The essential oils isolated from the seeds of Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum., A. daniellii (Hook. f.) K. Schum. and A . sulcatum (Oliv. and Hanb.) K. Schum. by hydrodistillation were analysed by GLC and GC-MS. The essential oil of A. melegueta presents a characteristic composition with p-caryophyllene (8.5 %), a-humulene (31.3 %) and their epoxides (respectively 17.9 % and 27.7 %) as main constituents. With its high content of 1,8-cineole (48.9 %), the A. daniellii oil can be related to other species of the same genus already studied. The sesquiterpenoid content of A. sulcatum amounts to about 85 %, mainly hydrocarbons (81 %); among them, the guaienes are the most abundant (47.2 %). Other constituents that are important markers of individual species include linalol (A. melegueta), p-pinene, limonene and a-terpineol (A. danielliz], limonene and B-selinene (A. sulcatum). KEY WORDS Essential oil Aframomum melegueta (Roscoe) K. Schum. Aframomum daniellii (Hook. f.) K. Schum. Aframomum sulcatum ( O h . and Hanb.) K. Schum. Zingiberaceae GC GC-MS.

This study evaluated the distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 39 surface sediment samples and four cores collected in Toulon Bay, a semiclosed area submitted to various anthropogenic inputs. The concentration of PCBs in the superficial sediment samples ranged from 1.7 to 2530 ng g−1 dry weight. The spatial distribution of these compounds suggested that the high concentrations of these contaminants are located in the small bay and are related to human activities. In the larger bay, the concentrations were in the same order of magnitude than those reported in others locations around the world. Comparison of the levels with target values from the French legislation shows that, except for four polluted sites with critical values (N2: values ≥1 mg kg−1 dry weight) in the smaller bay, PCBs levels throughout the larger and the smaller bay are lower than the accepted values (N1: values <0.5 mg kg−1 dry weight). The PCBs in the sediment cores ranged from 0.8 to 739 ng g−1 dry weight dependent core. Vertical profiles indicated earlier usage of PCBs which coincided with the history of the Toulon Bay. In this study, using alkane, we could follow the PCBs pollution history over about 80 years and estimate a sedimentation rate of about 0.32 cm year in the small Bay of Toulon.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2715-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:ABSTRACT: The essential oils obtained from seeds and leaves ofAframomum pruinosum Gagnepain from Cameroon have been analyzed by GC and GUMS. Both samples are completely different; while the leaf oil contains almost similar percentages of mono-and sesquiterpenoids (P-pinene, 31.4%; P-caryophyllene, 25.8%), the fruit oil is characterized by more than 90% of (E)-(R)-nerolidol.

The drug discovery and development processes are designed to guarantee that drugs are efficacious, nontoxic and of high standards of quality for human consumption. However, patient’s population with access to drugs at approval is only a fraction of the final target population. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the safety of medicines is generally only achieved after the marketing authorization of the drug, followed by pharmacovigilance or post marketing surveillance. Pharmacovigilance (PHV) is defined by WHO as “the science and activities that deals with the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of the adverse drug reactions or any other possible drug-related interactions”. Health professionals, patients, drug manufacturers and drug regulatory authorities are therefore highly involved in the practice of PHV. Cameroon imports 95 % of drugs and health care products. Therefore, an effective mastery of the knowledge, attitude and practice of PHV will help to elaborate the development of our pharmacovigilance systems. This paper gives an overview of pharmacovigilance in Cameroon for unlocking the drug development process focusing on the past, present and future.