Impact of pharmaceutical care interventions on the occurrence and resolution of side/adverse drug effects associated with antiretroviral drug therapy

Pharmaceutical care (PC) has been shown to improve the outcome of drug therapy in many disease conditions. HIV/AIDS is one of the disease conditions that are fraught with many problems that can benefit from this new emphasis of pharmacy practice also known as ‘pharmacists care’. Adverse drug reactions or effects are unintended and undesirable effects of drugs other than their known and expected actions which can be unpleasant and sometimes fatal. This study is designed to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical care activities on the occurrence of side/adverse drug reactions in HIV/AIDS patients receiving antiretroviral drugs. The components of the American society of health-system pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines on ‘standardized method for pharmaceutical care’ was used as a data collection instrument to evaluate, document and intervene in the antiretroviral therapy of about one thousand four hundred and seventy three (1,473) patients. The study identified about sixty (60) different types of side/adverse effects occurring among these patients through observation and patient complaints. The study also showed significant reduction in the incidence of side/adverse drug effects following the Pharmacist’s intervention activities, p ≥ 0.5. The study showed that pharmacists’ interventions in antiretroviral drug therapy through Pharmaceutical care can significantly reduce the incidence of side/adverse drug effects in HIV/AIDS patients receiving antiretroviral drugs

Antiulcer, wound healing and hepatoprotective activities of the seaweeds Gracilaria crassa, Turbinaria ornata and Laurencia papillosa from the southeast coast of India

Seaweeds have bioactive compounds of interest in the pharmaceutical industry. In India, seaweeds are used exclusively for phycocolloids production and have not yet received consideration as a dietary supplement. So, it has become imperative to explore the biomedical potential of seaweeds and promote their utilization as a functional food. The seaweeds Turbinaria ornata, Gracillaria crassa and Laurencia papillosa, collected from the Tuticorin coast of the Southeast coast of India and selected based on preliminary screening, were extracted with acetone and evaluated for antiulcer, wound healing and hepatoprotective activities. L. papillosa showed the highest level of gastric protection activity (81%) at 200 mg/kg, comparable to the standard drug ranitidine (90%). G. crassa followed with 76%. G. crassa and L. papillosa, showed marked wound-healing activity. G. crassa at 200 mg/kg, showed a marked effect on the serum marker enzymes indicating prominent hepatoprotective activity. The noteworthy wound-healing and hepato-protective properties of G. crassa besides anti-ulcer activity next to L. papillosa were indicative of its potential for further consideration

Impact of pharmaceutical care interventions on the occurrence and resolution of drug therapy problems in antiretroviral drug therapy

Pharmaceutical care (PC) has been shown to improve the outcome of drug therapy in many disease conditions.HIV/AIDS is one of the disease conditions that are fraught with many problems that can benefit from this new emphasis of pharmacy practice also known as ‘pharmacists care’. This study is designed to determine the number and types of drug therapy problems occurring in the drug therapy of HIV patients receiving treatment at a tertiary hospital in southeast Nigeria and to evaluate the impact of pharmaceutical care activities on the occurrence of these drug therapy problems (DTPs). The components of the American society of health-system pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines on ‘standardized method for pharmaceutical care’ was used as a data collection instrument to evaluate, document and intervene in the antiretroviral therapy of about one thousand four hundred and seventy three (1,473) patients. The study showed significant reduction in the incidence of drug therapy problems following the Pharmacist’s intervention activities. The study found out that eighty-nine percent (89%) of the prescriptions had potential drug therapy problems before the interventions which were reduced by 12% to seventy-seven percent (77%) after the intervention. The study also identified seventeen (17) different potential drug therapy problems prior to the interventions. A re - evaluation of these potential drug therapy problems after the interventions showed the very significant percentage reductions in the occurrence of each DTP. The study showed that pharmacists’ interventions in antiretroviral drug therapy through Pharmaceutical care can significantly reduce the occurrence of drug therapy problems associated with antiretroviral drug therapy

Cardiac risk indices of staff of Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Non-communicable diseases are the major health burden in the industrialized countries and are increasing rapidly in the developing countries owing to demographic transitions and changing lifestyles among the people. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are increasingly becoming a great cause of morbidity and mortality. A total of 100 senior and 141 junior staff in Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, Nigeria was randomly selected for a study on cardiac risk factors. A questionnaire was used to record cardiac risk indices like age, heredity, body mass index (BMI), tobacco smoking, exercise, serum cholesterol estimation, systolic blood pressure and sex. There was no significant difference between the senior and junior staff in sex distribution (P=0.71), family history of CVD (P=0.34), smoking habit (P=0.85) and serum cholesterol (P=0.89). Senior staff had significantly higher values in age distribution (P<0.001), presence of systolic hypertension (P<0.001) and overweight (P<0.001). Senior staff workers, were however, significantly less involved in moderate exercise than junior staff (P<0.001). The senior staff had a significantly higher total score in CVD risk scoring than junior staff (χ2=7.25; P=0.01). In conclusion, the risk of CVD among staff of FUTO is high especially among the senior staff. Health education campaign targeted at improving life style is strongly recommended