Aspects cliniques et biologiques des anémies pédiatriques dans un hôpital de District urbain au Cameroun

Introduction: L'anémie est un problème de santé publique prédominant  chez les enfants et les femmes en âge de procréer. L'objectif de cette étude était de caractériser et de déterminer sa prévalence chez les enfants âgés de 6 mois à 14 ans hospitalisés à l'hôpital de District de Bonassama à Douala-Cameroun.Méthodes: Il s'agissait d'une étude descriptive  transversale qui s'est déroulée de février à mars 2012 avec une collecte rétrospective des données de janvier 2009 à mars 2012. Etaient inclus, les patients de 6 mois à 14 ans hospitalisés, quel que soit leur motif de consultation et leur diagnostic, et ayant réalisé au moins une numération formule sanguine (NFS). Les patients transfusés moins de 120 jours avant la NFS étaient exclus. L'âge, le sexe, les motifs de consultation, les signes cliniques, les diagnostics et les résultats de la NFS étaient enregistrés. L'anémie était définie selon les critères de l'OMS. La recherche étiologique était guidée par les signes cliniques et les examenscomplémentaires. Résultats: La prévalence de l'anémie était de 88,5%. Le sex-ratio  garçon/fille était de 1,3. La fièvre était le premier motif de consultation. L'anémie modérée prédominait (62,7%). Le taux moyen d'hémoglobine chez les patients anémiques était de 8,6 ± 1,7 g/dl (2,3-11,4). L'anémie microcytaire hypochrome dominait (48,5%). Le paludisme était la  principale pathologie (46,3%). Le taux de mortalité des patients  anémiques était de 5,9%.Conclusion: La prévalence de l'anémie était élevée avec une  prédominance des formes hypochromes microcytaires. La principale étiologie était le paludisme.Pan African Medical Journal. 2013; 16

Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Extracts from the Bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera L. var sativa (Dioscoreaceae) in Mice and Rats

The aqueous and methanol extracts from the dry bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera L. var sativa (Dioscoreaceae)—evaluated orally at the doses of 300 and 600 mg/kg against pain induced by acetic acid, formalin, pressure and against inflammation induced by carrageenan, histamine, serotonin and formalin in mice and rats, showed a dose dependant inhibition of pain and inflammation with a maximum effect of 56.38%, 73.06% and 42.79% produced by the aqueous extract, respectively on pain induced by acetic acid, formalin and pressure while the methanol extract at the same dose respectively inhibited these models of pain by 62.70%, 84.54% and 47.70%. The oral administration of aqueous and methanol extracts caused significant anti-inflammatory activity on paw oedema induced by histamine, serotonin and formalin. The present results show that the bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera var sativa possess potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These activities may results from the inhibition of inflammatory mediators such as histamine, serotonin and prostaglandins. Thus, the analgesic activity of the bulbils of Dioscorea bulbifera may be at least partially linked to its anti-inflammatory activity

Antidiarrheal Activity of Aqueous Extract of the Stem Bark of Sapium Ellipticum (Euphorbiaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the antidiarrheal activity of the aqueous extract of the stem bark of S. ellipticum (Euphorbiaceae) (AESE).Methods: AESE was prepared by decoction of the powder from the dry stem bark of S. ellipticum. Its oral antidiarrheal effect was evaluated in vivo at the doses of 5.2, 10.4 and 20.8 mg/kg on castor oil induced diarrhea and on gastro-intestinal transit. AESE was also evaluated in vitro (0.125 – 4 mg/ml) on ileal smooth muscle motility. The acute oral toxicity of AESE (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/kg) was also assessed in mice.Results: AESE significantly and dose dependently delayed the time of appearance of the first stools, decreased the frequency of defecation and the intestinal transit with respective percentage of 319.14, 62.50 and 36.51 % at the dose of 20.8 mg/kg in comparison with negative control (distilled water). AESE, in a concentration-dependent manner, reduced the tone and amplitude of spontaneous contractions of the ileal smooth muscle with EC50 of 33.29 and 45.43 μg/ml, respectively. None of the doses used in acute toxicity test induced any significant behavioral changes or mortality.Conclusion: These results suggest that AESE possesses antidiarrheal properties mediated at least partially by the inhibition of intestinal motility and may be devoid of acute toxicity.Keywords: Sapium ellipticum, Antidiarrheal, Intestinal transit, Spasmolytic, Acute toxicity

Transcriptomes of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> rhodesiense from sleeping sickness patients, rodents and culture:Effects of strain, growth conditions and RNA preparation methods

