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Papers by muna malik

Annals of Medicine and Surgery

Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy

Background Remdesivir is a monophosphoramidate prodrug of an adenosine analog, and it has a broad... more Background Remdesivir is a monophosphoramidate prodrug of an adenosine analog, and it has a broad-spectrum antiviral activity against paramyxoviruses, flaviviruses, and coronaviruses. Remdesivir is associated with decreased hospital stay and improved outcomes in coronavirus- disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methodology Of 846 suspected COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital, 612 SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal RT-PCR positive patients were evaluated for enrollment in this prospective cohort study. 159 RT-PCR positive patients were given remdesivir. Their clinical, biochemical parameters, hospital stay, and outcomes related to morbidity and mortality were followed. Results Out of the 159 patients, 141 recovered after remdesivir use. The Chi-square test for independence examined the relation between the day of the first dose, dose of remdesivir, and clinical outcome. The standardized case fatality ratio (CFR) in the 453 hospitalized patients who did not receive remdesivir was 32.89% (N = 149) as compared to 11.32% (N = 18) in the patients who received remdesivir. These findings are in keeping with the therapeutic value of remdesivir in symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection of varying severity. Conclusion The use of remdesivir is associated with a decrease in the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Its use is also associated with a decreased length of hospital stay and lower mortality than the patients who did not receive remdesivir.

Journal of Islamabad Medical & Dental College

Background: Acinetobacter spp. is a highly resistant nosocomial pathogen that leads to a broad ra... more Background: Acinetobacter spp. is a highly resistant nosocomial pathogen that leads to a broad range of human infections resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Due to unpredictable MDR patterns of Acinetobacter spp., it is imperative to know the institutional prevalent susceptibility profiles of these residing pathogens. The objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species over the last 8 years in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.Material and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in Lahore General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Eight-year data was gathered from January 2012 to December 2019. All specimens were handled according to standard operating procedures in the microbiology laboratory of the Pathology department of Lahore General Hospital. The Acinetobacter spp. were identified in the laboratory by Gram staining, oxidase test, catalase test and Triple sugar iron fermenta...

Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute, 2019

Objectives: To identify the microbial pathogens that are responsible for lower respiratory tract ... more Objectives: To identify the microbial pathogens that are responsible for lower respiratory tract infections in a tertiary care hospital and pattern of their antimicrobial susceptibility. Methodology: This descriptive study was carried out at Lahore General Hospital (LGH), Lahore, during January to December 2017. The lower respiratory samples i.e. sputum, broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL), tracheal secretions, endotracheal tips, tracheostomy tubes, chest drains and pleural fluid were obtained from 923 patients. The samples were collected aseptically and processed at Department of Pathology, PGMI, Lahore. The bacteria were identified according to microbiological tests and their antimicrobial susceptibility was done according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: Total 923 samples were received, 607 were positive on culture (65.7%). The most common isolated bacteria from all these specimens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa 217 (35.74%). Cefoperazone-sulbactam and piper...

Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of bacterial pathogens in tracheal secretions o... more Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of bacterial pathogens in tracheal secretions of patients who developed VAP during their stay in Lahore General Hospital. Study design, Place and Duration of Study: This descriptive study was carried out in Lahore General Hospital, Lahore during January to December 2017. Material and Methods: Endotracheal secretions from 445 patients on ventilator support were included in the study. Patients with fever ≥ 38 ̊C, WBCs count ≥ 10,000/mm3 or ≤ 3 000/mm3, purulent tracheal secretions and diffuse or patchy infiltration in chest radiograph were included in the study. After Gram staining, the samples were inoculated on blood and MacConkey agar with crystal violet, and incubated up to 48 hours at 37 0C. The isolates were identified by standard microbiological procedures in laboratory. Results: Out of 445 samples of tracheal secretions, 365 were collected from males and 80 from females. 370 samples (83%) yielded growth on culture. Of these, 75...

