Harmful Agents Research Articles

Accuracy of Antibiotic Allergy Documentation and the Validity of Physicians' Decision in a Pediatric Tertiary Care Setting.

BackgroundPatients allergic to antibiotics are at higher risk of receiving treatment with a broader spectrum, more harmful, and expensive agents. The aims of this study were (1) to assess the quality of documentation of antibiotics allergies in the electronic medical records (EMR) in a Pediatric tertiary care setting, and (2) to determine the validity of physicians’ decision to hold antibiotics prescriptions.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study at King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A review of the EMR and all Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reports of pediatric patients 1–14 years old, with a documented allergy to antibiotics from June 2016 until June 2019. The quality of documentation of antibiotics allergy was assessed based on the presence of four parameters: 1) allergy alert notification, 2) allergy severity classification, 3) setting notes, and 4) symptoms’ description. In addition, all physicians’ reports of allergy to antibiotics were cross-classified according to their corresponding ADR reports, and the validity of physicians’ documentation of allergy was assessed.ResultsOf a total of 105 Pediatric patients’ EMR, documentation of antibiotics allergy was available in 98 (93.3%), with the presence of symptoms description (83%), allergy notes (87%), severity (67%), and signs of alert (50.8%). Overall documentation quality was good for only 23.5% of patients, while it was poor for 35.7%. Physicians’ documentation of antibiotics allergy was 0.82 sensitive [with 0.18 risk of allergy] and 0.60 specific [with 0.40 unnecessary restrictions of prescriptions]. Of all children with possible/actual allergies, only 38.9% were referred to the immunology clinic.ConclusionThe quality of documentation of antibiotic allergy in children and the validity of physicians’ decisions are less than satisfactory. Therefore, improving communications between all healthcare providers regarding patients’ allergy status and follow-up for further assessment of the reaction is recommended to improve patient care.

Should Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Be Adjusted for Race?

Should Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Be Adjusted for Race?

Analysis of Efficiency upon Enhancing the Fuel Combustion Completeness in the GTU Burners Using Fuel Gas Heating up

One main characteristic of the gas turbine unit (GTU) burner is its fuel combustion completeness, which affects directly the efficiency of the power plant along with CO and unburnt hydrocarbons CnHm emissions. The aim of this work was the research on the application of the fuel heating-up as an alternative method for increasing the fuel combustion completeness and controlling the emission of harmful agents. This goal is achieved by obtaining experimental data on the emissions of CO and NOx at different temperatures of the fuel gas supply to the combustion chamber. The most significant result of the work is the experimentally confirmed possibility of increasing the combustion efficiency (decreasing CO) by heating the fuel gas while maintaining constant gas-dynamic characteristics of the chamber. The significance of the results obtained consists in the experimental confirmation of the combustion quality control only by heating the fuel gas without changing the operating and design characteristics of the combustion chamber. The fuel combustion low completeness can cause the burner unstable operation in the form of the unsteady pre-blowout burning combined with the pressure oscillations in the burner. At present, methods for ensuring the increase in stability and completeness of the fuel combustion are related to the air rate and temperature changes at the inlet. However, the use of these methods can be unwanted because of their causing the decrease in the coefficient of efficiency and in the resource of the ‘hot part’ of the gas-turbine facility.

SynBioBrain: building biological computers from bacterial

SynBioBrain: building biological computers from bacterial Using synthetic biology, we can now engineer bacteria into whole-cell biosensors where sensing, transduction and output occur within the living cell. Applications include the detection of harmful environmental agents, bioprocess monitoring, and detecting medically relevant biomarkers. Engineering microbial consortia allows biosensor information to be integrated and processed in a distributed fashion. In this project, we construct biological computers formed from engineered bacterial populations that communicate using intercellular signalling molecules. Our approach opens up new ways to perform biological computation.

Novel sustainable metallic powder production process with water used as milling medium.

