Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) are major causes of illness, doctor visit and high rates of antibiotic prescriptions in Bangladesh. Over the past decades, emergence of antibiotic resistance has been recognized as an important public health problem across the globe. The current study was aimed to assess the physicians' prescribing pattern of antibiotics in treating RTIs, their usages by patients and physicians' opinion regarding the causes of antimicrobial resistance. This cross sectional survey was conducted by a self-designed standard questionnaire and data were collected manually over a two-month period from November 15, 2013 to January 18, 2014 in four cities of Bangladesh: Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna. According to physicians' opinion, the most frequently prescribed antibiotic for RTIs was levofloxacin (33.44%) followed by azithromycin (24.12%), cefixime (18.33%) and ceftriaxone (17.84%), respectively. Erythromycin was found to be the most resistant antibiotic (32.13%). Two or more antibiotics were prescribed in 43.94% of prescriptions. A total of 65.15% prescriptions had complete direction for antibiotics use and 46.97% patients completed full course of antibiotics. Although 86.36% prescriptions had no clinical test for using antibiotics, the percentages of patients' disease recovery were 84.85% and noncompliance was 15.15%. Most of the physicians believed that self-medication of antibiotics results in the spread of bacterial resistance to antibiotics in RTIs. The present findings are important for public awareness and education in antibiotic use. These findings also have significance to the regulations of prescribing antibiotics in RTIs in Bangladesh.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective actions of hydroalcoholic extract of Hedyotis corymbosa against hepatotoxicity caused by different combinations of anti-tubercular drugs. Antitubercular drugs isoniazid and rifampicin were used to make the elevated level of ALT, AST, ALP and bilirubin as well as decreased level of albumin and total protein. Hepatoprotective activity of the plant was indicated when it causes the decrease of these marker enzymes and elevated level of albumin and total protein. H. corymbosa prevented liver damage caused by anti-tubercular drugs and also from histopathological changes. It can be concluded from the above experiment that hydroalcoholic extract of H. corymbosa showed significant hepatoprotective activity against antitubercular drugs.

The effect of Ashwagandharishta on the lipid profile and chronic toxicity of both male and female Albino rats were observed for 51 days. Our results demonstrate that the treatment of the plant extract failed to exhibit any statistically significant change (increase/ decrease) in the serum cholesterol (Total), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride of the male rats. But the female rats showed highly (p<0.01) and very highly (p<0.001) significant decrease in the serum cholesterol (Total) levels of the medium and high dose treated groups respectively. Regarding HDL, ASG showed statistically significant decrease at low (p <0.05), medium (p<0.01) and high (p<0.001) dose treated female rats. The LDL level of the medium dose treated female rats were statistically significant (p <0.05). The serum Triglyceride decreased significantly at low (p<0.01) and high (p <0.05) dose treated female rats. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 9(1 & 2): 59-68, 2020 (June & December)

Balarista (BLR) is an Ayurvedic preparation used as a traditional medicine in the South

Enteric fever or typhoid is caused by the human-specific gram-negative pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar typhi (S. typhi). The incidence of typhoid fever remains high in rural areas and the emergence of multidrug resistance has exacerbated the situation. The present study examined the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Salmonella typhi to the antibiotics commonly used in Bangladesh. This study also examined the status of prescription antibiotic use. From July 2016 to June 2017, a total of 40 bacterial pathogens were isolated from blood samples from 100 clinically suspected patients at a teaching hospital in Savar, Dhaka. The blood samples were subjected to analysis byWidal test, microscopy, culture and susceptibility testing using conventional bacteriological methods. A total of 40% of cases had an established bacterial etiology with S. typhi. The highest antimicrobial susceptibility to S. typhi was observed for meropenem (77.5%), gentamicin and imipenem (72.5%), and cefotaxime (70%), respectively. The maximum resistance was observed in the penicillin group, such as (80%) followed by cotrimoxazole (75%). Carbapenem-type beta-lactam antibiotics (meropenem, imipenem) and third-generation cephalosporins (cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, and ceftazidime) were the most effective drugs for typhoid fever. Prescription survey results in four cities in Bangladesh showed that typhoid patients were mainly prescribed third-generation cephalosporins such as cefixime (36.73%) and ceftriaxone (18.37%). The findings are important for an adequate identification of the pathogens and their antibiotic resistance for the correct selection of antibiotics in typhoid fever. The study has implications for the development of guidelines for prescribing antibiotics for typhoid fever in Bangladesh. Jahangirnagar University J. Biol. Sci. 11(1 & 2): 69-79, 2022 (June & December)