Browsing by Author "Okot Odongo, Charles"

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    Chewing-stick practices using plants with anti-streptococcal activity in a Ugandan rural community
    (Frontiers in pharmacology, 2011) Okot Odongo, Charles; Odongo, Okot; Lubowa Musisi, Nathan; Waako, Paul; Obua, Celestino
    The high dental disease burden in developing countries has created a need to explore and develop cheap and accessible methods of dental disease prevention. Traditional toothbrushes (chewing-sticks) prepared from specific plants have been used for dental hygiene for generations. When properly used, chewing-sticks may be as effective as synthetic toothbrushes. This study set out to describe traditional chewing-stick practices in a Ugandan rural community, and evaluate the antibacterial activity of two most commonly used plants. Methods: Interviews were done to identify chewing-stick plants and obtain socio-cultural information relating to the practice in two villages in rural Uganda. Field walks were done to pick and voucher the plants, for taxonomical identification and storage. For the two most reported plants, aqueous extracts were prepared and tested for antibacterial activity against Streptococcus mutans using the agar-well diffusion method.
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    Towards Improved Management of Tuberculous Bloodstream Infections: Pharmacokinetic Considerations with Suggestions for Better Treatment Outcomes
    (Antibiotics, 2022) Okot Odongo, Charles; Nakiyingi, Lydia; Gatete Nkeramihigo, Clovis; Seifu, Daniel; Bisaso Kuteesa, Ronald
    Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the leading cause of sepsis among HIV-infected adults, yet effective treatment remains a challenge. Efficacy of antituberculous drugs is optimized by high Area Under Curve to Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (AUC/MIC) ratios, suggesting that both the drug concentration at the disease site and time above MIC are critical to treatment outcomes. We elaborate on sepsis pathophysiology and show how it adversely affects antituberculous drug kinetics. Expanding distribution volumes secondary to an increased vascular permeability prevents the attainment of target Cmax concentrations for nearly all drugs. Furthermore, sepsis-induced metabolic acidosis promotes protonation, which increases renal clearance of basic drugs such as isoniazid and ethambutol, and hence AUCs are substantially reduced. Compared with the treatment of non-sepsis TB disease, these distorted kinetics underlie the poor treatment outcomes observed with bloodstream infections. In addition to aggressive hemodynamic management, an increase in both the dose and frequency of drug administration are warranted, at least in the early phase of treatment.