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Aim:For centuries, plant and plant products have played a pivotal role in medication. This study evaluated the effect of aqueous extract of black seed (Nigella sativa) and uziza leaf (Piperguineense)on electrolytes, urea and creatinine of Wistar rats. Materials and Methods:Twenty-five Wistar rats were used for the study; the rats were arranged into five groups with five rats each. Sucrose and margarine were used to induce hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia respectively on the rats with the exception of the rats in the positive control group. The rats in the negative control were induced using the sucrose and margarine but were not treated using the aqueous extracts. The rats in the uziza group were treated with 2ml of uziza aqueous leaf extract, while the rats in the black seed group were treated with 2ml of black seed aqueous extract. The rats in the black seed & uziza leaf group were treated with 2ml of the combined aqueous extract. Results:The results showed that the extracts had a decreasing effect which was time dependent on the electrolytes. The highest decrease was obtained on the third week of feeding compared to the control (P=.05).The sodium levels (mmol/L) showed for the negative control (198.23 ± 1.96), positive control (108.15 ± 1.60), uziza leaf (98.28 ± 4.17), black seed (101.67 ± 4.24), black seed & uziza (90.83 ± 2.14). The decrease for potassium levels (mEq/L) showed for the negative control (0.90 ± 0.06), positive control (0.05 ± 0.10), uziza leaf (0.07 ± 0.18), black seed (0.06 ± 0.19), black seed & Uziza (0.05 ± 0.10). Furthermore, the extracts also had a reducing effect on urea and creatinine levels with the highest reduction obtained on the third week (p=0.05). The urea levels (mmol/L) showed for the negative control (26.84 ± 0.05), positive control (15.15 ± 1.20), uziza leaf (12.83 ± 0.98), black seed (12.16 ± 2.01), black seed & uziza (11.48 ± 1.78). The extracts also decreased creatinine levels (mmol/L) with the negative control (284.58 ± 0.33), positive control (182.73 ± 3.67), uziza leaf (194.16 ± 18.30), black seed (167.34 ± 14.66), black seed & uziza (174.46 ± 10.66). Conclusion:The extracts significantly decreased the elevated electrolytes levels and therefore uzizaleaf and black seed can be used to restore kidney function.
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Aim: To determine the pattern of bone metastasis in breast cancer patients. Study Design: Retrospective case series Place and Duration of Study: Data were collected at Eko Hospital radiotherapy facility, Lagos, Nigeria, between years 2006 and 2011. Methodology: A total of 67 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer from 2006 to 2011 treated at a radiotherapy facility were analysed to describe the pattern of bone metastasis. Radiological imaging included chest X-ray, X-rays of the bone, bone scan, and Computed Tomography scan (CT scan). Result: Of the 67 eligible breast cancer patients, one is male and 66 are female. The average age of the patients was 46 years old, ranging from 28 to 77 year old. Among the 67 patients who received radiotherapy, 58 (87%) have bone metastases. The most common sites of bone metastases are spine (61%), pelvis (22%), and long bones (22%). Among the 32 patients without metastasis at presentation, the median duration from diagnosis to onset of symptoms of bone metastasis was 16.5 months, ranging from 5 to 38 months. Thirty-one patients had osteoblastic lesions, 24 patients had osteolytic lesions, and 2 patients had mixed osteolytic and osteoblastic lesions. Conclusion: Bone metastasis remains common and incurable. Early recognition and better description of bone relapse patterns of metastatic breast disease will allow rapid administration of effective palliative treatment.
