Evaluation of Dimethylformamide (DMF) as an Organic Modifier in Hydrophobicity Index (Rm) Determination.

Purpose: Ideal behaviour of mixtures of organic modifier and water is reflected by a linear relationship between refractive index and fraction of organic modifier in the mixture. This study was carried out to investigate dimethylformamide (DMF) as an organic modifier in hydrophobicity index (Rm) determination. Method: We quantitatively evaluated the problem of partial miscibility of phases associated with the reversed phase thin layer chromatographic (RPTLC) system, using liquid paraffin as stationary phase and acetone/water mixtures as mobile phase. Ideality of behaviour of acetone /water mixtures was investigated by refractive index measurements. Rm values of compounds were determined using mixtures of acetone and water as mobile phase. Results: DMF/water mixture behaved ideally across the whole concentration range investigated (0-100%) while acetone/water mixture deviated from ideal behaviour when the concentration of acetone in the mixture was 80%. DMF also gave a better extrapolation of Rm value from linear regression of partition data than acetone for bezafibrate used as a test-drug molecule. Conclusion: DMF is a better organic modifier than acetone in this RPTLC system. These findings could be extended to drug-receptor and drug design studies. The use of dimethylformamide (DMF) in preference to acetone as organic modifier is proposed in this study. Keywords: Drug design, dimethylformamide, hydrophobicity index, organic modifiers Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 2002; 1(2): 83-9

A RAPID AND SENSITIVE HPLC METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF PROGUNAIL AND CYCLOGUANIL IN PLASMA: APPLICATION TO SINGLE DOSE PHARMACOKINETIC STUDIES

A simple, sensitive cost-effective and reproducible reverse phase high performance liquidchromatographic (HPLC) method was developed to quantitate plasma levels of proguanil(PGN) and its active metabolite, cycloguanil (CGN) in order to conduct single dosepharmacokinetic studies. The drug and the internal standard were added to plasma samples,vortexed and rendered alkaline with 2 M NaoH and the samples extracted with ether,evaporated to dryness and the residue was reconstituted in methanol, whirlmixed beforeinjecting an aliquot onto the HPLC system. The calibration plots were linear over theconcentration range up to 4.0 μg /ml. The correlation coefficients (r) were of the order of 0.99and above for both PGN and CGN. The ion pair method was carried out on a 5 μ reversephase C-18 column, using perchlorate ion as the counter ion and ultra violet detection at 254nm. The method was reproducible with coefficient of variation for PGN and CGN, being lessthan 4.0 %. PGN was well resolved from its active metabolite, CGN, and the internalstandard, pyrimethamine. The limit of detection of PGN was 10 ng /ml and the recovery wasgreater than 95% in plasma. The analytical method therefore, exhibits good precision andsensitivity in detecting and quantifying PGN and CGN and has been demonstrated to besuitable for the pharmacokinetic studies of proguanil. The clinical applicability of the methodwas assessed by the preliminary pharmacokinetic study of PGN and CGN, in fifteen healthyvolunteers. The in vivo study was carried out according to a single dose randomized design

Groundwater Quality Assessment and Monitoring Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

The study evaluated the spatial variation of groundwater parameters in Port Harcourt metropolis using GIS. Thirty two (32) water samples were collected from boreholes from different parts of the study area into a treated and well labeled 1.5 litres plastic bootle. The water samples were then subjected to laboratory analysis for temperature, pH, Calcium (Ca2+), Chloride (Cl-), Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Nitrate (NO3-), Sulphate (SO42-), Sodium (Na+), Potassium (K+), Magnesium (Mg2+), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Salinity, and bicarbonate (HCO3-). Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to record the latitudes and longitudes of the sampled boreholes. The result from the laboratory was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis in order to determine the mean, range and standard error of each parameter with the use of SPSS. Thereafter the result was imported to ArcGIS to generate the spatial variability maps for some groundwater parameters through the use of kriging in geostatistic module. Surfer 8 was used to generate the 2D and 3D representation of the borehole depths while Idrisi for windows was used to generate the relationship between borehole depth and pH ; and borehole depth and Ca. The result showed that Cl had the highest concentration among the anions with a mean value of 161.49 mg/l and Ca had the highest concentration among the cations with a mean value of 6.53 mg/l. The mean values of the all the groundwater parameters were lower than the WHO standard. Moderately weak inverse relationship was observed between the borehole depth and groundwater pH concentration; and between borehole depth and groundwater calcium concentration. It is recommended that the use of GIS should be encouraged to periodically monitor and assess groundwater quality. Keywords: Borehole, Groundwater, GIS, Geostatistics, Port Harcour

