DrugXpert Blog

The campaign to drop carbonated beverages and drinks like coca cola and malt is gaining momentum. The winners are fruit drinks and fruit juice. As people shift to these options, the same question about safety of these products comes to mind. Let us take a look at the content of these drinks. Content Food regulatory bodies enforce manufacturers of these drinks to include the contents of their product. They are written on the body of the container or on the company's website. The first is the label that is always bigger than the rest word in the bottle. The label goes like 100% fruit drink. Then they include the content and nutritional value. The content is written in order of weight. The ingredient with the highest weight is written first. This is followed in descending order. Then the nutritional value is included to show the value the drink will provide. Content Of Carbonated Beverages Carbonated drinks contain carbonated water, sweetener and natural or artificial flavour. The swe...

Many pharmacists work for employers before venturing into other paths. One thing for sure is that you will resign from your job one day. Resigning is easy for full time pharmacist and locum pharmacist. However, it is a different ball game for the superintendent pharmacist. Resignation of pharmacist Superintendent Pharmacist A superintendent pharmacist is the pharmacist responsible for registration and management of a retail pharmacy. The registration involves signing agreements and submitting them along with various letters to the Pharmacists Council Of Nigeria (PCN). The premises is registered with the licence of the superintendent pharmacist for a year. Resignation After License Expire After a year, the superintendent pharmacist can decide to continue with the premises or register a new premises. In that case, a simple letter of resignation stating when the resignation will take effect will do. The rest is with the new premises owner. It does not require submitting a letter of resign...

Chronic Kidney Failure Chronic kidney disease is the gradual loss of kidney function. Kidney filters waste, remove extra fluid from the body and control blood pressure. It also regulates electrolyte and activates vitamin D. In chronic kidney disease, dangerous levels of fluid, electrolyte and waste can build up in the body. Stages Of Chronic Kidney Failure Chronic Kidney failure is classified into stages. This is based in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and manifestations of symptoms. Read Also:  Treatment of glomerulonephritis Stage 1: GFR rate is normal with evidence of kidney disease Stage 2 : GFR rate is <90ml Stage 3 : GFR rate is <60ml Stage 4: GFR rate is <40ml Stage 5 : GFR rate is <15 which means there is renal failure Symptoms There are no symptoms at an early stage of the disease. Symptoms develop over time. They include; 1. Nausea 2. Vomiting 3. Loss of appetite 4. Fatigue and weakness (Muscle twitching and cramp) 5. Erectile dysfunction 6. Sleep disorder...

Acute kidney failure (acute renal failure) is a condition whereby the kidney suddenly fails to filter waste products from the body. This waste accumulates in the body at dangerous levels. It's lust from 4 hours to 3 days. It can be fatter and reversible. The kidney is an organ in the body responsible for removing extra fluid from the body. This helps to regulate blood pressure, electrolyte and activate vitamin D. Read Also:  Treatment of nephrotic syndrome Symptoms Of Acute Kidney Failure (AKF) Acute kidney failure sometimes comes without symptoms. Some symptoms may include; 1. Reduce urine output 2. Fluid retention 3. Shortness of breath 4. Fatigue 5. Confusion 6. Nausea 7. Weakness 8. Irregular heartbeat 9. Chest pain or pressure 10. Seizures or coma Acute Kidney Failure (AKF) Complications 1. Fluid buildup in lungs can cause cough and difficulty breathing 2. Chest pain 3. Acidic blood 4. Muscle weakness 5. Chronic kidney damage 6. Death Cause 1. Damage to the kidney cause by blo...

Nigeria has just received a total of 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine today, March 2nd. Following this development, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) launched an online portal and announced the guidelines for registrations. AstraZeneca vaccine arrive Nigeria What Is Astrazeneca Vaccine The University of Oxford produces the AstraZeneca vaccine. It is a vaccine that aims to protect against COVID-19. A single shot of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is highly protective, reducing the chance of someone getting ill and needing hospital treatment by more than 80%. How It Is Made It is made from a weakened version of a common cold virus (known as an adenovirus) from chimpanzees. It has been modified to look more like coronavirus - although it can't cause illness. Read Also :  The problem with Covid-19 vaccine design and development Scientists take genes for the spike protein from the surface of the coronavirus and put it into a weakened version of a c...

Penicillin are a group of antibiotics. They are made up of b-lactam antibiotic join with thiazolidine rings. It is synthesized from penicillium moulds. The molds are penicillium chrysogenum and penicillium rubens. Penicillin was discovered by the scotissh scientists Alexandra Fleming in 1928. He extracted penicillin by chance discovery from penicillium rubens. Read Also:   How to reduce injection pain Penicillin in penicillium mould is a mixture of active ingredients. The principal active compounds are; 1. 2-pentenyl penicillin 2. Benzylpenicillin 3. P-hydroxybenzyl penicillin 4. N-heptyl penicillin The combination result depends on the species of penicillin mould and nutrient agar used to culture the mould. There are many types of penicillin named according to their constituents. We have penicillin G, penicillin F, penicillin V, etc. Penicillin G and penicillin V are important clinically. So many other penicillin have been synthesized from them. Most others are not clinically sign...

Body creams are cosmetic products designed to protect the skin and give it a beautiful look. Facial creams are to be applied only on the face because they are milder. Body creams are to be applied all over the body. The last are hair creams which are applied on the head and some parts of the body with hair. They can be applied from childhood to adulthood. They are sold in supermarkets. Medicated creams are designed and developed to treat skin infection and disease caused by microorganisms and the environment. They are prescribed by a healthcare practitioner to be used on a part of the body over a period of time. They are dispensed by pharmacists. Read Also :  Treatment of skin infection There is a common trend that is growing among Nigerians. They mix body creams and medicated creams together to be applied all over the body. This trend is made popular by marketers of these medicated creams. Though not marketed in public glare, they tell their clients that adding medicated creams to...

Nephrotic Syndrome Nephrotic syndrome is a kidney disorder that makes your body pass excess protein in your urine. It is usually caused by damage to the glomeruli of the kidney. The glomerular is known to filter waste and excess water from the blood. Read Also :  Treatment of Glomerulonephritis This disease condition affects people of all ages. It is more in men than in women. It is more genetic when it affects children less than three months of age. Symptoms 1. Swelling in feet, ankles and around the eyes due to excess fluid in the body 2. Foaming urine due to the presence of excess protein 3. Sudden weight gain due to fluid retention 4. Fatigue 5. Loss of appetite 6. Anemia Complication Loss of protein such as albumin that prevents blood clots leads to clotting of the blood. Also nephrotic syndrome can lead to other diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. Due to the loss of immunoglobulin G (IgG), the person is prone to infection. Cause 1. Diabetes 2. Minimal change disease r...

Pharmacist in charge Every pharmaceutical company in Nigeria must be headed by a registered pharmacist. They are called superintendent pharmacists or in some cases pharmacy managers. They are responsible for the smooth operation of the company. Read Also :  Pharmacist job position and title For many community pharmacies, the superintendent or pharmacy manager doubles as the owner and chief executive officer. All other staff including pharmacists answer to them. This hierarchy allows for the smooth operation of the company. Pharmacy Manager And Superintendent Pharmacist There is a difference between superintendent pharmacist and pharmacy manager. However, the line is very thin. Superintendent pharmacist does a lot. One of their main roles is to register the premises with the pharmacists council of Nigeria or products with national agencies for food and drug administration and control. Some of the job description and duty of superintendent pharmacist include but not limited to: 1. Ov...