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Compact -forming ability of a multi-component paracetamol tablet formulations with varying amounts of modified Maize Starch incorporated as external disintegrant was studied with a view to know the influence of the increase on compaction characteristics and the quality of resulting tablets. Three formulations coded B-1, B-2 and B-3 with similar constituents but varying amount of modified Maize starch were designed and prepared by wet granulation process to yield granules that were compacted into tablets. Data and information were collected from out-of-die method; using hand operated tablet press at 5 predetermined pressures and fitted into Heckel plots. Compaction behaviours and mechanical properties of the tablets were evaluated. The three formulations showed consolidation by deformation but at different levels. Sample B-3 which has highest concentration of modified Maize starch seemed to perform on the average better than B-2 and B-1. Mean yield pressure vindicated the ease of compression of granules to be B-3 > B-1 > B-2. It is inferred that modified Maize starch could be used to moderate the compaction characteristics of pharmaceutical agglomerates and mechanical properties of resulting tablets. Lower values of yield pressure, constant A, and relative density of B-3 justified the increase in concentration to be beneficial to the formulation. B-3 had highest concentration of modified Maize starch and showed less resistance to consolidation, decrease in granules fragmentation and fast onset of deformation
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OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the antiplasmodial activity of the extracts of Phyllanthus amarus (P. amarus) on Plasmodium yoelii (P. yoelii) (a resistant malaria parasite strain used in animal studies) infection in mice.@*METHODS@#The aqueous and ethanol extracts of the whole plant of Phyllanthus amarus was administered to Swiss albino mice at doses of 200 mg/kg/day, 400 mg/kg/day, 800 mg/kg/day and 1600 mg/kg/day and the prophylactic and chemotherapeutic effect of the extracts against P. yoelii infection in mice was investigated and compared with those of standard antimalaria drugs used in the treatment of malaria parasite infection. Acute toxicity test was carried out in mice to determine the safety of the plant extract when administered orally.@*RESULTS@#The results showed that the extracts demonstrated a dose-dependent prophylactic and chemotherapeutic activity with the aqueous extracts showing slightly higher effect than the ethanol extract. The antiplasmodial effects of the extracts were comparable to the standard prophylactic and chemotherapeutic drugs used in chloroquine resistant Plasmodium infection although the activity depended on the dose of the extract administered. The extracts showed prophylactic effect by significantly delaying the onset of infection with the suppression of 79% at a dose of 1600 mg/kg/day.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The results obtained indicate that the extracts of the whole plant of P. amarus possess repository and chemotherapeutic effects against resistant strains of P. yoelii in Swiss albino mice. The findings justify the use of the extract of P. amarus in traditional medicine practice, for the treatment of malaria infections.
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Male , Mice , Antimalarials , Pharmacology , Capsules , Chemistry, Pharmaceutical , Chemoprevention , Methods , Disease Models, Animal , Malaria , Drug Therapy , Parasitology , Phyllanthus , Chemistry , Plant Extracts , Pharmacology , Plasmodium yoeliiABSTRACT
Fierce price competition informed the reappraisal and reformulation of paracetamol tablet. Sodium starch glycolate [SSG] was implicated in the high cost and needed to be replaced. The use of modified maize starch [MMS] produced by cold, dilute acid hydrolysis of maize starch [MS] offered good and cheaper alternative. Evaluation of different disintegrants using 5 batch formulations coded SSG-3, MS-3, MMS-3, MMS-6 and MMS-9 and characterization of resultant tablets showed that interchanging SSG with MMS resulted in no deleterious therapeutic consequences. Inclusion of 6% MMS in the paracetamol formulation gave tablets that exhibited good mechanical and dissolution properties comparable to the tablets produced with 3% sodium starch glycolate. Indeed, at 95% confidence level, t-test which compares the p-value [?0.05] of dissolution of the batch formulations returned values of 0.000056 for MS-3, 0.0182 for MMS-3, 0.0965 for MMS-6 and 0.1433 for MMS-9. The values confirmed the significant differences between batch SSG-3 and batches MS-3 and MMS-3 and no difference of any significance in batches MMS-6 and MMS-9. Hence MS and MMS at 3% level can not effectively replace SSG at 3% level. The poor friability [1.12%] as well as higher disintegration time [16 minutes, 54 seconds], both higher than official limits of<1% and ?15 minutes respectively, would not also allow the use of MMS at 3 and 9% level as substitutes for 3% SSG. Thus, only MMS at 6% inclusion level can interchange with SSG 3%. Cost-benefit analysis showed that over 9% cost reduction is achieved by the replacement without compromising both physical and chemical qualities of the resultant tablets which include mean dissolution time [MDT] 50% of 4.5 minutes and dissolution of 103.87% in 30 minutes