Comparative Ecotoxicological Assessment of Acetaminophen and Diclofenac using Freshwater African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822)

The use and abuse of analgesics, commonly referred to as painkillers is on the rise globally. This study examined the acute toxicity and sub-lethal effects on liver function (ALT, AST, ALP) and anti-oxidative stress enzymes of the African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus, exposed to two analgesics, acetaminophen and diclofenac. The fingerlings (4 weeks old), were exposed to high concentrations of both analgesics to determine their acute toxicity of a 96 h period. The results indicated that diclofenac was approximately 500 times more toxic to the catfishes with a 96 h LC50 of 2.6 mg/L compared to 1283.6 mg/L in those exposed to acetaminophen. Another batch of the catfishes was subsequently exposed to two sub-lethal concentrations (1/10th 96 h LC50 and 1/100th 96 h LC50) of both compounds for 28 days. The result of the sub-lethal assessment indicated that the responses were not always dose-dependent. The liver function enzyme assessments indicated a varied result with AST values slightly lower than control while ALP values were all higher in the exposed groups than the control. Only catfishes exposed to 1/10th 96h LC50 diclofenac showed significant inhibition (P<0.05) of ALT enzyme activities compared to control. The activities of the anti-oxidative stress enzyme catalase were lower in those exposed to acetaminophen compared to control and this was also the case for glutathione-S- transferase (GST) activities for exposures to both concentrations of both analgesics. The findings point to the need for the inclusion of pharmaceuticals in our national effluent quality standards so as to mitigate potential harm to aquatic life.Keywords: Acetaminophen, diclofenac, toxicity, catfis

The use of improvised negative pressure therapy to manage wounds in difficult situations at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso: a case series

Background: Creating an airtight seal is vital in making a Negative pressure wound therapy setup functional and effective but in some conditions, this may be difficult to achieve. Case presentation: We present the methods of use of improvised negative pressure therapy in the difficult settings of external fixation and complete scotch cast with a window for wound dressing in two patients managed at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso. The simple use of opsite initially over the foam dressing and reinforcing it with cling film and subsequently wrapping strips of opsite around the pin sites and the potential leak sites as described in this report is very effective and with lower cost when compared with other methods. Conclusion: The use of cling film and opsite only in maintaining an airtight seal in difficult settings of negative pressure wound therapy is simple and cost-effective with good wound outcomes

Enteroviruses as a possible cause of hypertension, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertensive heart failure (HHF) in South western Nigeria

Background: Human enteroviruses have long been associated with various diseases of man resulting into a wide range of acute symptoms involving the cardiac and skeletal muscles, central nervous system, pancreas, skin and mucous membranes.Objective: To assess the role of enteroviruses in the etiology of hypertension, DCM and HHF.Methods: We obtained stool specimens from 70 subjects comprising 65 patients and 5 controls and isolation was carried out on RD, L20B, HEp-2C and Vero cell lines and identified by neutralization with standard antisera (RIVM). Thirty-six enteroviruses were isolated and identified to be Coxsackieviruses-B5, A9, Echoviruses 1, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 22, 30 and Poliovirus type 1 and 3.Results: Three most frequently occurring enterovirus serotypes which constitute 60.0% of the 30 NPEV typed and 50.0% of all the isolates were Echoviruses, Coxsackie-B5-virus and Coxsackievirus-A9. Echoviruses constituted 50.0% of all the serotypes while Coxsackieviruses-B5 and A9 accounts for the 27.8 % and 5.6% respectively. Enteroviral isolation rate was higher in age groups 51 years and above. The percentage of study subjects who had Coxsackie-B5-viruses and echoviruses was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in cases of hypertension, HHF and DCM than in control subjects. Coxackie-B5-virus, Echovirus-6 and Echovirus-11 were found in both study locations.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that Enteroviruses may likely be involved in the etiology of hypertension, DCM and HHF. Further studies would therefore be necessary for the prevention and control of these diseases.Keywords: Etiology, coxsackieviruses, Echoviruses, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), Enteroviruses, hypertension, hypertensive heart failure (HHF)African Health Sciences 2013; 13(4): 1098 - 110

