Standardization of crude drugs is a code of conduct and an essential need of the time. Substitution and adulteration now become a widespread practice, which makes the global crude drug market unsafe for crude drugs depending on the world population. Moreover, crude drug evaluation is not easy because numerous influential factors affect the bio-efficacy and reproducibility of therapeutic effects. The broad spectrum of standardization ensures the correct substance in the proper amount for desired therapeutic effects. It also provides all possible careful measures taken from collection and manufacturing to drug dispensing for clinical application. The authors have tried to cover precise tools for crude drug standardization in the present review.
During the last few years, the pharmacy profession has expanded significantly in terms of professional services delivery and now has been recognized as an important profession in the multidisciplinary provision of health care. The paper highlights the current scenario of The Pharmacy profession in the health care system. The pharmacist is a backbone that strengthens to the health care system. Different roles of Pharmacist in different sectors of the pharmacy profession like Industrial, academics, community health, clinical research, drug design and discovery, developing NDDS etc. In nutshell, pharmacist plays an integral part in the health care system. “Physician gives medicine to the patients but life to the medicine given by pharmacist”. Role of Pharmacist in Health Care System
Vitamin D deficiency and its effect have attracted a considerable research interest due to its relation to glucose homeostasis, insulin secretion, sensitivity and synthesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate vitamin D levels in patients with type II diabetes mellitus aged between 35 - 65 years and investigating their relations with glycemic control and obesity. The study included 74 Libyan patients with known history of type II diabetes mellitus (33 males and 41 females). Serum glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and vitamin D levels were biochemically estimated in these patients. Further, body mass index (BMI) was calculated for all the diabetic patients (weight in kilogram per height in meter square). The mean level of plasma glucose level was 150.58 ± 63.82 mg/dl (mean ± SD). The mean of HbA1c level was 7.90 ± 8.48% (mean ± SD). The mean level of vitamin D was 22.7 5 ± 14.97 ng/ml. The mean of BMI was 26.55 ± 4.10 Kg per m2. The findings showed that 58.10% of the cases had vitamin D deficiency (Out of which 24.24% were males and 85.36% were females). This study showed statistical significance differences in glucose, HbA1c, vitamin D and BMI between male and female patients. Moreover, elderly ages for both sexes had adverse effects on vitamin D status. Vitamin D levels have negatively been correlated with levels of glucose, HbA1c and BMI. It is concluded that vitamin D deficiency has an adverse effect on glucose homeostasis in patients with type II diabetes mellitus and this can be a contributor risk factor in complications of type II diabetes mellitus development in Libyan patients.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Cryopreservation is a process that preserves intact living cells, tissues or any other biological constructs by cooling and storing the samples to very low temperatures in order to maintain their viability and to save them for future use. At very low temperatures, enzymatic and chemical activities that may cause harm to the biological material are effectively stopped. Cryopreservation methods look to reach very low temperatures without causing further harm caused by the creation of ice crystals during freezing. Cryopreservation human samples for storage including variety of diseases such as cancer, genetic and degenerative disorders and bio-banking. This review aims to describe and highlight dimethyl sulfoxide in cryopreservation. Dimethyl sulfoxide is a non-toxic solvent and is one of the most commonly used pharmaceutical agent with a varied range of pharmacological actions including membrane penetration, anti-inflammatory effects and local analgesia as well as weak bacteriostatic. The main use of dimethyl sulfoxide is a vehicle for some drugs to enhancing the action of the drug and helping penetration of other drugs into the skin. However, dimethyl sulfoxide has been the cryopreservative agent of choice in situation to its exceptional performance in mitigating freezing-related damages. It is frequently used in cell banking applications as a cryoprotectant. When added to media, it prevents intracellular and extracellular crystals from forming in cells during the freezing process. There has been a concern over the toxicity of dimethyl sulfoxide and its potential side effects in different highly concentration after administration to patients. Therefore, there has been growing demand for robust dimethyl sulfoxide for cryopreservation method that can improve safety and maintain potency and efficacy
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
This work was focused on identification and evaluation of process parameters of modified nanoprecipitation method, for fabrication of lomustine nanoparticles, with the aim of reducing cancer cell viability at low concentration of lomustine. The parameters controlling particle size, mostly in nanosize, were solvent/nonsolvent composition and emulsification speed of homogenizer along with aqueous phase volume. This controlled particle size is below 250 nm. The stabilizer concentration controlled particle size is within 68 nm ± 0.89 to 137 ± 0.94 nm with PDI 0.06 ± 0.008 to 0.25 ± 0.001. But, the stabilizer addition mode showed more uniform size distribution with PDI 0.085 ± 0.004. Entrapment efficiency was maintained well above 47 ± 0.23%. The drug release pattern was monophasic with controlled release over 24 hrs. In the method used, drug content was affected by ratio of polymer to drug to organic solvent, as well as homogenization speed and time. Percentage viable cells of L132 human lung cancer cell line remained, were only 5% at 100 μg/ml lomustine equivalent PLA nanoparticles.
COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China a few months ago (December 2019) and had since become a major challenging public health problem for not only China but also many countries around the world. It was on March 11, 2020, characterized by WHO as a pandemic. The pandemic so far has killed more than 526,465 people and infected more than 11,046,917 people around the world as of 05 July 2020. Nigeria currently has 28,167 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 11,462 (40%) discharged, 16,071 (57%) currently receiving treatment at designated facilities across the country and unfortunately 634 (3%) deaths as at the time of writing this manuscript. As far as the authors are aware, there are little or no work carried out on the implications of COVID-19 on dental practices in Nigeria. Recently, COVID-19 was identified in saliva of infected patients and so transmission via aerosols and splatter generated during dental procedures is sure. To limit exposure, there was a need to avoid scheduling patients except for emergency dental care during this outbreak. This limitation on activities of the dental sector has a very huge impact on the economy of the sector as it has already resulted in serious monetary implications for dental practices worldwide. While dental practices in the high-income countries are getting help from their respective Government, those in the middle and low-income countries like Nigeria have been left to wallow in bankruptcy without support. The authors highly recommend that the Government of these neglected countries, step up and support dental practices that are on the brink of closing down due to the low turnout of patients to their practice during this outbreak.
The aim of the paper is to evaluate the association of organic farming to strengthen the sustainability of organic agriculture. Organic agriculture shows abundant benefits, as it reduces many of the environmental impacts of conventional agriculture, it can increase efficiency in small farmers’ fields, and it reduces reliance on costly external inputs, and guarantees price premiums for organic products. Organic farmers also profit from farmer cooperative and the formation of social networks, which enhances good access to instruction, credit and welfare services. This paper brings out how the function of organic farming contributes for the sustainable practices and improving environment conservation, animal welfare, and product quality.
The ability of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for effective binding to multiple target microbes has drawn lots of attention as an alternative to antibodies for detecting whole bacteria. We investigated pathogenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection by applying a microfluidic based biosensing device embedded with AMP-labeled beads. According to a new channel design, our device is reusable by the repeated operation of detection and regeneration modes, and the binding rate is more enhanced due to even distribution of the bacterial suspension inside the chamber by implementing influx side channels. We observed higher binding affinity of pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 for AMP-labeled beads than nonpathogenic E. coli DH5α, and the fluorescence intensity of pathogenic E. coli was about 3.4 times higher than the nonpathogenic one. The flow rate of bacterial suspension should be applied above a certain level for stronger binding and rapid detection by attaining a saturation level of detection within a short time of less than 20 min. A possible improvement in the limit of detection in the level of 10 cells per mL for E. coli O157:H7 implies that the AMP-labeled beads have high potential for the sensitive detection of pathogenic E. coli at an appropriate flow rate.
