ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Anti-inflammatory and Anti-apoptotic Potentials of Apigenin against Liver Injury Induced by Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rats
Apigenin is a dietary flavonoid that exists copiously in several herbs and vegetables. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenesis, anti-proliferative and antioxidant properties. The present work aimed to investigate some of mechanisms underlying protective potential of apigenin in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury. Rats were divided into four groups; sham-operated, sham-operated pretreated with apigenin (25 mg/kg, p.o.), ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) (30 min ischemia and 1 h reperfusion) and I/R pretreated with apigenin. Compared with I/R group, pretreatment with apigenin markedly reduced transaminases levels and ameliorated tissue histopathological changes. Apigenin significantly reduced high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression and suppressed liver tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity. Moreover, apigenin restored reduced glutathione (GSH), decreased liver lipid peroxidation, and boosted glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in addition to attenuation of apoptosis by increasing Bcl-2/Bax ratio. It may thus be concluded that inhibition of HMGBI by apigenin plays a role towards its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory as well as anti-apoptotic properties which are involved in conferring its hepato-protective properties
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_37142_4004a2f094b6597a6c7db2f89ca50d56.pdf
2019-06-01
46
54
10.21608/bfpc.2019.13703.1040
Apigenin
apoptosis
Inflammation
Ischemia/reperfusion
Liver
Dalia
El-Tanbouly
dalia.eltanbouly@pharma.cu.edu.eg
1
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
LEAD_AUTHOR
hala
Zaki
hala.fahmy@pharma.cu.edu.eg
2
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
AUTHOR
Rania
Abdelsalam
rania.mohsen@pharma.cu.edu.eg
3
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
AUTHOR
Aya
Zaki
ayazaky_e@hotmail.com
4
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Nigella sativa oil protected the hippocampus against Acetyl cholinesterase and oxidative dysfunctions-driven impaired working memory in rats
Oxidative damages in organophosphates poisoning is associated with neuro-cognitive deficits. This study investigates the protective effect of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) in mitigating dichlorvos (DDVP) induced oxidative damage and neuro-cognitive impairment in rats. Thirty-two rats were randomly divided into four groups, exposed to 1 ml/kg of normal saline, 8.8 mg/kg of DDVP, DDVP + 1 ml/kg of NSO and NSO respectively for 14 consecutive days. Body weights were recorded at day 1 and 15 of the experiment, the rats were exposed to 3 trials each on the 11, 12 and 13th days in the Morris water maze, and subsequently latency to hidden platform and time in the platform quadrant were recorded as measures of long term memory (LTM), short term memory (STM) and reference memory on the 14th day. The rats were euthanized on the 15th day, the brains excised and the hippocampi of five brains in each group were removed, homogenized to analyze for total reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitrous oxide (NO) levels and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, while the other three were processed for histology and Ki67 immunohistochemistry. DDVP exposure caused a significant increase in hippocampal NO and ROS levels, with reductions in AChE activities and Ki67 protein expression. This was associated with delayed escape latency and reduced time in platform quadrant. NSO intervention prevented outburst in ROS and NO, preserved the neurogenic cells and improved neuro-cognitive indices. We thus conclude that stabilizing oxidative and neurogenic functions are vital to protect against DDVP hippocampal insults.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47916_019c413f81f5c3b5da69974769a6320b.pdf
2019-06-01
25
34
10.21608/BFPC.2019.47261
Acetylcholinesterase
Cognition
dichlorvos
Nigella sativa oil
oxidative damage
Imam
Aminu
1
Neuroscience Unit, Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
AUTHOR
Alakoso
Teslimat
2
Neuroscience Unit, Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
AUTHOR
Williams
Victoria
3
Comparative Neurobiology Unit, School of Anatomical sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
AUTHOR
Chengetanai
Samson
4
Comparative Neurobiology Unit, School of Anatomical sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
AUTHOR
Oyewole
Aboyeji
5
Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
AUTHOR
Olaleye
Olatunbosun
6
Department of Oral science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.
