Ibuprofen as an adjuvant to conventional antimicrobials and essential oil compounds against skin pathogens.

Aims: Antimicrobial resistance continues to be a growing concern, resulting in increased use of drug combinations. Antibiotic adjuvants are an emerging strategy that may potentiate an antibiotics efficacy. Ibuprofen's polypharmacological properties have been investigated for their antimicrobial and host-modulating potential.

May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from South Africa.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is a growing burden worldwide, leading to over 10 million deaths each year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, hypertension prevalence is higher and cardiovascular events occur at a younger age than in Europe or America. May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) aimed at raising awareness of high BP.

Disparities in patients' understanding of cardiovascular disease management.

Non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), are some of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Despite the effectiveness of early diagnostic and treatment options, patient screening, disease detection and disease progression remain a challenge, resulting in suboptimal outcomes. Consequently, cardiovascular diseases remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, particularly in developing countries.

Antimicrobial activity of Southern African medicinal plants on Helicobacter pylori and Lactobacillus species.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Numerous medicinal plants have been used traditionally in South Africa for gastric ulcer treatment. Helicobacter pylori is known for causing inflammation and the onset of gastric ulcers. While several studies explored medicinal plants against H.

Essential Oil Compounds in Combination with Conventional Antibiotics for Dermatology.

Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a significant threat to public health, prompting novel combinations comprising of natural sources such as essential oil compounds with conventional antibiotics. This study aimed to determine the possible interactions between six essential oil compounds with eight antibiotics/antifungals against six pathogens (, , , , , and ) commonly implicated in skin infections. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for the antibiotics and essential oil compounds were evaluated singularly and in combination using the broth microdilution assay.

A scoping review on natural cholesterol lowering supplements sold in South African pharmacies.

Background: Dyslipidaemia is defined as elevated total or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels or low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Patients may often make use of natural cholesterol lowering supplements (NCLSs) available at the pharmacy; however, limited information on these supplements is readily available. Pharmacists should be knowledgeable about NCLSs to ensure that the use of these supplements is supported by evidence and to provide appropriate advice to patients for desirable therapeutic outcomes.

Music in medical education: A critical interpretive synthesis.

Introduction: While many have championed the value of music in medical education, research specific to how and why music has been offered in medical education is sparse and there have been few attempts to synthesise the literature.

Methods: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis (CIS) of 56 texts including published articles, correspondence, abstracts and one thesis published between 1977 and 2022 was undertaken to explore the evidence basis for offering music in medical education.

Results: A total of 52 music-focused programmes/activities were described, encompassing both curricular and extra-curricular, receptive and participatory music activities and a wide range of musical genres.

High prevalence but lack of awareness of hypertension in South Africa, particularly among men and young adults.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in South Africa (SA) and high blood pressure (BP) is the primary risk factor. However, hypertension prevalence is high, BP control is poor and CV events occur at a younger age than in Europe or America. Increasing screening, raising awareness and improving management of hypertension are critical to prevent CVD in SA.

Antibiotic usage in a South African paediatric medical ward following the introduction of an antibiotic prescription chart.

Introduction: the global rise in antibiotic resistance (ABR), coupled with a dry pipeline for the discovery of new antibiotics requires the conservation of currently available antibiotics. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) interventions are being implemented to optimize antibiotic use including the use of antibiotic prescription charts. This study reviewed the use of antibiotics before and after the introduction of an antibiotic prescription chart in a paediatric medical ward of an academic tertiary hospital in Johannesburg.

Clinicians' views on cognitive assessment with Aboriginal Australians.

Background: A shortage of standardised cognitive assessment tools for use with Aboriginal Australians is evident. Clinicians also miss the range of guidelines necessary to inform test selection and interpretation for all Aboriginal clients. This mixed methods study examines clinicians' confidence, views and current practices when conducting cognitive assessments with Aboriginal Australian clients.

Commercially Available Oil, Chemical Variability and Antimicrobial Activity.

L. oil is frequently recommended in the aromatherapeutic literature for treating respiratory, urinary, and skin infections; however, antimicrobial evidence is lacking. In addition, in aromatherapy, combinations of essential oils are predominantly utilized with the goal of achieving therapeutic synergy, yet no studies investigating the interaction of essential oil combinations with oil exists.

