Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities of Adansonia digitata L. (Baobab) from Mali, as a Source of Health-Promoting Compounds.

Unlabelled: : L. (Malvaceae), also known as baobab, is a tree attracting recent interest especially due to the high nutritional value of the fruit pulp. However, few studies are reported on the secondary metabolite content, showing high variability depending on the geographic region.

Medicinal Plants Used in Mali for the Treatment of Malaria and Liver Diseases.

Today, ethno-pharmacology is a very important resource in order to discover new therapies for the current diseases. Moreover, another good justification for the ethno-pharmacological approach is to obtain new, effective, less expensive and simple therapies, limiting at the same time the cost of pharmaceutical research. Two major anti-malarial drugs widely used today, i.

Intellectual property rights, benefit-sharing and development of "improved traditional medicines": A new approach.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Protection of intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing are key issues for all ethnopharmacological research. The International Society of Ethnobiology has produced helpful guidelines on access and benefit-sharing which are widely viewed as a "gold standard" but the question remains how best to apply these guidelines in practice. Difficult questions include ownership of traditional knowledge, making appropriate agreements, and how appropriately to share benefits.

Home treatments alone or mixed with modern treatments for malaria in Finkolo AC, South Mali: reported use, outcomes and changes over 10 years.

Background: In 2003, a study in Mali showed that 87% of episodes of uncomplicated malaria were first treated at home. We investigated whether treatment-seeking patterns in Mali had changed 10 years later.

Methods: In 2013, we repeated the retrospective treatment-outcome study on 400 children with presumed malaria in the same area.

Pre-hospital risk factors for inpatient death from severe febrile illness in Malian children.

Background: Inpatient case fatality from severe malaria remains high in much of sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of these deaths occur within 24 hours of admission, suggesting that pre-hospital management may have an impact on the risk of case fatality.

Methods: Prospective cohort study, including questionnaire about pre-hospital treatment, of all 437 patients admitted with severe febrile illness (presumed to be severe malaria) to the paediatric ward in Sikasso Regional Hospital, Mali, in a two-month period.

A "reverse pharmacology" approach for developing an anti-malarial phytomedicine.

A "reverse pharmacology" approach to developing an anti-malarial phytomedicine was designed and implemented in Mali, resulting in a new standardized herbal anti-malarial after six years of research. The first step was to select a remedy for development, through a retrospective treatment-outcome study. The second step was a dose-escalating clinical trial that showed a dose-response phenomenon and helped select the safest and most efficacious dose.

Do ethnobotanical and laboratory data predict clinical safety and efficacy of anti-malarial plants?

Background: Over 1200 plant species are reported in ethnobotanical studies for the treatment of malaria and fevers, so it is important to prioritize plants for further development of anti-malarials.

Methods: The "RITAM score" was designed to combine information from systematic literature searches of published ethnobotanical studies and laboratory pharmacological studies of efficacy and safety, in order to prioritize plants for further research. It was evaluated by correlating it with the results of clinical trials.

[Decentralization of healthcare and analysis of health data: the experience of the community of Zegoua, Mali].

Goals: In the frame of the project "Bringing the healthcare near to the people of Municipality of Zegoua" one goal was the strengthening of SLIS and its adaptation to the context of decentralization.

Methodology: The research included the decentralized collection and analysis of health data (modern and traditional) and the presentation of key indicators in graphical form to local authorities, to support decision making.

Results: The analysis of data from 2006-2008 found: the increase in Curative Consultation from 0.

Is parasite clearance clinically important after malaria treatment in a high transmission area? A 3-month follow-up of home-based management with herbal medicine or ACT.

Argemone mexicana (AM), a validated herbal medicine for uncomplicated malaria, seems to prevent severe malaria without completely clearing parasites in most patients. This study, in a high transmission area of South Mali, explores whether residual parasitaemia at day 28 was associated with subsequent malaria episodes and/or anaemia. Three hundred and one patients were randomly assigned to AM or artesunate/amodiaquine as first line treatment, of whom 294 were followed up beyond the standard 28 days, to 84 days.

[Study of the consumption of the Improved Traditional Phytomedicines in the health district of Kadiolo (Region of Sikasso, Mali)].

The study, which received the support of the Development and Co-operation Management of the Swiss Confederation in the frame of the Socio-Sanitary Support Program Mali-Switzerland, proceeded from February to March 2004. The goal was to evaluate the impact of a workshop of formation of the prescribers on the Improved Traditional Phytomedicines (ITP), carried out in October 2001, on the consumption of the ITP in the medical structures of the District of Kadiolo. The study required the data-gathering of consumption, starting from the cards of stock of the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 of the Distributor Warehouse of the Reference Health Center and of the Pharmacies of the Community Health Centers.

Argemone mexicana decoction versus artesunate-amodiaquine for the management of malaria in Mali: policy and public-health implications.

A classic way of delaying drug resistance is to use an alternative when possible. We tested the malaria treatment Argemone mexicana decoction (AM), a validated self-prepared traditional medicine made with one widely available plant and safe across wide dose variations. In an attempt to reflect the real situation in the home-based management of malaria in a remote Malian village, 301 patients with presumed uncomplicated malaria (median age 5 years) were randomly assigned to receive AM or artesunate-amodiaquine [artemisinin combination therapy (ACT)] as first-line treatment.

Sublingual sugar for hypoglycaemia in children with severe malaria: a pilot clinical study.

Background: Hypoglycaemia is a poor prognostic indicator in severe malaria. Intravenous infusions are rarely feasible in rural areas. The efficacy of sublingual sugar (SLS) was assessed in a pilot randomized controlled trial among hypoglycaemic children with severe malaria in Mali.

[Knowledge of traditional healers on malaria in Kendi (Bandiagara) and Finkolo (Sikasso) in Mali ].

The survey has been carried out in the context of the project "Traditional Practices and Primary Health Care", developed by the Traditional Medicine Department (DMT) of the INRSP and the Swiss Ngo Antenna Technologies, with the support of Aidemet Ngo. The objective was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices of traditional healers on uncomplicated and severe malaria, in the perspective of collaboration between traditional and modern medicine for the optimal care of the critical cases. The investigation has been conducted from January to February 2003 in the health areas of Kendié (Bandiagara District, Mopti Region) and Finkolo (Sikasso District and Region).

Malaria treatment in remote areas of Mali: use of modern and traditional medicines, patient outcome.

Use of official health services often remains low despite great efforts to improve quality of care. Are informal treatments responsible for keeping a number of patients away from standard care, and if so, why? Through a questionnaire survey with proportional cluster samples, we studied the case histories of 952 children in Bandiagara and Sikasso areas of Mali. Most children with reported uncomplicated malaria were first treated at home (87%) with modern medicines alone (40%), a mixture of modern and traditional treatments (33%), or traditional treatment alone (27%).