AUTHOR
Shittu
Sheu-Tijani
7
Endocrinology and metabolism Research Unit, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
AUTHOR
Ajao
Saliu
8
Neuroscience Unit, Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Densitometric and Ratio Spectra Methods for Simultaneous Determination of Sulfaquinoxaline Sodium and Pyrimethamine in Binary Mixture
Four methods were developed for simultaneous determination of sulfaquinoxaline-Na and pyrimethamine in their combined pharmaceutical formulations. The first one was a densitometric method where chloroform-methanol (9: 1, v/v) was the developing system and the plates were scanned at 254 nm. The obtained spots appeared at Rf 0.64 and 0.35 and determined in the range of 0.5-10.0 μg/spot and 0.1-10.0 μg/spot for sulfaquinoxaline-Na and pyrimethamine, respectively. Furthermore, three spectrophotometric methods manipulating ratio spectra namely, ratio difference method, extended ratio subtraction method coupled with ratio subtraction method and mean centering method were established for the determination of the two studied drugs in the presence of propylene glycol as a solvent. Linear correlation was found over the concentration range of 2-25 μg mL-1 and 3-15 μg mL-1 for the two drugs, respectively. The proposed methods were successfully applied for analyzing the cited drugs in their veterinary pharmaceutical formulations. The obtained results were statistically analyzed and found to be in accordance with those given by a reported method. The validity of the methods was evaluated according to ICH guidelines.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47917_45b25d37c3d8c47c4bfbb2e2f9fd7a5c.pdf
2019-06-01
35
45
10.21608/bfpc.2019.7290.1002
Mean centering
Pyrimethamine
Ratio difference
ratio subtraction
sulfaquinoxaline-Na
Sawsan
Abdel Razeq
1
Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University.
AUTHOR
Asmaa
El Demerdash
2
Faculty of Pharmacy, October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA).
AUTHOR
Manal
Fouad
3
Analytical Chemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Al-Azhar University.+
AUTHOR
Hoda
El Sanabary
4
National Organization for Drug Control and Research (NODCAR).
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Evaluation of insulin-like growth factor-1, total ghrelin, and insulin resistance in nutritionally stunted Egyptian children
Stunting represents a worldwide nutritional problem, which has many negative effects on child health and development. This study aimed to investigate the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1), total ghrelin and insulin resistance, as well as certain micronutrients affecting children growth and skeletal maturity in nutritionally stunted Egyptian children. Stunted children were selected to have height for age Z score (HAZ) < -2 standard deviation, whereas, control children were selected to have HAZ > -2. Stunted children were further classified according to weight for age Z score into normal and underweight groups. All stunted children exhibited significantly lower serum levels of IGF-1, Ca, and Mg compared to normal control children. Additionally, both normal weight and underweight groups showed insignificantly higher total ghrelin levels than the control values. Only stunted underweight children showed significantly lower serum Zn levels compared to control children. Meanwhile, no significant differences were observed in serum glucose and insulin levels, pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance between different study groups. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of early detection of abnormalities in growth hormone / IGF-1 axis and micronutrients levels in hope that appropriate intervention strategies could improve their status to obtain full growth potential in nutritionally stunted Egyptian children.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47918_3eafa88b84d6fa043a6b93f9c75ecd90.pdf
2019-06-01
55
65
10.21608/bfpc.2019.10413.1019
ghrelin
IGF-1
Insulin Resistance
Micronutrient
Stunting
Shimaa
Abdou
1
Nutritional Chemistry Department, National Nutrition Institute.
AUTHOR
Noha
El-Boghdady
nohaelbogdady@yahoo.com
2
Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Biochemistry, Cairo University.
AUTHOR
Awatif
Abd El-Maksoud
awatifabdelmaksoud@gmail.com
3
Nutritional Requirements and Growth Department, National Nutrition Institute.
AUTHOR
Sahar
Khairy
saharkhairyramadan@yahoo.com
4
Nutritional Requirements and Growth Department, National Nutrition Institute.