Today, Fe–Al intermetallic compounds are receiving a great interest from the mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical industries. A novel production process for Fe–Al intermetallic powders based on the generation of metallic tapes by rapid solidification and disintegration by water vapor was proposed. In this research work, a comparison is made between the energy required to manufacture of Fe–Al powder using the aforementioned process and one of the most commonly used manufacturing processes within the industry such as mechanical alloying. In addition, some other benefits of the proposed manufacturing process are analyzed. To carry out this comparison, the theoretical equations that take into account the most important variables involved during the process such as the type of material and hardness, the initial and final particle size, the grinding stages and the heating of the treatment powder were considered. In the case of calculating the energy required for the new proposed process, the two main stages were considered such as (1) the production of FeAl metal tape and (2) the subsequent transformation of the tape into powder by means of injection water vapor. For the first stage, the CASTRIP process is considered, and for the second stage, the energy required for the generation steam. Although the calculations may have certain limitations, it is obvious that the energy required to Fe–Al powder production using the new process is much lower than that required by mechanical alloying, resulting in at least three orders of magnitude lower (2.75 × 106 versus 2.206 × 109 kJ/ton). This lower energy implies considerable economic savings in the production process. On the other hand, when using water as a grinding medium during the process, it results in less environmental and acoustic pollution, less manipulation risks for humans and finally, no harmful agents or additives are used, making the proposed process sustainable.Graphic abstract

Factors influencing the purchase behaviour of organic food products in the Generation Y cohort

The modern consumer is inundated with various hazardous issues, especially concerning the environment. The increased environmental awareness has altered the way consumers think about their food purchases. Consequently, organic food products are receiving a lot more attention and consumers are opting to consume organic products over their traditional counterparts. This organic consumption change may be attributed to factors, such as environmental issues, health concerns, future preservation and natural taste. Often these organic food choices are linked to consumers that seek to change their lifestyles to be more environmentally conscious or loyal to pro-environmental causes. An organic food product has been defined in a multitude of facets, however, each definition generally retains the same core basis. In general, these products have been produced in a sustainable manner and are free from harmful agents, such as pesticides, mineral fertilisers, artificial colorants and any other harmful chemical agent. As South Africa is an emerging country in retrospect of organic food and environmentalism as a whole, South African consumers are demanding more organic products and safer sustainable business practices than ever before. The environmental movement is on the rise and businesses need to comply with this new demand should they wish to stay relevant in the ever-changing consumer market. Organic product prices are perceived as being more expensive than traditional products, this directly effects the purchase decision of a product. Increasing demand should result in decreasing prices over time, encouraging more organic product purchases. Other factors may also affect the purchase decision of organic products and these may include health consciousness, convenience, attitudes and overall purchase behaviour. This raises the question of what factors influence the South African Generation Y consumer to purchase organic products. Keywords: Organic food, Health consciousness, environmentalism, Generation Y.

Generation Z: The Purchase Intention of Green Skin Care Products

The cosmetics and toiletry industry has growing up very fast. In 2016, the total global revenue cosmetics industry amounted to USD$444 billion. According to Lee, Goh, & Noor ( 2019), the skincare products dominated the cosmetics and toiletry market with a market value of approximately USD$ 120 billion. Between 2012 and 2019, the global skincare market expanded by 41.8 percent, and by 2025, it is expected to be worth $189 billion (Ledesma, 2020). The skin is the largest organ in the body, hence, many people will find ways to protect it, one of the way people are using to protect the skin is to apply any supplement on skin to keep the good condition of the skin. However, according to Cunningham (2014), the used of chemical items in the cosmetic skin care industry is extremely unregulated. For example, Parabens that cause breast cancer are found in cosmetics. The chemical used in the skin care products had rise the attention of the users to start to pay attention on the ingredient of the skin care products. One of the way people are using in order to avoid the harmful chemical in skin care products is to to choose skin care with natural ingredient (Espitia, 2020), this happend especially among the younger consumers (Boon et al., 2020; Hsu et al.,2017). The green skincare industry is growing rapidly. Green skin care, according to previous studies (Fauzi & Hashim, 2015; Hsu et al., 2017), is any skin care products which can preserve or enhance the natural environment by conserving energy or resources and decreasing or eliminating the usage of harmful agents, pollution, and waste. Studies showed there is an increasing in the consumption of green skincare products and toiletries by 45%, from a peak of RM 1.6 billion (in 1998) to RM 2.2 billion (in 2010), with sales estimated to exceed $1.1 billion in 2010 among young people (Boon et al., 2020). Keywords: Green Skin Care, Generation Z, Theory Of Planned Behaviour

