Veronica Mugoyela

The study was aimed at assessing the knowledge of the drivers and conductors on HIV/AIDS epidemic and its preventive measures. This descriptive study was prospectively conducted among randomly selected city commuter-bus drivers and conductors from December 2006 to April 2007 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. The study parameters included the general knowledge of the respondents on HIV/AIDS, treatment by anti-retroviral therapy and different types of preventive measures. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews using semi- structured questionnaires. A total of 333 respondents voluntarily participated in the study. It was found that out of all respondents who had heard about HIV/AIDS, 93.9% heard it from the media particularly radios, televisions and newspapers. The results further showed no significant difference (p=0.08) of knowledge on HIV/AIDS between the drivers and conductors. Drivers (84.3%) and conductors (80.1%) pointed out condom as the common method of prevention from contracting HIV/AIDS. Among other preventive measures known to them, 75.5% and 52.9% of the drivers and conductors pointed out faithfulness respectively. However results indicated that 49.30% of the respondents were practicing faithfulness to their partners as a preventive measure while 40.9% were using condoms and only 9.6% were practicing abstinence. This study has shown that city commuter-bus drivers and conductors in Dar Es Salaam, have "adequate" knowledge on HIV/AIDS and preventive measures and the major source of this knowledge is through the public media.

The rapid increase in the proportion of sexually active adolescents is exposing large numbers of youths to the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Promotion and strengthening of reproductive health education and services, especially among adolescents requires access to current baseline data on knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception among adolescents, including secondary school students. This data is very scanty for Tanzania. The aim of this work was to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of contraceptive use among secondary school students in the Dar es Salaam region of Tanzania. Ilala district of Dar es salaam has a high concentration of secondary schools enrolling a cosmopolitan population of students hailing from most regions of the country. These come from various social-economic backgrounds effectively representing the general Tanzanian population. The study was designed as a cross-sectional descriptive study....

To determine the usefulness of the malaria fact card as a health educational and communication tool in Dar Es Salaam. A prospective consumer survey pilot study on the malaria fact card, a health educational and communication tool was carried out between January and February 2004 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Parameters studied include consumers' understanding of the malaria fact card, consumer behavioural responses and awareness of malaria prevention and treatment. A total of 131 respondents from 10 randomly selected community pharmacies in which malaria fact cards were distributed since 2003 participated in the study. Data were collected using structured and semi structured questionnaires. It was found that 95% of respondents reported that the fact card was easy to read and understand. The study revealed that 64.6% (n = 127) responses acknowledged getting new information on correct treatment of malaria using Sulphadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP), while 8.6% acquired new information abo...

Background Fish constitutes a nutritious food that deteriorates quickly when poorly preserved. Several biochemicals, including formaldehyde, naturally accumulate in the fish post-mortem. Apart from this natural formaldehyde, reports indicate the unlawful addition of formalin (37% formaldehyde solution) to the stored fish to prolong freshness. This is risky since formaldehyde is carcinogenic, genotoxic, and a potentiator of other carcinogens. Aim This study aimed to investigate both the freshness and the extent of contamination with formaldehyde of mackerel sold in Dar es Salaam. Methods A total of 60 mackerel samples were conveniently and equally obtained from the local markets, street vendors, and supermarkets in five districts of the Dar es Salaam region. Freshness was evaluated based on organoleptic characteristics. Formaldehyde analysis was done by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Analysis of variance of formaldehyde concentration in fish flesh by source outlet and...

Background: Research and development of the new antibacterial agents are among the strategized measures to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In the recent decades, biotransformation has been demonstrated as an alternative and effective approach for scavenging the new molecules. There is a high probability of obtaining active metabolites through biotransformation of known compounds possessing antibacterial activities. This study intended to search for new compounds by biotransformation of ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin antibiotics using Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom.Method: Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom culture was incorporated with antibiotics and incubated for 12 days. The mixture was extracted and analysed by using Thin layer Chromatography (TLC) method to identify newly formed compounds. The TLC chromatograms were then subjected to agar overly bioautography to determine antibacterial activity of the new compounds. Results: Ceftriaxone and Ciprofloxacin antibiotics were metaboli...