AUTHOR
Maha
El-Sawalhi
mahaelsawalhi@yahoo.com
5
Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Biochemistry, Cairo University.+
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Medication Safety Spontaneous Reporting System: The Lebanese Order of Pharmacists Initiative
Background: The increase in medication use and expansion of the pharmaceutical industry has led to an increase in hazards, errors and adverse events associated with medication use. In Lebanon, medication safety reporting by pharmacists is lacking due to the absence of an official reporting system.Objective: The objective of the Order of Pharmacists of Lebanon (OPL) was to engage pharmacists in reporting the adverse drug reactions by creating an efficient tool for this purpose.Methods: The scientific committee at the OPL worked on designing a reporting tool for adverse drug reactions (ADRs).Results: An electronic platform was created, and several training sessions were conducted for professionals who would be involved in helping community or hospital pharmacists in launching the platform. The form was tuned based on the findings of the Community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists and the general population questionnaires about medication safety culture, to fit the needs of the practice and to be comprehensive and aligned with international validated standards.Conclusion: Pilot testing is ongoing and regular continuing education sessions and sensitization campaigns are planned, in parallel to the official launching of the project in collaboration with the MOPH. This program has important implications in terms of public health, since knowledge and attitudes are viewed as potentially modifiable factors and their improvement is expected to decrease underreporting; the OPL is also hoping to improve the patient safety culture in Lebanon.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47919_2043cb10a670c84c74a9f8c575c903cf.pdf
2019-06-01
66
81
10.21608/bfpc.2019.47919
Community pharmacists
continuing education
electronic platform
general population
hospital pharmacists
KAP study
Medication Safety
pharmacovigilance
Marwan
Akel
marwan.akel@liu.edu.lb
1
School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon.+
AUTHOR
Elsy
Ramia
2
School of Pharmacy, Lebanese American University, Byblos, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Aline
Hajj
3
Laboratory of Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacy and Drug Quality Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pôle Technologie- Santé (PTS), Faculty of Pharmacy, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut 1107 2180, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Souheil
Hallit
4
INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sante Publique, Epidemiologie Clinique et Toxicologie, Beirut, Lebanon.+
AUTHOR
Nathalie
Lahoud
5
School of Pharmacy, Lebanese International University, Beirut, Lebanon.+
AUTHOR
Abeer
Zaytoun
6
Lebanese Order of Pharmacists, Drug Information Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Maya
Harb
7
Lebanese Order of Pharmacists, Drug Information Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Hind
Hajj
8
Algorithm Sal, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Patricia
Shuhaiber
9
Mount Lebanon Hospital, Clinical Pharmacy department, Beirut, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
Hala
Sacre
10
INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sante Publique, Epidemiologie Clinique et Toxicologie, Beirut, Lebanon.+
AUTHOR
Pascale
Salameh
11
INSPECT-LB: Institut National de Sante Publique, Epidemiologie Clinique et Toxicologie, Beirut, Lebanon.+
AUTHOR
Rony
Zeenny
12
American University Beirut Medical Center, Clinical Pharmacy department, Beirut, Lebanon.
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Perception and utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among University of Sharjah (UOS) students
Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is a term used for practices and use of products other than conventional standard evidence-based medical care.Objective: To assess the CAM knowledge and utilization among University of Sharjah students, UAE.Method: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted. 250 surveys among UOS students were distributed. The data was obtained through a well-designed questionnaire of 3 main categories. The first part was designed to collect socio-demographic data, while the second part mainly measured CAM knowledge and the practicing pattern. The last section was developed to assess CAM beliefs and psychological behavior behind CAM utilization.Results: 214 participants agreed to participate (response rate 85.6%), and 81% reported their belief in CAM as medical therapy. The reason behind their belief in CAM was due to efficacy (37%) and safety (21%). Approximately 74% of participants claimed their CAM knowledge, and the most frequently used CAM therapy was cupping. Most participants (47%) gained their knowledge from regular courses offered by UOS. Around 33% of the participants consult their physicians before utilizing CAM therapy. However, 42% utilized CAM by unlicensed practitioners.Conclusion: Obtained results indicated the high level of CAM knowledge among UOS students in particular females while cupping being the most frequent used CAM therapy. The main reasons justifying the use of cupping was religion, and cultural-based. The lack of sufficient scientific data and the minimal link between the physician and the consumers were the main obstacles attributed to the limited use of CAM.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47920_6bea57e28cb976d66f43af80e4f00bef.pdf
2019-06-01
82
87
10.21608/bfpc.2019.7956.1011
CAM
perception
sharjah
Students
Survey
Osama
Ibrahim
1
Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacotherapeutics Department, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, UAE.+
AUTHOR
Mohamed
Rashrash
osos_hussein@hotmail.com
2
University of Charleston, School of Pharmacy, USA.
AUTHOR
Sameh
Soliman
ssoliman@sharjah.ac.ae
3
Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Sharjah, UAE.
