Background: Traditional medicine has employed Azadirachta indica to treat a variety of ailments. However, there is little information on the use of this plant in Zambia. Objective: To evaluate the phytochemicals and antibacterial activity of Azadirachta indica leaf extracts against Escherichia coli. Materials and Methods: This was a laboratory-based experimental study in which ethanol and water were used for extraction by maceration. Phytochemical analysis was then done on the leaf extract. Using the disc diffusion method, varying concentrations of A. indica aqueous and ethanolic extracts were used to test the antibacterial activity of A. indica against Escherichia coli. The sensitivity of the tested microorganisms to aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts was shown by zones of inhibition after incubation. Results: The phytochemical screening of the A. indica leaves revealed the presence of phenolics and tannins in both the ethanol and aqueous extract. Saponins, flavonoids and alkaloids were only present in the aqueous extract. While steroids were only present in the ethanol extract. The antibacterial activity of A. indica leaves extract was determined by zones of inhibition which showed that both aqueous and ethanol extracts had activity against E. coli. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration was determined at 10 mg/mL for the aqueous extract and 20 mg/mL for the ethanol extract. The zones of inhibition increased with concentration. Conclusion: The extracts of A.

Background: Processes for selection of candidates into medical schools vary globally. Knowledge of the predictive validity of a selection method is important for policy revision. Aim: To survey the practices used by medical schools to select students and their predictive validity. Methods: Search terms developed from the research problem were used to search Google Scholar, PubMed, and Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC). These were “medical school,” “predictive validity,” “success,” “academic achievement” “admission criteria,” and “student selection.” Retrieved articles were screened for relevance and sorted according to countries of publication. Authors narratively reviewed the articles from each country and collated the findings. Best practices were recommended for African-based medical schools. Results: Articles retrieved from 14 countries were included in the review. USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand operate centralized medical school admission programs and administer nation-wide admission tests. These tests cover cognitive and non-cognitive domains. The validity of these tests in predicting medical school success were extensively studied and reported. Other countries do not operate centralized medical school admission programs. Most of these rely on cognitive excellence to select students. Few reports are available on the validity of selection practices in Africa. Most rely on cognitive excellence which highly predicted academic success during preclinical studies. Predictivity decreased during clinical phases and non-cognitive variables became better predictors of success. Conclusion: Medical school admission processes should consider cognitive and non-cognitive factors. With non-cognitive factors, candidates with right attitudes are selected. African countries should align their practices to that of Western countries.

Helicobacter pylori is associated with many clinical conditions including gastric and extra-gastric pathologies. Prevalence is high in most Sub-Saharan African countries where data is available.Its association with diseases is not fully established in the region. Due to emergence of antibiotic resistance, the conventional triple and quadruple therapies using proton pump inhibitors and antimicrobial agents are now obsolete. Many Western countries have revised their therapeutic guidelines with a common recommendation to determine prior patient exposure to antibiotics, determine local drug resistance patterns and eradication rates, use higher doses of  proton pump inhibitors, and include bismuth sub-citrate if clarithromycin resistance is suspected. Sub-Saharan African countries lack data on these making it difficult to apply these recommendations. The countries in Sub-Saharan Africa need to recognize the growing clinical importance of H. pylori and initiate programs to determine its local epidemiology, drug resistance, and its association with diseases in the region. Collaborative effort is required to achieve these goals and establishment of regional reference laboratories for monitoring drug resistance may be helpful.

Objectives Low job satisfaction levels among pharmacists are associated with poor motivation and performance in the workplace. However, in Zambia, the job satisfaction levels of pharmacists remain unknown. Therefore, the aim of this article was to explore levels of job satisfaction among pharmacists from the public and private health sectors in Zambia. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study among Zambian pharmacists between April and August 2019. We used a previously validated self-administered questionnaire to measure job satisfaction. We sent out 200 questionnaires, of which 156 (78.0%) were returned. Bivariate analysis and an adjusted general linear regression model were fitted to determine factors affecting job satisfaction levels. Key findings Among 156 respondents, 46 (29.5%) were males, 114 (73.1%) and worked in the public sector. Overall, the mean job satisfaction score of the responding pharmacists was 3.05 (SD = 0.64) (on a scale of 1–5). Job satisfaction scores were significantly lower for pharmacists working in the public health sectors (regression coefficient (β), −0.34; 95% confidence interval (CI), −0.59 to −0.10), adjusting for age, sex and income. Income was independently associated with levels of job satisfaction. Conclusions Overall, pharmacists in Zambia were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their job. Nevertheless, pharmacists working in the private sector were more likely to report higher job satisfaction levels than those in the public sector. Therefore, the present study findings could contribute to developing and refining rational criteria to increase job satisfaction in pharmacy settings.

Background: Due to Covid-19 restrictions, medical education now embraces online teaching. Aim: To determined medical students’ perception of online pharmacology practical classes conducted during COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: Years 2 and 3 students participated in the study. Before the pandemic, they used the exercises for on-site classes. They used Cyber Patient, Organ bath, Virtual Cat, and Virtual Rat software to conduct pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, autonomic, cardiovascular, and neuropharmacology exercises. Through Moodle, they received instructions and resources; and the tutors accessed and rated their reports. To determine their readiness and perception of the exercises, the study conducted cross-sectional survey using questionnaire that included a demographic section, a section on ICT readiness, and a section on perception of the exercises. Statistical analysis included mean scores, t-test, Cronbach’s coefficient, and principal components. Results: Sample size for both classes (total enrolment = 191) was 128. Seventy-eight students participated (45 from year 2 and 33 from year 3). Response rate was 60.94 %, mean age 21.7 (SD = 4.0); 74.4 % had no formal ICT training, 92.3 % had personal computers, 95 % used computers often, and 79.5 % required ICT training. Cronbach’s coefficient was 0.8, and factor analysis yielded two principal components that accounted for 54.5 % of variance. Participants were “satisfied” with the exercises, reported that these programs were “quite user-friendly,” “somewhat-easy” to use, and “supportive” of learning. They would “likely” recommend them for future use. Conclusion: The online exercises provided effective method of delivering practical pharmacology classes to medical students.