Pakistan Journal of Chest medicine, 2020

Abstract: Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of infectious disease that l... more Abstract: Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of infectious disease that leads to death and now ranked above AIDS. It is caused by bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to WHO in 2017, 10.4 million people became victim of this infection and 1.8 million of them were died due to this deadly infection. Although TB most commonly infect lungs (pulmonary TB), yet it can spread to sites other than lungs during latent phase of the disease and called as extra-pulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB). Newer diagnostic techniques like nucleic acid amplification are exceptional for their sensitivity and specificity for detection of MTB in EPTB. One of these latest techniques is GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay. Method: The specimens of the patients, who are clinically suspected as having TB other than lungs e.g Pleural effusions, lymph node biopsies, pericardial fluids, ascetic fluids, Cerebrospinal Fluids, urine, joints fluid, bone marrow aspirates, gastric aspirates, stool and s...

Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, 2004

The metallo beta-lactamase (MBL) mediated resistance patterns remain unknown in most countries. W... more The metallo beta-lactamase (MBL) mediated resistance patterns remain unknown in most countries. We aimed to investigate the existence and antimicrobial resistance of MBL-producing strains among carbapenemresistant Gram-negative bacteria that were isolated from nosocomial infections in patients in an university hospital in Turkey. Fifteen of 52 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (29%), 5 of 24 Acinetobacter baumanii strains (21%), and 2 of 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (100%) were found to be metallo enzyme producers, with the Etest MBL technique. The in vitro antibiotic susceptibility of the MBL-positive organisms was investigated by the Etest method. Of the ten drugs tested, isepamicin was the most active agent against the MBL-producing strains. Overall, the rank order of activity of the ten antibiotics, in terms of the percentages of susceptible strains, was: isepamicin, 73%; ciprofloxacin, 64%; amikacin, 59%; aztreonam, 18%; tobramycin, 18%; meropenem, 14%; cefoperazone-sulbactam, 5%; piperacillin-tazobactam, 0%; ticarcillin-clavulanate, 0%; and cefepim, 0%. The meropenem minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the metallo enzyme-producing and nonproducing carbapenem-resistant strains were compared, and the MBL-producers were found to have higher meropenem MICs than the nonMBL-producing carbapenem-resistant strains. Early preventive measures should be taken against MBL-producing nosocomial pathogens that are associated with wide spread and high antimicrobial resistance.

Background: Critically ill patients of Intensive care units (ICUs) are always at greater risk fo... more Background: Critically ill patients of Intensive care units (ICUs) are always at greater risk for acquiring hospital associated infections with multidrug resistant, (MDR) microorganisms. One of the commonest and important nosocomial infections, which is acquired by ICUs admitted patients, who are intubated for mechanical ventilation is ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The morbidity of these patients is increasing due to invasion of MDR strains of microorganisms. The etiology of these MDR superbugs may vary according to the different ICUs settings along with patient's illness and their antibacterial treatment. Objective: To observe Antibiogram of bacteria isolated from tracheal secretions from the patients of ICUS admitted in Lahore General Hospital (LGH). Materials and method: This is a descriptive study carried out in Lahore General Hospital, (LGH) Lahore during Jan 2017 to Dec 2017. Total 445 samples were processed for culture and sensitivity according to standard ope...

Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology

Purpose: The aim of this study was to find out Bacterial etiology and antimicrobial susceptibilit... more Purpose: The aim of this study was to find out Bacterial etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria causing infective keratitis at a tertiary care hospital of LahoreStudy Design:Descriptive cross sectional studyStudy Place and Study Period: PGMI/AMC/LGH, Lahore, in 2015 - 2018. Sample Collection: Non-probability convenience samplingMaterial and Methods: The corneal scrapings taken by the ophthalmologist was immediately inoculated on Chocolate agar, Blood agar and MacConkay agar culture plates with the help of sterilized wire loop in the operation theater.These plates were taken to laboratory for incubation and further microbiological processing. After inoculating on the culture agar plates, the scrapings from cornea were smeared on glass slides with the help of sterilized wire loop. The smears were air-dried stained with Gram’s stain, Kinyoun stain and Giemsa stain. The culture and staining were further processed for microbiological analysis of bacterial etiology ...