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Practice of prophylactic antibiotic and timing of administration in two common elective surgeries in Pakistan: An audit-based study
Antibiotic prophylaxis usage is one of the main actions to prevent and reduce rate of surgical site infections. Antimicrobial stewardship programme is also focused on audit of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP). The objective of study was to evaluate the appropriateness of SAP and their pattern of utilization in two tertiary-care teaching hospitals in Islamabad (Pakistan). A total of 965 elective surgeries were performed during the 9 months study period. The two most common elective surgical procedures were Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and Direct right inguinal hernia, that were performed on 443 patients. Adherence to the Standard International Guidelines (CDC, 2017) about appropriate use of antibiotic and timing of administration were main outcomes. The mean age of patients was 43.5±16.3 years. SAP was appropriate according to guidelines in only 5% (n=22) of cases. Appropriate use of SAP was greater in direct right inguinal hernia (10%) than laparoscopic cholecystectomy (1.2%) surgery; P = 0.001. The drug of choice cefazolin was only prescribed to 4.2% (19 out of 443) of patients. Timing of administration was appropriate in 50.8% (225 out of 443) of the procedures. Compliance with timing was significantly lower in Hospital GH (32%) as compared to Hospital PH (71%); P < 0.001. Length of stay was significantly different (P = 0.001) between surgical procedures. The most common antibiotics used inappropriately were ceftriaxone and Cefuroxime. Present study found an overall low adherence to SAP mainly regarding choice and timing of administration. Educational intervention and urgent need for implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programme are required.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47921_3109d63f329b24b623b711752617f758.pdf
2019-06-01
88
95
10.21608/bfpc.2019.13532.1039
antibiotic
Compliance
hospitals
infections, laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Zakir
Khan
zakirkhan300@gmail.com
1
Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan.
AUTHOR
Naveed
Ahmed
natanoli@qau.edu.pk
2
Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan.
AUTHOR
Asim-
Rehman
3
Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, Pakistan.
AUTHOR
Faiz
Khan
fkhan@bs.qau.edu.pk
4
Department of Pharmacy, Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Health Science Centre, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China.
AUTHOR
Maria
Martins
5
Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil.
AUTHOR
ORIGINAL_ARTICLE
Adverse drug reactions of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents reported to the Egyptian Pharmaceutical Vigilance Center
The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) related to antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents in Egypt. We extracted all ADR reports of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents (Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) code L) that were reported to Egyptian Pharmaceutical Vigilance Center (EPVC) from January 2011 to December 2015 using VigiLyze TM. Afterwards, these reports were analyzed and categorized by age, sex, reporter qualification, seriousness, type of ADRs, medications, indications of use and causality. During the study period, 1905 reports related to antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were received; 44.6% of which were reported by consumers and 56.8% by health care professionals. ADRs were serious in 13.3% and 65.1% of the cases reported by consumers and healthcare professionals, respectively. Approximately half (52.5%) of the reported ADRs occurred in females and only 8.4% occurred in children. Half of the reported ADRs ( 51.5%) occurred in middle aged group (45- 64 years). The most reported classes at the therapeutic level were immunostimulants (ATC code L03) and antineoplastic agents (ATC code L01). The most frequently reported medication was peg-interferon alfa-2a. The majority of ADRs were of the type "general disorders and administration site conditions" and "gastrointestinal disorders". In conclusion, ADRs caused by immunostimulants especially interferons have higher tendency to be reported in Egypt especially in the middle-aged group. Additionally, the study has shown that serious ADRs of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were more likely to be reported by healthcare professionals rather than consumers.
https://bfpc.journals.ekb.eg/article_47922_7a80c4d064d81fceea80a26a4ead20ea.pdf
2019-06-01
96
103
10.21608/bfpc.2019.7213.1000
Adverse drug reactions
antineoplastic agents
immunomodulating agents
pharmacovigilance
spontaneous reporting
Samar
Gouda
samar.osama@pharma.cu.edu.eg
1
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University.
AUTHOR
Amr
Saad
amr4278@yahoo.com
2
Egyptian Pharmaceutical Vigilance Center.
AUTHOR
Maggie
Abbassi
maggie.abbassi@pharma.cu.edu.eg
3
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University.
AUTHOR
Samar
Farid
samar.farid@pharma.cu.edu.eg
4
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University.
AUTHOR