Phytochemical analysis and anthelmintic activity of Combretum mucronatum leaf extract against infective larvae of soil-transmitted helminths including ruminant gastrointestinal nematodes.

Background: Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infect more than a quarter of the world's human population. In the absence of vaccines for most animal and human gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), treatment of infections primarily relies on anthelmintic drugs, while resistance is a growing threat. Therefore, there is a need to find alternatives to current anthelmintic drugs, especially those with novel modes of action.

Towards the development of analytical monograph specifications for the quality assessment of the medicinal plant Phyllanthus urinaria.

Many people in developing countries rely on herbal remedies for their primary healthcare needs. The challenge however is that several of these products lack proper documentation of quality and safety. To ensure consistent quality, validated methods are needed to establish and control quality attributes associated with identity, purity, and levels of bioactive constituents of the respective herbal materials.

Anthelmintic Activities of Extract and Ellagitannins from Phyllanthus urinaria against Caenorhabditis elegans and Zoonotic or Animal Parasitic Nematodes.

The aerial parts of are used in traditional medicine in West Africa against helminthiasis, but their anthelmintic potential has not been evaluated until now. Within the current study, a hydroacetonic extract (AWE) and fractions and isolated ellagitannins from were, therefore, tested against and the larvae of the animal parasites and . Compounds 1:  - 13: , mainly representing ellagitannins, were isolated using different chromatographic methods, and their structures were elucidated by HR-MS and H/C-NMR.

Development of a local antibiogram for a teaching hospital in Ghana.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance threatens adequate healthcare provision against infectious diseases. Antibiograms, combined with patient clinical history, enable clinicians and pharmacists to select the best empirical treatments prior to culture results.

Objectives: To develop a local antibiogram for the Ho Teaching Hospital.

Anthelmintic Agents from African Medicinal Plants: Review and Prospects.

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis affects more than 1.5 billion people globally and largely remains a sanitary problem in Africa. These infections place a huge economic burden on poor countries and affect livestock production, causing substantial economic losses and poor animal health.

Development of an Analytical Workflow to Support the Establishment of Monographs in African Pharmacopoeias - Combretum mucronatum Leaves as Example.

Herbal medicines are invaluable in African medicine, but quality and safety are not documented in many cases. Besides controlled farming, validated quality control methods are needed to ensure identity, purity, and content. Analytical specifications within modern monographs are needed for consistent batch quality.

Metabolite profiling, antifungal, biofilm formation prevention and disruption of mature biofilm activities of Erythrina senegalensis stem bark extract against Candida albicans and Candida glabrata.

The antifungal activity of the 70% ethanol stem bark extract of Erythrina senegalensis (ESB) against different strains and drug resistant clinical isolates of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata were evaluated in the study. The effect of ESB on biofilms as well as its activity in combination with fluconazole, nystatin or caspofungin against the Candida strains were also evaluated. We then evaluated the antifungal activity of a microemulsion formulation of ESB against planktonic and biofilms of the Candida species.

Quality assessment of African herbal medicine: A systematic review and the way forward.

Background: In Africa, herbalism supplements allopathic medicine's efforts to ensure Universal Health Coverage attainment. This review was conducted to identify and to summarise current literature on methodological approaches used for quality control of herbal medicines in Africa, to evaluate the gaps associated with existing strategies within context of best practices, and make recommendations for future improvements.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Antifungal Activities of Phytochemically Characterized Hydroethanolic Extracts of Leaves and Stem Bark against Fluconazole-Resistant Strains.

The study evaluated the antifungal activities of the 70% ethanol extracts of leaves (SBL) and stem bark (SBB) against strains and fluconazole-resistant isolates, their antifungal effects in combination with conventional antifungals as well as their effects on the biofilms of the strains and isolates. UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis was then carried out to investigate the metabolite profile of the extracts and UPLC fingerprints developed for their routine identification as part of quality control measures. The extracts exhibited considerable antifungal activity with MIC ranging from 12.

Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Oral Capsules from : A Convenient Substitute for Peripheral Neuropathy.

is a monoherbal decoction produced by the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), Mampong-Akuapem, Ghana. It is prepared from the stem bark of Engl. (Moraceae), prescribed, and dispensed to patients for the management of nervous disorders.

Knowledge, Awareness and Practice with Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes among Healthcare Providers in a Ghanaian Tertiary Hospital.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant problem in global health today, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where antimicrobial stewardship programmes are yet to be successfully implemented. We established a partnership between AMR pharmacists from a UK NHS hospital and in Ho Teaching Hospital with the aim of enhancing antimicrobial stewardship knowledge and practice among healthcare providers through an educational intervention. We employed a mixed-method approach that included an initial survey on knowledge and awareness before and after training, followed by qualitative interviews with healthcare providers conducted six months after delivery of training.

Antimicrobial Prescription Pattern in Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana: Seasonal Determination Using a Point Prevalence Survey.

