Aqueous extract of Ocimum canum decreases levels of fasting blood glucose and free radicals and increases antiatherogenic lipid levels in mice.

The basis for managing diabetes mellitus with aqueous extract of Ocimum canum Sim (Lamiaceae), in Ghana was investigated in diabetic and normoglycemic mice. In the diabetic mice, fasting blood glucose decreased by 60% compared to 10% in control mice after 13 weeks of extract administration. Body weight, serum total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased while serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased in the extract-treated group.

Molecular characterization of antibiotic resistance in clinical Salmonella typhi isolated in Ghana.

Fifty-eight clinical Salmonella typhi strains isolated from patients suspected of suffering from typhoid fever were obtained at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, both located in Ghana, Africa. Each isolate was examined for susceptibility to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole by the disk diffusion assay. Five of the isolates were resistant to all five antibiotics while 10 isolates were resistant to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, which are considered 'first line' antibiotics in the treatment of typhoid fever.