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The global community is struggling with the highly contagious COVID-19. Returning to \normal life" now poses risks, and the use of appropriate protective measures has become necessary to continue daily life and protect public health. The main protective measures to prevent transmission of COVID-19 are masks, soaps and disinfectants. Because coronavirus is a \lipid-enveloped virus", it is very sensitive to lipid-dissolving chemicals and can therefore be effectively removed by washing hands sufficiently with soap and water. However, using an alcohol-based disinfectant is a more viable option for outdoor use. Alcohol-based disinfectants are inexpensive, immediately effective, easy to use and better tolerated by the skin compared to other disinfectants. WHO recommends disinfectants containing 75% isopropanol or 80% ethanol as highly effective in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2-virus. The current review discusses the role of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (ABHS) in preventing the spread of viruses, their side effects on human health, and suggests the use of alcohol-based sanitizers as potentially effective in combating the current epidemic.

A heteroleptic cadmium complex was synthesized from two antidiabetic drugs, namely metformin and glimepiride, by a continuous stirring and reflux process. The metal–ligand binding was confirmed by their physicochemical and spectroscopic studies. The characterization of the complex was done by elemental microanalysis, FTIR, ESI–MS, electronic absorption spectral study, 1H and 13C-NMR, PXRD, SEM, M.Pt., pH, and conductivity measurements. The octahedral geometry was confirmed for the complex by spectral studies, and its nanocrystalline nature was confirmed from the meticulous analysis of PXRD peaks. The crystallinity of the complex was calculated to be 47.66%. The Coats–Redfern method was used to evaluate the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, such as E*, ΔH*, ΔG*, and ΔS* from the TGA/DTA data. The surface morphology and particle size of the artifact metal complex were assured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study. Similarly, the nonelectrolytic nature of the complex was suggested based on its molar conductivity data. The complex was screened in vitro against some selected human pathogenic bacteria using the paper disk diffusion technique to validate antibacterial potency. The exact quantitative information for antibacterial potency was ensured by measuring minimum inhibitory concentration values. In this study, a remarkable antibiotic property of the complex was observed. Amikacin 30 µg/disk was used as a reference standard to compare antibacterial potency.

The discovery of new chemotherapeutics with novel bioactivities and functionalities to fight current emerging diseases has become the most significant research in pharmaceutical science. Schiff bases are versatile pharmacophores that can form complexes by chelation with metals of different oxidation states. Over a few decades of intensive research on metal-based drugs, Schiff base metal complexes have been considered as the active field of research in coordination chemistry, owing to their valuable applications in various fields of science. As therapeutic drugs, they have potential applications as antibiotic, antimicrobial, antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antifungal, and many more. There has been a global threat of drug resistance in medical science in recent years because most of the pathogenic organisms are developing the ability to deactivate drug substances. For this reason, it requires urgent attention from chemical and pharmaceutical scientists to address the severe challenges of multidrug resistance. This review summarizes the current developments in the last few decades' research on the chemotherapeutic activities of Schiff base metal complexes. BIBECHANA 18 (2021) 214-230

Background Rapid urbanization and industrialization have greatly impacted the inherent soil composition. Heavy metals disposed in the environment by anthropogenic activities toxicate flora and ultimately affect the phytochemical profile of medicinal plants. We report here such an investigation of the heavy metal concentrations in the leaf extract of Solanum virginianum (S. virginianum). This work has been extended to observe the phytochemical constituents and antibacterial significance of leaf extracts in methanol and aqueous medium. Methods The metal concentration was analysed on ICE 3000 series atomic absorption spectrometer. The antibacterial assessment was carried by disc diffusion technique against three gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and one gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria. Results The content of Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), and Lead (Pb) were 2.04, 0.47, 0.41, and 0.10 mg/L, respectively. Saponin and coumarin were present in both extracts. Various other phytochemicals like steroids, terpenoid, and flavonoid, were present only in the water extract, while tannin was present only on methanol extract. The methanol and aqueous extracts exhibited their highest inhibition on S. aureus with zones of inhibition of 12 mm and 14 mm, respectively. Conclusion The aqueous extract possessed more phytochemicals than the methanol extract, and the aqueous extract exhibited better antibacterial activity. The high Fe content in the leaf extract may suggest its use as an anaemic medicine. Other metal contents are under the WHO range.

