Evaluation of Some Pesticide Residues in Stored Beans in Jos, Nigeria

Humans utilize pesticides through agricultural practice to protect crops against destructive pests but pesticide use has been associated with human and environmental toxic effects. Its presence in food is disturbing considering the increasing number of toxicity it causes. Pesticide residues are lipophylic in nature and consumption of food contaminated with them beyond the level which the body can handle leads to gradual accumulation in the body to a level of toxicity which disrupts the normal body physiology. Though toxicologically pesticide residue data depends not only on the residue content of food but also on the quantity of contaminated food and length of time over which the consumption occurs. The aim of this study was to evaluate three samples of dry beans (black eyed beans) in order to estimate risks of pesticide presence in beans marketed/sold to Nigerians. Samples were randomly collected from some selected markets in Jos, Nigeria. Analysis was by extraction method for non-fatty matrices. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed by gas chromatography with electron capture and flame ionization. All the 3 samples (100%) contained pesticide residues beyond the allowed beans maximum residue levels (MRLs) of 0.01 mg/kg and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively, for chlorpyrifos and endosulfan. The present study showed high levels of pesticide residues in the beans sampled, hence all the samples were considered unfit for human consumption in relation to the analyzed pesticides as regular consumption of such samples might pose potential health hazards to the publicKeywords: Beans, poisons, health hazard

Pattern of drug therapy problems and interventions in ambulatory patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Nigeria

Objectives: We describe the frequency and types of drug therapy problems (DTPs), and interventions carried out to resolve them, among a cohort of HIV- infected patients on ART in Jos, Nigeria. Methods: A prospective pharmacists’ intervention study was conducted between January and August 2012 at the outpatient HIV clinic of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH). Pharmacists identified DTPs and made recommendations to resolve them. The main outcome measures were number of DTPs encountered, interventions proposed and acceptance rate of recommendations. Results: A total of 42,416 prescriptions were dispensed to 9339 patients during the eight months study. A total of 420 interventions (Intervention rate of 1 per 100 prescriptions) were made to resolve DTPs in 401 (4.3%) patients with a mean age of 41 (SD=10) years, and made up of 73% females. DTPs encountered were drug omission (n=89, 21.2%), unnecessary drug (n=55, 13.1%) and wrong drug indication (n=55, 13.1%). Recommendations offered included; Addition of another drug to the therapy (n=87, 20.7%), rectification of incomplete prescriptions (n=85, 20.2%), change of drug or dosage (n=67, 16.0%), and discontinuation of the offending drug (n=59, 14.0%). A total of 389 (93%) out of 420 of the recommendations were accepted. In all, 50.4% (212) of the problematic prescriptions were changed and dispensed, 22.2% (89) were clarified and dispensed, while wrong identities were corrected in 11.7% (49). However, 7.5% (30) prescriptions were dispensed as prescribed, 5.2% (21) were not dispensed, and 3% (12) were unresolved. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that pharmacists-initiated interventions can ameliorate DTPs in patients receiving ART given the high intervention acceptance rate recorded. The implication of this finding is that pharmacists with requisite training in HIV pharmacotherapy are an excellent resource in detecting and minimizing the effect of antiretroviral drug-related errors