Erratum

Cervical Cancer and Human Papilloma Virus Knowledge and Acceptance of Vaccination among Medical Students in Southwest NigeriaArticle first published in March 2015 (http://www.ajrh.info/home/issues.php?issue=current) and cited as : Cervical Cancer and Human Papilloma Virus Knowledge and Acceptance of Vaccination among Medical Students in Southwest Nigeria. Funmilayo F. Adejuyigbe , Balogun R. Balogun , Adekemi O. Sekoni and Adebukola A. Adegbola.The name of the corresponding author in the earlier publication was wrongly spelt. The complete name of the corresponding author is now correctly spelt in this publication.

Habitual Physical Activity, Peripheral Neuropathy, Foot Deformities and Lower Limb Function: Characterizing Prevalence and Interlinks in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may have diverse foot problems, but how these problems are linked with physical activity is not clear. This study investigated the prevalence of foot problems among patients with T2DM and investigated how the problems were related to physical activity.Methods: Habitual physical activity, peripheral neuropathy, lower limb functions and foot deformities of 246 T2DM patients were respectively assessed with the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire, Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument, Lower Limb Function Scale, and a self-designed foot deformity audit form.Results: Habitual physical activity index (3.2 ± 0.83) was highest in work-related activities; 69 (26.1 %) patients presented with peripheral neuropathy and 52 (19. 7%) had the lowest limb function. Pes planus was the most prevalent foot deformity (20.1%). Significant differences existed in physical activity indices across deformity groups (p < 0.05) and total activity index was related to neuropathic and lower limb function scores (p < 0.05).Conclusion: A higher work-related but reduced participation in sports and leisure time physical activity among the patients was observed. Habitual physical activity was lowest in patients with a forefoot deformity, higher neuropathic scores and lesser lower limb function scores. Patients with T2DM in these categories may be a target for special physical activity intervention programmes.Keywords: Diabetes Mellitus, Foot Complications, Physical Activit

The micro-minerals composition in serum of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) infected with Trypanosoma congolense

Sixteen (16) rabbits aged between 6 to 12 months were infected with fresh stock of Trypanosoma congolense (Gboko strain) intravenously at the rate of 1.0 × 106ml. Animals were classified into two groups; groups A were infected, while group B served as uninfected controls. Samples from the infected and the uninfected controls showed a significant increase in the levels of sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+), phosphate (PO4 2-) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (P < 0.05) and a significant decline in the levels of potassium (K+) and bicarbonate (HCO3 2-) (P < 0.05). Therefore, the alterations in the compositions of these micro-minerals in the serum of rabbits may suggest that, they could have a role in the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis due to T. congolense infection.Key words: Rabbits, micro-minerals, Trypanosoma congolense, pathogenesis

Pattern of Endoscopic Findings of Upper Gastrointestinal Tract in Omdurman Teaching Hospital, Sudan

Background: The pattern of endoscopic findings of upper gastrointestinal tract (UGT) including gastro esophageal reflux (GERD), peptic ulcer diseases (PU), and upper gastrointestinal malignancies was not studied recently in Sudan.Objectives: The aim of this study is to know the pattern of endoscopic findings of upper gastrointestinal tract.Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study which was conducted during the period from March to September 2013, at endoscopy unit in Omdurman Teaching Hospital. All patients referred for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were included in the study.Results: A total of 390 subjects was enrolled in the study.56.4% were females; the male to female ratio was 1.3:1, their ages ranged from 11 to 80 years old with a mean age of 50.2 years. The most common endoscopic findings in the study group was Gastritis 54.9% followed by esophagitis 42%, peptic ulcer diseases 21%, esophageal varices 13.8% and upper gastrointestinal tumors (esophageal and gastric) 13.2 %. Normal findings were found in 3% of all patients in the study group.Conclusion: Upper gastrointestinal disorders are more common in Sudan compared to other countries. Esophageal varices and upper gastrointestinal malignancies are increasing compared to previous studies. Further studies are required to characterize abnormalities of upper gastrointestinal tract.Key words: Upper gastro-intestinal endoscopy, Gastritis, Esophagitis, Peptic ulcer, Sudan