A standardised Global Point Prevalence Survey (PPS) tool was used to determine the antimicrobial prescription pattern in the Ho Teaching Hospital on two separate occasions in a total of 14 wards in the hospital, including dedicated wards for paediatrics and neonates. Manually collected and anonymised data were entered, validated, analysed and reported using a web-based global PPS application. With 147 and 153 patients considered in the July 2019 and January 2020 surveys, respectively, 98 patients (66.

Erythrofordins D and E, two new cassaine-type diterpenes from Erythrophleum suaveolens.

Two new cassaine-type diterpenoids, namely erythrofordins D (1) and E (2), sourced from a Cameroon collection of Erythrophleum suaveolens were isolated and assessed for anti-tumor activity. In the NCI-60 cancer cell assay, erythrofordins D (1) and E (2) were found to be cytotoxic in the low micro molar ranges with a mean GI value of 2.45 and 0.

Anxiolytic and Antidepressant Effects of DC. Stem Bark Extract in Mice.

Introduction: The stem bark extract of DC. (Capparaceae) is used as a traditional remedy for management of anxiety, psychosis, and epilepsy.

Aim Of The Study: We therefore aimed at evaluating the anxiolytic and antidepressant potential of the plant in mice models.

DC. (Capparaceae) Stem Bark Extract Protects against Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Oxidative Stress and Seizures in Rats.

Introduction: The stem bark of DC. (Capparaceae) is traditionally used for management of epilepsy. Our aim was to evaluate the antiseizure potential and identify possible mechanisms by which the effects are registered.

Antiinflammatory properties of betulinic acid and xylopic acid in the carrageenan-induced pleurisy model of lung inflammation in mice.

This study investigated the antiinflammatory properties of betulinic acid (BA) and xylopic acid (XA) extracted from Margaritaria discoidea and Xylopia aethiopica, respectively. M. discoidea and X.

Schweinfurthins I and J from Macaranga schweinfurthii.

Demand for the experimental antineoplastic agent schweinfurthin A, for developmental testing, prompted a re-collection of leaf material of Macaranga schweinfurthii from the original collection site in Cameroon. During chromatographic purification of the organic solvent extract, analytical UPLC-PDA-TOFMS of stilbene-enriched fractions revealed the presence of six known schweinfurthins and two previously unknown stilbenes. The structures of these new compounds, schweinfurthins I and J (1 and 2), were elucidated by 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques.

Isolation of 10-hydroxycoronaridine from Tabernaemontana penduliflora and its estrogen-like activity.

The methanol extract of Tabernaemontana penduliflora was found to appreciably inhibit [3H]-estradiol binding to estrogen receptors. Activity-guided fractionation led to the isolation of two known alkaloids, 10-hydroxycoronaridine (1) and its 10-O-methyl ether, voacangine (2). These alkaloids together with other related alkaloids were tested for their estrogenic activities.

Rules and regulations on the collection in Cameroon of biological materials for biological testing and drug discovery.

Regulations on the exploitation of Cameroon's rich biodiversity have tended to emphasize timber exploitation at the expense of non-timber uses. Materials for scientific research have been marginalized. However, in-service instructions usually provide practical guidelines such as specific charges that researchers must pay for the collection of samples.

Epstein-Barr virus-inducing activity of Euphorbiaceae plants commonly grown in Cameroon.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) activating potency of 12 species of plants belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family, that are commonly grown in Cameroon, one of the endemic areas of Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), was investigated. The EBV-inducing activity was found in most of the plants tested and in the soil around the plants whose root extracts were active. These findings support the notion that such EBV-activating principles are one of the environmental co-factors causing BL.

Community participation in rural health care.

Shortage of health professionals in rural health is a reality with which health care providers in Cameroon are battling and will continue for some time to come. In the meantime, while attempts are being made to solve the problem by increase in the training of health personnel there are alternative approaches which offer some solutions. One of these approaches is community participation.

Further field testing of the more heat-stable measles vaccines in Cameroon.

Two of the more heat-stable measles vaccines were field tested in Cameroon. Both maintained the minimum required infectivity titre and the ability to induce seroconversion after storage unreconstituted at 37 degrees C for 14 days. One of the vaccines, studied after reconstitution, maintained its ability to induce seroconversion after reconstitution and storage at 25 degrees C for 48 hours and at 37 degrees C for at least four hours.

Effect of deoxyuridine coadministration on toxicity and antitumor activity of fluorouracil and floxuridine.

The addition of deoxyuridine (UDR) to fluorouracil (FU) or floxuridine (5-fluoro-2' deoxyuridine) (FUDR) produced a substantial increase in their toxicity in BDF1 mice. Antitumor assays using sarcoma 180 tumor-bearing mice showed a concomitant increase in tumor growth inhibition for the nucleoside-drug combination over identical doses of the single drug. However, no significant increase in antitumor activity with the combination treatment was demonstrated when equitoxic doses were given.