The Antimicrobial and Toxicity Influence of Six Carrier Oils on Essential Oil Compounds.

Essential oil compounds have been identified as alternative antimicrobials; however, their use is limited due to their toxicity on human lymphocytes, skin, and reproduction. Carrier oils can reduce the toxicity of essential oils, which raises the question as to whether such activity would extend to the essential oil compounds. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial and toxicity activity of essential oil compounds in combination with carrier oils.

A guide for the management of post vaccination allergy and anaphylaxis in a pharmacy clinic.

Background: Vaccination falls within the scope of practice of a pharmacist and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has seen an increase in pharmacies providing vaccination services. These vaccines are not without risk of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis. The available guidelines for the management of anaphylaxis include the administration of intravenous (IV) fluids.

A scoping review of African natural products against gastric ulcers and Helicobacter pylori.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: African traditional medicine is one of the oldest and most diverse practices for treating ailments and numerous natural products have been recommended for gastric ulcer treatment. Helicobacter pylori is the main causative organism implicated in several diseases, most notably in causing inflammation and the onset of gastric ulcers. Current H.

Pharmacy students' perceptions of an oncology pharmacy simulation.

Background And Purpose: Cancer is on the rise both globally and in South Africa, with an estimated 70% increase in incidence in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. While oncology pharmacy is a highly specialized field of practice, there is currently no formal certification for oncology pharmacists in South Africa.

Educational Activity And Setting: To standardise the way in which oncology pharmacy is practiced within the country, the first-ever simulation-based oncology admixing training for pharmacy students in South Africa was developed at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Management of inferior alveolar nerve and lingual nerve injuries in the UK - a cross-sectional study.

Post operative nerve injury following mandibular third molar (M3M) potentially impacts a significant number of patients. A lack of consensus for the management of trigeminal nerve injuries exists. It is important to know how clinicians manage these injuries, and how confidently.

Patients' views on a proposed oral cancer screening technology.

Brush cytology and telemedicine platforms are used with proven benefits in remote diagnosis of malignancies like cervical cancer. In low-resource settings access to the current standard of care, biopsy and histopathology grading of oral lesions, can be unfeasible. Risk-stratifying early malignant and oral potentially-malignant lesions can help instigate therapeutic treatment and improve prognosis.

Antimicrobial Formulation of Chrysopogon zizanioides Essential Oil in an Emulsified Lotion for Acne.

Acne is a skin condition arising from excess sebum production and microbial overgrowth within the pilosebaceous unit. Several commercial essential oils have shown promising activity against acne-related pathogens. Due to their volatility and thermal instability, the formulation of essential oils into commercial products remains a pharmaceutical challenge.

Sexual hallucinations during conscious sedation for dentistry - an update of the phenomenon.

Background Sexual hallucinations have been suggested as an infrequent side effect during sedation and cases can result in sexual assault allegations. The aim of this article is to review the literature on this rare side effect during sedation.Methods Publications were chosen using inclusion criteria: hallucinations and/or alleged sexual assaults and/or paradoxical reactions to either sedation or anaesthesia, that were of a sexual nature.

Analysis of performed paediatric oral and maxillofacial procedures under general anaesthesia over a two-year period in a North London NHS Trust.

Dental treatment remains one of the most common reasons for paediatric patients to undergo a general anaesthetic (GA). In addition to a wider scope of practice, oral and maxillofacial (OMF) surgeons are affiliated with this well-reported dentoalveolar surgical burden. Thus far much of the research has shown that the majority of these paediatric GAs are for the treatment of decayed teeth.

A survey on the cost of oral surgery dental speciality training.

Background Following graduation, training costs for an individual trainee to achieve completion of specialist surgical training has been estimated to be between £20,000 to £71,431, and is expected to rise. Furthermore, there are other non-monetary costs to consider, including poor work-life balance and the burden of training on home life.Methods A 22-question online survey using SurveyGizmo was developed and emailed to all current UK and Ireland oral surgery trainees from 2016-2019.

Carrier oils in dermatology.

Wounds are a common medical infliction. With the increase in microbial resistance and a shift of interest towards complementary medicines, essential oils have been shown to be beneficial in suppressing microbial growth. However, in practice, essential oils are more often diluted into a base due to the risk of topical adverse effects, such as dermatitis.