Antimicrobial-resistant ESKAPE ( Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) pathogens represent a global threat to human health. The acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes by ESKAPE pathogens has reduced the treatment options for serious infections, increased the burden of disease, and increased death rates due to treatment failure and requires a coordinated global response for antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This looming health threat has restimulated interest in the development of new antimicrobial therapies, has demanded the need for better patient care, and has facilitated heightened governance over stewardship practices.

Antimicrobial resistance in ESKAPE pathogens

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has developed as one of the major urgent threats to public health causing serious issues to successful prevention and treatment of persistent diseases. In spite of different actions taken in recent decades to tackle this issue, the trends of global AMR demonstrate no signs of slowing down. Misusing and overusing different antibacterial agents in the health care setting as well as in the agricultural industry are considered the major reasons behind the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, the spontaneous evolution, mutation of bacteria, and passing the resistant genes through horizontal gene transfer are significant contributors to antimicrobial resistance. Many studies have demonstrated the disastrous financial consequences of AMR including extremely high healthcare costs due to an increase in hospital admissions and drug usage. The literature review, which included articles published after the year 2012, was performed using Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar with the utilization of keyword searches. Results indicated that the multifactorial threat of antimicrobial resistance has resulted in different complex issues affecting countries across the globe. These impacts found in the sources are categorized into three different levels: patient, healthcare, and economic. Although gaps in knowledge about AMR and areas for improvement are obvious, there is not any clearly understood progress to put an end to the persistent trends of antimicrobial resistance.

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Antimicrobial Resistance: Implications and Costs.

Prevalence and hazardous impact of pharmaceutical and personal care products and antibiotics in environment: A review on emerging contaminants

One of the promising ways to overcome microbial antibiotic resistance is the use of nanoparticles of metal oxides. As you know, a wide range of metals has antimicrobial action: Ag, Al, Cu, Fe, Mo, Mn, etc. The mechanisms of the antimicrobial action of metals are impaired functioning of microbial enzymes, generation of reactive oxygen species, damage to the cell membrane, and genotoxic action. ZnO nanoparticles have bacteriostatic and bactericidal action against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungicidal activity. The mechanism of action is based on the release of Zn2+, generation of reactive oxygen species, damage to the cell membrane, binding to microbial proteins and nucleic acids. NPs based on ZnO have a number of advantages: high antibacterial efficiency at low concentrations (0.16-5.00 mM/l), action on a wide range of microbial strains, and relatively low production costs. Methods have now been found to improve the antimicrobial properties of nanoparticles. The use of several methods at the same time in some cases gives a synergistic effect. All of the above allows us to predict the use of ZnO nanoparticles as a new generation of antimicrobial agents in the near future.

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A Mini Review of Antibacterial Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles

In the era of antibiotic resistance, alternative treatment options for multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are being explored. We present a case of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection treated with bacteriophages. Clinical trials are needed to further investigate bacteriophage therapy as an option to treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.

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Phage Therapy for a Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Craniectomy Site Infection.

Antibiotics are the 'wonder drugs' to combat microbes. For decades, multiple varieties of antibiotics have not only been used for therapeutic purposes but practiced prophylactically across other industries such as agriculture and animal husbandry. Uncertainty has arisen, as microbes have become resistant to common antibiotics while the host remains unaware that antibiotic resistance has emerged. The aim of this review is to explore the origin, development, and the current state of antibiotic resistance, regulation, and challenges by examining available literature. We found that antibiotic resistance is increasing at an alarming rate. A growing list of infections i.e., pneumonia, tuberculosis, and gonorrhea are becoming harder and at times impossible to treat while antibiotics are becoming less effective. Antibiotic-resistant infections correlate with the level of antibiotic consumption. Non-judicial use of antibiotics is mostly responsible for making the microbes resistant. The antibiotic treatment repertoire for existing or emerging hard-to-treat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections is limited, resulting in high morbidity and mortality report. This review article reiterates the optimal use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health to reduce antibiotic resistance. Evidence from the literature suggests that the knowledge regarding antibiotic resistance in the population is still scarce. Therefore, the need of educating patients and the public is essential to fight against the antimicrobial resistance battle.

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A Review on Antibiotic Resistance: Alarm Bells are Ringing

Background: Bangladesh continues to be one of the top ten countries with the highest burden of neonatal mortality. While, most of the neonatal deaths are preventable; health system delays, delayed identification of newborn danger signs, late diagnosis and initiation of treatment are claimed to be the main challenges. Objective: 1) to determine the level of knowledge among the recently delivered women (RDW) about newborn danger signs and 2) to distinguish the factors associated with ability of identifying the danger signs. Methods: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted in three sub-district hospitals of Bangladesh among 135 RDW between 1 January 2015 and 30 April 2015. Seven key danger signs were identified, and responses were categorized accordingly. Bivariable logistic regression was conducted to determine the likelihood of the association of factors with danger signs identification. Results: About 51% of RDW could identify one key danger sign. Knowledge on “fever’’ was the most commonly known danger sign (65%). Middle age (OR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.09 - 2.18), high education (OR 2.37, 95% CI: 1.46 - 2.77), increased parity (OR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.17 - 2.89), and previous hospital delivery (OR 1.79, 95% CI: 1.14 - 2.68) were found associated with the knowl­edge of the danger signs. Conclusion: The findings indicate the immediate need to enhance health education among the RDW about newborn danger signs before their hospital discharge. Community based health education programs can be a cost effective intervention to increase awareness and early recognition of neonatal danger signs.

