Kennedy Amagon

Background: Poultry farmers in Nigeria employ the use of various antibiotics with or without the guidance of veterinarians, to promote growth and prevent infections in poultry. Although antibiotics benefit most of its uses, this has led to the accumulation of toxic antibiotic residues in edible poultry products destined for human consumption. Objective: The present study was aimed at determining the residual amounts of enrofloxacin in chicken muscle samples. Method: Forty birds were obtained from commercial poultries in Lagos State and randomly allotted into 7 groups. They were humanely sacrificed, dissected and 10.0 g of muscle tissue was sectioned from each drumstick and homogenized in a porcelain mortar. 5.0 g of the homogenate was weighed and transferred into a 5 ml plain sample bottle and processed for analysis by high performance liquid chromatography to determine the amount of enrofloxacin in the tissues. Results: Enrofloxacin was detected in all samples from the four farms. The mean concentration of enrofloxacin ranged from 23.5 to 88.1 µg/g in all the 7 samples analyzed; these values were higher than the maximum residue level of 0.1 ìg/ug in Europe and 0.3 ìg/ug in the United States of America. Conclusion: This study confirmed misuse of enrofloxacin in poultry farms and emphasizes the need for stricter regulation regarding antibiotic use in poultry as well as the screening of chicken for residues before sale.

Background: In Nigeria, government and non-governmental organizations are currently involved in funding, organizing and delivering medicines and other health commodities. Supply chain management of essential health commodities involves a series of activities meant to guarantee the continuous flow of drugs, laboratory test kits and other consumables from the point of manufacture to the point of consumption. Objective: The study was aimed at assessing the current status of the drug supply chain in Nigeria with respect to the capacity and practices of storage, distribution and transportation. Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted to assess the various parameters, through the use of structured questionnaires administered to officers handling drugs supply system in selected sites in FCT Abuja and Plateau state. Results: The study showed that 68% of the stores assessed had a defined quality assurance policy in place. 68% indicated availability of written information and documentation of storage activities. However, only 39% of respondent indicated availability of temperature charts, while 61% reported having in place a functional distribution and transportation mechanism. Conclusion: Despite observed lapses, this assessment revealed enough strengths and good infrastructural presence to indicate that the drugs supply chain is sufficiently effective and efficient to receive and manage medicines that pass through it.

Background: National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which is responsible for pharmacovigilance activity in Nigeria, recently withdrew injection gentamicin 280 mg, used in the management of life-threatening and multidrug-resistant infections from circulation, due to reported toxicity. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the toxicity profile of the commonly used strengths (80 mg and 280 mg) of gentamicin on kidney using animal models. Methods: Animals were divided into five groups of 16 rats each. For rats of groups 1 and 2, gentamicin (1.14 mg/kg each group) was administered intramuscularly twice daily for 7 and 14 days, respectively, after which eight of them were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Blood was collected via cardiac puncture and the kidneys were carefully removed and weighed immediately. The remaining eight animals were kept for reversibility study for another 7 and 14 days, respectively. For groups 3 and 4, gentamicin (4 mg/kg each group) was administered as a single daily dose for 7 and 14 days, respectively, and eight animals from the groups were subjected to reversibility study for 7 and 14 days, respectively. Group 5, the control group animals, were given 10 ml/kg distilled water for 14 days. Histopathology of the kidneys, serum creatinine levels, and antioxidant enzyme activities were investigated. Results: Significant increase (p ≤ 0.001) in the level of creatinine of rats administered 4.0 mg/kg for 14 days was observed compared with all other groups. Significant (p ≤ 0.001) elevations in the lipid peroxidation in all gentamicin-administered animals and acute tubular necrosis in most of the gentamicin-administered animals were observed. Conclusion: Toxicity profile of gentamicin on the kidneys is dependent on both dose and duration of administration. The findings justify the decision made by NAFDAC to ban the use of high-dose inj. Gentamicin 280 mg in Nigeria.

Despite the reported widespread use of herbal medicines globally and their benefits, they are not completely without potential to cause harm. The haphazard, irresponsible or non-regulated use of several herbal medicines may put the health of their users at risk of toxicity. This study aimed to assess the general perception of the safety and occurrence of adverse effects of herbal medicines among residents of Ikorodu in Lagos, Nigeria. The study population included 400 randomly selected and consented residents in Ikorodu. Data was collected using a standard closed and open-ended structured questionnaire with three (3) sections on socio-demography, safety and adverse effects of herbal medicines. Associations between the variables were determined using Chi square analysis. The results showed that 333 respondents (82.4%) believed that herbal medicines are safe for use and only 39 (9.7%) held the view that they may not be safe. RESULTS also show that 51 (12.6%) of respondents had experienced adverse effects while 250 (61.9%) said they had never experienced adverse effects from the use of herbal medicines. Herbal medicine is popular among the respondents but they appear to be ignorant of its potential toxicities. It may be necessary to educate the consumers of herbal medicines on the potentials for herbs-drugs interaction and adverse effects specially as a result of indiscriminate and unguided use of herbal medicines.

The requirements and methods for research and evaluation of the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines are more complex than those for conventional pharmaceuticals. In addition to the aforementioned and contrary to the general belief that herbal medicines are safe and despite the profound therapeutic advantages possessed by medicinal plants, some of their constituents have been shown to be potentially toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic. Thus, traditional medicine policy and regulation have been made an integral part of the WHO proposed critical determinants of herbal medicine safety. Therefore, this study is designed to assess the policy and regulation guiding herbal medicine in Nigeria as this information may form a safety index of herbal medicine use in Nigeria. Structured questionnaire adopted from WHO was used to obtain the opinions of relevant stakeholders in the field of herbal medicine on the policy and regulation of herbal medicine in Nigeria. The results show that 68.8% of respondents agreed that there is a national policy on TM with 31.2% disagreeing on this issue. 75% of respondents agreed that implementation of the manufacturing requirements of herbal medicines is ensured by control mechanisms while 25% disagreed. Only 25% said herbal medicines are sold by licensed practitioners, with 75% believing that herbal medicines are sold by non-licensed practitioners. 87.5% said support from the WHO is needed and should be in the form of workshops on national capacity building on safety monitoring of herbal medicines. There is need for the Federal Ministry of Health to harmonize the varying opinions on traditional medicine and policy as documented in this study through collaboration and workshops on traditional medicine. These proposed approaches may guarantee the safety and regulation of herbal medicine use in Nigeria.

The claim that Cocos nucifera water is used to prevent abortion by some traditional medicine
practitioners in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria was investigated using female albino rats. 20 adult female
rats maintained at 19􀂱22ºC, in a 12-hour light/dark cycle (lights on at 7:00 a. m.) were mated in the
proportion of 5 females for one male and existence of pregnancy was confirmed by palpation after the
12th day of pregnancy. On the 10th day of pregnancy, a laparotomy was performed. A day after mating,
doses of Cocos nucifera (0.5 ml/100 g, 1.0 ml/100 g and 2.0ml/100 g) were administered daily for the next
twenty-one days and their weights taken at day 1, 7, 14, 21. On delivery, the number of litter from each
female was counted. In-vivo studies revealed that the number of litter corresponded to the number of
implantation sites counted and a corresponding increase in body weight of the rats observed. A dosedependent
increase in urine production but a decrease in electrolyte excretion occured. From the study,
it can be concluded that Cocos nucifera water was shown to aid pregnancy. The extract also promoted
diuresis, with minimal loss of electrolytes.