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As microbes develop resistance towards antibiotics, it is important to eliminate both from waste water streams simultaneously. Though photocatalysis is effective, complete removal can be achieved faster using photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) using photoconductive materials. Based on this idea, we have developed a network structured, high photoconductive copper oxide using solution combustion method. Various characterizations such as XRD, DRS, SEM, TEM, PL, XPS have been performed for a meticulous study of structural, optical, morphological and oxidation properties, respectively. CuO synthesized in this study possesses band gap of 2.1 eV, monoclinic structure, low recombination of charge carriers and shows much higher catalytic activity than copper oxide nano rods reported in the literature. Both antibiotics and bacteria have been simultaneously degraded via PEC. PEC exhibited a threefold higher rate of antibiotic degradation compared to photocatalysis. Reactive radical species such as electrons and superoxide radicals were illustrated to play a key role in accelerating the process of degradation. Notably, CuO-CSA was stable even after 10 cycles of reusability. A detailed mechanism of degradation PEC was developed and the cyclic network model was proposed for validation of the series of reactions. The degradation rate coefficients were obtained from this model. This work has important implications in the area of PEC for antibiotic and bacterial degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent analyses of hospital outbreaks have documented the spread of resistance to imipenem, which is cur­rently a major problem among gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. The aim of this study was to describe the rate of gram- positive and gram-negative isolates resistance to imipenem as an antibiotic.Methods: Recorded files of 242 hospitalized patients with at least one sample of positive culture specimens in one of the two general hospitals of Shahid Beheshti and Naghavi in Kashan, Iran in 2005 were randomly selected and reviewed. All strains were tested for antibiotic susceptibility by Disk Diffusion and were designated for imipenem.Results: Escherichia coli (21.9%), Kelebsiella (19.8%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (17.8%) were the most com­mon isolated organisms. Imipenem had coverage against 96.2% of Escherichia coli, 58.4% of Kelebsiella, 79.1% of coagu­lase-negative Staphylococci, 81.8% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 85.7% of Entrococci isolates. Proteus and Salmonella iso­lates susceptibility to imipenem was 100%.Conclusion: Susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Proteus to imipenem is satisfactory; however, the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to this antibiotic was dramatically lower in our region. Because of the major health problems caused by imipenem resistance, attempts have been made to organize a national surveillance program in our country.

Background: Recent analyses of hospital outbreaks have documented the spread of resistance to imipenem, which is cur­rently a major problem among gram positive and gram-negative bacteria. The aim of this study was to describe the rate of gram- positive and gram-negative isolates resistance to imipenem as an antibiotic. Methods: Recorded files of 242 hospitalized patients with at least one sample of positive culture specimens in one of the two general hospitals of Shahid Beheshti and Naghavi in Kashan, Iran in 2005 were randomly selected and reviewed. All strains were tested for antibiotic susceptibility by Disk Diffusion and were designated for imipenem. Results: Escherichia coli (21.9%), Kelebsiella (19.8%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (17.8%) were the most com­mon isolated organisms. Imipenem had coverage against 96.2% of Escherichia coli, 58.4% of Kelebsiella, 79.1% of coagu­lase-negative Staphylococci, 81.8% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 85.7% of Entrococci isolates. Proteus and Salmonella iso­lates susceptibility to imipenem was 100%. Conclusion: Susceptibility of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Proteus to imipenem is satisfactory; however, the susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to this antibiotic was dramatically lower in our region. Because of the major health problems caused by imipenem resistance, attempts have been made to organize a national surveillance program in our country.