All of our current knowledge of African trypanosome metabolism is based on results from trypanosomes grown in culture or in rodents. Drugs against sleeping sickness must however treat trypanosomes in humans. We here compare the transcriptomes of Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense from the blood and cerebrospinal fluid of human patients with those of trypanosomes from culture and rodents. The data were aligned and analysed using new user-friendly applications designed for Kinetoplastid RNA-Seq data. The transcriptomes of trypanosomes from human blood and cerebrospinal fluid did not predict major metabolic differences that might affect drug susceptibility. Usefully, there were relatively few differences between the transcriptomes of trypanosomes from patients and those of similar trypanosomes grown in rats. Transcriptomes of monomorphic laboratory-adapted parasites grown in in vitro culture closely resembled those of the human parasites, but some differences were seen. In poly(A)-selected mRNA transcriptomes, mRNAs encoding some protein kinases and RNA-binding proteins were under-represented relative to mRNA that had not been poly(A) selected; further investigation revealed that the selection tends to result in loss of longer mRNAs

Characterization Of Polymer Thin Films By Phase-Sensitive Acoustic Microscopy And Atomic Force Microscopy: A Comparative Review

The potential of phase-sensitive acoustic microscopy (PSAM) for characterizing polymer thin films is reviewed in comparison to atomic force microscopy (AFM). This comparison is based on results from three-dimensional vector contrast imaging and multimodal imaging using PSAM and AFM, respectively. The similarities and differences between the information that can be derived from the AFM topography and phase images, and the PSAM phase and amplitude micrographs are examined. In particular, the significance of the PSAM phase information for qualitative and quantitative characterization of the polymer films is examined for systems that generate surface waves, and those that do not. The relative merits, limitations and outlook of both techniques, individually, and as a complementary pair, are discussed. © 2005 The Royal Microscopical Society

Advances In Phase-Sensitive Acoustic Microscopy Studies Of Polymer Blend Films: Annealing Effects And Micro-Elastic Characterization Of Ps/Pmma Blends

The unique phase-sensitive acoustic microscope is used for the structural and mechanical characterization of thin films of polystyrene/ polymethylmethacrylate blends. The effect of annealing on blends of polystyrene/polymethylmethacrylate spin coated from different solvents unto a substrate is studied. Varying the solvents according to vapour pressure and spin coating at different speeds (for thickness variation) led to changes in phase domain distributions and overall structural properties before annealing. Annealing in vacuum at 190°C for 48 h resulted in the elimination of solvent effects with all samples reverting to a similar morphology irrespective of common solvent and thickness. The Young\u27s moduli at specific points on the film (Epolystyrene = 3.4 ± 0.3 GPa, E polymethylmethacrylate = 4.2 ± 0.4 GPa) and over a given area (Epolystyrene/polymethylmethacrylate = 3.9 ± 0.4 GPa) were determined by combinatory use of the atomic force microscope and phase-sensitive acoustic microscope. These results demonstrate a minimally invasive method for the quantitative characterization of polymer blend films. © 2009 The Royal Microscopical Society

Effects plasmog&#233niques des extraits aqueux et au m&#233lange m&#233thanol/chlorure de m&#233thyl&#233ne(1:1) des feuilles de Gmelina arborea (Verb&#233nac&#233e) sur la motricit&#233 intestimale de rat.

No Abstract.Cameroon Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 2(1) 2002: pp. 31-3

Reproductive effects of Ficus asperifolia (Moraceae) in female rats

The reproductive effects of Ficus asperifolia in female rats were investigated in the present study. Sperm-positive adult female rats were orally administered (P.O.) either the aqueous and methanol extracts of Ficus asperifolia (100 and 500mg/kg), distilled water (10ml/kg) or 5%Tween 80 (10ml/kg) for seven days. On day 10 of pregnancy, the implantation sites were recorded. In the fertility study, adult female rats received the same test substances for 21 days and, the fertility index and litter size determined. In the uterotrophic test, normal and ovariectomized immature rats were treated for seven days with the dry extract of Ficus asperifolia (100 and 500mg/kg) in the absence and presence of 17â-estradiol benzoate 1&#956;g/animal/day, s.c. On day 8, the uterine growth index was measured. Results of the study showed a significant increase (

Determination Of Mechanical Properties Of Layered Materials With Vector-Contrast Scanning Acoustic Microscopy By Polar Diagram Image Representation

Microscopic objects including living cells on a planar substrate are investigated in bio-medical applications of scanning acoustic microscopy. Beside of the observation of lateral structures, the determination of sample properties such as density, sound velocity, and attenuation is desired, from which elastic properties can be derived. This can be achieved with the aid of the acoustic phase and magnitude contrast represented in a polar plot. For homogeneous and sufficiently planar objects the contrast in magnitude and phase is a function of the properties of the substrate and the coupling fluid, which both can easily be determined, and of the mechanical properties of the sample under observation. For observation in reflection and variable thickness of the sample the signal will depend on the actual thickness. This signature of the object can be fitted based on a conventional ray model for the sound propagating in the coupling medium and the sample. The model includes also the refraction and reflection at all interfaces between transducer, lens material, coupling fluid, object, and substrate. The method is demonstrated for a chitosan film deposited on a glass substrate. The scheme presented here is capable to reach a resolution of about and even below 1% for relevant quantities in applications involving imaging at 1.2 GHz in aqueous coupling fluids