Waste management in healthcare establishments within Jos Metropolis, Nigeria

Poor management of healthcare waste exposes health workers and the public to the toxic effects of wastes generated from health establishments. The disposal of these wastes could also lead to environmental problems if not done properly. This study has assessed the waste management practices in hospitals and compared same with international standards. A survey was carried out in six major hospitals in Jos metropolis. The findings indicated that these hospitals fell below the recommended waste management practices as prescribed by World Health Organization and other regulatory authorities. Wastes were not segregated, and were inappropriately disposed. The health workers were unaware of relevant regulations and the existence of a hospital waste management policy. Recommendations have been made for staff training to create awareness on wastes, their effects, importance of existing guidelines and the implementation of the waste management options for the different categories of wastes so that hospitals do not become infection centres that contribute to the damage of both the environment and human health

Effects of Extraction Method on the Physicochemical and Mycological Qualities of Canarium Schweinfurthii Fruit Oil

The effects of improved method of extraction on the physicochemical, mycological and stability of crude Canarium Schweinfurthii fruit oil were studied. The extracted oils were then stored at 25±5oC for 24 months with samples analyzed at 6months interval for; pH, saponification value, acid value, peroxide value and iodine number. Similarly, enumeration and identification of fungi species was determined using standard mycological procedures. The results showed that crude Canarium Schweinfurthii fruit oil obtained by the improved method of extraction had better quality and stability parameters than the traditional method extracted oil. At 24months the oil quality values of; pH 5.20 – 6.61, Acid value 0.53 – 1.02 (mg of KOH/g), saponification value 151.30 – 179.52 (mg of OH/g), peroxide value 0.031 – 1.500 (meq 02/Kg) and iodine value 85.02 – 101.60 (gI2/100g). Comparatively, no significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed for pH and saponification values for the extracted oils, with values of 6.60, 178.60(mg of OH/g) and 6.62, 178.52(mg of OH/g) for traditional and improved extraction methods respectively. During storage the oils showed average fungal counts of 00.00 to 1.72 x105 and 00.00 to 8.00 x104 CFU/ml oil at 0 and 24 month for traditional and improved methods extracted oils respectively. Predominant fungal species; Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolonifer, Sacccaromyces cerevisiae, Mucor spinosus, Penicillium patalun, Fusarium oxysprum and Candida scotti were found associated with the stored canarium oil. Generally, Mucor spinosus (80.00%), Aspergillus niger (80.00%) and Penicillium patalum (80.00%) had the highest occurrence in traditional extracted oil. This finding  suggests the need for the local processors to reevaluate the full processing method in order to retain better fungal quality and oxidative stability for Canarium schweinfurthii fruit oil.Keywords: Canarium schweinfurthii, fruit oil, Extraction, Fungal Isolates, Oxidative stabilit

Graphene Oxide-Gallic Acid Nanodelivery System for Cancer Therapy

Despite the technological advancement in the biomedical science, cancer remains a life-threatening disease. In this study, we designed an anticancer nanodelivery system using graphene oxide (GO) as nanocarrier for an active anticancer agent gallic acid (GA). The successful formation nanocomposite (GOGA) was characterized using XRD, FTIR, HRTEM, Raman, and UV/Vis spectroscopy. The release study shows that the release of GA from the designed anticancer nanocomposite (GOGA) occurs in a sustained manner in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at pH 7.4. In in vitro biological studies, normal fibroblast (3T3) and liver cancer cells (HepG2) were treated with different concentrations of GO, GOGA, and GA for 72 h. The GOGA nanocomposite showed the inhibitory effect to cancer cell growth without affecting normal cell growth. The results of this research are highly encouraging to go further for in vivo studies

An assessment of the compliance of some essential drugs in Nigeria to pharmacopoeial specifications

The counterfeit drugs phenomenon is a global one. Most developing countries however lack adequate scientific data on the incidence. An attempt has been made to establish the level of counterfeit medicines in Nigeria as at 1993. Sampling and assay of drugs were completed by 1993, prior to the establishment of the National Drug Regulatory Agency. A total of 379 samples were analyzed to determine the percentage content of their active ingredients and the results judged against the British Pharmacopoeia 1988 specifications. The analytical tools employed were those of ultraviolet/visible spectrophotometer and liquid chromatography. A total of 265 (69.9%) drug preparations were found to be outside of BP 1988 specifications of their active ingredients. On application of the Null hypothesis statistical tool to further analyze the data, the overall failure came to 41.4%. Further analysis of the data revealed that of the 379 total samples, 103 (27.2%) were imported while 267 (70.4%) were made in Nigeria. The labels on 9 (2.4%) of the samples did not indicate country of manufacture. 184 (69.4%) of the samples that failed to comply with pharmacopoeia standards were made in Nigeria while the remaining 81 (30.6%) were imported. The study showed that the level of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria as at 1993 was as high as 41.4%. Keywords: Counterfeit drugs, Pharmacopoeia standards Journal of Pharmacy and Bioresources Vol. 3 (1) 2006: pp. 7-1

Single dose pharmacokinetics of proguanil and its metabolites in healthy subjects.

1. Plasma and whole blood concentrations of proguanil and its two major metabolites cycloguanil (CG) and 4-chlorophenylbiguanide (CPB) were measured by a sensitive h.p.l.c. technique in nine healthy adult male volunteers after a single oral dose of proguanil 200 mg. 2. Proguanil was absorbed with a median time to peak plasma concentration of 3 h (range 2-4 h). 3. Peak plasma concentrations of proguanil ranged between 150 and 220 (median 170) ng ml-1 compared with 12 to 69 (median 41) ng ml-1 for the active antimalarial metabolite CG, and 3 to 16 (median 11) ng ml-1 for CPB. Peak (mean +/- s.d.) plasma CG concentrations occurred 5.3 +/- 0.9 h and peak CPB concentrations occurred 6.3 +/- 1.4 h after oral administration of proguanil. 4. Whole blood concentrations of proguanil were approximately five times higher, and whole blood CPB concentrations were four times higher than corresponding plasma values, whereas plasma and whole blood concentrations of CG were similar. 5. A triexponential function was fitted to these data; mean (+/- s.d.) values for the AUC were 3046 +/- 313 ng ml-1 h for proguanil, 679 +/- 372 ng ml-1 h for CG and 257 +/- 155 ng ml-1 h for CPB. 6. Plasma and whole blood concentrations of proguanil and its metabolites declined in parallel with terminal elimination half-lives estimated as 16.1 +/- 2.9 h and 15.7 +/- 2.4 h, respectively. Mean residence times in plasma and whole blood were estimated as 21.2 +/- 4.9 and 19.3 +/- 2.4 h