Chemotherapy, 2009

The study describes the pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTI) and the antimicrobial su... more The study describes the pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTI) and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of health care-associated (HCA) and community-acquired (CA) isolates. Of the total of 3,989 nonrepetitive urinary cultures, 4.7% (n=188) were HCA and 95.3% (n=3,801) were CA isolates. Gram-negative organisms totaled 3,607 (90.4%) vs. 9.6% Gram-positive organisms. In CA-UTI, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis constituted 66, 11.4, and 5.4%, respectively. HCA-UTI episodes were caused by E. coli (37.8%), K. pneumoniae (14.4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.4%). The susceptibility rates of E. coli to ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), nitrofurantoin and ceftriaxone in HCA and CA isolates were 53.3 and 74.1%, 42.2 and 62.7%, 32.5 and 97.0%, and 62.3 and 92.7%, respectively. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production was detected in 8.1 and 7.4% isolates, respectively, of CA and HCA isolates of E. coli. CA isolates of K. pneumoniae were more susceptible to TMP-SMX (89.2 vs. 60.4%), ciprofloxacin (92.6 vs. 67.9%) and cefuroxime (93.8 vs. 24.5%) than HCA isolates. The susceptibility of HCA and CA isolates of E. faecalis to penicillin G and nitrofurantoin were 34.8 and 80%, and 78.3 and 93.6%, respectively (p<0.001). In conclusion, antimicrobial resistance is high to commonly used oral agents, rendering them inappropriate for empirical use.

International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (IJEHSR), 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-1... more Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents with several neurological manifestations just like other Beta Corona Virus (βCoV) family members. SARS-CoV-2 affects the central nervous system (CNS) in many ways eliciting various neurological disorders generally from headaches, ataxia, mental confusion to severe respiratory distress, and eventually death. The different portals of access of SARS-CoV-2 into the CNS, i.e., hematogenous and neuronal retrograde motion, increase the incidence of neurological manifestations and poor disease prognosis. A new idea regarding neuro-invasion of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., its potential of latency and possible later reactivation and complications, has been presented. This aims to direct the attention towards research to determine the impact range of latency and reactivation of SARS-CoV-2. Keeping in view, these aspects finding SARS-Cov-2 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by reverse transcriptase-polym...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-1... more Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents with several neurological manifestations just like other Beta Corona Virus (βCoV) family members. SARS-CoV-2 affects the central nervous system (CNS) in many ways eliciting various neurological disorders generally from headaches, ataxia, mental confusion to severe respiratory distress, and eventually death. The different portals of access of SARS-CoV-2 into the CNS, i.e., hematogenous and neuronal retrograde motion, increase the incidence of neurological manifestations and poor disease prognosis. A new idea regarding neuro-invasion of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., its potential of latency and possible later reactivation and complications, has been presented. This aims to direct the attention towards research to determine the impact range of latency and reactivation of SARS-CoV-2. Keeping in view, these aspects finding SARS-Cov-2 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and complete CSF examination should be employed.

Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the people are experiencing anxiety and depression like symptom... more Due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the people are experiencing anxiety and depression like symptoms. Lockdown and high transmission potential of COVID-19 are 2factors causing mental distress in people. Thus, this study was aimed to find the risk and influencing factors of developing mental health problems in Pakistani population. →What this article adds: The result of this study showed that most of the people are well aware of COVID-19, and anxiety and depression symptoms are significantly associated with females and people who are not well aware. Mental health of undergraduate medical students and young people are at more risk of developing psychological symptoms.