Background: Many individuals today use herbs as a drug alongside medicine and non-physician-recommended medications, as herbs are thought to be natural and safe. However, many herbs can potentially interact with other drugs, causing hazardous effects and diminished therapeutic effects of different prescriptions. Objective: It ought to be comprehended that herbal drugs contain multiple active compounds in different percentages, which can change the enzymatic frameworks, transporters, and physiological processes. Methods: Data on pharmacokinetic drug interactions with herbal products were searched using different search engines, such as Google Scholar, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. Results: This worldwide increment in herbal drug popularity has risen concerning HDIs. These PD or PK interactions are particularly significant for medications. Assessment of herbal drug interactions is complex because of inconsistency in herbal drug composition and frequently meagre information on active constituent pharmacokinetics. These restrictions are further bewildered by the differing points of view concerning herbal product regulation. Conclusion: It is concluded that a basic assessment of certain pharmacokinetic HDI is needed to settle on educated choices regarding patient safety. The expanding comprehension of HDPKI will direct more attention to potential interactions.
Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare and new but increasingly recognized immune-mediated fibroinflammatory condition known to affect multiple organs. The diagnostic approach is challenging, as there is no single investigation to confirm the diagnosis, which requires the integration of clinical, biochemical, and radiographic manifestations with classic histopathologic features to establish the diagnosis. The histology of IgG4-RD is determined by a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, storiform fibrosis, and obliterative phlebitis in the presence of an increased level of IgG4 in most patients. The first line of treatment is systemic glucocorticoids, but adverse effects of the drug, suboptimal response, and disease recurrences on reduction or termination of therapy highlight the need for an alternative therapy such as rituximab, which appears to be a promising alternate agent in the treatment of IgG4-RD; however, its efficacy needs to be evaluated in large clinically controlled trials.
HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia continue to increase and have spread to all provinces in Indonesia. Bandung is one of the cities with a high number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia. As one of the areas with the highest number of reported HIV cases, the Bandung city government seeks prevention and treatment through the role of existing stakeholders. However, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV & AIDS, now referred to as PLHIV, are still found and are difficult to eliminate. People diagnosed as contaminated with the HIV & AIDS virus often get a negative stigma. This study aims to analyze how to remove the stigma and discrimination of people with HIV/AIDS through the role of civil society. The research results show that stigma against HIV is often directed at certain minority groups and is often associated with morals and religion. Meanwhile, discrimination against people with HIV is manifested in violations of individual rights in the economic, social, and cultural spheres. The issue of stigma and discrimination against PLWHA has not received serious attention. Therefore, the role of civil society is very important because it can open a dialogue with the community regarding HIV/AIDS to dispel myths that tend to discriminate against PLHIV.
By January 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 has spread internationally to a pandemic that mainly targets the respiratory system. The relevant infectious disease has been identified as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) by World Health Organization and declared as a global pandemic. In Libya, National Center for Disease Control reported the first case of coronavirus disease-2019 on 24th March, 2020. The authorities decided to close borders and activate designated treatment centers to deal with COVID-19 cases and contain the outbreak of SARS-COV-2. This study aimed to assess and evaluate the pharmaceutical situation of medications used in pharmacological management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Tripoli, Libya. Three WHO availability indicators were selected to be studied and reported. A comprehensive list of medicines used in the management of hospitalized COVID-19 patients was constructed after reviewing and comparing seven national and international pharmacological management protocols and guidelines for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This comparison revealed that nearly 50 medications are intended for use in COVID-19 inpatient pharmacological management. They all agreed about the use of three medications, representing one from each main class. This list was used to cross check their availability