The synthesis of N, N-disubstituted –3-( 1-benzenesulphonylindol- 2-yl and 3-yl) propagylamines by cuprous catalyzed Mannich reaction of 2 and 3, 1-(1-benzenesulphonyl-indol)ethynes and secondary amines in ethanol at reflux temperature afforded the compounds 4-methylpiperazinomethyl-2-(1-benzenesulphonylindol-2-yl)ethyne (1), 4-methylpiperazinomethyl-2-(1-benzenesulphonylindol-3-yl)ethyne (2a), 4-methyl-piperazinomethyl-2-(1-benzenesulphonyl-5-methoxyindol-3yl)ethyne (2b), morpholino-2-(benzenesulphonylindol-3yl)ethyne (3a), morpholino-2-(1-benzenesulphonyl-5-methoxy-indol-3-yl)ethyne (3b) and N-carboxyethoxymethyl-3-(1- benzenesulphonylindol-3yl)ethyne (4) in good yields. All these compounds were fully characterized by means of Infrared spectroscopy, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H) and Mass spectrometry, and elemental analyses. Their potential trypanocidal activity was evaluated in vitro against Trypanosoma brucei brucei (S427/118 Mi Tat 1.5) and compound 1 was found to be the most...

Grain damage due to pest infestation is among the top challenges facing cereals production. Maize grains being among the staple food in different parts of the world is prone to destruction by pests such as vertebrates, fungi and insects who are known to affect maize before harvest and during post harvest storage. Sitophilus zeamais is among the potential maize grains infestants. The efforts to control the pest highly depends on the application of synthetic pesticides which are faced by challenges of limited access, fear for toxicity, development of resistance among the pests and environmental pollution. This study aimed at assessing the toxicity, anti-feedant and repellence activities of crude methanol extracts of wild mushroom Cantharellus cibarius on Sitophilus zeamais in stored maize grains towards searching for alternative means of pest control. Assessments were conducted using six levels of concentrations ranging between 0.05 to 0.5 % w/w. Nontreated grains and treated grains w...

Ethnobotanical study was carried out to establish an inventory of medicinal and pesticidal plant species currently used by agro-pastoralist communities in Mbulu district, Tanzania. The survey involved collecting information on available plant species, plant parts used, route of administration and method of preparation during use using semi-structured interviews and field observation. Sixty five plant species that belong to 41 families were identified. Dominant families in use are Fabaceae, Solanaceae, and Euphobiaceae, accounting for 43.9% of all identified species. Results indicated that 55% of the plant species are used for medicinal purposes, 29% are used for pesticidal purposes and 16% are used for both medicinal and pesticidal purposes. Forty six percent (46%) of the plants were prepared and administered orally, while 21% were administered by spotting. Whereas 27% of the plants involved the use of leaves during preparation, 22% involve the use of roots. Preparing a juice and so...

Entada abyssinica, Securinega virosa and Ehretia amoena are traditionally used in Southern Uganda to treat Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT). Extracts from the roots and root barks of E. abyssinica, S. virosa and E. amoena were investigated for in vivo antitrypanosomal activity against Trypanosoma brucei brucei in mice. The extracts were also tested in vitro for potential cytotoxicity against a 3-cell line panel consisting of TK10 (renal), UACC62 (melanoma) and MCF7 (breast) cancer cells using the highly sensitive Sulforhodamine B assay. The ethanolic extract from the roots of E. abyssinica showed a reduction of T. b. brucei parasitaemia at a single dose of 400 mg/kg. The petroleum ether extract from the root bark of E. abyssinica showed the highest cytotoxicity with GI50, total growth inhibition, LC50 and LC100 values of less than 6.25 μg/ml. Our findings confirm earlier in vitro antitrypanosomal studies and lend credence to the traditional use of these plants against trypanosomi...

