Analysis of a gum from the exudates of Dichrostachys cinerea (L.) Wight & Am

Only little research is currently underway on gums from African plants, yet Africa imports a lot of gums for pharmaceutical and food industries. This study was aimed to investigate the rheological properties, and the moisture and ash contents of the isolated gum resins from Dichrostachys cinerea. The gum from this plant exhibited low shear stress even at high concentrations of the gum. The moisture content obtained was 15.8 ± 0.3%, which was rather too high and would only be suitable for formulations that need to remain moisturized. The gum from this plant had little ash content (2.59 ± 0.01%). The gum from D. cinerea exhibited low shear stress at high concentrations, while the gum was profoundly affected by the addition of ions. In conclusion, this gum has potential as a product for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. Further studies are needed to identify the phytoconstituents in the gum as well as toxicity studies.Key words: Gum, exudates, Dichrostachys cinerea, rheology, moisture

Antimicrobial activities of essential oils from Southern Africa against selected bacterial and fungal organisms

In the present study, essential oils from four plants including Melissa officinalis, Mentha piperita,  Pelargonium graveolens and Leucosidea sericea, traditionally used to treat infectious diseases were  tested for antimicrobial activity against seven Gram-positive bacteria, eight Gram-negative bacteria and six yeast species (Candida spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans) using the agar diffusion method. The  minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the oils were determined by the microdilution technique. The killing kinetics of the oils was further evaluated against specific bacterial and fungal organisms. Both  antifungal and antibacterial activities were observed from the essential oil of P. graveolens and M.  peripeta against bacterial and fungal strains tested in the present study with the MIC values ranging from 0.95 to 7.5 mg/ml against the bacterial isolates and 0.24 to 7.50 mg/ml 'against the fungal isolates. The oils of P. graveolens were fungicidal to all the yeast isolates tested in the present study with minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC) values ranging from 0.12 to 7.50 mg/ml while the essential oil from M. piperita was fungicidal to one of the six yeast isolates tested with the smallest MFC of 0.48 mg/ml against Candida tropicalis. Essential oils from P. graveolens were able to kill 90% of the P. aeruginosa cells within three hours. The present study has revealed the antimicrobial activity of P. graveolens and M. piperita and indicated that essential oils are promising sources of natural products with potential antimicrobial activity. These results will guide the selection of some plant species for further pharmacological and phytochemical analysis. These results also support the use of essential oils to treat microbial infections and could be used as pharmaceuticals as well as preservatives in the food industry.Key words: Medicinal plants, essential oils, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, time-kill activity

Chemical composition of volatile constituents from the leaves of Aloe ferox

Volatile compounds oils play a significant role in perfumery, cosmetic, medicinal and pharmaceutical industries. In our protracted research for new useful essential oils, a volatile oil from Aloe ferox was obtained by prolonged hydrodistillation. This volatile oil was subjected to GC/MS analysis to identify the major constituents of the oil. The major constituents identified were as follows: 3, 6 octatriene (23.86%), 3-cyclohexane-1-hetanol (7.31%), Bornylene (5.24%), 1, 3-cyclopentadiene (4.07) and 5-methyl- 3-heptanol (3.92%). A significant number of other volatiles were also identified but in minor concentrations

Factors affecting extension workers in their rendering of effective service to pre and post-settled farmers in government initiated and supported farming small, micro and medium enterprises

Small, micro and medium entrepreneurs play an important role in economic growth and poverty alleviation across the globe. To this effect, the South African government has instituted a policy to encourage the formation, promotion and support of small, micro and medium enterprises (SMME’s). In particular, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry(DAF) and Rural Development and Land Affairs (DRDLA), through land acquisition, restitution and other agrarian development systems, initiates and supports agriculturally based SMME’s with the objective of achieving sustainable livelihoods for the poor and commonages. However, an intensive investigation using desktop, government reports, research articles and case studies on the pre and post-settlement delivery of services by extension officers, revealed that support is grossly inadequate in terms of funding, training, technical advice, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation. This is also exacerbated by the extension workers’ lack of capacity and specialization in particular fields, such as production, marketing and management to adequately service the land reform programs. It is therefore recommended that extension workers be capacitated on specialisation, production, management, mentoring, monitoring and evaluation in order for them to deliver qualityservices that will contribute to in making these SMME’s sustainable

