The leaves of the Qat plant (Catha edulis Forsk., Celastraceae) which contain amphetamine like compounds are widely chewed in Yemen and East Africa for their pleasurable stimulant properties. There are also a number of unwanted side-effects and this paper studies the effect on heart rate and blood pressure in 80 healthy volunteers. During a 3-h period of chewing fresh Qat leaves there was a significant and progressive rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, and levels had not returned to baseline 1 h after chewing had ceased. Further studies are needed on possible cardiovascular morbidity associated with regular Qat chewing.
It appears that protocols for antibiotic prophylaxis have developed in an ad hoc fashion over time. It was found that none of the studied hospitals followed the Ministry of Health antibiotic guidelines, nor were they using any international standard or recommendation. Based on the available infection rates, a consistent policy with written guidelines appears to lead to the best outcomes for patients.
Background: Malaria has always been a major public health problem in Yemen. Several studies in developing countries have demonstrated ineffective and poor quality drugs including antimalarials. Therefore, quality assessment of antimalarial drugs is of crucial importance. This study aimed to assess the quality of antimalarials (chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine) available in Yemen and to determine whether the quality of these products was related to the level of the distribution chain at which the samples were collected or related to the manufacturers.
Background: Pharmacovigilance is the “science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse effects or any other drug related problems”. The most commonly used adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting system worldwide is spontaneous and voluntary reporting, which forms the backbone of reporting systems. Aims: To explore the current status of consumer involvement in the pharmacovigilance program in three developing countries, Yemen, Nepal and Malaysia. Method: An analysis was carried out for these three countries based on the current status of pharmacovigilance and involvement of consumers in their pharmacovigilance programs. Results: Malaysia has a good system for involving consumers in their national pharmacovigilance system, whereas Yemen still lacks the well-formed national drug policy. Lack of legislation and regulation which govern the import and distribution of drugs in Yemen is a limiting factor for development of consumer pharmacovigilance. Despite establishment of a pharmacovigilance centre, no reports have been released by the centre. The status of pharmacovigilance in Nepal is still in infancy. The regulatory body is assigned to be a national pharmacovigilance center, and coordinates with seven regional centers for pharmacovigilance activities. Nepal also lacks the involvement of consumers in the national pharmacovigilance program. Conclusion: Consumer reporting may be important for developing countries to implement a proper and effective pharmacovigilance program that can reduce morbidity and mortality rates, as well as reducing the economic burden of ADRs.
Tea is largest consuming drink in the world. Many health claims is attributed towards the tea due to its distinguished phytochemical array. Role of tea is well established as a neutraceutical and many studies elucidate its pharmacological worth. The objective of this study was to calculate the calorie content by determining total lipid, crude fiber, total protein and available carbohydrate contents and estimation of caffeine and niacin content in Bangladeshi teas. The lipid, crude fiber, protein and available carbohydrate contents of the tea samples were found to be in the range of 3.25-5.53, 10.15-15.41, 12.97-17.08 and 4.78-6.21 g/100g fresh weight respectively while calorie contents were found in the range of 83.54- 101.46 Kcal/100g fresh weight of tea. The total caffeine and niacin content in teas ranged from 1.31 - 3.58 and 0.038 – 0.056 g/100g fresh weight respectively. Tea leaf contained the highest amount of caffeine (3.58 g/100g) and niacin (0.056 g/100g). As tea has different health effects it is essential to estimate the update nutrient contents of tea.
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