AIM: A decoction of Elephantopus scaber (Asteraceae) root is used to treat liver disorders in Indian and Chinese traditional medicine. The study was designed to examine the dose response effects of E. scaber methanolic extract on rats exposed to N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) induced hepatotoxicity (0.02% NDEA in water five days per week, per oral) in preventive and curative models. METHODS: In preventive groups, NDEA was administered for six weeks. Daily doses of E. scaber methanolic extract (200 and 100 mg·kg-1) started one week before the onset of NDEA intoxication and continued for six weeks. In curative animals, NDEA was administered for six weeks followed by treatment with the methanolic n-hexane extract of E. scaber (200 and 100 mg·kg-1) for ten days. RESULTS: E. scaber extract treatment significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the levels of AST, ALT, and MDA in both experimental groups. The extract also enhanced the antioxidant enzyme and protein levels in rats intoxicated with NDEA. Treatment with the extract dose dependently protected the liver from NDEA-induced hepatotoxicity with normal hepatocytes and uniform sinusoids, but in some areas showed degenerating hepatic cells in both treatment groups. CONCLUSION E. scaber methanolic extract dose dependently prevented and reversed the hepatotoxicity induced by NDEA in both experimental models.
Alanine Transaminase ; metabolism ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; metabolism ; Asteraceae ; chemistry ; Diethylnitrosamine ; toxicity ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Liver Function Tests ; Plant Extracts ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

<p>INTRODUCTIONAntibiotic resistance in gram-negative bacilli is an area of increasing importance. This prospective study was performed to survey antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. over a 1-year period.p><p>MATERIALS AND METHODSNon-duplicate isolates of E. coli, Klebsiella spp., P. aeruginosa and Acinetobacter spp. were collected from participating Singapore hospitals during defined collection periods in 2006 and 2007. Confirmatory identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed at Changi General Hospital. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to a defined panel of antibiotics were determined using microbroth dilution methods. The presence of extended-spectrum beta lactamases and AmpC beta-lactamases in Enterobacteriaceae was determined by phenotypic methods, and susceptibility results were defined using current breakpoints from the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).p><p>RESULTSSeven hundred and forty-six gram-negative bacilli were received for testing. Resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins was present in a third of Enterobacteriaceae isolates, and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) carriage was present in 19.6% and 30.1% of E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. AmpC enzymes were also detected in 8.5% and 5.6% of E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates respectively. All Enterobacteriaceae were susceptible to imipenem and meropenem. The most active antibiotics against P. aeruginosa were amikacin, meropenem and piperacillin-tazobactam. A third of P. aeruginosa showed reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B. Carbapenem resistance was significantly higher in Acinetobacter baumannii (70.5%) than in other Acinetobacter species (25.0%). The most active antibiotic against A. baumannii was polymyxin B.p><p>CONCLUSIONAntibiotic resistance is prevalent in gram-negative bacilli isolated from Singapore hospitals. The MIC testing surveillance programme complemented susceptibility data from wider laboratory-based surveillance, and has revealed emerging mechanisms of antibiotic resistance.p>
Acinetobacter Infections ; drug therapy ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Bacterial Proteins ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Escherichia coli ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Klebsiella Infections ; drug therapy ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Prospective Studies ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Singapore ; beta-Lactamases

<p>INTRODUCTIONVancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have emerged as one of the major nosocomial antimicrobial-resistant pathogens globally. In this article, we describe the epidemiology of VRE in Singaporean public hospitals in the 5 years following the major local VRE outbreak in 2005.p><p>MATERIALS AND METHODSA passive laboratory surveillance programme identified non-duplicate VRE isolates from 7 hospitals from 2006 to 2010. Descriptive statistics and time-series analysis was performed on all clinical VRE isolates for each individual hospital as well as for the combined dataset.p><p>RESULTSThere were a total of 418 VRE isolates over 5 years, of which 102 isolates (24.4%) were from clinical cultures. Between 0.4% and 0.7% of all clinical enterococcal isolates were resistant to vancomycin. The overall incidence-density of VRE did not change over time in Singapore despite 2 separate outbreaks in tertiary hospitals in 2009 and 2010. Incidence-density of clinical VRE cases fell in 2 secondary hospitals, while another 2 hospitals experienced no significant VRE infections after 2008.p><p>CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of VRE clinical isolates remains low in Singaporean public sector hospitals. However, the presence of at least 2 outbreaks in separate hospitals over the past 5 years indicates the need for continued vigilance in order to prevent any further increase in VRE prevalence locally.p>
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; Enterococcus ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections ; drug therapy ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Population Surveillance ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Vancomycin ; therapeutic use ; Vancomycin Resistance ; drug effects