The chemical composition and biological activities of essential oil from the fresh leaves of Schinus terebinthifolius from Zimbabwe

In the present study, the essential oil from the fresh leaves of Schinus terebinthifolius was extracted using the hydrodistillation method. The oil yield obtained was 0.65%. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis of the essential oil showed that the major constituents of the essential oil were sabinene, -pinene, -phellandrene, -pinene, terpinene-4-ol, trans--ocimene and myrcene. Using the hole-plate diffusion testing method, the essential oil exhibited potent antibacterial activity against Yersinia enterocolitica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsielia pneumoniae and Bacillus subtilis with at least 58% inhibitioncompared to the positive control. The mycelium growth inhibition method was used for anti-fungal testing. The essential oil exhibited activity against Aspergillus flavus with 58% inhibition, Candida albicans with 49.8% inhibition and Aspergillus niger with 48.7% inhibition. The -carotene, acetone and linoleic acid method was used to assess the antioxidant activity of the essential oil. The essential oil showed anti-oxidant activity of 13.1 mm mean zone of colour retention representing 72.7% activitycompared to the positive control (ascorbic acid). This is the first study on S. terebinthifolius collected from sub-saharan Africa indicating the presence of trans--ocimene in the essential oil and its strong antibacterial activity against Y. enterocolitica and P. aeruginosa as well as moderate antifungalactivities of the plant

Serum progesterone as an indicator of cyclic activity in post-partum goat does

___________________________________________________________________________________ Abstract The aim of this trial was to assess post-partum ovarian activity of the does of two South African goat breeds from their serum progesterone concentrations. Between seven and 100 days post-partum, does from the Boer goat breed and an indigenous rural goat type were allocated to two nutritional treatments within breed. One group per breed received a concentrated diet in an intensive feeding programme. The other group per breed was subjected to a low level of nutrition through the grazing of the natural pasture in an extensive (veld) grazing system. Blood samples were collected weekly from five does per breed per treatment. Serum progesterone concentrations were determined using a Gamma Coat TM [128] progesterone radioimmunoassay kit (Sorin Diagnostics, France). Large variations in serum progesterone concentrations were recorded within and between breeds and nutritional regimens. Irrespective of breed, in the extensive groups subjected to the low level of nutrition, mean peak serum progesterone concentrations never exceeded 0.2 ng/mL. This suggests that throughout the experimental period, ovarian activity remained low in the extensive groups. It was concluded that nutritional regimen plays a significant role in ensuring high ovarian activities. Furthermore, the higher mean serum progesterone levels in the Boer goat indicate an earlier and higher oestrous activity, compared to the indigenous does. __________________________________________________________________________________

Traditional medicinal plant knowledge and use by local healers in Sekoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia

The knowledge and use of medicinal plant species by traditional healers was investigated in Sekoru District, Jimma Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Traditional healers of the study area were selected randomly and interviewed with the help of translators to gather information on the knowledge and use of medicinal plants used as a remedy for human ailments in the study area. In the current study, it was reported that 27 plant species belonging to 27 genera and 18 families were commonly used to treat various human ailments. Most of these species (85.71%) were wild and harvested mainly for their leaves (64.52%). The most cited ethnomedicinal plant species was Alysicarpus quartinianus A. Rich., whose roots and leaves were reported by traditional healers to be crushed in fresh and applied as a lotion on the lesions of patients of Abiato (Shererit). No significant correlation was observed between the age of traditional healers and the number of species reported and the indigenous knowledge transfer was found to be similar. More than one medicinal plant species were used more frequently than the use of a single species for remedy preparations. Plant parts used for remedy preparations showed significant difference with medicinal plant species abundance in the study area

