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Background: Wounds continue to be a difficult clinical problem, with early and late consequences causing significant morbidity and death. As a result, proper wound management is critical. In addition to contemporary medicine, medicinal herbs serve an essential role in the treatment of wounds and bacterial infections. Z. scabra is a medicinal plant that has traditionally been used to treat wounds. However, there are no scientific reports on solvent fraction wound healing activities. As a result, the current study presents a scientific assessment of the wound healing ability of the solvent fractions of Z. scabra leaves. Methods: The leaves were crushed and macerated three times in 80% methanol. Chloroform, ethyl acetate, and aqueous fractions of simple ointment at 5% w/w and 10 percent w/w strengths were prepared using the fusion technique based on the British Pharmacopoeia. Excision and incision wound models were used to assess the solvent fractions' wound healing activities. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of crude and solvent fractions was tested in mice utilizing a carrageenan-induced hindpaw edema model. Results: In rats, a test dose of 2000 mg/kg of the 10% w/w crude extract ointment was found to be safe. Groups treated with the 5% and 10% ethyl acetate fractions of the extract experienced significant (p<0.05 and p<0.01) wound reduction in the excision wound model. When compared to the negative control, the length of epithelization in groups treated with 10% ethyl acetate fraction and aqueous fractions of Z. scabra was statistically significant (p 0.001). By lowering the amount of carrageenan-induced paw edema, the leaf extract and the chloroform fraction of Z. scabra demonstrated a dose-dependent anti-inflammatory effect. Conclusion: The extract showed remarkable wound healing and anti-inflammatory activity and might be recommended for the treatment of many types of human wounds.
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BACKGROUND: Since drug resistance makes controlling malaria parasites a major challenge, these pioneering researchers explore and discover new novel drugs from a variety of sources. As a result, this study aimed to assess the anti-plasmodial activity of hydroalcoholic crude extract and solvent fractions of Zehneria scabra roots in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. METHODS: The antimalarial activity and safety profile of Zehneria scabra extracts were tested in a mouse model using four-day suppressive, prophylactic, and rane's tests against chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium berghei. Mice were divided into five groups at random: group I received distilled water (10 mL/kg), group II, III, and IV received 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg of the extract, respectively, and group V received chloroquine (25 mg/kg). The antimalarial activity of the extract was determined using parasitemia levels, survival time, rectal temperature, and weight variation. RESULTS: At all dose levels, the crude extract and solvent fractions of Zehneria scabra showed significant (p<0.05 to p<0.001) chemosuppression, with the crude extract and butanol fraction showing the highest chemosuppression (73.09% and 74.09%, respectively). Apart from suppressing parasitemia, the extract also increased survival time and secured packed cell volume reduction substantially (p<0.05 to p<0.001), while the crude extract had no significant impact on body weight or rectal temperature reduction in four-day suppressive and prophylactic models. CONCLUSION: The result designated that Zehneria scabra is endowed with significant antimalarial activity. These results thus support the traditional use of Zehneria scabra, for the treatment of malaria.
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BACKGROUND: It is known that the basic role of healthcare system is to preserve the health of patients and protect the public from diseases. However, in the process of performing these activities, health facilities generate hazardous waste that could be potentially harmful to healthcare workers, the public and the environment if there is insufficient handling, treatment and disposal of those wastes. Unfortunately, healthcare waste management is, in many regions, not yet carried out with a satisfactory degree of safety. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess healthcare waste generation rate and its management system in health centers of Bench Maji Zone. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to August, 2016. Observational checklist, key informant interview guide and weight scale were used to assess healthcare waste generation rate and its management system in selected health centers. Training, pre-test, instrument calibration and daily meeting were used to improve data quality. The Data was entered, compiled and analyzed using EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 21. The results on waste management system were reported using different descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Out of the total HCW generated in health centers, more than half (57.9%) was general or non-risk HCW, and the remaining 42.1% was hazardous healthcare waste. The amount of HCW generated in the studied health centers was different from WHO's norm which may be attributed to different factors such as economy, patient flow, difference in services provided, poor waste segregation practice, available waste management system and seasonal factors. CONCLUSION: HCW was not adequately managed which is characterized by lack of HCW segregation at source of generation and inadequate facilities to manage HCW. Therefore, it is important to develop a HCW management plan for keeping human health as well environmental sustainability.