In vitro comparative quality evaluation of different brands of carbamazepine tablets commercially available in Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Good-quality drugs that fulfill the regulatory parameters and are produced per the current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) standards are very critical for the best therapeutic outcomes. However, the variety of branded drugs circulation in the market often put clinicians and pharmacists in a difficult situation of choice due to the possibility of interchangeability among brands, so we should ascertain the quality of the various brands of drugs, available in the drug market. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the quality and physicochemical equivalence of six brands of carbamazepine tablets that are commercially available in Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia. METHODS: An experimental study design was used. Six different brands of carbamazepine tablets were purchased from community pharmacies in Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia, which were selected using simple random sampling methods. Identification, weight variation, friability, hardness, disintegration, dissolution test, and assay for the content of active ingredients were evaluated according to the procedures described in the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and British Pharmacopeia (BP), and the results were compared with USP and BP standards. The difference (f1) and similarity (f2) factors were calculated to assess in vitro bioequivalence requirements. RESULTS: The identification test results revealed that all samples contained the stated active pharmaceutical ingredients and all brands of carbamazepine tablets complied with the official specification for weight variation, friability, and hardness tests. The percentage concentration of carbamazepine was found in the range of 97.85 to 102.09, which met the USP specification of 92% to 108% of the stated amount. Similarly, all samples fulfilled disintegration time (i.e., ≤ 30 min) except brand CA1 (34.183 min) and dissolution tolerance limits (i.e., Q ≥ 75% at 60 min), which was found in the range of 91.673% -97.124%. The difference factor (f1) values were < 15 and the similarity factor (f2) values were > 50 for all the tested brands of carbamazepine tablets. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that all brands of carbamazepine 200 mg tablets met the quality control parameters as per pharmacopoeial specifications except the disintegration test of brand CA1, and could be used each brand interchangeably to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

Case-control study of human anthrax outbreak investigation in farta woreda, South Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacteria, which is one of the top five important livestock diseases and the second top priority zoonotic disease, next to rabies, in Ethiopia, which remains a major problem for animals and public health in Ethiopia. This study was conducted to verify the existence of the outbreak, determine risk factors, and implement measures to control the anthrax outbreak in Farta woreda, South Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia in 2019. METHODS: A community-based case-control study was conducted from March 25 to April 1, 2019. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and for review of documents and discussion with livestock and health office staff. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS and presented in tables and graphs. RESULTS: A total of 20 human anthrax cases with an attack rate of 2.5 per 1000 population were reported from the affected kebele. The age of the cases ranged from 1 month to 65 years (median age = 37.5 years). Of the total cases, 66.7% were male and 77.8% were 15 and older. The probability of developing anthrax among people who had unvaccinated animals was higher than in those who didn't have unvaccinated animals with an AOR = 8.113 (95% CI 1.685-39.056) and the probability of getting anthrax in relation to people's awareness of anthrax was AOR = 0.114 (95% CI 0.025-0.524). CONCLUSION: An anthrax outbreak occurred in Wawa Mengera Kebele of Farta woreda. The presence of unvaccinated animals in a household was found to be a risk factor for anthrax cases. Timely animal vaccination and strengthening health education on the vaccination of animals, mode of transmission, and disposal of dead animals are essential for preventing anthrax cases.

Determination of the Level of Heavy Metals in the Selected Cereals from Debre Markos Local Market, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Background: Environmental contamination by heavy metals has become a worldwide problem in recent years because of industrial and agricultural development which causes cereal crop contamination via their wastes. The presence of toxic heavy metals in cereal crops accumulate in the body for a prolonged period of time which poses acute and chronic health risks. The aim of the study was to assess the level of heavy metals in selected cereals sold at Debre Markos local market, in Ethiopia. Methods: The samples were prepared for analysis by using the dry ashing method, and their cadmium, lead, chromium, and copper contents were analyzed by using microwave-induced plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES) and were expressed in mgkg-1 dry weight. The accuracy of the method was analyzed by the spike recovery test. Results: The percentage recovery for Cr, Cu, Pb, and Cd in each sample ranged from 85.6 to 112.8%. The levels of heavy metals (mean ± SD) were as follows: chromium, 2.20 ± 0.072, 2.22 ± 0.061, 1.57 ± 0.48, and 1.84 ± 0.26; copper, 2.94 ± 0.19, 2.31 ± 0.06, 1.28 ± 0.13, 1.52 ± 0.035, and 2.31 ± 0.06; lead, 0.49 ± 0.031, 0.34 ± 0.121, 0.52 ± 0.029, and 0.37 ± 0.15; and cadmium, 2.01 ± 1.73, 1.84 ± 1.60, 1.95 ± 1.69, and 1.93 ± 1.67 for barley, teff, wheat, and maize, respectively. This study revealed that the levels of Cr and Cu are generally below the permissible limit. However, the levels of Pb and Cd in all cereal samples were found to be above the permissible limit set by FAO/WHO, 0.2 and 0.1 mg kg-1, respectively. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that most of the analyzed crops contained unsafe levels of lead and cadmium that exceeded the WHO permissible limits. Therefore, regular monitoring of these toxic metals in cereal crops should be carried out to prevent heavy metal toxicity associated with the consumption of some cereal crops marketed in the Debre Markos local market, Ethiopia.