Most of the biological functions, including the immune system, are linked to circadian rhythms in living organisms. Changes occurring to biological parameters as the result of these circadian rhythms can therefore affect the outcome of a disease. For decades, model organisms have proven to be a great tool to understanding biological mechanisms such as circadian cycle and immunity. In this revie...

INTRODUCTION In August 1940, the Oxford team, which included Chain and Florey, made a preliminary announcement in the Lancet' of their successful development of penicillin into a partially purified preparation of reliable activity, which could be given by injection. They gave case histories to illustrate their success in a full article in the following year.2 Eleven years before these important...

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a worldwide-applied antibacterial drug, was recently found in surface waters and in secondary wastewater effluents, which may result in ecotoxical effects in the environment. Herein, removal of SMX by environmentally-friendly oxidant, potassium ferrate(VI) (K(2)FeO(4)), is sought by studying the kinetics of the reaction between Fe(VI) and SMX as a function of pH (6.93-9....

A group of eight new long-chain aliphatic compounds recently isolated from the avocado and some derivatives thereof were tested for antibacterial activity on 13 different species of bacteria and a yeast. Some of these compounds inhibited the growth of microorganisms. 1,2,4-Trihydroxy-n-hepadeca-16-en was found to be the most active, inhibiting certain gram-positive bacteria at 4 mug/ml.

Several new 2-(2-(4-chlorophenyl)acetyl)-N-arylhydrazinecarbothioamides 1, 5-(4-chlorobenzyl)-4-aryl-4H-1,2,4triazole-3-thiols 2, 5-(4-chlorobenzyl)-N-aryl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-amines 3 and 5-(4-chlorobenzyl)-N-aryl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2amines 4 have been synthesized and screened for their antibacterial activity against gram +ve and gram –ve bacteria i.e S.aureus and E. coli. The QSAR studies of thes...

The selection of an antimicrobial regimen is based on a number of factors, including the nature of the infection, the identity and susceptibility of the pathogens, host characteristics, and the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antimicrobial agents. This article provides a comprehensive overview of these factors, with particular attention to pharmacokinetics and monitoring for efficacy a...

Epididymitis is described in a man aged 33 who had been treated with the antiarrhythmic agent, amiodarone. No signs of bacterial infection or anatomical abnormalities were found. Amiodarone as the cause of non-infectious epididymitis has been reported. This additional case stresses the importance of considering an adverse effect of amiodarone treatment as a cause when making a differential diag...

Despite the considerable number of newer antibacterials made available over the past decades, amoxicillin, alone or in combination with clavulanic acid, still accounts among the most widely used antibacterial agents. Although they are often considered ‘twin drugs’, they are different both in terms of antibacterial activities and of safety profile. It is well documented that the clavulanate comp...

Nitrofurantoin is presently used as an antibacterial agent for the urinary tract of both man and animals. A new, quantitative procedure for the determination of this drug in urine consistsof direct extraction of the nonionized form of the drug by the use of nitromethane, addition of an alkaline reagent to the extract to produce a visible color, and determination of the nitrofurantoin concentrat...

As a major proportion of antibacterials used in hospital practice are for surgical prophylaxis, an audit of practice in relation to antibacterial prophylaxis in general surgery was undertaken over a four week period in a teaching hospital to assess the extent to which principles governing surgical antibacterial prophylaxis were practised and to provide a feedback to the clinicians. The extent o...