Integrating descriptive, functional and cooperative aspects in a domain ontology to computerize home care charts.

To coordinate themselves, home care (HC) professionals use artifacts to keep a mutual understanding on their common activity: lightly structured charts written in natural language. Instead of trying to define a record to capture them, we want to focus on efficient indexing of this information. The use of a Domain Ontology was proposed. This paper explains how we built and implemented it. Three complementary aspects of the HC charts were analyzed (i) functional aspects performed with precise analyses of actual charts; (ii) interoperability aspects with the use of some HL7-RIM standardized descriptions; and (iii) cooperative aspects, with the integration of a cooperation model. We proposed a Domain Ontology to represent the concepts and the relations used in the charts. The implementation was done with Protégé; the ontology was built in OWL-DL. The IAnnotate application helps us to index the HC chart with the domain ontology. The next step of the work will use the ontology to reason about the different items of information contained in the charts so that contextual use of them should be envisaged.

[Fractionation of the total extract of Khaya senegalensis Barks. Value of the formulation of an anti-inflammatory ointment]. / Fractionnement de l'extrait des ecorces de Khaya senegalensis: intérêt dans la formulation d'une pommade anti-inflammatoire.

The aim of this work was to compare the anti-inflammatory activity of the total extract of Khaya senegalensis Barks and its different fractions for optimizing the active ingredients which be used in the ointment formulation. For that, a fractionation was performed followed by anti-inflammatory tests based on the method of the croton oil induced oedema. Three fractions were obtained and the comparison of their activity with the one of the total extract has shown the following results: 37.10%, 45.65%, 22.30% and 22.36% respectively for the extract, fraction n1, fraction n2 and fraction n3. The statistical analysis ofthe results (Student Test; p = 0.05) have revealed that the fraction nl is significatively more active than the others. However, there was not a significant difference between the inhibition induced by the fraction n1 and the total extact one, even the mean value of this latter is lower. Therefore, it seems enough to use the total extract as active ingredient for developing an anti-inflammatory ointment.

[Preparation of a syrup with Bakis roots (Tinospora bakis) and evaluation of its choleretic activity in rats]. / Preparation d'un sirop a base de racines de Bakis (Tinospora bakis) et evaluation de son activite cholérétique chez le rat.

The aim of this work was to prepare a pharmaceutical using the aqueous extract of bakis roots and to check if the choleretic activity of this latter was maintained in cholestatic rats. So, a sirup was prepared and tested. The obtained results had shown that the aqueous extract maintained its choleretic activity. Indeed, when it was used at a dose of about 7.5 mg/100 g of weight, the sirup induced a significant increase of bilary secretion in healthy rats and cholestatic rats, confirming the results observed with the aqueous extract. Therefore, futher investigations in order to improve the quality of the sirup can be considered before performing clinical trials.

[Inflammatory ointment from shea butter and hydro-alcoholic extract of Khaya senegalensis barks (Cailcederat)]. / Pommade anti-inflammatoire à base de karité et d'extrait hydro-alcoolique d'écorces de Khaya senegalensis (Caïlcéderat).

In a former study, it was proved that the alcoholic solution of hydro-alcoholic extract of Khaya senegalensis barks had an anti-inflammatory activity on animals after a local application. In this work, ointments made from the same extract and three different excipients (vaseline, lanoline and shea butter (crude and refined)) have been prepared and tested by the method of the croton oil inhibited ear oedema. Results showed inhibition percentages of the ear oedema of 58.8%, 66.7% and 75.4% when the hydro-alcoholic extract was tested at respective doses of 1%, 2% and 3% in shea butter. The two other excipients, (vaceline and Lanoline) tested at the dose of 3% showed between 52% and 58% of inhibitions. The interest of this study was to demonstrate the possibility to maintain the anti-inflammatory activity of Khaya senegalensis barks by using them in a galenic form, easy to prepare and which is, in addition, more adapted than the extract to possible clinical trials.