Pattern of morphine prescription by doctors in a Nigeria tertiary hospital

Background: Morphine was reintroduced into Nigeria after a long period of absence due to technical problems relating to stock accounting. With this reintroduction, prescriber education was commenced in many centers including the University of Ibadan. Aims and Objective: The aim of this study is to review the morphine prescription habits of the medical doctors practicing at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and to assess the level of conformity with international guidelines. Materials and Methods: All the prescriptions on oral morphine in the hospital’s pharmacy records within a 6 months period were reviewed. Results: The results showed that more than half (51.7%) of all morphine prescriptions were from the Radiation Oncology Department, while the newly created Day Care Hospice Unit accounted for 31.8% of the prescriptions. No prescriptions were seen from the Labor ward. Only 1.1% of all the prescriptions conformed to international guideline as contained in the “Blue Book.” Conclusion: The results showed that there is a need for more education and advocacy programmes to increase awareness among doctors about morphine prescriptions.Keywords: Audit, doctors, morphine, Nigeria, prescriptionsNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice • Jan-Mar 2012 • Vol 15 • Issue

Protective role of Telfairia occidentalis in irradiation-induced oxidative stress in rat brain

This study aimed at evaluating the protective role of Telfairia occidentalis extract (TOE) irradiationinduced oxidative stress in rat brain. Aqueous TOE was administered orally to adult rats for 30 days at doses of 400 mg/kg body weight, 800 mg/kg body weight and 1600 mg/kg body weight, and a corresponding group of rats were treated with 50 mg/kg body weight vitamin E (VE), a standard antioxidant before irradiation at a dose of 2 Gy of gamma rays. The control rats received distilled water only. The rats were observed and sacrificed at 24 hours, 15 and 30 days post-irradiation. The results demonstrated a significant increase in levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) generation with a concomitant decrease in the activities of  superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px),  glutathione-S-transferase (GST), a phase two xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme, and a corresponding decrease in the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) after twenty-four hours, 15 and 30 days post-irradiation compared with the control. Treatments with TOE and VE significantly reversed  oxidative stress of irradiated rats when compared with the control rats. In conclusion, supplementation with TOE could reduce radiationinduced biochemical disorders in brain tissues.Keywords: Gamma radiation, oxidative stress, brain, rats and Telfairia occidentalis

Evaluation of the chemical constituents and the antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil of Citrus reticulata fruit(Tangerine fruit peel) from South West Nigeria

The volatile oil of tangerine fruit (Citrus reticulata) was extracted by steam distillation and assessed for antibacterial and antioxidant activity. The volatile oil was tested against some Gram-negative organisms (Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella paratyphi, Proteus mirabilis and Citrobacter spp); Gram-positive organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, S. aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and a fungus (Candida albicans). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined with concentrations of oil extract ranging from 0.87 to 445 mg/ml. Result of the study showed that the oil has a broad spectrum antibacterial activity. MIC recorded were S. aureus (0.74 mg/ml), S. aureus ATTC 25923 (2.46 mg/ml), E. faecalis (1.26 mg/ml), S. typhi (2.07 mg/ml), K. pneumoniae (0.56 mg/ml), E. coli ATTC 35218 (0.19 mg/ml), E. coli (1.95 mg/ml), P. aeruginosa (0.97 mg/ml), C. albicans (0.68 mg/ml). Antioxidant screening with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) was negative. Analysis of the chemical constituent by GC-MS showed the presence of D-limonene as the major constituent. Other constituents found were a-pinene and β-pinene

BI-RADS lexicon: An urgent call for standardization of breast ultrasound in Nigeria

No Abstract.Keywords: BI-RADS; lexicon; breast; ultrasound; NigeriaAnnals of Ibadan Postgraduate Medicine Vol. 3 (1) 2005: pp. 82-8

White-Rot Fungi in Bioremediation

Bioremediation is defined as the application of biological processes to the treatment of pollution. Most research on the field of bioremediation has focused on bacteria, and fungal bioremediation (mycoremediation) has also been attracting the interest just for a couple of decades. The toxicity of many pollutants reduces natural attenuation of bacteria, but white-rot fungi (WRF) can challenge with toxic levels of the most pollutants. Fungi are robust organisms having very high tolerance to toxic environments, and this feature makes them ideal to use for bioremedial purposes. White-rot fungi are basidiomycetes that are capable of degrading a lignocellulose substrate. Extracellular enzymes involved in the degradation of lignin and xenobiotics by white-rot fungi include several kinds of laccases, peroxidases, and oxidases producing H2O2. Nowadays, great progress in this area may derive from modern molecular technologies, which may provide cheaper potential sources of various enzymes by means of genetically modified microorganisms or plants. This chapter explains the bioremediation and its application conditions and degradation mechanisms of the harmful compounds such as textile dyes, PAHs, chlorophenols, TNT, pesticides, and nylon