PHARMA-GUIDE DIGEST - backup

FROM OUR GRATEFUL HEARTS! We at PHARMA-GUIDE NIGERIA are very happy to know that indeed a beautiful year 2015 has come to an end. It couldn’t have been this beautiful without the able support of all our readers, crew, patrons & reviewers, fans, friends and well-wishers. Pharma-Guide Nigeria started with the aim of informing, educating and guiding her readers in issues pertaining to health and drugs. The aim has been to eradicate the ills associated with ignorance of health and drug matters towards ensuring a healthier and happier society. Pharma-Guide Nigeria went ahead in October 2015 to introduce her bulletin, PHARMA-GUIDE DIGEST to make these pieces of information available to our offline friends and readers. While doing this, we have maintained and improved upon the volume and frequency of our online materials thus acquiring a steadily increasing number of views on our blog: pharmaguidedigest.blogspot.com. We are presently working towards raising the standard of our bulletin a...

Here comes Christmas again... We are most grateful to God for the Word made flesh that has brought salvation to our world. May you and your families be blessed with God's love, peace and guidance this yuletide and more favours in the new year... We pray with you to be watchful and be security and health conscious as you enjoy your yuletide. Remember to spread the love of Christmas by visiting and helping people. If you must drink, do not drive.. Don't be extravagant during Christmas, there is a January Remember to pray for Nigeria All of us at PHARMA-GUIDE NIGERIA wish you the very best of the season. We are here for you, always! ~ Pharm. Joe Ebirim (on behalf of Spyceworld Entertainment & Pharma-Guide Nigeria)

We have it from reliable sources that the Federal Government has speedily attended to the crises rocking Federal Medical Centre, Owerri by appointing a new interim Management committee to be led by Professor Ndubuisi Eke, a renowned Professor of Surgery and Consultant Urologist who have been saddled with the mandate of opening and restoring services at the centre. Other members of the interim management committee include: 1. Dr (Mrs) Bridget C. Akin-Otiko (to head Nursing services) 2. Mr. Michael Okere (Accounts) 3. Mr.Ago Olagunju ( Admin) 4. Abdul Msheliza (Pharmacy) We wish the centre a speedy ressumption of services.

Ringer’s lactate injection USP is an intravenous fluid used as an electrolyte replacement solution for restoring fluid-electrolyte balance as well as an alkalinizing agent. A 250ml product contains the following: – Sodium chloride USP 6g/L – Sodium lactate 3.1g/L – Potassium Chloride (KCl) 0.3g/L – Calcium Chloride USP 0.2g/L   Ceftriaxone is an intravenous antibiotic belon ging to the class of 3rd generation cephalosporins. It is a broad-spectrum anti-bacterial agent and very stable against most ß-lactamases. It is effective against streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae , Neisseriae, penicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus , multiresistant enterobacters, as well as other bacteria. Its effect against Pseudonomas aeruginosa is limited and it is ineffective against methicillin resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium difficile, and Bacteroides fragilis .   MECHANISM OF ACTION: CEFTRIAXONE   Ceftriaxone works by inhibiti...

Our watchful eyes and anxious ears have finally been greeted with mixed feelings following a preliminary action over the fate of the embattled Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owerri – the order of closure of the Centre by the Federal Government through the Minister of Health - following series of industrial actions which has plagued it since the first half of the year 2015. Despite very many visits by the Board of Management of the hospital and the panel of enquiry set up as well as the recent visit by the newly appointed Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole , it has still remained a heinous task to quickly provide a solution to the crisis. There is no doubt that there is more to it that meets the eyes in the scenario playing out and that it will be unwise for uninformed parties to begin accusing any of the parties before getting their facts right. The issues rocking the centre are not new to the public so we wouldn’t want to dwell on those. But irrespective of what ...

OKRA ( Abelmoschus esculentus , Fam. Malvaceae) is a multipurpose crop because of the usefulness its fresh leaves, buds, flowers, pods, stems and seeds. MEDICINAL USES The mucilage obtained from cooking okra fruits can be used as a plasma replacement or blood volume expander Okra mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the liver Okra seeds are potential sources of oil with concentrations varying from 20% to 40% which consists of linoleic acid up to 47.4%. Linoleic acid is a polyunsaturated fatty acid essential for human nutrition. Hence, Okra is a great source of Linoleic acid. (1,2) It is rich in dietary fibre (1,2). Its seeds are rich in protein (containing lysine and tryptophan) and ethanol extract possesses antioxidants (1,3). These qualities make it effective in preventing kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidaemia. It is also known as a powerful anti-diabetic and lipid-lowering agent. Thus it can help in preventing heart dise...

Facilitator, Pharm. Ibitamuno Hart Tuesday, December 8, 2015 will remain a memorable date in the hearts of the people of Ihiagwa Community in Owerri, Imo State, a day they trooped out in their numbers to enjoy the free medical services brought to them by a non-indigene of the community presently serving her fatherland, a kind hearted corper-pharmacist, Miss Ibitamuno Meshack-Hart. Pharm. Hart who organised the programme as her Community Development Project, attracted the likes of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Orient FM/TV, and Nation Newspaper as media partners, also had other co-sponsors such as the Society for Family Health (SFH), Lenat Krystal Vision, FUTO medical centre and Zolon Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of EMZOR Pharmaceutical Company. The programme featured health talks on good hygiene, drug abuse, eye examination, HIV screening and counselling, Blood glucose and pressure checks and treatment, distribution of mosquito nets, general consultation and health checks. Indig...