Adenia spp. (Passifloraceae) grows widely in many parts of Eastern and Southern Africa. Though some species of the plant are known to be generally toxic, a few of them are used in traditional medical practices. Among the many uses is the claim that when given to goats and cows which have difficulty in giving birth, it hastens the process of giving birth. We found this of interest and set out to investigate it further. We determined the effect of the water extract of Adenia globosa on the isolated preparation of the rat uterus and how this action interacts with ergometrine and prostaglandin F2α, two well-established uterine stimulants. The crude extract and the other drugs were tested on isolated rat uterus set up in an organ bath under the usual laboratory conditions. The results obtained showed that the plant extract caused a dose-dependent contraction of the rat uterus. The contractile effect was potentiated by small doses of ergometrine and prostaglandin F2α. It was therefore pos...

The toxicity, antifeedant activity and repellency of the crude methanol extract of the wild mushroom Amanita muscaria on Sitophilus zeamais in stored maize grains was determined by assessments, carried out between the extracts concentration of 0.05 and 0.5% w/w. Nontreated and treated grains with 2% Actellic gold TM 2% dust (0.05% w/w) were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Three replicates were made for each treatment and experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design. The methanol extract at 0.5% w/w concentration showed highest toxicity 21 days after treatment killing 61.7% of the pest. Interestingly, 68.6% inhibition of F1 progeny was observed at 0.5% w/w 42 days after treatment whereas the reduction in grain damage was up to 86.0% compared to the negative control. The extract demonstrated a pest repellency of up to 96.7% after 24 hours of exposure. The findings were promising for use of A. muscaria as a biopesticide for maize grains storage tow...

Anopheles gambiae is a main vector for transmission of malaria parasites. In endemic places, malaria contributes significantly to high mortalities and poverty. Synthetic insecticides command the widest application in malaria vector control but are non-biodegradable and currently facing resistance. In searching for alternative insecticides, this study evaluated the larvicidal potential of polar extracts from leaves and roots extract of Kotschya thymodora, Kotschya strigosa and Kotschya speciosa against Anopheles gambiae. The bioassay was done following WHO protocols (2005) in which 20 healthy third instars larvae were exposed to plant extracts of concentrations ranging from 12.5μg/mL to 200μg/mL for 48hours. Kotschya thymodora extracts exhibited the highest activity (LC50, leaves 16.35μg/mL, and roots 53.35μg/mL) followed by Kotschya strigosa (LC50, leaves 37.08μg/mL, and roots 237.31μg/mL) and Kotschya speciosa (LC50, leaves 75.85μg/mL, and roots 252.03μg/mL). The findings indicates...

A descriptive study on assessment of medicines cold chain storage conformity with World Health Organization (WHO) requirements in public health facilities was carried out in Dar es Salaam and Dodoma regions. Storage conformity in selected health facilities was assessed by monitoring temperature using temperature data loggers mounted in the refrigerators for a period of 30 days. Results indicated almost half of the health facilities 48.5% visited, did not significantly (P = 0.031) comply with storage temperature (+2°C to +8°C) as per WHO requirement because all recorded Mean Kinetic temperature (MKT) > 8°C. In rural areas, 59.2% of visited health facilities adhered to the WHO recommended storage temperature while in urban areas only 31.6% complied. The study has established electricity failure in urban and lack of gas in rural areas coupled with absence of contingency plan as major challenges to WHO temperature conformity in storage of cold chain medicines in health facilities in ...

The present study focused on documentation of wild mushroom species used by the local communities in the Selous-Niassa corridor in Namtumbo district, Ruvuma region, Tanzania. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected by interviewing 50 local informants from different localities in the Selous-Niassa wildlife corridor in Namtumbo district. The data documented include types of wild mushroom species, taxonomical information, social-demographic information, indigenous knowledge and uses. The majority of participants in the hunting of wild mushrooms were females aged between 31 and 45 years who were literate peasants with primary education only. The knowledge about edibility of wild mushroom species was mainly transferred to others by old women whereby those eaten by insects and wild animals or do not form much foam during cooking were considered edible. A total of 32 edible and inedible wild mushroom species belonging to thirteen  genera and eleven families were documented. Among ...

