearer, including dermal infection, bad odour etc. They threaten the human health as well as create tenderness in fabric. OBJECTIVES: Usually, antimicrobial textiles are prepared by applying antimicrobial finishes after dyeing, which is an expensive approach. Concerning these adversities, in the present study, a series of antimicrobial acid-azo dyes have been synthesized by incorporating antimicrobial sulphonamide moiety into the dye molecules during its synthesis. METHODS: A commercially available sulphonamide-based compound, sulfadimidine Na-salt was used as a diazonium component and coupled with different aromatic amines to get desired dye molecules. Since dyeing and finishing are two separate energy-intensive processes, in the current research work, an approach to combine both processes in one step has been adopted that would be economical, timesaving, and environment friendly. Structures of the resultant dye molecules have been confirmed using different spectral techniques such as Mass spectrometry, 1H-NMR spectroscopy, FT-IR, and UV-Visible spectroscopy. RESULTS: Thermal stability of the synthesized dyes was also determined. These dyes have been applied to wool and nylon-6 fabrics. Their various fastness properties were examined using ISO standard methods. CONCLUSION: All the compounds exhibited good to excellent fastness properties. The synthesized dyes and the dyed fabrics were screened biologically against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 and Escherichia coli ATCC 10536, resulting in significant antibacterial activities.

The experiences of breastfeeding mothers returning to work as hospital nurses in Pakistan: A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Pakistan has a higher infant mortality rate than countries with comparable economies, with around half of all under-5 deaths occurring in the first month of life. Breastfeeding is known to improve infant morbidity and mortality, but rates of formula feeding in Pakistan are increasing. Maternal employment is recognised globally as a major barrier to the continuation of breastfeeding. AIM: To describe the attitudes and experiences of breastfeeding mothers returning to full-time work as nurses in a tertiary hospital in Pakistan. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with seven purposively sampled participants who were breastfeeding at the time of return to work. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified: belief in a child's right to breastfeed, conflict with institutional power and the importance of family support in maintaining breastfeeding. Antenatally mothers described breastfeeding as the preferred infant feeding option and the child's right. When returning to work mothers encountered rigid hospital policies and practices, such as a short and non-negotiable period of maternity leave, inflexible shift patterns, and lack of childcare provision. Parents' strategies to continue breastfeeding included some mothers bringing babies to hospital wards while they worked, and babies' fathers bringing the baby to the hospital for feeds. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the barriers to breastfeeding experienced by mothers working as hospital nurses in Pakistan. Babies can be put at risk due to the strategies parents adopt to reconcile continued breastfeeding with maternal employment.