In the Footsteps of Scribonius Largus, a Pioneer of Clinical Pharmacy in Ancient Rome

Clinical pharmacy involves pharmacists in direct patient care concerning optimizing medicines and promoting health awareness and disease prevention. The whereabouts of the field can be traced to Scribonius Largus, a renowned physician and pharmacist in ancient Rome. Although Largus served as an imperial physician, he has also been an exemplary pharmacist authoring a comprehensive pharmacognosy textbook and dedicated a big part of his life to improving pharmacotherapy and advancing ethics in the field. Revisiting his contributions provides valuable lessons for contemporary clinical pharmacists

Identification of Chemical Compounds from Karamunting Stem (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) by Thin Layer Chromatography

Karamunting or Kalimantan Grapes (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) is a medicinal plant from Central Kalimantan that is easily found in shrubs. Based on hereditary experiences of the people of Central Kalimantan, karamunting can be used for the treatment of various diseases, one of which is diabetes. This study aims to identify the chemical compounds contained in the karamunting stem. The method used is thin layer chromatography with eluent n-hexane : ethyl acetate and methanol : chloroform. Besides, a color reaction was carried out to determine the group of compounds contained in the methanol extract of the karamunting stem. The TLC results show better stain separation in eluent n-hexane : ethyl acetate with the formation of four stains. Positive results are indicated by the content of phenol, saponin, flavonoid and terpenoid compounds. The existence of this group of compounds can be a clue to further research on the truth of the efficacy of karamunting

Antibiotics Resistance Pattern of Coliform Bacteria Isolated from Slaughterhouse Wastewater in Jega Town, Kebbi State, Nigeria

Wastewater is an essential reservoir of pathogenic bacteria, which include resistant strains. This study determined the antibiotics resistance pattern of Coliform bacteria isolated from slaughterhouse wastewater in Jega local government. Five different samples of wastewater from different locations of a slaughterhouse were collected using standard sample collection techniques. Coliform bacteria were isolated using the standard microbiological method. The total bacterial count was determined using plate count agar. Suspected coliforms were identified based on morphological and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out using the standard disc diffusion method. The highest bacterial count (8.4x102 CFU/ml) was observed from the wastewater collection point, and the lowest bacterial (1.2x102 CFU/ml) count from the slaughtering point. Three Gram-negative bacteria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter aerogenes, were identified. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated in slaughterhouse wastewater 39 (45.8%). Among the antibiotics tested against isolated bacteria, Septrin was the most resistant antibiotics recorded against E. coli and E. aerogenes with 84.61% and 88.89% resistant, respectively. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to show higher resistance to Chloramphenicol and Septrin with 84.21% resistance each. The occurrence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from slaughterhouse wastewater showed the risks associated with antimicrobial drug resistance transferred from food-producing animals to humans. Management concerns, such as local government health officers and community development officers, should increase the sensitization of slaughterhouse workers by organizing conferences or conducting radio talk to educates these slaughterhouse workers on the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater and health risk associated with antimicrobial-drug resistance transferred from animals to humans

Identification of Drug-Related Problems in Hypertension Comorbid Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at Primary Health Care Center Batununggal District Bandung

Many factors can increase the risk of hypertension, one of which is diabetes mellitus. The study aims to provide an overview of Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) in patients with hypertension comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus at Primary Health Care Center Batununggal District Bandung. This research was an observational study with retrospective data collection and descriptive analysis. Data were taken from patient prescriptions January-December 2019 period. The sample inclusion criteria are patients aged 30-75 years, patients diagnosed with hypertension comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus, and patients treated in January-December 2019. The number of samples that met the inclusion criteria was 268 patients, of which 69 patients (25.75%) are male, and 199 patients (74.25%) are female. 164 patients (61.2%) are aged 60-75 years old. It is found that 1 case (0.37%) has the drug-related problem of drug overdose and as many as 34 cases (12.69%) have potential drug interactions

Determination of Gossypol in Hamid and Bt (Seeni 1) Cottonseed Oil using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy

This study was conducted to determine the gossypol content in Bt cottonseed (Seeni-1) oil by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with an Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) element. The wavelengths used were selected by spiking refined, bleached deodorized palm oil (RBDPO) to gossypol concentrations of 0-5% and noting the regions of maximal absorbance. Absorbance values of the wavelength regions 3700-2400 & 1900-750 cm−1 and a partial least squares (PLS) method were used to derive calibration models for Hamid cottonseed oil, Seeni-1 cottonseed oil, and gossypol-spiked RBDPO. The coefficients of determination (R2) for the calibration models were computed for the FTIR spectroscopy results against those found by using the wet chemical method AOCS method Ba 8–78. The R2 was 0.8916, 0.9581, and 0.9374 for Hamid cottonseed oil, Seeni-1 cottonseed oil, and gossypol-spiked RBDPO, respectively. The standard error (SE) of the calibration was 0.053, 0.078, and 0.062, respectively. The calibration models were validated using the cross-validation technique within the same set of oil samples. The results of FTIR spectroscopy as a useful technique determining gossypol content in crude cottonseed oil showed that there is a significant difference (p <0.05) in the amount of gossypol content in Hamid and Bt Seeni-1 cottonseed oils

Effect of Giving Celecoxib on Uric Acid Level on Mice

Celecoxib is a breakthrough for pain relievers under the trade name Celebrex®, which is a Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory drug with its activity as an analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory. The purpose of this study was to find out the effect of celecoxib on blood uric acid levels of female white mice was induced with fresh cow liver extract. Experimental animals were divided into five groups, namely the control group (-), the control group (+) and the three dose groups, respectively 0.26, 0.52 and 1.04 mg/20 g. Observations were made on 7, 14 and 21 days with the Enzymatic Photometric method. The results showed that administration of celecoxib suspension at a dose of 0.26, 0.52 and 1.04 mg/20 g did not affect blood uric acid levels when compared with controls (P> 0.05)

Determination of Antiradical Activity, Total Phenolic, and Total Flavonoid Contents of Extracts and Fractions of Langsat (Lansium domesticum Coor.) Seeds

Lansium domesticum Coor. is a fruit species from the Meliaceae family, which is a tropical plant native to Southeast Asia. Local citizens call it langsat, longkong, or duku and have used it as traditional medicine. The seeds of L. domesticum are used as a fever medicine, its bark is used to treat scorpion sting, and its leaves are used to repel mosquitoes. Because of its various uses, it is necessary to explore the antiradical potential of L. domesticum seeds. This study aims to determine the antiradical potential of L. domesticum seeds extract and fractions by using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method and to discover compounds that act as antiradical. Lansium domesticum seed powder was macerated with methanol, and then the extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator and fractionated by n-hexane and ethyl acetate. The antiradical assay was conducted on extract and fractions by using DPPH radicals. Phenolic and flavonoid contents from extract and fractions were also tested. The ethyl acetate fraction obtained strong antiradical potential with an IC50 value of 8.938 ± 0.031 µg/mL. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of ethyl acetate fraction were higher with values ​​of 58.25 ± 0.501 mgGAE/g sample and 75.123 ± 0.175 mgQE/g sample, respectively. Correlation of phenolic and flavonoid contents, which inhibited radicals had R2 values ​​of 0.9182 and 0.7658. Ethyl acetate fraction of L. domesticum seeds had very strong antiradical activity. Further isolation is expected to be conducted to discover which compounds are the most responsible as antiradical

Immunomodulator Activity of Effervescent Granule of Wualae Fruit (Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M. Smith) Based on Specific Phagocytic Activity

The previous study reported that Etlingera elatior (Wualae) has activity as immunostimulant with dose at 300 mg/kg BW and 400 mg/kg BW. Formulating natural product into effervescent granule (GE) can increase practicality and interest to consume traditional medicine. This study aims to investigate the immunostimulant activity of Wualae ethanolic extract in the effervescent granule. Wualae was macerated with ethanol then formulated into effervescent granule at dose 300 mg/kgBW and 400 mg/kgBW. Formulations were evaluated. Animals were divided into 4 groups and treated with: group I (positive control); group II (negative control); group III (GE dose at 300mg/kgBW); and group IV (GE at dose 400mg/kgBW) for 7 days and at days 8, groups were infected by Staphylococcus aureus intraperitoneally. Immunostimulant activity was measured by calculating the Specific Phagocytic Activity (SPA) of macrophage. Data collected from the evaluation and measurement of the SPA then analyzed using SPSS. Results from the evaluation were considered good except the moisture content of effervescent granule. Results from SPA was found that effervescent granule at dose 300 mg/kgBW and at dose 400 mg/kgBW have 26.33% and 32.5% consecutively with significance 0.02 (p<0.05). Thus, effervescent granule has comparable phagocytosis activity with positive control