This study assessed the pesticidal activities of Phytolacca dodecandra extracts in controlling Sitophilus zeamais and Tribolium castaneum pests in stored maize grains. The study was conducted at ambient conditions (25–30°C and 65–70% relative humidity) and designed in a completely randomised design with 8 treatments in triplicate. Contact toxicity, percent mortality, feeding deterrence and grains weight loss were assessed using developed procedures for 21 days and first filial generation progeny was assessed for 42 days of post-pest introduction. Both ethanolic root and leaf extracts of P. dodecandra demonstrated significant bioactivities against both S. zeamais and T. castaneum, with the leaf extract being more active than the root extracts. P. dodecandra leaf extracts killed 98% of S. zeamais and 99% of T. castaneum at concentration of 150 mg/mL on day 3. Similarly, P. dodecandra leaf extracts reduced grain damage to 0% and had moderate repellence of 57% and 66% to S. zeamais and ...

Grain damage due to pest infestation is among the top challenges facing cereals production. Maize grains being among the staple food in different parts of the world is prone to destruction by pests such as vertebrates, fungi and insects who are known to affect maize before harvest and during post harvest storage. Sitophilus zeamais is among the potential maize grains infestants. The efforts to control the pest highly depends on the application of synthetic pesticides which are faced by challenges of limited access, fear for toxicity, development of resistance among the pests and environmental pollution. This study aimed at assessing the toxicity, anti-feedant and repellence activities of crude methanol extracts of wild mushroom Cantharellus cibarius on Sitophilus zeamais in stored maize grains towards searching for alternative means of pest control. Assessments were conducted using six levels of concentrations ranging between 0.05 to 0.5 % w/w. Nontreated grains and treated grains w...

A simple, sensitive, selective HPTLC - densitometric method was developed and validated for the determination of Levodopa in seeds of Mucuna pruriens and its herbal dosage form. Analysis of Levodopa was carried out on TLC plates pre-coated with silica gel 60F254 as ...

ABSTRACT Background: Correct prescription writing has a great influence on the fate of medicine therapy and health of patients. Errors in prescribing may be classified into two main types: errors of omission and errors of commission. Errors of omission are where a prescription is incomplete whereas errors of commission contain incorrect information. In the United States of America 1-2% of inpatients are at a risk of being harmed by errors in prescribing. In the United Kingdom 61% of medication errors originated in medication order writing. However little is known about prescribing errors in Tanzania. Objective: To investigate the nature and extent of errors of omission and commission in prescriptions in a tertiary-care private hospital as well as to determine which department is responsible for majority of the errors. Methodology: This was a descriptive study involving a total 450 prescriptions, which were sampled out using a systematic sampling method. Each prescription was examined for a possible prescribing error of “omission” and “commission”. Errors of omission and commission related to the prescribed medicines were recorded and medicine-medicine interactions were confirmed with standard references. The names of the departments where prescriptions originated were also recorded. Results: 99.6% of all prescriptions had at least one or more errors which involved omission of either the patient's age (2.9%), name (1.6%), weight (93.8%) or route of administration (94%), dose (5.4%), frequency (3.2%), dosage form (24.8%) and duration of treatment (14.1%). Errors of commission accounted for 3.1% of all prescribed medicine. This study has shown that 55.1% of prescribing errors originated from the outpatient polyclinic department. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate occurrence of errors of omission and commission in prescription writing. This calls for medical doctors and pharmacists trainers to critically address the importance of writing correct and complete prescriptions in order to minimize occurrence of medication errors. Tanzania Medical Journal Vol. 23 (1) 2008: pp. 20-22