Η βιοτρομοκρατία και η σύγχρονη αναγκαιότητα της βιοάμυνας

Introduction: Scientific progress has considerably increased the risk of unexpected bioterrorist attacks. In accordance comes the necessity for a potent “shield” of protection, known as “biosecurity” and widely referred as “biodefense”. However, ethical challenges and concerns, arising along with bioterrorism, are inevitable to address.Methods: COVID-19 outbreak immerged the significance of preexisting powerful biodefense systems. Primary factors to consider are theirs efficacy, the availability of capable emergency plans, adequate personal protective equipment, and sufficient funding. Least but not last comes the proper comprehension of risk assessment and the promotion of prevention, which contributes fundamentally in avoiding the outbreak, even before the harmful biological agent has begun spreading itself among the community.Results: Meticulous data recording will promote our knowledge of effectively constructive biodefense systems and will contribute in identifying crucial bioethical issues, as well to legislate accordingly, nationally, and internationally, in order to duly address the emerging threats. Conclusion: Drastic measures against bioterrorism are inevitable to take, so is the foundation of sufficient biodefense systems, which should lay on scientific knowledge that drives from relevant research, and general consent. Ultimately is, the establishment of international laws, to propel collaboration among nations and eliminate future bioterrorist attacks.

Serum intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and interleukin-8 as predictors of pulmonary impairment among workers in secondary copper smelters

Copper smelter workers are exposed to harmful chemical agents in dust and fumes which contain harmful metals such as copper and arsenic. These substances are known to be respiratory irritants. This study aimed at investigating the effect of occupational exposure to copper and arsenic on the respiratory system. A group of 75 male exposed workers, and 75 male administrative employees (control group) were recruited from a secondary copper smelting factory. Full history, complete clinical examination, ventilatory function parameters (FVC, FEV1, FVC/FEV1 and FEF), and chest X-ray were done for both groups. Serum levels of ICAM-1 and IL8 (as markers of epithelial injury) were measured by ELISA. Serum copper and arsenic were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The exposed group was associated with increased respiratory symptoms, higher serum copper, arsenic, and ICAM-1and Il-8 as compared to the control group. There was a significant decrease in ventilatory parameters among the exposed group: 58.7% of the exposed group had restrictive lung impairment, 40% had obstructive impairment. In the exposed group a positive correlation between serum copper, arsenic and serum ICAM and IL8 was found. While a negative correlation was observed between both serum ICAM, IL8 and ventilatory parameters among the exposed group. Moreover, 36% of the exposed group had radiological infiltrates on chest X.ray. Occupational exposure to copper and arsenic was associated with ventilatory and radiological impairment, with a corresponding increase in the serum level of ICAM-1 and IL8, which can be used as biomarkers for pulmonary impairment among copper smelter workers.

Multifactorial aetiology of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children

Recurrent respiratory tract infections in children are a common health problem. Exposure to harmful environmental agents and coexistence of chronic diseases affect the severity and rate of infections. Ineffective outpatient treatment is an indication for a more comprehensive diagnostic workup. The aim of the study was to determine the cause of recurrent respiratory tract infections in children. The study group included 130 children aged 3–17 years who were referred for diagnostic investigation to determine the cause of recurrent respiratory tract infections. The eligibility criterion for the study group was the occurrence of 8 or more respiratory tract infections a year in children aged up to 6 years and 5 or more infections a year in children aged 7–17 years. The study group was subdivided into the following age groups: 3–5 years (n = 60), 6–9 years (n = 35), 10–13 years (n = 11) and 14–17 years (n = 24). The presence of potential risk factors for recurrent infection was analysed on the basis of questionnaires. Tests and examinations were also performed in order to exclude allergies, ear, nose and throat disorders and gastroesophageal reflux disease. Selected laboratory values (complete blood count, vitamin D concentration, immunoglobulin levels) were compared with those obtained from 86 healthy children from the control group. The majority of children had risk factors for recurrent respiratory tract infections. Adenoid hypertrophy was diagnosed in 44.6% of children, asthma in 36.9%, vitamin D deficiency in 30.7%, gastroesophageal reflux disease in 16.2% and immunodeficiency in 9.2% of children. Multimorbidity was found in 34.6% of the subjects. In the study group, there were higher vitamin D levels [study group: 25.6 ng/mL (25th percentile = 17; 75th percentile = 33.3), control group: 22.84 ng/mL (25th percentile = 16.3; 75th percentile = 28.7); p < 0.044] and higher leukocyte levels [study group: 7.5 × 103/μL (25th percentile = 5.9; 75th percentile = 9.1), control group: 6.4 × 103/μL (25th percentile = 5.3; 75th percentile = 7.7); p < 0.02]. The results indicate that children with recurrent respiratory tract infections are a heterogeneous group of patients. The youngest children were the largest group (n = 60). In the majority of children, the onset of symptoms was associated with the beginning of nursery/preschool or school attendance. In 1 in 3 children, a combined presence of a few diseases was found which increase susceptibility to recurrent respiratory tract infections.

