The poor rate of drug discovery for the control of Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) including schistosomiasis has necessitated effective management of existing drugs by modulating their delivery. Nanotechnology-based colloidal drug carriers have been explored to improve the activity and safety profile of drugs for NTDs including parasitic diseases. In developing new drug delivery systems for schistosomiasis, research efforts have focused mainly on Praziquantel (PZQ) as the sole antischistosomal agent in current clinical practice. Carrier systems of the polymer, inorganic and lipid-based type have been investigated for the delivery of PZQ. However, promising results were obtained using lipid-based delivery systems including liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers and nanoemulsions. Selection of these lipid carrier systems has been based on the lipophilicity of PZQ, controlled drug release, potential increase in its bioavailability by promoting lymphatic absorption to bypass the extensive first pass effect biodistribution to the host liver and enhancement of PZQ interaction with the worm tegument of a similar phospholipid nature.
Sakina Salem Mohammed Saadawi(2-2022)

Metronidazole is an antiprotozoal drug which is also effective against anaerobic bacteria. The availability of several brands of Metronidazole tablets in Libyan pharmacies today places health practitioners and a pharmacist in a problem of drug substitution in case of a particular brand is not available. The aim of the present study was the evaluation and comparison of pharmaceutical equivalence of five different Metronidazole coated tablets 500 mg, which are commercially available in the private pharmacies in Tripoli city, produced by various pharmaceutical companies with different trade names. The pharmaceutical quality of five brands of Metronidazole tablets was analyzed using official and unofficial quality control tests prescribed in different Pharmacopoeia including uniformity of weight, thickness, hardness, disintegration time, drug content as well as dissolution rate and assay. Acceptable external features as well as uniformity in diameter and thickness were revealed for all the tablets. The entire selected brands complied with the official specifications for uniformity of weight, hardness and disintegration, they released more than 75% of their drug content within 45 minutes. It can be concluded that all the brands could be regarded as bioequivalent and therefore can be interchanged in the clinical practice; this sort of study is good indicator for the evaluation of the idealness of commercial products and showed the importance of post marketing investigation for the drugs imported and distributed in Libya.
Sakina Salem Saadawi(12-2021)

Introduction: Smoking causes substantial preventable morbidity, mortality and financial burdens. It is the main risk factor for many diseases and a significant cause of death. Smoking prevalence is high internationally and in Malaysia, especially among males. Smoking cessation is essential to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality. Aim: To evaluate knowledge, attitude towards and practice of smoking among pharmacy students in the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated structured self-administered questionnaire among a sample of IIUM pharmacy students (n=251) from November 2012 to December 2012. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise data and to examine the relationship between variables. Results: A total of 251 IIUM pharmacy students have participated in the survey. The median age of the participants was 21-23 years; 23.9% of them were males and 76.1% were females. The percentage of current smokers and ex-smokers was 0.4%, 0.8%, respectively. About 43% of the respondents had a good knowledge (score >16), more than half of them had a positive attitude (score >17), and about 38.4% had a good practice (score >11). Conclusion: Smoking prevalence among pharmacy students in IIUM is very low. However, conducting training and educational programs to improve knowledge, attitudes and practice of pharmacy students is highly recommended to assist their contribution to smoking cessation interventions in the future. arabic 15 English 87
Eman Ali .M Dyab(12-2018)