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Factors related to knowledge on newborn danger signs among the recently delivered women in sub-district hospitals of bangladesh

Influence of Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Lifestyle Risk Factors on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Risk: An Updated Comparative Review

Objectives: Examine the prevalence of cognitive impairment within Wave 1 of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) cohort and its relationship with comorbidities and lifestyle factors. The effect of cognitive impairment on quality-of-life scores was also investigated. Methods: A secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from Wave 1 of the TILDA cohort was undertaken. Results: Prevalence of cognitive impairment ranged between 5.8% and 51.2%, depending on the instrument used (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] and Montreal Cognitive Assessment [MoCA], respectively). Having hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.36–2.08), being a past or current smoker (OR 1.25; 95% CI 1.01–1.55) and having low physical activity (OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.64–2.53) increased the odds of being classified as cognitively impaired (MMSE <25). Similarly, being obese (OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.17–1.47), having hypertension (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.27–1.57), and having diabetes (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.40–2.09) increased the odds of cognitive impairment (MoCA <26). High cholesterol was associated with a protective effect (OR 0.79; 95% CI 0.63–0.98) under MMSE <25 classification while, problematic alcohol behavior reduced the odds of being classified as cognitively impaired using MoCA <26 by 35% (OR 0.65; 95% CI 0.55–0.76). Depression was not associated with increased odds of cognitive decline. Lastly, mean quality of life (QoL) scores decreases as severity of cognitive impairment increases from normal to moderate cognitive impairment (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Several modifiable risk factors for cognitive decline were identified, including smoking, low physical activity, hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Policies aimed at reducing the prevalence of these risk factors in the population might reduce the impact of cognitive decline on public health.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Cognitive Impairment and its Effect on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the TILDA Cohort

Objective There had been an observed increase in the prevalence of depression as well as many chronic conditions of comorbidity among the elderly population of Ireland above the age of 50. The relationship between different prominent conditions of comorbidity and depression scores amongst older adult men in Ireland was sought to be examined and explored. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of data from wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) had been used for statistical analysis, which served to be the representative cohort study sample of elderly adults living in Ireland aged 50 and older. Summary statistics (cross-tabulation, t-test, analysis of variance/ANOVA and odds ratio) were used to explore the relationship between depression scores and different conditions of comorbidity. Results Results were drawn from the three different tests conducted; cross-tabulation, t-test, and analysis of variance/ANOVA. Cross-tabulation served to provide the total population of men who suffered from depression (CES-D score ≥ 16), which totaled 123 (1.4%) of the entire 8,504 available candidates. Of the participants that met the criteria for having a significant risk of clinical depression along with an accompanying chronic illness odds ratio (OR) had been calculated. All but one of the conditions yielded a significant increase in OR between having a chronic condition and depression; with the exception of chronic lung disease. Congestive heart failure demonstrated the highest OR of 4.40 (CI 95% 1.77-10.95), followed by arthritis, diabetes and cancer. Subsequent t-tests used to construct an ANOVA then illustrated the mean CES-D score for males suffering from one of the five concomitant illnesses selected (congestive heart failure, chronic lung disease, arthritis, cancer, and diabetes) as well as those free of the selected diseases of the study, with a total count of 2,117. All results had been deemed to be significant with p-values < 0.05, with men suffering from congestive heart failure having the highest mean score of 7.28 (n=39). Those who do not suffer from any of the five conditions reported the lowest scores and also accounted for the largest population group with 3.88 and 1,387, respectively. Conclusions Consistent and significant findings of elderly men suffering from a chronic condition of comorbidity demonstrated having elevated OR and CES-D scores in comparison to those who are disease-free. The findings of this study can be used to evaluate alternative preventative management of chronic diseases of comorbidity in order to improve the depression scores of patients.

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The Relationship Between Specific Age-Related Chronic Conditions of Comorbidity and Depression Scores Among Men in an Elderly Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Muhammed Awlad Hussain

Papers

A Review on Antibiotic Resistance: Alarm Bells are Ringing

Factors related to knowledge on newborn danger signs among the recently delivered women in sub-district hospitals of bangladesh

Influence of Environmental, Socioeconomic, and Lifestyle Risk Factors on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Risk: An Updated Comparative Review

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Cognitive Impairment and its Effect on Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the TILDA Cohort

The Relationship Between Specific Age-Related Chronic Conditions of Comorbidity and Depression Scores Among Men in an Elderly Population: A Cross-Sectional Study