Thermal imaging for the operator's comfort assessment in the aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic

The article aims to preliminary analyze and identify the working conditions of an operator wearing disposable personal protective equipment and features and usability of the suit. The characteristics of the thermal image for an operator wearing a personal protection suit will be used as part of the IT system for comfort assessment. The system will allow the assessment of the operator's comfort based on thermograms. It will also detect dangerous situations resulting from the operator's work in such an outfit or overalls. The hazardous conditions for operators are related to the symptoms of thermal discomfort leading to overheating the body and, consequently, fainting. These situations may cause accidents and reduce the quality of the activities performed. The current legal status was considered when referring to selected social aspects in the management and quality of work of an operator wearing a COVID-19 protective suit. References are made to documents on legislative acts in Poland and Europe to limit the risk from biological agents. This part of the article refers to a vital study by Majchrzycka and Okrasa (2019, the Central Institute for Labor Protection - National Research Institute) presenting the rules for the safe use of non-biocidal respiratory protective equipment. This included obligations of the employer. The employer is obliged to take preventive measures against exposition of employees to harmful biological agents, including airtight measures and personal protective equipment. The article emphasizes selected medical aspects of working in personal protective clothing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Referring to the study (Sobolewski, 2014), according to the authors, the presented case reflects the working conditions of an operator wearing a disposable protective suit. Microclimate parameters and changing metabolism define the hot thermal environment in the mentioned standard. The article presents the results of thermovision inspection of the operator of technical means of transport working in a suit protecting against COVID-19 infection, constituting one-off personal protection. The individual elements included in the protective set of disposable personal protection have been described. The following research stage is preparing thermograms, which show the operator in a protective case before, during, and after work. Thermograms have been classified and commented on.

Biowastes of slaughterhouses and wet markets: an overview of waste management for disease prevention.

Slaughterhouse and wet market wastes are pollutants that have been always neglected by society. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, more than three billion and nineteen million livestock were consumed worldwide in 2018, which reflects the vast amount and the broad spectrum of the biowastes generated. Slaughterhouse biowastes are a significant volume of biohazards that poses a high risk of contamination to the environment, an outbreak of diseases, and insecure food safety. This work comprehensively reviewed existing biowaste disposal practices and revealed the limitations of technological advancements to eradicate the threat of possible harmful infectious agents from these wastes. Policies, including strict supervision and uniform minimum hygienic regulations at all raw food processing factories, should therefore be tightened to ensure the protection of the food supply. The vast quantity of biowastes also offers a zero-waste potential for a circular economy, but the incorporation of biowaste recycling, including composting, anaerobic digestion, and thermal treatment, nevertheless remains challenging.

Gas Plasma-Augmented Wound Healing in Animal Models and Veterinary Medicine.

The loss of skin integrity is inevitable in life. Wound healing is a necessary sequence of events to reconstitute the body’s integrity against potentially harmful environmental agents and restore homeostasis. Attempts to improve cutaneous wound healing are therefore as old as humanity itself. Furthermore, nowadays, targeting defective wound healing is of utmost importance in an aging society with underlying diseases such as diabetes and vascular insufficiencies being on the rise. Because chronic wounds’ etiology and specific traits differ, there is widespread polypragmasia in targeting non-healing conditions. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) are an overarching theme accompanying wound healing and its biological stages. ROS are signaling agents generated by phagocytes to inactivate pathogens. Although ROS/RNS’s central role in the biology of wound healing has long been appreciated, it was only until the recent decade that these agents were explicitly used to target defective wound healing using gas plasma technology. Gas plasma is a physical state of matter and is a partially ionized gas operated at body temperature which generates a plethora of ROS/RNS simultaneously in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. Animal models of wound healing have been vital in driving the development of these wound healing-promoting technologies, and this review summarizes the current knowledge and identifies open ends derived from in vivo wound models under gas plasma therapy. While gas plasma-assisted wound healing in humans has become well established in Europe, veterinary medicine is an emerging field with great potential to improve the lives of suffering animals.

