Background: The issue of antibiotic resistance has become a global public health concern, with an extensive clinical and economic burden. The study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of antibiotic resistance among undergraduate medical students at the University of Zambia.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Zambia Ridgeway Campus. A structured questionnaire was administered to 260 randomly selected undergraduate medical students. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. Associations between dependent and independent variables were done using a Chi-square test. The statistical significance was done at 95% confidence level (p<0.05). Ethical approval was done by the University of Zambia Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee.Results: The study found that 227 of 260 (87.3%) of the medical students had good knowledge on antibiotic use and resistance. The majority of the medical students 252 of 260 (96.9%) had positive attitudes and 195 of 260 (75%) had good practices towards antibiotic resistance. There was a significant difference between the year of study and the level of knowledge (χ2=16.333, p=0.003). There was no significant difference between the year of study and the attitude of the participants (χ2=4.061, p=0.398). A significant difference was found between the year of study and the practices of the respondents (χ2=10.926, p=0.027).Conclusions: The medical students had good knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practices towards antibiotic resistance. Final year students had higher levels of knowledge and attitude but lower levels of practice compared to other years of study.

Nanoencapsulation is an approach to circumvent shortcomings such as reduced bioavailability, undesirable side effects, frequent dosing and unpleasant organoleptic properties of conventional drug delivery systems. The process of nanoencapsulation involves the use of biomaterials such as surfactants and/or polymers, often in combination with charge inducers and/or ligands for targeting. The biomaterials selected for nanoencapsulation processes must be as biocompatible as possible. The type(s) of biomaterials used for different nanoencapsulation approaches are highlighted and their use and applicability with regard to haemo- and, histocompatibility, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenesis are discussed.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has tested the resolve of the global community with more than 35 million infections worldwide and numbers increasing with no cure or vaccine available to date. Nanomedicines have an advantage of providing enhanced permeability and retention and have been extensively studied as targeted drug delivery strategies for the treatment of different disease. The role of monocytes, erythrocytes, thrombocytes, and macrophages in diseases, including infectious and inflammatory diseases, cancer, and atherosclerosis, are better understood and have resulted in improved strategies for targeting and in some instances mimicking these cell types to improve therapeutic outcomes. Consequently, these primary cell types can be exploited for the purposes of serving as a “Trojan horse” for targeted delivery to identified organs and sites of inflammation. State of the art and potential utilization of nanocarriers such as nanospheres/nanocapsules, nanocrystals, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles/nano-structured lipid carriers, dendrimers, and nanosponges for biomimicry and/or targeted delivery of bioactives to cells are reported herein and their potential use in the treatment of COVID-19 infections discussed. Physicochemical properties, viz., hydrophilicity, particle shape, surface charge, composition, concentration, the use of different target-specific ligands on the surface of carriers, and the impact on carrier efficacy and specificity are also discussed.

Neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and dementia are chronic and advanced diseases that are associated with loss of neurons and other related pathologies. Furthermore, these disorders involve structural and functional defections of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). Consequently, advances in medicines and therapeutics have led to a better appreciation of various pathways associated with the development of neurodegenerative disorders, thus focusing on drug discovery and research for targeted drug therapy to the central nervous system (CNS). Although the BBB functions as a shield to prevent toxins in the blood from reaching the brain, drug delivery to the CNS is hindered by its presence. Owing to this, various formulation approaches, including the use of lipid-based nanocarriers, have been proposed to address shortcomings related to BBB permeation in CNS-targeted therapy, thus showing the potential of these carriers for translation into clinical use. Nevertheless, to date, none of these nanocarriers has been granted market authorization following the successful completion of all stages of clinical trials. While the aforementioned benefits of using lipid-based carriers underscores the need to fast-track their translational development into clinical practice, technological advances need to be initiated to achieve appropriate capacity for scale-up and the production of affordable dosage forms.

