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Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat and efforts to mitigate it is warranted, thus the need for local antibiograms to improve stewardship. This study highlights the process that was used to develop an antibiogram to monitor resistance at a secondary-level health facility to aid empirical clinical decision making in a sub-Saharan African county. This retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study used 3 years of cumulative data from January 2016 to December 2018. Phenotypic data was manually imputed into WHONET and the cumulative antibiogram constructed using standardized methodologies according to CLSI M39-A4 guidelines. Pathogens were identified by standard manual microbiological methods and antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to CLSI M100 guidelines. A total of 14,776 non-duplicate samples were processed of which 1163 (7.9%) were positive for clinically significant pathogens. Among the 1163 pathogens, E. coli (n = 315) S. aureus (n = 232), and K. pneumoniae (n = 96) were the leading cause of disease. Overall, the susceptibility for E. coli and K. pneumoniae from all samples were: trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (17% and 28%), tetracycline (26% and 33%), gentamicin (72% and 46%), chloramphenicol (76 and 60%), and ciprofloxacin (69% and 59%), and amoxicillin/clavulanic (77% and 54%) respectively. Extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) resistance was present in 23% (71/315) vs. 35% (34/96) respectively. S. aureus susceptibility for methicillin was 99%. This antibiogram has shown that improvement in combination therapy is warranted in The Gambia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol‐induced aggression and related violence is a serious and common social problem globally. Alcohol use is increasingly found in the form of alcoholic herbal mixtures (AHM) with indiscriminate and unregulated alcohol content. This study investigated the effects of AHM on aggressive‐like, neurocognitive impairment and brain biochemical alteration in mice. Thirty‐two male resident mice were paired housed with female mice for 21 days in four groups (n = 8). Resident mice were treated orally with normal saline, AHM, ethanol and AHM + ethanol daily for 14 days. Aggressive‐like behaviour was scored based on the latency and frequency of attacks by the resident mouse on the intruder. Neurocognitive impairment was determined using the Y‐maze test (YMT) and novel object recognition test (NORT). Acetylcholinesterase, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), pro‐inflammatory and oxidative stress parameters were determined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Neuronal morphology, cytochrome c (Cyt‐c) and nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐ĸB) expressions were determined. AHM and in combination with ethanol showed an increased index of aggression typified by frequency of attack and reduced latency to attack when compared to normal saline‐treated animals. Co‐administration of AHM and ethanol significantly reduced cognitive correct alternation (%) and discrimination index in the YMT and NORT, respectively. AHM and ethanol increased acetylcholinesterase, Pro‐inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress parameters while they reduced GAD. There were significantly reduced neuronal counts and increased expression of Cyt‐c and NF‐ĸB, respectively Alcoholic herbal mixture increased aggressiveness and caused neurocognitive impairment via increased oxido‐inflammatory stress in the prefrontal cortex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaves of Clerodendrum polycephalum Baker (Labiatae) are used as a dietary legume supplement and applied ethnomedicinally for the management of epilepsy, convulsion, and spasms. This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of Clerodendrum polycephalum (CP) leaf extract on chemical‐induced seizures in mice and the possible mechanisms of action. Swiss albino mice were pretreated with CP (50, 100, or 500 mg/kg, p.o.) prior to intraperitoneal injection of picrotoxin (PTX) or pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). However, the most effective dose was used to elucidate the role of GABAergic and nitric oxide‐cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO‐cGMP) signaling mechanisms in mice brains. Accordingly, we evaluated the preventive and reversal effects of CP on kainic acid (KA)‐induced temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), oxidative stress, and neuroinflammatory in mice. The pretreatment of mice with CP delayed the latencies to PTX and PTZ‐induced seizures and decrement in the period of tonic–clonic attacks. Interestingly, CP (100 mg/kg) completely prevented PTZ‐induced tonic–clonic seizures. Contrastingly, flumazenil (benzodiazepine receptor antagonist), NG‐nitro‐L‐Arginine (L‐NNA) (10 mg/kg., neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), and methylene blue (MB) (2 mg/kg, a soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor) but not L‐arginine (150 mg/kg., nitric oxide precursor) reversed CP‐induced anticonvulsant‐like effect in PTZ model. Furthermore, KA‐elicited TLE was prevented by CP treatment. CP also attenuated KA‐induced oxidative stress, cyooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2), and nuclear factor kappa‐B (NF‐κB) elevated expressions in the hippocampus. The study revealed that the ethanolic leaf extract of CP produced anticonvulsant actions through enhancement of antioxidant defense, GABAergic, and NO‐cGMP signaling pathways as well as attenuation of inflammatory processes. Practical applications: The leaves of Clerodendrum polycephalum Baker (Labiatae) are used as a dietary legume supplement and applied ethnomedicinally for the management of epilepsy, convulsion, and spasms. For this reason, we believe that supplementation of the Clerodendrum polycephalum leaf extract would prevent epileptic‐related disorders in mice induced with epileptic conditions using kainic acid and other behavioral phenotypic models. Here, our findings clearly revealed that Clerodendrum polycephalum leaf extract protects against conditions of epileptic‐related disorders and thus might be relevant as a dietary supplement in the prevention or delay of the onset of seizures and epileptic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methyl jasmonate (MJ) is a derivative of the jasmonate family which is found in most tropical regions of the world and present in many fruits and vegetables such as grapevines, tomato, rice, and sugarcane. MJ is a cyclopentanone phytohormone that plays a vital role in defense against stress and pathogens in plants. This has led to its isolation from plants for studies in animals. Many of these studies have been carried out to evaluate its therapeutic effects on behavioral and neurochemical functions. It has however been proposed to have beneficial potential over a wide range of neurological disorders. Hence, this review aims to provide an overview of the neuroprotective properties of MJ and its probable mechanisms of ameliorating neurological disorders. The information used for this review was sourced from research articles and scientific databases using 'methyl jasmonate', 'behavior', 'neuroprotection', 'neurodegenerative diseases', and 'mechanisms' as search words. The review highlights its influences on behavioral patterns of anxiety, aggression, depression, memory, psychotic, and stress. The molecular mechanisms such as modulation of the antioxidant defense, inflammatory biomarkers, neurotransmitter regulation, and neuronal regeneration, underlying its actions in managing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are also discussed. This review, therefore, provides a detailed evaluation of methyl jasmonate as a potential neuroprotective compound with the ability to modify behavioral and molecular biomarkers underlying neurological disorders. Hence, MJ could be modeled as a guided treatment for the management of brain diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blend of seeds and leaves of Picralima nitida herein referred to as West African Durand powder (WDP) was investigated for antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. Acute toxic effect of the aqueous extract was evaluated in mice of both sexes. Antinociceptive effect of WDP (100–400 mg/kg) was evaluated in models of acetic acid-induced writhing and thermal nociception on hot plate in mice. Carrageenan-induced paw oedema and air pouch rat models were used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract. WDP (2,000 mg/kg) showed no toxic effect in mice. WDP at 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg inhibited abdominal writhings by 59.9, 66.0 and 79.0%, respectively. There was a significant increase in reaction time on the hot plate tests in mice treated with WDP (400 mg/kg). The paw oedema was reduced by WDP (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) 5 h post-carrageeenan. Exudate volume was significantly reduced to 39.8 and 44.8% by 200 and 400 mg/kg WDP, respectively. WDP reduced Leucocytes counts (23.3 and 57.1%, respectively) and neutrophil counts (28.1 and 60.0%, as well as reduced nitrites, malondialdehyde levels and increased glutathione concentrations in the air pouch. These results suggest that aqueous extract of blend of seeds and leaves of P. nitida possesses antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]