Genexpert MTB/RIF diagnostic and tuberculosis treatment initiation delays in Namibia

BACKGROUND : Early diagnosis and treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis are crucial in the control of the disease and treatment success. In Namibia, there is a gap in empirical data on the diagnosis and treatment initiation delay time since the roll-out of the GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) assay in 2017. This study aimed to determine Xpert pre-diagnosis and turnaround time at Namibian Institute of Pathology (NIP) as well as rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) treatment initiation delay on patients admitted at Katutura Intermediate Hospital TB clinic. METHODS : This was retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study which was conducted from 1 July 2018 to 31 March 2019. A total of seventy two participants comprising of twenty five RR-TB and forty seven non RR-TB patients were enrolled using consecutive sampling method. Laboratory information system (LIS) was utilized to determine Xpert median pre-analytical delay and turnaround time. Patients’ records and LIS were used to calculate median treatment initiation delay time post Xpert diagnosis. Data on continuous variables was summarized as median and interquartile range. RESULTS : The median pre-diagnostic, diagnostic and treatment initiation delay time were 7.5 (IQR: 0-14), 1 (IQR: 0-3) and 10 (IQR: 1-32) days respectively for RR-TB. For drug susceptible TB, the median pre-diagnostic, diagnostic and treatment initiation delay time were 5 (IQR: 1-8), 1 (IQR: 0-3) and 3 (IQR: 0-12) days respectively. Overall, median health system delay time was 21 (IQR: 2-32) days for RR-TB patients and 12 (IQR: 1-12) days for non RR-TB patients. CONCLUSION : Treatment initiation to appropriate second line regimes was long for many patients and may be attributable to poor interpretation of discordant results and increased number of RR-TB patients for treatment since Xpert adoption. Unnecessary referrals due to shortages of pulmonologists, cumbersome baseline investigations and outdated guidelines and policies could be the determinants of health system delay time. Interventions targeted at addressing identified factors should be implemented. Further studies should explore the actual treatment gap among RR-TB patients and further risk factors for delayed treatment.https://www.wjahr.comam2020School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Screening of Tanzanian medicinal plants for anti-Candida activity

BACKGROUND: Candida albicans has become resistant to the already limited, toxic and expensive anti-Candida agents available in the market. These factors necessitate the search for new anti-fungal agents. METHODS: Sixty-three plant extracts, from 56 Tanzanian plant species obtained through the literature and interviews with traditional healers, were evaluated for anti-Candida activity. Aqueous methanolic extracts were screened for anti-Candida activity by bioautography agar overlay method, using a standard strain of Candida albicans (ATCC 90028). RESULTS: Twenty- seven (48%) out of the 56 plants were found to be active. Extracts of the root barks of Albizia anthelmintica and Balanites aegyptiaca, and roots of Plectranthus barbatus showed strong activity. CONCLUSION: The extracts that showed strong anti-Candida activity are worth of further investigation in order to isolate and identify the active compounds

Ethnomedicinal plant knowledge and practice of the Oromo ethnic group in southwestern Ethiopia

An ethnomedicinal study was conducted to document the indigenous medicinal plant knowledge and use by traditional healers in southwestern Ethiopia from December 2005 to November 2006. Data were collected from 45 randomly selected traditional healers using semi-structured interviews and observations. Sixty-seven ethnomedicinal plant species used by traditional healers to manage 51 different human ailments were identified and documented. Healers' indigenous knowledge was positively correlated with their reported age but not with their educational level. High degree of consensus was observed among traditional healers in treating tumor (locally known as Tanacha), rabies (Dhukuba Seree) and insect bite (Hadhaa). The use of more than one species was significantly cited for remedy preparations. The reported abundance of the ethnomedicinal plant species varied significantly with respect to the presence of multiple uses of the reported species. Our results showed that ethnomedicinal plant species used by healers are under serious threat due to several factors, which indicates the need for urgent attention towards their conservation and sustainable utilization