Introduction: Indiscriminate prescribing and using of antibiotics have led to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). To reduce this problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the "Access", "Watch", and "Reserve" (AWaRe) classification of antibiotics that promotes antimicrobial stewardship (AMS). In Zambia, there are gaps in practice regarding prescribing of antibiotics based on the AWaRe protocol. This study assessed antibiotic prescribing patterns in adult in-patients in selected primary healthcare hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using 388 patient medical files from September 2021 to November 2021, five primary healthcare hospitals namely; Chawama, Matero, Chilenje, Kanyama, and Chipata. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23.

There is a dearth of natural remedies available for the treatment of an increasing number of diseases facing mankind. Natural products may provide an opportunity to produce formulations and therapeutic solutions to address this shortage. Curcumin (CUR), diferuloylmethane; I,7-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione is the major pigment in turmeric powder which has been reported to exhibit a number of health benefits including, antibacterial, antiviral, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. In this review, the authors attempt to highlight the biological and pharmacological properties of CUR in addition to emphasizing aspects relating to the biosynthesis, encapsulation and therapeutic effects of the compound. The information contained in this review was generated by considering published information in which evidence of enhanced biological and pharmacological properties of nano-encapsulated CUR was reported. CUR has contributed to a significant improvement in melanoma, breast, lung, gastro-intestinal, and genito-urinary cancer therapy. We highlight the impact of nano-encapsulated CUR for efficient inhibition of cell proliferation, even at low concentrations compared to the free CUR when considering anti-proliferation. Furthermore nano-encapsulated CUR exhibited bioactive properties, exerted cytotoxic and anti-oxidant effects by acting on endogenous and cholinergic anti-oxidant systems. CUR was reported to block Hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry into hepatic cells, inhibit MRSA proliferation, enhance wound healing and reduce bacterial load. Nano-encapsulated CUR has also shown bioactive properties when acting on antioxidant systems (endogenous and cholinergic). Future research is necessary and must focus on investigation of encapsulated CUR nano-particles in different models of human pathology.

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious global health problem that has negatively impacted the mental health of students.Methods: We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia from August to September 2020. A partial proportional odds regression model was used to determine the predictors of anxiety. All statistical tests were set at 95% confidence level (p<0.05).Results: A response rate of 70% was obtained with the majority of the students being female 51.6%. Of the 273 respondents, 23.8% did not experience anxiety, 34.4% experienced mild anxiety, 24.9% experienced moderate anxiety while 16.9% experienced severe anxiety about COVID-19. It was also found that 61.2% of students reported that their attention to mental health increased during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas 44.3% reported an increased resting time with a significant reduction in relaxation 51.3% and physical activity 45.4% time. Factors that affected mental health included; reduced family care (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.74), not changing attention to mental health (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.62), being in the final year of study (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.84), reduced time of resting (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.26-3.50) and feeling helpless (OR: 0.42; 95% CI:0.23-0.75).Conclusions: COVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health and physical activity of pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. This can have negative health and academic outcomes for students going forward. Higher learning institutions and key stakeholders should implement measures to aid students to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and physical activity.

Irrational and inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics is a major problem that can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In Zambia, there is insufficient information on the prescribing patterns of antibiotics according to the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe classification. Therefore, this study assessed the prescribing patterns of antibiotics using the AWaRe classification during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. A cross-sectional study was conducted using 384 patient medical files at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia, from August 2022 to September 2022. All antibiotics were classified according to the WHO “AWaRe” tool and assessed for appropriateness using the 2020 Zambian Standard Treatment Guidelines. Of the 384 patient medical files reviewed, antibiotics were prescribed 443 times. The most prescribed antibiotics were ceftriaxone (26.6%), metronidazole (22.6%), amoxicillin (10.4%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (5.6%), and azithromycin (5%). The prescribing of 42.1% of “Watch” group antibiotics was greater than the recommended threshold by the WHO. Most antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory infections (26.3%) and gastrointestinal tract infections (16.4%). The most prescribed antibiotic was ceftriaxone, a Watch antibiotic. This is a worrisome observation and calls for strengthened antimicrobial stewardship and implementation of the AWaRe framework in prescribing antibiotics.