Background:The co-morbidity of psychoactive substance use and other mental disorders is a major challenge to the management of both conditions in several parts of the world. There is relative dearth of information on co-morbidity and its predictors in Nigeria. This study determined the prevalence and socio-demographic risk factors associated with psychoactive substance use in the psychiatric out-patients of a tertiary hospital in Nigeria.Study Design:A cross-sectional study.Materials and Methods:From routine clinic visits over a 4-month period, each consecutive 4th adult patients (>18 years) who had previously attended the clinic at least for 1 year, completed a socio-demographic and semi-structured drug use questionnaires and interview with the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) to generate substance use diagnosis. Data was analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 16. Level of significance was set at P < 0.05.Results:The lifetime prevalence for the use of substance was 29.3%, while that for multiple substances was 17.7%. The most commonly used substances were alcohol, cannabis and tobacco and they were also the ones mostly used in combination with one or the other. A total of 10.1% of the patients had a psychoactive substance use disorder. Being male, married with at least primary education and unemployed were significant risk factors for substance use.Conclusion:Psychoactive substance is common among the psychiatric outpatients of the hospital with males, those with formal education, the married and unemployed being at high risk of substance use.
Artemether, highly effective in multi-drug-resistant malaria is not routinely available for use in pregnancy due to the lack of adequate research data in animals and man. This study was therefore aimed at investigating some pregnancy-related effects of artemether. Artemether (1.5, 7.5 and 15 mg/kg i.p. daily for 7 days) did not produce changes in rat oestrous cycle. The drug did not prevent or prolong the rate of conception or parturition, cause pre-term delivery and affect litter size. Birth weight and growth rate of pups from artemether-pretreated dams were within the normal range. Artemether (48–480 µg/ml) had no agonist effect on the isolated uterine smooth muscles of both non-pregnant and pregnant rats and guinea pigs. However, the drug (24– 240 µg/ml) reduced oxytocin-induced contraction of uterine tissues concentration-dependently, particularly in pregnant uteri.
Acacia ataxacantha (Leguminosae) has been reported to be used in traditional medicine for management of pain and inflammation. The present study was designed to evaluate the anti inflammatory and antipyretic activities of methanol leaf extract of Acacia ataxacantha in rats. The acute toxicity study was carried out using Lorke method (1983). The doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract) selected for the study were based on the calculated LD inflammatory activities were investigated using the carragenaan and albumin induced paw edema, while the antipyretic activity was evaluated using yeast induced pyrexia method. the negative control (group 1), the carragenaan induced inf significant (p ≤ 0.05) reduction of inflammation at 200 and 400 mg/kg (3 ≤ 0.05) reduction in oedema was observed at doses of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg (4 there were significant inhibitions (p minutes post extract administration in albumin induced hind from the antipyretic study showed no significant effect. These findings suggest that the may contain bioactive compounds that possess anti ethno-medical use of the plant in the management of painful inflammation.
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