at the chosen designated COVID-19 treatment center. This study proved that local treatment center’s protocol is more in line with international guidelines than the national treatment guideline. The later was issued on March 2020. The Libyan National Essential Medicines’ List contained 25 out of 50 medications of the comprehensive list based on the last update in April 2019. This study recommends that national treatment guidelines and National Essential Medicines’ list require updating. Not all medications used in COVID-19 inpatient management were available in local treatment centers, although, the Emergency Management Department of Ministry of Health in Libya is responsible for the supply of the required medical supplies and medications to the COVID-19 treatment centers.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences
Cancer is one of the most extreme medical conditions in both developing and developed countries around the world, causing millions of deaths each year. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy are critical treatment approaches, but both have numerous adverse health effects. Furthermore, the resistance of cancerous cells to anticancer medication leads to treatment failure. The rising burden of cancer overall requires novel, efficacious treatment modalities. Natural medications offer feasible alternative options against malignancy in contrast to western medicines. Furanocoumarins’ defensive and restorative impacts have been observed in leukemia, glioma, breast, lung, renal, liver, colon, cervical, ovarian, and prostate malignancies. Experimental findings have shown that furanocoumarins activate multiple signalling pathways, leading to apoptosis, autophagy, antioxidant, antimetastatic, and cell cycle arrest in malignant cells. Additionally, furanocoumarins have been shown to have chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic synergistic potential when used in combination with other anticancer drugs. Here, we address different pathways which are activated by furanocoumarins and their therapeutic efficacy in various tumors. Ideally, this review will trigger interest in furanocoumarins and their potential efficacy and safety as cancer-lessening agents.
The identification of isomorphism in epicyclic gear trains has been found a lot of attention by researchers for the last few years. Various methods have been suggested by different authors for the detection of isomorphism in planer kinematic chains and epicyclic gear trains (EGTs), but everyone has found some difficulties to address new issues. In this paper, a modified path matrix approach was presented in order to compare all the distinct geared kinematic mechanisms. A new method based on the matrix approach and corresponding train values is required to identify isomorphism among epicyclic gear trains and their mechanisms. The proposed method was examined on the basis of various examples from four-link, five-link, six links, and eight-link one-degree-of-freedom EGTs and six links two-degree-of-freedom EGTs. All the examples have been found satisfactory results with existing literature.
Background: This manuscript presents an audit focused on assessing the extent of drug wastage and associated costs linked to the disposal of unused intravenous agents within the operating theatres of a tertiary care hospital. The study aims to carefully look at drug wastage, figure out why it happens, and propose strategies for optimizing resource utilization and cost-efficiency in clinical settings. Materials and Methods: This audit is a prospective observational study carried out in a tertiary care hospital. The amount of drug loaded preoperatively, the amount of drug utilized, the amount of drug unutilized and discarded, the total quantity of drug wasted, and the cost related to the wastage were calculated in percentage. Results: The maximum wastage of loaded drugs was seen with atropine (100%), followed by ephedrine (93.6%), propofol (52.5%), phenylephrine (35.2%), atracurium (28.6%), dexmedetomidine (27.8%), fentanyl (16.8%), vecuronium (16.2%) and morphine (6.4%). The cost analysis revealed that 36.3% of the total loaded drugs were wasted amounting to Rs.46903.54. The cost of wastage of propofol was maximum with Rs.14006 which is 29.8% of total cost wastage followed by atracurium 21%(Rs.9856), dexmedetomidine 18.4%(Rs.8687.5), ephedrine 14.7%(Rs.6919), phenylephrine 10.4%(Rs.4910), fentanyl 3.7%(Rs.1780), atropine 1.9% (Rs.906), vecuronium 1.2% (Rs.563.76), Morphine 0.18% (Rs.85.28). Conclusion: In our audit, the maximum drug wastage was observed with atropine (100%) amounting to Rs.906, and the cost of wastage was maximum with propofol amounting to Rs.14006 which was 29.8% of the total cost of wastage. Our audit underscores the importance of proactive management of drug wastage and disposal costs in healthcare settings, particularly within operating theatres where intravenous agents play a crucial role in patient treatment. By conducting a comprehensive audit and proposing targeted interventions, healthcare institutions can optimize resource utilization, enhance sustainability, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