Background The main objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of toothpaste formulations in giving total protection to the oral cavity. So, three important solution properties: surface tension, conductivity, and pH measurements, have been investigated for eight kinds of commercial herbal and non-herbal based toothpaste of Nepal. The study was extended to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of toothpaste formulations against the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli), and this was done by standard agar well diffusion technique. Amikacin (30 μg/disk) was used as a positive control to compare the antibacterial potency of the investigated toothpaste. Results The surface tension of all toothpaste formulations increased with the decrease in concentration. However, the conductivity of the formulations decreased with the decrease in concentration. The highest pH of 8.24 was recorded for Dabur Super Salt (DSS) and all values were found to be higher in tap water solutions. All toothpaste formulations showed significant growth inhibition against both S. aureus and E. coli. The overall antibacterial sensitivity of Dabur Red (DR) is higher for S. aureus. The solid material content was found to be highest for Dabur Herbal Gel (DHG) and lowest for Pepsodent (PD). Conclusion The findings of the present study showed all toothpaste formulations as effective in inhibiting the growth of tested bacterial species. Toothpaste formulations were found slightly alkaline, which favors bacterial growth inhibition. Increasing surface tension and decreasing conductivity value of toothpaste relative to a decrease in concentration favor its desirable cleansing action.

The greatest pandemic of the century, COVID-19, is an ongoing global public health problem. With a clinically approved treatment available only for those who are acutely ill and are hospitalized, the control of this disease in the general population is still largely dependent on the preventive measures issued by the World Health Organization. Among the general control measures other than immunization with the COVID-19 vaccines, handwashing with soap and water has been emphasized the most because it is cost-effective and easily accessible to the general public. Studies have reported that soaps offer unique chemical properties that can completely destroy enveloped viruses. However, the general public seems to be still uncertain about whether soaps can shield us from a highly contagious disease such as COVID-19. In an attempt to help eliminate the uncertainty, we analyzed the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of soap and its prospect for preventing the spread of COVID-19. In this paper, we provide an overview of the history and characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the current global COVID-19 situation, the possible mechanisms of the deactivation of viruses by soaps, and the potential effectiveness of soap in eliminating coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2.

Additional file 1: Table S1 Ingredients of various toothpaste selected for antibacterial assessment. Table S2 Active antimicrobial ingredients of toothpastes. Figure S1 Surface tension Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in distilled water (DW) at room temperature. Figure S2 Surface tension Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in tap water (TW) at room temperature. Figure S3 Specific conductivity Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in distilled water (DW) at room temperature. Figure S4 Specific conductivity Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in Tap water (TW) at room temperature. Figure S5 Liner variations of specific conductivity Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in Distilled water at room temperature. Figure S6 Liner variations of specific conductivity Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in Tap water at room temperature. Figure S7 pH Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in distilled water (DW) at room temperature. Figure S8 pH Vs concentration of toothpaste samples in Tap water (TW) at room temperature.

The current study aims to evaluate the solution properties and antibacterial efficacy study of five different brands of toilet soaps of Nepal such as Okhati (OKT), Lifebuoy (LFBY), Lux (LX), Liril (LRL), and Chiuree Neem (NM). The evaluation of critical micelle concentration (CMC) and their thermodynamics and surface properties are also reported. This study was further extended to evaluate antibacterial efficacy against three pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris) by disc diffusion technique, and it was done at four different concentrations of soap. The bioactive ingredients present in them provide antibacterial potency to cure various skin problems caused by bacterial pathogens. Similarly, the antibacterial potency of LFBY was found higher than other soaps. Based on these studies, we can simply take LFBY soap at the highest rank in regards to antibacterial sensitivity.

Background Several phytochemical constitutes possess natural antioxidant activity and are in fact advantageous in reducing many oxidative stress related diseases. Drymaria diandra of Caryophyllaceae family is one such plant which exhibits various medicinal properties. The aim of the current study is to provide detailed exploration of phytochemical constitutes, metal concentration determination, antioxidant, and antibacterial activity of Drymaria diandra. Results Qualitative phytochemical analysis showed the presence of maximum number of metabolites in methanol-water (1:1) extract. The heavy and toxic metals such as As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were almost near to the detection limit. The concentration of Fe (19.64 mg/l) was highest followed by Mn (2.35 mg/l). The (IC50) value for methanol extract was found 195.61 which is greater than the standard Ascorbic acid. Antibacterial activity of methanol extract was found higher for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with 22-mm and 14-mm sized diameter of zone of inhibition respectively and methanol-water extract for Proteus vulgaris with 17-mm diameter of zone of inhibition. Conclusion The findings of the present study showed the presence of various valuable phytochemical constitutes responsible to give antibacterial and antioxidant potency. The presence of bio-metals and the absence of toxic metals further highlight the importance of plant as the source of food that bears medicinal properties.