  The increasing rate of abuse and addiction of the opiate narcotic drug, codeine has in recent years drawn the attention of public health advocates and other concerned citizens, one of whom is Pharmacist Joshua Jamine Odoh, a Lagos based Hospital pharmacist with previous experience in community practice in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.  In a chat with Pharma-Guide Nigeria correspondents (on July 11, 2015) , he affirmed that the incidence is high among teenagers and young adults, described the menace of Codeine abuse and addiction as a  ticking time bomb  calling on government and pharmacists to regulate the sale of codeine-containing anti-tussives (cough suppressant syrups). He also called for more public enlightenment on the danger of codeine abuse and addiction.   Codeine is a controlled, short-acting narcotic prodrug with anti-tussive and analgesic effects. It is controlled (Schedule II) due to its known narcotic activity. It also produces some sedative e...

  Today, we stir our focus towards Sexually Transmitted Diseases or Infections commonly abbreviated as STDs or STIs. While we have a great population of people who still do not believe that HIV/AIDS is real, there are also those who also think less of the devastating consequences of contacting STIs. Infections generally are health hazards which must be avoided as they lead to waste of useful financial resources and productive work hours. STIs can also have serious consequences not only on physical health, but also on the psychological and social well-being of those infected. If left untreated, both chlamydia and gonorrhoea can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, which can cause serious damage to women’s reproductive organs, and can in turn lead to infertility, as well as adverse pregnancy outcomes such as ectopic pregnancies. Several STIs can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy and childbirth. Syphilis in pregnancy leads to approximately 305 000 fetal...

Drug interactions occur in everyday prescriptions at health facilities and they form one of the consequences of polypharmacy, pharmacotherapy of geriatrics (old people), presence of kidney or liver dysfunction and use of drugs with narrow therapeutic index.   This is where the pharmacists display the application of their mastery of drug related information. Iron (Ferrous) forms one of the common medications administered to in-patients (especially pre- and post-natal) and out-patients. Pregnant women and people who have low Packed cell volume (PCV) are usually placed on blood building supplements which contain iron. Methyldopa is an antihypertensive belonging to the class known as Centrally acting sympathoplegics. This drug works by reducing peripheral vascular resistance with a variable reduction in Cardiac output and Heart rate. It is now commonly used to manage hypertension in pregnant women. From the foregoing, the possibility of methyldopa featuring in a prescription along sife...

PHARMA-GUIDE NIGERIA is glad to present to you the 2nd Edition of its publication, The Pharma-Guide Digest. In this Nov/Dec edition, we send our seasons greetings to all our readers and friends as well as wishes and prayers of a warm, memorable and happy yuletide and a prosperous new year ahead. We wish to congratulate Miss Nwachukwu Esther, a 400 level student of Imo State University for winning our puzzle contest in the premier edition and for her lovely message to Phasrma-Guide Digest. We also hope you read our drug tip and Inspirational Quote of the Month . In this edition, we joined the world to lament the rising rate of Antibiotics abuse calling on all stakeholders and drug users (and patients) to join the fight against the abuse so that we dont find ourselves in a sad situation where infections become untreatable and millions of helpless lives lost. With the increasing rate of sudden cardiovascular diseases-related deaths, efforts are being made to educate people about proper n...

Federal Medical Centre, Owerri The people of Imo State of Nigeria have continued to cry out as their only hope of government-run health facility, Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, remains locked and void of comprehensive medical services. Although, skeletal services continue unhindered for for the benefit of the HIV patients at the HEART-2-HEART UNIT, a vast majority of citizens are unable to enjoy other health services. This problem is further worsened by the fact that many of the state-owned hospitals have been closed following the decision of the state government to privatise services at the hospitals amidst issues of unpaid salaries and other industrial issues. The people of Imo state are calling on the federal government to come to their help as calls to persuade the Owelle Rochas Okorocha-led government to better the health state of the Eastern Heartland has fallen on deaf ears. The people of the state have continued to express their prayers for a speedy resolution of all issues ...

The question about how long HIV stays in the body is one that has drawn attention especially when the subject of sharing sharp objects or being injured by sharp objects that may have previously pricked a HIV-positive individual, is mentioned. It is also important to answer this Frequently asked question as part of efforts to stop discrimination against persons living with HIV/AIDS. THE ANSWER : HIV is a very fragile virus outside the body which is its primary host. The life span of HIV outside of the body has not been determined. For HIV to survive outside the body, it will require a body fluid, very low temperatures which vary with the type of body fluids (-70°C for fresh blood or about 4°C for dried blood), absence of air, not too acidic nor alkaline environment (controlled pH of not less than 7 and not more than 8), concentration of viral particles, etc Because these conditions are mostly laboratory conditions and in most cases not obtainable outside the body, it is very difficult ...

The Lion which escaped its cage earlier today at the Wild Life Park has been reportedly killed. The Lion has been at the park since 1972 and was about to be fed when it slipped away into the park.  OUR EARLIER REPORT Report reaching us now has it that a Lion who was to be fed has just escaped its cage at the WILD LIFE PARK in Jos, the capital of Plateau State of Nigeria. The fear is that the wild life park is not fenced.  However, efforts are in top gear to apprehend the strayed Lion. Mewnwhile , this serve to inform people to be conscious of the missing wild animal. This is surely a threat to lives if the situation is not arrested immediately.