Influenza A virus presents a significant public health burden worldwide, with the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic being the most dramatic example. Swine influenza viruses can be transmitted to humans through occupational exposures and in live pig markets. Novel variants can emerge in pigs because they can be infected by human, avian and swine strains. This study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence and serotypes of swine influenza in pigs from a major slaughter slab in southern Kaduna. Using competitive ELISA and haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assays, 305 swine sera were analysed. The result showed an overall seroprevalence of 28.20% (n=86), with H3N2 7.87% (n=24) emerging as the most dominant subtype in circulation. Concurrent antibody detection of H1N1 in 5.26% (n=16) was also detected in boar 2.62% (n=8) and sows 2.62% (n=8). This study revealed swine Influenza H1N1 and H3N2 serotypes are in circulation in pigs in Kaduna State, and that reassortment in the instance of co-infection of swine host is possible.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a microangiopathic thrombotic disease, which is classified into atypical, typical, and secondary types. Thrombocytopenia, acute kidney failure, and hemolysis are the main features of HUS regardless of its type. Infection with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli causes typical HUS, and gene mutations trigger atypical HUS, while secondary HUS is associated with bone marrow transplantation, autoimmunity, cancer, and other diseases. New insights into the pathogenesis of HUS have emerged over the past decades, suggesting an important role of the complement system in disease pathogenesis, which has been reinforced by the efficacy of plasma exchange and monoclonal antibodies in its treatment. In this review, we performed an updated review of HUS with a focus on understanding its pathogenesis.
Development of Human Resources is being given due importance by all the organizations as it aims at developing all the employees of an organization in a planned manner to acquire, sharpen and apply their existing capabilities as well as their inner potentials. HRD is a total system in which its various mechanisms are embedded together to act as an integrated unit. No sub-system can work in isolation. The researches show that the working of each sub-system has its impact on other subsystems e.g. Performance appraisal is basis for assessing training needs, career planning etc. Training is useful tool for increasing individual efciency. It is also a part of employee welfare and is used for promotions. Implementing these HRD sub-systems helps in developing a climate in the organization where the people collaborate with each other; respect and trust others and work as a team. This, in turn, develops a highly positive and motivated workforce which enables the organization to achieve its goals. Human being is a creature composed of heredity and environment and creates values for their own. In the context, during the interactions with others, the values manifest spontaneously. Human beings are tempted by all kinds of emotions, impulses, instincts, prejudices, wishful thinking, hopes, fears, desires, and almost everything.
Therapeutic nucleic acids demand specificity and accuracy in design as well as delivery strategies used in replacement or silencing of the target gene. Gene therapy is believed to be the therapy in which the root cause of the diseases can be treated at the molecular level. Generally gene therapy helps in the identification of the origin of the disorder instead of using drugs to diminish or control the symptoms. The application of nucleic acids to treat and control diseases is known as “gene therapy.” Gene therapy consists on the substitution or addition of a functional gene into the nucleus of a living cell, in order to treat a disease or repair a dysfunction, caused by this gene failure. This therapy is used to correct defective genes, which are responsible for genetic diseases. Thus, gene therapy can be used to prevent, treat or regulate hereditary or acquired disorders, by the production of therapeutic proteins. The gene therapy is mediated by the use of viral and non-viral vectors to transport foreign genes into somatic cells to restorative defective genes. This review focuses on viral vectors in detail.
It is with more sorrow and tremendous sadness we remember the death of our colleague the Libyan pharmacist, professor Mokhtar Ramadan Haman, at his home in Tripoli, Libya after long-suffering from brain cancer. He died on 02, February 2017 and his immaculate corpse was buried on the following day at the Souk-Al-Ahad cemetery, Bin Ghashir Palace. Professor Haman, was born in Tripoli, Libya, on January 1, 1957. He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1981 at the University of Tripoli and his Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy in 1989 at Cardiff University, UK.
Mediterranean journal of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences