Traditional medicine refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being. In the last decade traditional medicine has become very popular in Cameroon, partly due to the long unsustainable economic situation in the country. The high cost of drugs and increase in drug resistance to common diseases like malaria, bacteria infections and other sexually transmitted diseases has caused the therapeutic approach to alternative traditional medicine as an option for concerted search for new chemical entities (NCE). The World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Cameroon Government has put in place a strategic platform for the practice and development of TM in Cameroon. This platform aims at harmonizing the traditional medicine practice in the country, create a synergy between TM and modern medicine and to institutionalize a more harmonized integrated TM practices by the year 2012 in Cameroon. An overview of the practice of TM past, present and future perspectives that underpins the role in sustainable poverty alleviation has been discussed. This study gives an insight into the strategic plan and road map set up by the Government of Cameroon for the organisational framework and research platform for the practice and development of TM, and the global partnership involving the management of TM in the country.

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Pest management in most sub-Saharan subsistence agriculture involves mainly the use of botanicals that are either applied as powders, solvent extracts, ash or essential oils. Two hydrogenated monoterpenes (α-pinene and 3-carene) from Cupressus sempervirens were tested against Sitophilus zeamais in the laboratory to evaluate the contact and fumigation effects on the mortality of adult and immature weevils, progeny production, and grain damage. Contact toxicity of the terpenes was investigated at these concentrations: 0.08, 4, 8 and 12 ppm (terpene/maize), while fumigant action was studied at the following doses: 1, 2, 3, and 4 ppm. The results indicate that insecticidal effects were concentration-dependent since mortality increased with dosage and exposure periods. After a 14-day exposure period at the concentration of 12 ppm of α-pinene and 3-carene/grain, more than 98% mortality of the mature weevils was observed at concentrations of 4.1333 and 1.642 ppm respectively and progeny production was reduced by 98% and 100%, respectively. When α-pinene and 3-carene were applied as fumigants, LC50s (lethal concentrations that generate 50% mortality) of 1.402 and 0.610 ppm were obtained after 24 h of exposure, respectively. At concentrations above 3 ppm, both monoterpenes acted as repellents to weevils and reduced grain damage by 80%. Both monoterpenes inhibited the development of immature stages of the weevil and reduced progeny by up to 94%. These compounds are very promising and effective and could be exploited as novel phytoinsecticides against the maize weevil.

Some fungi are capable of producing substances that are potent, acute toxins or carcinogens to both animals and humans. These toxic agents are generally called mycotoxins. The diseases these fungi cause are mycotoxicoses, and their impact on domestic animals in terms of decreased growth rate, abnormal reproduction and early death has long been recognized. The impact of these fungi in human carcinogenesis has been the subject of intensive study only since the early 1960s. Mycotoxins of worldwide importance such as aflatoxins B 1 , B 2 , G 1 and G 2 ; deoxynivalenol; zearalenone; fumonisin B 1 ; T-2 toxin; and ochratoxin A, produced by fungi on pre-and post-harvest food and feeds, have led to contamination of the food chain, resulting in severe economic losses and serious health problems in human beings and livestock. In humans, the presence of mycotoxins in foods can be cumulative, leading to cancers and immune-deficiency diseases. This paper discusses the global deleterious effects of the mycotoxins, their metabolism and detoxification, and control measures applicable within the framework of integrated pest management systems.

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is a drug class that groups together drugs that provide analgesic (pain-killing) and antipyretic (fever-reducing) effects, and, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory effects. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties acts by inhibiting two recognized isoenzymes of prostaglandin G/H synthase also known as cycl-oxygenase (COX), which are COX 1 and COX 2.The pharmacodynamic action of these drugs is mostly mediated by inhibition of COX2, while the adverse reactions are largely due to COX1 inhibition.. The NSAID selectively inhibiting COX2 were developed in the 90s to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal toxicity. NSAID use has been found to be associated with an increased risk of heart failure in several randomized clinical trials and observational studies. Nevertheless, there is still limited information on the risk of heart failure associated with the use of individual NSAIDs (both COX 2 inhibitors and traditional NSAIDs) in clinical practice in resource poor communities, and especially on their doseresponse associations. The most prominent members of this group of drugs, are aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, that are all available over the counter in most countries. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is generally not considered an NSAID because it has only little antiinflammatory activity. It treats pain mainly by blocking COX-2 mostly in the central nervous system, but not much in the rest of the body. Most NSAIDs inhibit the activity of (COX-1) and COX2, and thereby the synthesis of prostalglandin and thromboxanes. It is thought that inhibiting COX-2 leads to the anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic effects and that those NSAIDs also inhibiting COX-1, particularly aspirin, may cause gastrointestinal bleeding and ulcers. This review attempts to give a comprehensive view of NSAIDs pharmacological activities, the drug class, mode of action and usage in a low income economy.

Maize is cultivated worldwide and used as food and for fuel production. It is usually attacked and destroyed during storage by Sitophilus zeamais. With inaccessibility to synthetic pesticides, farmers are left with the choice of using locally available plant based pesticides. For this reason, we tested the insecticidal potentials of essential oils (EOs) of Chenopodium ambrosioides and Cupressus sempervirens and their binary combinations against S. zeamais on stored maize. Mortality, progeny inhibition, repellence and damage were tested. Pesticide characteristics of both essential oils were dose-dependent, 200 μL/kg of all the combinations caused at least 80% mortality within 14 days of storage while the 50:50 combination completely inhibited progeny production. Moreover, 8 μL of all the EO were repellent to the weevils. The 50:50 binary combination was the most active in all the tests carried out. Pesticidal interactions between the oils in combination were mostly additive and synergistic. There was also a good control of insect population increase and grain damage after six months of storage. Therefore both EOs can be recommended for the control of S. zeamais.

Chalcones and their derivatives have been shown to have potent anticancer activity. A series of aldehydes A 1-4 and thiazolic chalcones C 1-20 were synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines. In addition, this work led to the synthesis of 12 new thiazolic chalcones using a base-catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation reaction. Compounds C 10 and C 12 were found to be the most promising biologically active samples with IC 50 values below or around 10 lM on both DU-145 and THP-1 cancer cell lines.

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