ABSTRACT
Objective: To study toxicity, anti-diabetic and cardiovascular effects of hydro-ethanolic extracts of Parinari curatellifolia seed extract and Aristolochia vogelii roots extract and (1:1) mixture of the above two extracts. Materials and Methods: Twenty Wister strain albino rats were randomly assigned to four groups; A, B, C and D with each consisting of five animals received extracts as follows: Group I, P. curatellifolia and A. vogelli mixture (1:1) (500 mg/kg bwt); Group II, A. vogelli (500 mg/kg bwt); Group III, P. curatellifolia seed extract (500 mg/kg bwt); Group IV, 0.5 ml (2% w/v) acacia solution and served as control. After 30 min, the animals were each administered orally with 40% (w/v) glucose at a dose of 1ml /100 g bwt. Blood glucose levels were then monitored at 30, 60, and 120 min. intervals and reported as the average glucose level of each group. Another set of twenty five rats (diabetic rats) were randomly distributed into five groups of five animals each while the additional sixth group was the positive control consisting of five normal rats. Treatments were as follows: Group I, diabetic treated with A. vogelli at a dose of 500 mg/kg bwt; Group II, diabetic treated with P. curatellifolia at a dose of 500 mg/kg bwt; Group III, diabetic treated with glibenclamide 600μg /kg bwt; Group IV, diabetic treated with mixture of Parinari curatellifolia and A. vogelli (1:1) (500 mg/kg bwt); Group V, diabetic untreated (control negative) while group VI was the positive control. Results: A significant reduction in postprandial sugar level was observed after 30 min in all treatments. The extracts individually and in combined form also showed effective decrease in plasma glucose levels on the diabetic rats. There were significant reductions (p<0.05) in low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol levels and significant increase (p<0.05) in high density lipoprotein (HDL)–cholesterol in the treated diabetic group compared to the negative control. Furthermore, significant reductions in aspartate aminotransferases (AST) and alanine aminotransferases (ALT) levels were observed in the treated diabetic animals compared to the untreated. Also significant reduction in the creatinine and increase in the protein levels respectively were observed in the treated diabetic groups. Conclusion: The results showed that the respective extracts and the extract mixture had both good hypoglycaemic activity and beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors.
ABSTRACT
Background: Many patients on admission have limited mobility and need physical examination by the clinical team. Ward rounds serve as an avenue for health professionals to meet and develop an integrated plan of care for the inpatients. Lack of representation for certain professional groups; including pharmacy; may adversely affect the range of opinions and therapies for patients. Objective: The study evaluates pharmacist's perception of and participation in post-admission ward rounds; at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). Method: All the 60 pharmacists covering various units of pharmaceutical services were administered a forty-two element structured questionnaire. Fifty (83.3) pharmacists completed the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyse the collated data. Results: Pharmacists had positive perception of their participation in ward rounds; some of whom were already involved in the exercise on a low scale. Peer reviews of patients' cases were frequently conducted and were usually dominated by the medical staff. The clinical role of the pharmacists is not clearly defined in respect to ward round. Their current impact in patient care activities during ward round is not significant. Conclusion: Pharmacists should be scheduled to participate actively in ward rounds; peer reviews and other professional activities; for optimum patient care. The hospital authorities should optimise the involvement of pharmacists in the paradigm shift towards pharmaceutical care; with a view to minimizing prescribing errors; cost of drugs and length of hospital stay. The use of preceptors should be explored