Drugs & Therapy Perspectives

BioMedica

Background and Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by... more Background and Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by a novel Coronavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared it a health emergency on January 30, 2020. WHO also called for collaborative efforts from all countries to prevent its further spread. The success of the world’s battle against COVID-19 depends upon people’s adherence to the control measures which is affected by their Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) towards the disease as suggested by KAP theory. In this study, the KAP of population from Punjab towards COVID-19 during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak is investigated. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on Google forms-based survey regarding the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of participants towards COVID-19. A total of n = 500 participants completing their questionnaires were included. Online data was extracted and cross-checked for any discrepancy. Statistical analysis wa...

BioMedica

Health care professionals (HCPs) remain the most vulnerable population while performing their dut... more Health care professionals (HCPs) remain the most vulnerable population while performing their duties they inadvertently put themselves at high risk for any pandemic. During COVID-19 outbreak, scarce supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and prolonged exposure of HCPs with large number of COVID-19 positive cases in healthcare settings, long stressful duty hours and insufficient infection prevention and control (IPC) training given to them has led to a large number of infected cases. Policies should be designed and implemented for more screening and better protection with provision of optimal resources to these valuable personnel of health care system.

Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical University

Background: COVID-19 outbreak posed a serious threat to public health and greatly impacted the li... more Background: COVID-19 outbreak posed a serious threat to public health and greatly impacted the life of professionals and students. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge related to COVID-19 during a lockdown in Punjab, Pakistan. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional online study recruited 833 participants (males=417, females=416) from major cities (Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, and Sialkot) in Punjab, Pakistan, during the months of March and April 2020. A pre-designed questionnaire was shared, among professionals (including pharmacists, paramedical staff, lawyers, businessmen, teachers) and students (including medical undergraduate and postgraduate students, and non-medical students), containing 12 questions regarding their knowledge of COVID-19. Data were collected using convenient sampling technique. Chi-square test and logistic regression model were applied for analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) soft...

Pakistan Journal of Surgery and Medicine

Annals of Medicine and Surgery

Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy

Background Remdesivir is a monophosphoramidate prodrug of an adenosine analog, and it has a broad... more Background Remdesivir is a monophosphoramidate prodrug of an adenosine analog, and it has a broad-spectrum antiviral activity against paramyxoviruses, flaviviruses, and coronaviruses. Remdesivir is associated with decreased hospital stay and improved outcomes in coronavirus- disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methodology Of 846 suspected COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital, 612 SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal RT-PCR positive patients were evaluated for enrollment in this prospective cohort study. 159 RT-PCR positive patients were given remdesivir. Their clinical, biochemical parameters, hospital stay, and outcomes related to morbidity and mortality were followed. Results Out of the 159 patients, 141 recovered after remdesivir use. The Chi-square test for independence examined the relation between the day of the first dose, dose of remdesivir, and clinical outcome. The standardized case fatality ratio (CFR) in the 453 hospitalized patients who did not receive remdesivir was 32.89% (N = 149) as compared to 11.32% (N = 18) in the patients who received remdesivir. These findings are in keeping with the therapeutic value of remdesivir in symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection of varying severity. Conclusion The use of remdesivir is associated with a decrease in the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Its use is also associated with a decreased length of hospital stay and lower mortality than the patients who did not receive remdesivir.

Journal of Islamabad Medical & Dental College

Background: Acinetobacter spp. is a highly resistant nosocomial pathogen that leads to a broad ra... more Background: Acinetobacter spp. is a highly resistant nosocomial pathogen that leads to a broad range of human infections resulting in high morbidity and mortality. Due to unpredictable MDR patterns of Acinetobacter spp., it is imperative to know the institutional prevalent susceptibility profiles of these residing pathogens. The objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Acinetobacter species over the last 8 years in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.Material and Methods: A retrospective study was carried out in Lahore General Hospital, a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. Eight-year data was gathered from January 2012 to December 2019. All specimens were handled according to standard operating procedures in the microbiology laboratory of the Pathology department of Lahore General Hospital. The Acinetobacter spp. were identified in the laboratory by Gram staining, oxidase test, catalase test and Triple sugar iron fermenta...

Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute, 2019

Objectives: To identify the microbial pathogens that are responsible for lower respiratory tract ... more Objectives: To identify the microbial pathogens that are responsible for lower respiratory tract infections in a tertiary care hospital and pattern of their antimicrobial susceptibility. Methodology: This descriptive study was carried out at Lahore General Hospital (LGH), Lahore, during January to December 2017. The lower respiratory samples i.e. sputum, broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL), tracheal secretions, endotracheal tips, tracheostomy tubes, chest drains and pleural fluid were obtained from 923 patients. The samples were collected aseptically and processed at Department of Pathology, PGMI, Lahore. The bacteria were identified according to microbiological tests and their antimicrobial susceptibility was done according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Results: Total 923 samples were received, 607 were positive on culture (65.7%). The most common isolated bacteria from all these specimens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa 217 (35.74%). Cefoperazone-sulbactam and piper...

Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of bacterial pathogens in tracheal secretions o... more Objective: To determine the frequency and pattern of bacterial pathogens in tracheal secretions of patients who developed VAP during their stay in Lahore General Hospital. Study design, Place and Duration of Study: This descriptive study was carried out in Lahore General Hospital, Lahore during January to December 2017. Material and Methods: Endotracheal secretions from 445 patients on ventilator support were included in the study. Patients with fever ≥ 38 ̊C, WBCs count ≥ 10,000/mm3 or ≤ 3 000/mm3, purulent tracheal secretions and diffuse or patchy infiltration in chest radiograph were included in the study. After Gram staining, the samples were inoculated on blood and MacConkey agar with crystal violet, and incubated up to 48 hours at 37 0C. The isolates were identified by standard microbiological procedures in laboratory. Results: Out of 445 samples of tracheal secretions, 365 were collected from males and 80 from females. 370 samples (83%) yielded growth on culture. Of these, 75...

Pakistan Journal of Chest medicine, 2020

Abstract: Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of infectious disease that l... more Abstract: Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading cause of infectious disease that leads to death and now ranked above AIDS. It is caused by bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. According to WHO in 2017, 10.4 million people became victim of this infection and 1.8 million of them were died due to this deadly infection. Although TB most commonly infect lungs (pulmonary TB), yet it can spread to sites other than lungs during latent phase of the disease and called as extra-pulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB). Newer diagnostic techniques like nucleic acid amplification are exceptional for their sensitivity and specificity for detection of MTB in EPTB. One of these latest techniques is GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay. Method: The specimens of the patients, who are clinically suspected as having TB other than lungs e.g Pleural effusions, lymph node biopsies, pericardial fluids, ascetic fluids, Cerebrospinal Fluids, urine, joints fluid, bone marrow aspirates, gastric aspirates, stool and s...

Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, 2004

The metallo beta-lactamase (MBL) mediated resistance patterns remain unknown in most countries. W... more The metallo beta-lactamase (MBL) mediated resistance patterns remain unknown in most countries. We aimed to investigate the existence and antimicrobial resistance of MBL-producing strains among carbapenemresistant Gram-negative bacteria that were isolated from nosocomial infections in patients in an university hospital in Turkey. Fifteen of 52 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains (29%), 5 of 24 Acinetobacter baumanii strains (21%), and 2 of 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (100%) were found to be metallo enzyme producers, with the Etest MBL technique. The in vitro antibiotic susceptibility of the MBL-positive organisms was investigated by the Etest method. Of the ten drugs tested, isepamicin was the most active agent against the MBL-producing strains. Overall, the rank order of activity of the ten antibiotics, in terms of the percentages of susceptible strains, was: isepamicin, 73%; ciprofloxacin, 64%; amikacin, 59%; aztreonam, 18%; tobramycin, 18%; meropenem, 14%; cefoperazone-sulbactam, 5%; piperacillin-tazobactam, 0%; ticarcillin-clavulanate, 0%; and cefepim, 0%. The meropenem minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the metallo enzyme-producing and nonproducing carbapenem-resistant strains were compared, and the MBL-producers were found to have higher meropenem MICs than the nonMBL-producing carbapenem-resistant strains. Early preventive measures should be taken against MBL-producing nosocomial pathogens that are associated with wide spread and high antimicrobial resistance.

Background: Critically ill patients of Intensive care units (ICUs) are always at greater risk fo... more Background: Critically ill patients of Intensive care units (ICUs) are always at greater risk for acquiring hospital associated infections with multidrug resistant, (MDR) microorganisms. One of the commonest and important nosocomial infections, which is acquired by ICUs admitted patients, who are intubated for mechanical ventilation is ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The morbidity of these patients is increasing due to invasion of MDR strains of microorganisms. The etiology of these MDR superbugs may vary according to the different ICUs settings along with patient's illness and their antibacterial treatment. Objective: To observe Antibiogram of bacteria isolated from tracheal secretions from the patients of ICUS admitted in Lahore General Hospital (LGH). Materials and method: This is a descriptive study carried out in Lahore General Hospital, (LGH) Lahore during Jan 2017 to Dec 2017. Total 445 samples were processed for culture and sensitivity according to standard ope...

Pakistan Journal of Ophthalmology

Purpose: The aim of this study was to find out Bacterial etiology and antimicrobial susceptibilit... more Purpose: The aim of this study was to find out Bacterial etiology and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of bacteria causing infective keratitis at a tertiary care hospital of LahoreStudy Design:Descriptive cross sectional studyStudy Place and Study Period: PGMI/AMC/LGH, Lahore, in 2015 - 2018. Sample Collection: Non-probability convenience samplingMaterial and Methods: The corneal scrapings taken by the ophthalmologist was immediately inoculated on Chocolate agar, Blood agar and MacConkay agar culture plates with the help of sterilized wire loop in the operation theater.These plates were taken to laboratory for incubation and further microbiological processing. After inoculating on the culture agar plates, the scrapings from cornea were smeared on glass slides with the help of sterilized wire loop. The smears were air-dried stained with Gram’s stain, Kinyoun stain and Giemsa stain. The culture and staining were further processed for microbiological analysis of bacterial etiology ...

Chemotherapy, 2009

The study describes the pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTI) and the antimicrobial su... more The study describes the pathogens causing urinary tract infections (UTI) and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of health care-associated (HCA) and community-acquired (CA) isolates. Of the total of 3,989 nonrepetitive urinary cultures, 4.7% (n=188) were HCA and 95.3% (n=3,801) were CA isolates. Gram-negative organisms totaled 3,607 (90.4%) vs. 9.6% Gram-positive organisms. In CA-UTI, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus faecalis constituted 66, 11.4, and 5.4%, respectively. HCA-UTI episodes were caused by E. coli (37.8%), K. pneumoniae (14.4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6.4%). The susceptibility rates of E. coli to ciprofloxacin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), nitrofurantoin and ceftriaxone in HCA and CA isolates were 53.3 and 74.1%, 42.2 and 62.7%, 32.5 and 97.0%, and 62.3 and 92.7%, respectively. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production was detected in 8.1 and 7.4% isolates, respectively, of CA and HCA isolates of E. coli. CA isolates of K. pneumoniae were more susceptible to TMP-SMX (89.2 vs. 60.4%), ciprofloxacin (92.6 vs. 67.9%) and cefuroxime (93.8 vs. 24.5%) than HCA isolates. The susceptibility of HCA and CA isolates of E. faecalis to penicillin G and nitrofurantoin were 34.8 and 80%, and 78.3 and 93.6%, respectively (p<0.001). In conclusion, antimicrobial resistance is high to commonly used oral agents, rendering them inappropriate for empirical use.

International Journal of Endorsing Health Science Research (IJEHSR), 2021

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-1... more Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents with several neurological manifestations just like other Beta Corona Virus (βCoV) family members. SARS-CoV-2 affects the central nervous system (CNS) in many ways eliciting various neurological disorders generally from headaches, ataxia, mental confusion to severe respiratory distress, and eventually death. The different portals of access of SARS-CoV-2 into the CNS, i.e., hematogenous and neuronal retrograde motion, increase the incidence of neurological manifestations and poor disease prognosis. A new idea regarding neuro-invasion of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., its potential of latency and possible later reactivation and complications, has been presented. This aims to direct the attention towards research to determine the impact range of latency and reactivation of SARS-CoV-2. Keeping in view, these aspects finding SARS-Cov-2 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by reverse transcriptase-polym...

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-1... more Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induced coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents with several neurological manifestations just like other Beta Corona Virus (βCoV) family members. SARS-CoV-2 affects the central nervous system (CNS) in many ways eliciting various neurological disorders generally from headaches, ataxia, mental confusion to severe respiratory distress, and eventually death. The different portals of access of SARS-CoV-2 into the CNS, i.e., hematogenous and neuronal retrograde motion, increase the incidence of neurological manifestations and poor disease prognosis. A new idea regarding neuro-invasion of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., its potential of latency and possible later reactivation and complications, has been presented. This aims to direct the attention towards research to determine the impact range of latency and reactivation of SARS-CoV-2. Keeping in view, these aspects finding SARS-Cov-2 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and complete CSF examination should be employed.

Medical Journal of The Islamic Republic of Iran

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the people are experiencing anxiety and depression like symptom... more Due to COVID-19 pandemic, most of the people are experiencing anxiety and depression like symptoms. Lockdown and high transmission potential of COVID-19 are 2factors causing mental distress in people. Thus, this study was aimed to find the risk and influencing factors of developing mental health problems in Pakistani population. →What this article adds: The result of this study showed that most of the people are well aware of COVID-19, and anxiety and depression symptoms are significantly associated with females and people who are not well aware. Mental health of undergraduate medical students and young people are at more risk of developing psychological symptoms.

Drugs & Therapy Perspectives

BioMedica

Background and Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by... more Background and Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory disease caused by a novel Coronavirus. The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared it a health emergency on January 30, 2020. WHO also called for collaborative efforts from all countries to prevent its further spread. The success of the world’s battle against COVID-19 depends upon people’s adherence to the control measures which is affected by their Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) towards the disease as suggested by KAP theory. In this study, the KAP of population from Punjab towards COVID-19 during the rapid rise period of the COVID-19 outbreak is investigated. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study based on Google forms-based survey regarding the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of participants towards COVID-19. A total of n = 500 participants completing their questionnaires were included. Online data was extracted and cross-checked for any discrepancy. Statistical analysis wa...

BioMedica

Health care professionals (HCPs) remain the most vulnerable population while performing their dut... more Health care professionals (HCPs) remain the most vulnerable population while performing their duties they inadvertently put themselves at high risk for any pandemic. During COVID-19 outbreak, scarce supply of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and prolonged exposure of HCPs with large number of COVID-19 positive cases in healthcare settings, long stressful duty hours and insufficient infection prevention and control (IPC) training given to them has led to a large number of infected cases. Policies should be designed and implemented for more screening and better protection with provision of optimal resources to these valuable personnel of health care system.

Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical University

Background: COVID-19 outbreak posed a serious threat to public health and greatly impacted the li... more Background: COVID-19 outbreak posed a serious threat to public health and greatly impacted the life of professionals and students. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the knowledge related to COVID-19 during a lockdown in Punjab, Pakistan. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional online study recruited 833 participants (males=417, females=416) from major cities (Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, and Sialkot) in Punjab, Pakistan, during the months of March and April 2020. A pre-designed questionnaire was shared, among professionals (including pharmacists, paramedical staff, lawyers, businessmen, teachers) and students (including medical undergraduate and postgraduate students, and non-medical students), containing 12 questions regarding their knowledge of COVID-19. Data were collected using convenient sampling technique. Chi-square test and logistic regression model were applied for analysis using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) soft...

Pakistan Journal of Surgery and Medicine