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Diabetes is the most common endocrine disease and its prevalence is reaching epidemic proportion worldwide. In 2002, WHO Expert Committee on diabetes mellitus recommended an urgent and further evaluation of the folkloric methods of managing the disease. In response to this recommendation, several medicinal plants are currently being investigated for their hypoglycaemic activity and one of such plants is Tamarindus indica. Tamarindus indica is a slow growing tree that is resistant to strong winds and perennial. The stem-bark extract of the plant is used locally for the management of diabetes. The stem-bark extract of Tamarindus indica L. was investigated for its hypoglycemic action on experimentally induced hyperglycaemic Wistar rats using a single dose of alloxan monohydrate (150 mg kg(-1) IP). The oral LD50 of the extract was found to be greater than 5,000 mg kg(-1). Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, alkaloids and triterpenes. The 1000 mg kg(-1) dose of the extract lowered the blood glucose level significantly (p < 0.05) at the 4th, 8th and 16th h. The 500 mg kg(-1) lowered the BGL significantly (p < 0.05) throughout the study. In the oral glucose load method the 1000 mg kg(-1) dose of the extract significantly (p < 0.05) lowered elevated blood glucose at the 3rd and 5th. The 500 mg kg(-1) lowered the blood glucose from the 1st to the 5th, while the 250 mg kg(-1) also lowered the blood glucose level but only significantly at the 5th h. The extract is practically non toxic when administered orally. The stem-bark extract of Tamarindus indica Linn significantly lowered elevated Blood Glucose concentration (BGL) in the experimental animal models, while the crude extract was able to prevent an elevation in BGL when used in the oral glucose load model.

Children are more vulnerable to adverse events related to use of drugs. It is therefore important to study drug use in children in order to optimize pharmacotherapy. The aim of this study was to compare drug utilization in paediatric outpatient departments of primary and secondary health care facilities. The patient and drug information of 600 patients was analyzed for World Health Organization (WHO) recommended prescribing indicators. The average number of drugs per prescription was significantly (p < 0.0005) lower in secondary (2.97) compared to primary (3.62) facilities, while average consultation time was shorter (p < 0.0005) in primary than secondary facilities. Percentages of drugs prescribed from Nigerian Essential Drug List (EDL, primary {89.78%}; secondary {91.79%}) and by generic name (primary {55.04%}; secondary {57.88%}) were insignificantly different between the facilities. The use of injectables was low (8.32% in primary versus 3.74% in secondary facilities) while antibiotic use was high (54.14% in primary to 60.28% in secondary facilities). Analysis of the dispensing indicators showed that the secondary facilities were significantly (p < 0.05) better than the primary facilities, even though not a single drug was adequately labeled in both the primary and secondary facilities. Prescription from EDL was found to be fair in the study area while use of injections was low. There is a need for improvement in case of medicines prescribed by generic name.

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