Erratum: ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FUNGAL ISOLATES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.

[This corrects the article on p. 21 in vol. 16.].

ANTI-FUNGAL ACTIVITY OF ACALYPHA WILKESIANA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF FUNGAL ISOLATES OF CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE.

BACKGROUND: Acalypha wilkesiana (AW, a popular medicinal plant has been used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of skin disorders including pityriasis versicolor and seborrheic dermatitis. As a prelude to clinical trials in humans, an experimental study was carried out to determine the spectrum of antifungal activity of 2 variants of the Acalypha wilkesiana plant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ethanol extract and herbal cream formulation of the dried leaves of 2 cultivars (Macrophylla & Hoffmani) of Acalypha wilkesiana were investigated for in-vitro antifungal activity by disc diffusion and micro-broth dilution techniques. Organisms tested were typed cultures of Malassezia furfur, Candida albicans and Trichophyton rubrum; and clinical strains of Microsporum canis and Epidermophyton floccosum. RESULTS: Both cultivars (Macrophylla and Hoffmanii) of the plant showed good activity against all the fungi tested except Microsporum canis (8.0±0.00; 7.00±0.00 mm). The greatest activity was observed against Trichophyton rubrum (22.0±0.00; 24.00±0.00 mm). The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the crude extract ranged between 0.25 and 8 mg/ml for all organisms, while that of the herbal cream was 0.31-8mg/ml. The lowest MIC was seen with Candida albicans for both varieties of the plant. The Acalypha wilkesiana Hoffmanii demonstrated a greater activity against Candida albicans and Malassezia furufur than the A. wilkesiana Macrophylla. CONCLUSION: This study reveals Acalypha wilkesiana leaf extract has potential for development as a cream that can be used to treat superficial fungal skin infections.

Piloting a smartphone-based application for tracking and supply chain management of medicines in Africa.

A confounding factor for healthcare programmes in African countries is the inability of essential health tools to reach targeted locations and populations, due to poor Logistics Management Information System (LMIS). In a bid to contribute towards addressing these challenges, a pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the tracking ability, reliability and applicability of EASE App, a novel Smart Phone based Application. The App is designed to provide real-time tracking and tracing of commodities as well as curation of data in a cloud based database with restricted access which can be linked with other databases. In this study, NIPRIMAL was labelled with QR codes, and tracked within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria, using the smartphone based EASE App. Data collected showed that the "EASE App" tracking had accuracy of 100% for date and time of scan, operators' codes and product identity; and 92.83±1.69% and 99.83±0.27% accuracy for GPS mapping label for the city and country, respectively. The GPS mapping label for specific streets, roads or districts, gave an accuracy of about 64.28±3.14%. The technology was able to provide real-time data on user unique identity, user location as well as date/time of use, and the feedback report indicated that it was readily deployable and easy to use. The results demonstrate that the "EASE App" is a promising technology that can support supply chain and related data management challenges in resource poor settings. The potential benefit of the EASE App in strengthening LMIS and distribution chain system in Africa as well as future optimization of the App are discussed.

Isolation, fractionation and evaluation of the antiplasmodial properties of Phyllanthus niruri resident in its chloroform fraction.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antiplasmodial activity of Phyllanthus niruri (P. niruri) methanol extract (ME) and its fractions in mice. METHODS: P. niruri methanol extract and its chloroform, ethanol and aqueous portions were tested against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei berghei in early, established and repository models of infection using Knight and Peter's 4-day suppressive model, Ryley and Peters curative model and Peters prophylactic model respectively. RESULTS: Chemosuppression of parasitaemia (37.65%-50.53 %) was elicited by 100-400 mg/kg (b.w.) of ME. At doses of 100 mg/kg b.w., the chloroform fraction (F1) significantly (P<0.01) suppressed parasitaemia by 85.29%, while ethanol and aqueous fractions (F2 and F3, respectively) elicited 67.06% and 51.18% chemosuppression. The most active fraction, F1 was selected for further antiplasmodial screening. In established infection, ME reduced parasitaemia (15.81%-62.96%) while F1 significantly (P<0.01) reduced parasitaemia (44.36%-90.48%), with effects comparable to that of chloroquine (96.48%). The prophylactic antiplasmodial activity of ME (92.50% suppression) was also significant (P<0.01) and was more effective than pyrimethamine (85.00%). Additionally, cell membrane integrity of non-parasitized erythrocytes incubated with 125-500 mg/mL F1 was maintained. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the antiplasmodial efficacy of P. niruri methanol extract, and the localization of this effect in its chloroform fraction.

Isolation, fractionation and evaluation of the antiplasmodial properties of Phyllanthus niruri resident in its chloroform fraction

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the antiplasmodial activity of Phyllanthus niruri (P. niruri) methanol extract (ME) and its fractions in mice.@*METHODS@#P. niruri methanol extract and its chloroform, ethanol and aqueous portions were tested against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei berghei in early, established and repository models of infection using Knight and Peter's 4-day suppressive model, Ryley and Peters curative model and Peters prophylactic model respectively.@*RESULTS@#Chemosuppression of parasitaemia (37.65%-50.53 %) was elicited by 100-400 mg/kg (b.w.) of ME. At doses of 100 mg/kg b.w., the chloroform fraction (F1) significantly (P<0.01) suppressed parasitaemia by 85.29%, while ethanol and aqueous fractions (F2 and F3, respectively) elicited 67.06% and 51.18% chemosuppression. The most active fraction, F1 was selected for further antiplasmodial screening. In established infection, ME reduced parasitaemia (15.81%-62.96%) while F1 significantly (P<0.01) reduced parasitaemia (44.36%-90.48%), with effects comparable to that of chloroquine (96.48%). The prophylactic antiplasmodial activity of ME (92.50% suppression) was also significant (P<0.01) and was more effective than pyrimethamine (85.00%). Additionally, cell membrane integrity of non-parasitized erythrocytes incubated with 125-500 mg/mL F1 was maintained.@*CONCLUSIONS@#These findings indicate the antiplasmodial efficacy of P. niruri methanol extract, and the localization of this effect in its chloroform fraction.

Bacterial contaminants of salad vegetables in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria

Salad vegetables are essential part of people’s diet all around the world. They are usually consumed raw and often without heat treatment or thorough washing; hence have been known to serve as vehicles for the transmission of pathogenic microorganism associated with human diseases. Fresh samples of lettuce, carrot and cucumber collected from different markets and vendors in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria were evaluated for bacterial loads using spread plate agar dilution method. Bacterial loads ranged from 1.6 x 106 to 2.9 x 108 cfu/g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella and Enterobacter were amongst the coliforms (lactose fermenters), while Proteus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella and Shigella were non-lactose fermenters associated with the samples. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from majority of the samples.