BackgroundBlood is a valuable resource and blood wastage in a low socio economic country could impose a very serious impact on healthcare. This study therefore analyzes the usage and wastage of blood and blood products at the Georgetown Public Hospital Cooperation (GPHC), Guyana.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on the data retrieved from laboratory blood banking information system on usage and wastage of blood products during the years 2012–2014 at the public hospital. The data were analyzed in MS Excel and SPSS 20.0.ResultsA total of 16,426 units of blood were issued from National Blood Transfusion Services. During the study period the most frequently requested blood component was packed cells followed by fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelet, cryoprecipitate (CRYO) and whole blood respectively. Data indicated that 4167 units (25 %) of blood were wasted due to various reasons at GPHC.ConclusionsThere is a need for intervention through raising awareness among medical staff in reducing blood wastage.
Aim: The main objective of the study was to compare, using laboratory data, the efficacy of herbal medicines against conventional drugs in treating and managing diabetes mellitus (DM) among type 2 diabetic (T2DM) patients. Methodology: The study recruited 80 patients from a private Herbal Clinic and the Georgetown Public Hospital Diabetic and Medical Outpatient Clinic after giving their consent and satisfying the inclusion criteria. Laboratory tests and analysis were done using conventional scientific methods and data analyzed using SPSS version 20 with a p-value of 0.05 being used to determine statistical significance. Results: The results showed that age, religion, ethnicity, education, marital status and monthly income have significant associations with the use of herbs. Persons using herbal medicine alone had normal lipid profile, renal function and liver function test, in addition to hemoglobin (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c) and fasting blood glucose (FBS). The most common herbs used were Momordica charantia (local name- karela) and Azadirachta indica (local name- neem), which were used in combination or alone. Results showed a positive effect on coronary heart disease risk. Conclusion: The information generated from the study indicated that a significant number of diabetic patients using herbs alone for their treatment had normal results. However, a more controlled study is required to validate these results.
Aim: The most adverse effect of blood transfusion is the acquisition of transfusion-transmissible infections (TTIs), which poses a serious threat in developing countries. This study aims to identify the trends of transfusion-transmissible infections among blood donors.Materials and Methods: This study was a laboratory-based retrospective study conducted using blood donors’ records from January 2015 to December 2018, collected at the National Blood Transfusion Service, Guyana (NBTS). Analysis of data was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 software and the results were presented in tables and graphs. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to identify trends and influencing factors.Results: A total of 39,308 blood donors were included in this study, of whom 2,418 (6.2%) donors tested positive to at least one pathogen. Among those donors, 4.4% were coinfected with at least one of the sixteen dual infection combinations. The overall seroprevalence of HIV, HTLV, syphilis, HBV, HCV, Chagas, microfilaria, and malaria was 0.8%, 0.8%, 0.6%, 1.5%, 1.3%, 1.2%, 0.0%, and 0.0%, respectively. Trends of transfusion-transmissible infections showed an overall increase from the lowest prevalence, 5.1%, in 2015 to 7% in 2016, followed by decreases in 2017 (6.8%) and 2018 (5.8%).Conclusions: Even though 98.6% of the donor population are volunteers, this study has shown that a significant percentage of blood donors harbour transfusion-transmissible infections. Stringent screening and preventive measures are very important to ensure the safety of the transfusion recipient.
Aim: This study was designed to assess the utilization of plants with anti-diabetic properties and to conduct preliminary phytochemical analysis and moreover, to assess the anti-diabetic potential of selected plants used to treat and manage Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among the residents of Pakuri (St. Cuthbert’s Mission) in Guyana. Methodology: The leaves of sour sop (Annona muricata L.), pear (Persea americana Mill.) and Mocou-Mocou (Montrichardia arborescens L. Schott) underwent phytochemical testing and a-amylase Inhibition testing to determine their anti-diabetic properties. Results: This study showed that the leaves of pear, sour sop and mocou mocou contained different chemical constituents including alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins and tannins but the absence of amino acids (proteins), carbohydrates and glycosides. The a-amylase inhibitory studies performed demonstrated that the extracts of A. muricata in ethanol and chloroform had significant inhibitory potential. Conclusion: Considering the promising potential of phytochemicals and the anti-diabetic activity of these species of plant extracts in anti-diabetic drug development, in vivo experiments and clinical trials are required for efficacy and safety evaluation. Also, the anti-diabetic phytochemicals may be used in combination with existing orthodox drugs, thereby, reducing the dose of synthetic anti-diabetic drugs, which will help in addressing the toxicity and cost-related issues in chronic use during the management of diabetes mellitus (DM).
Aims: Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is very important for sawmills just like any other occupation. Therefore, this study aims to assess the measures taken by sawmills to ensure safety is maintained at the workplace and to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) exhibited by woodworkers. Methodology: Using observation checklists and questionnaires, a cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. A total of 8 sawmills located on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway and 84 woodworkers were included in the study. Descriptive statistics were used to present the results. Analysis was done is SPSS software. Results and Discussion: A total of 37.5% of sawmill workers scored above average. Workers showed inadequate knowledge, negative attitude and poor practice towards OSH as the overall mean scores for these were found to be 71%, 71.5% and 61.4% respectively. These were below the cut-off level (75%). There was a significant linear correlation between knowledge, attitude and practice. Conclusion: It was concluded that employers need to put extra effort in providing workers with safety education and personal protective equipment’s (PPE). Education programs and training sessions need to be put in place as adequate knowledge results in positive attitude which results in good practice.
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