Garcinia cola also known as "bitter cola" (Guttiferae) is a plant with a wide usage of its parts for various medicinal purposes. The seeds are chewed as aphrodisiac and for the treatment of coughs, dysentery and liver inflammation. Morinda lucida (Rubiaceae) commonly called "great morinda" has been shown to have antimalarial and anti-pyretic activities. This study aimed at evaluating the anti-infective and antioxidant properties of G. cola and M. lucida and to justify their folkloric uses. Ethanol extracts of the stem barks of G. cola (GCB) and M. lucida (MLB) were evaluated for their antimicrobial, anthelmintic and antioxidant activities. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated by determining the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) using the micro broth dilution method against strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Candida albicans. Anthelmintic activity was evaluated by determining the effects of the extracts on the paralytic and death times of Pheretima posthuma at concentrations of 50, 20 and 10 mg/mL using piperazine citrate (PZN) (15 mg/mL) and albendazole (ABZ) (20 mg/mL) as references. Antioxidant activity was determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity using ascorbic acid (ASA) as reference standard. The results reveal that the extracts from both plants demonstrated antimicrobial activity with MIC values ranging from 50 to 80 mg/mL and 10 to 30 mg/mL for GCB and MLB, respectively. Both extracts also demonstrated a concentration dependent anthelmintic activity with decrease in paralytic and death times upon an increase in extract concentrations. GCB and MLB extract showed antioxidant activities with IC 50 values, 6.830 and 342.1 µg/mL, respectively. Phytochemical screening of both extracts revealed the presence of tannins, glycosides, alkaloids and flavonoids. These findings may justify the folkloric uses of these plants.

Alstonia boonei

Objective: Stability studies on flucloxacillin sodium in reconstituted oral suspensions were carried out. The experiment sought to investigate the effects that the different types of water for reconstitution and different storage conditions have on the stability of flucloxacillin sodium in the reconstituted suspensions.Methods: Suspensions of flucloxacillin sodium were reconstituted with tap water, commercial bottled water (Voltic brand was used), commercial sachet water (Everpure brand was used) treated tap water and distilled water and stored under refrigeration (RF) (4-6 °C), at room temperature (RT) (31-33 °C) and in a bowl of water (BW) (26-27 °C). Assay of flucloxacillin sodium was by iodimetry at predetermined time intervals for 8 d.Results: The amount of flucloxacillin sodium in all the suspensions stored under the various storage conditions reduced with time and at different rates. The percentage breakdown, a parameter of stability, was calculated for each reconstituted suspension stored at the different conditions investigated and they were as follows: commercial bottled water (RT-22.40 %, RF-9.90 % and BW-15.90 %), distilled water (RT-29.14 %, RF-18.0 %, BW-28.80 %), tap water (RT-25.0%, RF-14.60 % and BW-25.10 %) and commercial sachet water (RT-25.0 %, RF-10.17 % and BW-22.50 %).Conclusion: At the end of the study, it was found that those suspensions reconstituted with the commercial bottled water were the most stable and had the smallest breakdown of flucloxacillin sodium whereas those reconstituted with distilled water were the least stable and had the largest breakdown of flucloxacillin sodium. Commercial sachet water reconstituted more stable suspensions than tap water. Also, the suspensions stored under refrigeration were the most stable followed by those stored in a bowl of water. The formulations kept at room temperature were the least stable and thus, had the largest breakdown of flucloxacillin sodium.

The consumption patterns of energy drinks in the Tema Municipality of the Greater-Accra region of Ghana were investigated via a cross sectional survey and the caffeine contents of these energy drinks were determined by iodimetry. The survey showed that more males than females consume energy drinks. Five types of energy drinks; Lucozade (LU), Rush (RU), Red Bull (RB), Five Star (FS) and Monster (MT) were revealed. MT was not available on the market at the time of the survey. RU was the most consumed whereas RB was the least consumed. LU had a higher consumption rate than FS. The energy drinks were normally taken for enhanced performance. The caffeine contents of the various brands of energy drinks were as follows: LU-0.192 mg/ml, RU-0.245 mg/ml, FS-0.139 mg/ml and RB-0.089 mg/ml. Most of the correspondents (148 out of 156) consumed one to three cans or bottles of energy drinks per day and this led to an intake of caffeine which was less than the recommended daily allowance of 400 mg. Some, however, ingested more than 400 mg and experienced some side effects.