Use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the treatment of bacterial respiratory tract infections of lambs

Respiratory tract infections, which are common in sheep farming, involve interactions between the host's immune system, pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and environmental conditions. Respiratory diseases can affect sheep of any age and breed. However, acute bacterial and viral pneumonia is most common in those aged three to twelve months due to decreased maternal antibody titers. Although lower respiratory tract infections initially started as a condition caused by a single agent, many cases progress to a complex disease involving both bacterial and viral components, making the diagnosis of the disease complicated by the emergence of secondary infections. Although the inflammatory reaction that occurs in respiratory infections is part of the normal healing process, an extreme reaction can impair healing and severely damage the airways. It is optimal to limit the inflammatory reaction by removing the harmful agent, isolating the damaged tissue, and controlling this tissue. In cases of death due to acute pneumonia, antibiotic drugs are used to prevent further deaths and to treat the herd. It has been found that NSAIDs reduce the release of toxic peroxide which causes the proliferation of fibroblasts and the deposition of collagen in inflammatory processes associated with the respiratory tract. It had been reported that clinical findings improve more rapidly when NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) were used together with antibiotics in respiratory system infections. In this review, the importance of using NSAIDs in the respiratory tract infections of sheep has been mentioned.

Comparative transcriptomics reveals osmotic and ionic stress key genes contributing to the difference in the salinity tolerance of two pak choi cultivars

Pak choi is an important leafy vegetable crop. Salinity is among the most harmful agents that negatively influence the pak choi yield. However, the mechanism of salinity tolerance in pak choi has not been well understood. In this study, the root transcriptomics of two cultivars differing in salinity tolerance, i.e., Shanghaijimaocai (S, tolerant to salinity) and Te’aiqing (T, sensitive to salinity), were investigated under 0 and 100 mM NaCl treatments. A total of 6765, 2454, 2451 and 5798 differentially expressed unigenes (DEUs) were identified in comparison of S100/S0, T100/T0, S0/T0 and S100/T100, respectively. In Shanghaijimaocai is more sensitive to NaCl stress than Te’aiqing in terms of root transcriptomics. Based on GO and KEGG pathway analyses, the expression levels of several osmotic and ionic stress-related genes, including MP3K18, PYL8, PP2C15/16/49, ARF2, bHLH112, bZIP43, COL5, CDF1/3, ERF25/60, HSFA6, MYBS3/59/92/CCA1/PHL5, POD21, GOLS7, CIPK4/7/12, NHX7, SLAH1 and ALMT13, in Shanghaijimaocai were higher than those in Te’aiqing. Therefore, these genes might contribute to the difference in salinity tolerance. Moreover, the physiological shift of peroxidase activity was in accordance with the dynamic transcript profile of relevant unigenes. These findings would be useful for further functional analysis as potential targets to improve resistance to salinity stress via genetic engineering.

Sorghum polyphenols: plant stress, human health benefits, and industrial applications.

Main conclusionVarious phenolic compounds of sorghum are effective in the management of abiotic stress (salt, nutrients) and biotic stress (caused by birds, fungi and aphids). The health and industrial application of phenolics is mainly contributed by inherent antioxidant and nutraceutical potential.In a natural environment, plant growth is affected by various biotic and abiotic stresses. In every ecosystem, the presence of a wide range of harmful biological agents (bacteria, fungi, nematodes, mites, and insects) and undesirable environmental factors (drought, salinity, heat, excessive or low rainfall, etc.) may cause a heavy loss in crop productivity. Being sessile during evolution, plants have evolved multiple defense mechanisms against various types of microbial pathogens and environmental stresses. A plant’s natural defense system produces some compounds named secondary metabolites, which include phenolics, terpenes, and nitrogen. The phenolic profile of grain sorghum, the least utilized staple crop, is unique, more diverse, and more abundant than in any other common cereal grain. It mainly contains phenolic acids, 3-deoxyanthocyanidins and condensed tannins. Sorghum polyphenols play a major role in plant defense against biotic and abiotic stresses and have many additional health benefits along with various industrial applications. The objective of this review is to discuss the phenolic compounds derived from grain sorghum and describe their role in plant defense, human health, and industrial applications.

Protective Multifunctional Fibrous Systems Based on Natural Fibers and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles.

In recent years, an unprecedented increase in the development of products and technologies to protect the human being has been observed. Now, more than ever, the world population is exposed to several threats, harmful to their well-being and health. Chemical and biological hazardous agents stand out as one of the biggest threats, not only for the military forces, but also for the civilians. Consequently, it’s essential to develop personal protective systems that are able to protect their user, not only passively, but actively, being able to detect, adsorb, degrade and decontaminate pesticides, pollutants, microorganisms and most importantly: chemical/biological warfare agents. One recent strategy for the development of active fibrous structures with improved functions and new properties is their functionalization with nanoparticles (NPs), especially metal oxides. Although their known effectiveness in the decomposition of harmful agents, the NPs could also include other functionalities in the same structure using low quantities of material, without adding extra weight, which is of huge importance for a soldier in the battlefield. The use of natural fibers as the substrate is also very interesting, since this material is a much sustainable alternative when compared to synthetic ones, also providing excellent properties.

Enfermedad renal crónica de las comunidades agrícolas, una revisión de la literatura

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is defined as an abnormality of the kidney structure or function for ≥ 3 months. This disease affects 10% to 15% of the world's population, with diabetes, arterial hypertension, primary glomerulopathies and genetic disorders being the most common etiologies associated with this disease worldwide. Nevertheless, in low-income countries, other diseases causing CKD are also reported; among them, Mesoamerican nephropathy, which is a common cause of CKD in Mesoamerica, especially in the young male population, leading to loss of productive working capacity. In Colombia, the prevalence of CKD with unknown etiology is high and there are few studies on chronic kidney disease in agricultural communities, given that the agricultural population in Colombia is exposed to harmful climatic and occupational agents similar to those in Mesoamerica, it is possible that this nephropathy is also a cause of CKD in our population. This article provides an overview of CKD in agricultural communities to sensitize health workers to the importance of screening for this disease in vulnerable populations, which could have a positive impact on the health of farmers.

Considering Victims' Minds in the Evaluation of Harmful Agents' Moral Standing

An agent's moral standing is considered as depending on the agent's mind and their harmfulness toward a victim, but a victim's mind and species may also matter. To examine whether a victim's species (i.e., human or another) and a victim's mind are considered in the judgment of a harmful agent's moral standing, the present study modulated the mental capacities of an imaginary species. Only humans' suffering was considered when the other species' mental capacities were presumed to be low (Study 1), but humans' and the other species' suffering were equally considered when the other species had mental capacities that were presumed to be equivalent to those of humans (Study 2). The results suggest that our judgments of the moral standing of an agent 1) depend not only on the agent's mind but also on the victim's mind and 2) are not human species-oriented but human mind-oriented.

Therapeutic perspectives ofp‑coumaric acid: Anti‑necrotic, anti‑cholestatic and anti‑amoebic activities

Phenolic acids are phytochemical compounds derived from plant biomass materials, that have notable health benefits with high therapeutic potential in several diseases. <em>p</em>‑coumaric acid (<em>p</em>‑CA) is a phenolic acid that displays various biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory, analgesic and anti‑antimicrobial properties. However, the ability of <em>p</em>‑CA to prevent hepatic necrosis and cholestasis induced by various harmful agents has not yet been explored to date, at least to the best of our knowledge, and there is no evidence that <em>p</em>‑CA exerts an anti‑parasitic effect. Therefore, the present study employed male Wistar rats, and the study was divided into two experimental <em>in vivo</em> parts. A liver necrosis model was established using carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for 24 h, and a cholestasis model induced by common bile duct ligation (BDL) for 48 h was also established. On the other hand, the <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em> HM1:IMSS strain was used as <em>in vitro</em> model employing Trypan blue cell viability assay. The results revealed that <em>p</em>‑CA treatment significantly reduced the levels of the necrosis biomarker, alanine aminotransferase, and completely prevented the increase in the levels of the cholestasis markers, alkaline phosphatase and γ‑glutamyl transpeptidase in rats intoxicated with CCl₄ as well as in those subjected to BDL. Macroscopic observations and the hematoxylin and eosin staining results were consistent with the biochemical determinations, providing evidence of the hepatoprotective effects of <em>p</em>‑CA. Moreover, 500 µM <em>p</em>‑CA inhibited the growth of <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em>, 26.5% at 12 h and 41.5% at 24 h compared with the controls. Thus, to the best of our knowledge, these findings provide the first evidence that <em>p</em>‑CA prevents liver damage induced by CCl₄ or BDL (necrosis and cholestasis) and exhibits amoebostatic activity against <em>Entamoeba histolytica</em>.