ABSTRACT Background: Chlorine-based antiseptics and disinfectants have a stability problem especially when formulated as aqueous solutions. They tend to decompose slowly liberating chlorine on storage. Despite this instability, these products are commonly manufactured and labeled with a long shelf-life. Thus the labeled content of available chlorine is doubtful and this could pose a danger to public health by not providing adequate disinfection. Broad Objective: This study aimed at assessing the quality of chlorine-based antiseptics and disinfectants circulating in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Study setting: The study was carried out in the city of Dar es Salaam Methods and materials: Nineteen (19) samples representing various product batches circulating in Dar es Salaam were collected randomly from pharmacies, shops and from a tertiary-level public hospital. Analysis of the samples was immediately done in which the content of available chlorine was determined using a titrimetric method (Iodometric titration) according to the British Pharmacopoea (BP) specifications. Measures of outcome: Results for contents of available chlorine was compared to the limits of assay specified in the BP and thus the percent compliance was calculated. Samples with contents below that specified in the BP were deemed to have failed the quality tests. For those products for which no official specifications are available (eg. Waterguard®), the BP limits for assay (± 10% of label claim) was applied to assess compliance. Results: Out of the 19 sample batches analyzed 12 (63%) did not comply with the specifications for available chlorine (BP Limits of Assay or within 90-110% manufacturer's label claim). This was especially serious with preparations containing calcium hypochlorite with boric acid (Eusol) which had a mean content of only 12% of the recommended strength. Conclusion and recommendations: The results from this study have shown clearly that chlorine-based antiseptics/disinfectant products should not be manufactured on a large scale by pre-dilution. Rather, they should be supplied as concentrates or powders for reconstitution at the time of use to ensure quality, efficacy and safety to public health. Tanzania Medical Journal Vol. 22 (1) 2007: pp. 17-19

ABSTRACT A study on dispensing practice and quality of amoxycillin capsules and syrups was conducted in retail pharmacies in 5 regions of Tanzania. Data on dispensing practice was collected by interviewing 75 dispensers through structured questionnaires. Quality of amoxycillin capsule formulations and dry powder for suspension preparations from six different manufacturers was evaluated for chemical content at the Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) in Dar es Salaam. The study showed that of all the dispensers only 17.3% were pharmacists, 21.3% pharmaceutical technicians and 28% were nurses of different ranks. Results indicated that the most dispensed amoxicyllin was the locally produced preparation which accounted for 41.3%. Affordability determined the most dispensed and lowest priced generic brand, amoxycillin by 68%. Results revealed that only 46.6% dispensers refused to dispense amoxycillin without a prescription while 53.4% dispensed. Out of the ones who dispensed, 42.5% gave patients the most expensive preparations and 22.5% just dispensed according to the patients' demands. Similarly patients with prescriptions written in a generic name, the dispensers (28%) issued them with the most expensive brand while others were issued the brand they specifically demanded by 32% of the dispensers. For patients who came to the pharmacy with less money, results revealed that 66.7% of the dispensers dispensed incomplete doses and then requested them to come back for the remainder and 13.3% just gave out incomplete doses without any further counseling. Responses regarding reconstitution of the dry powder for suspension showed that only 10.7% dispensers reconstituted before giving it out to patients and the rest just instructed patients on how to reconstitute at home. Further, 74.7% of dispensers instructed the patients to use teaspoons to measure 5ml of the suspension. The results from the assessment of chemical contents showed that all capsules and dry powder for suspensions complied with respect to pharmacopoeial limits. It is concluded that dispensers should continually undergo continuing education on good dispensing practices.

ABSTRACT Prescription screening and pharmacist intervention activities to assess the safety and appropriateness of prescribed medicines remain an important role of pharmacists. Pharmacists in Tanzania are involved in prescription screening and intervention to varying degrees but documentation of such activities is scarce in the literature. The objective of this pilot study was, therefore, to identify prescribing errors and document the types of pharmacist's intervention. The study was carried out at one outpatient pharmacy of a tertiarycare hospital comprising ten clinical departments. Pharmacy technicians prospectively screened all prescriptions received for possible occurrence of prescribing errors and referred all prescriptions with errors to the pharmacist. Data collector recorded the type of the intervention made by the pharmacist and its outcome prospectively for each error. The pharmacist carried out a total of 219 different types of interventions. These interventions included contacting the prescribers concerned by telephone (20%), clarifying with the patient or his/her caretaker (76.7%), and sending back the patient to the prescribers (2.7%). On one occasion (0.5%), the pharmacist went to discuss with the prescriber face-to- face. Of all prescriptions with errors, 77.6% were rectified by the pharmacist, 2.3% clarified by the prescribers and all were dispensed without changing them while 14.2% were changed and dispensed. Twelve prescriptions (6.1%) were not dispensed at all. The study reinforces the importance of prescription screening and interventions by pharmacists to minimize preventable adverse events attributed to prescribing errors.