Analysis of short-term quality of life in post-surgical androgen deprivation therapy in advanced prostate cancer: a comparison of bilateral sub-capsular orchidectomy and bilateral total orchidectomy

INTRODUCTION: The use of Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) in treating advanced prostate cancer poses a host of challenges that can affect the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of these patients. Previous studies have demonstrated poor quality of life (QoL) of patients after ADT; however, there is a scarcity of the literature which compares HRQoL following bilateral subcapsular orchidectomy (BSCO) and bilateral total orchidectomy (BTO) in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to compare the HRQoL of patients with advanced prostate cancer following treatment with BSCO and BTO.METHODS: A randomized, single blind study concerning 64 patients with advanced prostate cancer; the subjects were randomized into BTO and BSCO treatment groups. The study was conducted over a period of ten months at a tertiary hospital situated in the North-central zone of Nigeria. Structured and validated instruments (FACT-PI and Karnofsky) were used to assess HRQoL during patient follow-up visits over a period of six months to obtain data regarding HRQoL and patient satisfaction. Statistical analysis using a chi-squared test and paired t-test were done to allow the comparison of HRQoL assessment scores and patients’ satisfaction ratings between the two groups.RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects were 71.63 ± 7.56 years and 70.06 ± 8.79 years for the BTO and BSCO group respectively (p = 0.449). Also, mean Gleason’s score was 7.44 vs. 7.31 respectively (p =0.714). Health Related QoL assessment with FACT-PI and Karnofsky showed significantly better outcome after BSCO (p < 0.001). Only 17% of the participants had psychological compromise after ADT.CONCLUSION: The two techniques of orchidectomy differ significantly in their short term QoL response to treatment; BSCO was associated with better patient outcomes compared to BTO

Combined Synergistic Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Parquetina nigrescens, Camellia sinensis and Telfaria occidentalis on Bone Marrow Haemopoietic Multipotent Stem Cells Proliferation in Irradiated Guinea Pigs

Cancer which is one of the most threatening human diseases is most commonly treated by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, these therapies are not tumor-specific. Normal tissues, particularly the bone marrow (BM), are extremely vulnerable to cytotoxicity caused by these therapies. How rapidly patients recover from these treatment modalities greatly depends on the percentage of resting stem cells remaining after such treatment. Antidotes are required for the untoward side effects of these therapies. As a means to protect stem cells or help damaged stem cells to recover, the use of biological response modifiers (BRMs) has received attention. The use of fruits or vegetables has the benefits of providing a cocktail of many different phytochemicals with multiple actions including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Certain whole-food extracts, such as blueberry, dietary fatty acids, particularly oleic acid and linoleic acid have been reported recently to actively promote the proliferation of haemopoietic stem cells [1]

Lipid Peroxide Levels, Antioxidant Status, and Protein Changes in Nigerian Smokers

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases. We evaluated index of lipid peroxidation (Malondialdehyde), antioxidants (Uric Acid and Total antioxidant Status), Total Protein and Albumin level

Acute and subacute toxicities of defatted ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera seed in albino rats

Moringa oleifera seeds are widely accepted as a nutritional supplement. The seeds are consumed and are sold on the shelf of nature, herbal shops, pharmacy and supermarkets. They are consumed as herbal remedy for various diseases. This study was designed to evaluate the acute and sub-acute toxicity of defatted ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera seed (DESMOL) in albino rats using standard methods. The extract at 400, 800, 1600mg/kg caused no significant changes (P>0.05) in haematological parameters such as PCV, RBC, Hb, MCV, MCH, WBC, lymphocyte and platelet counts. In contrast, the extract, at 800 and 1600mg/kg caused significant changes in the levels of total protein (P<0.05), total and conjugated bilirubin, ALT, AST, ALP and GGT (P<0.05). The results of the histopathology showed that the extract at doses above 400mg/kg caused kidney damage by inducing widespread necrosis of tubular epithelial cells. Findings from this study revealed that grave consequences attend the chronic consumption of Moringa seeds as this could lead to kidney damage.Keywords: Moringa oleifera, Sub-chronic toxicity, Safety limit

Resting serum concentration of high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in sportsmen and untrained male adults

There is an inverse relationship between regular physical activity and concentration of serum inflammatory markers, with variations in resting CRP in trained and untrained subjects. The effect of acute and prolonged exercises has been studied on inflammatory markers with dearth of information and controversies on the resting serum values of high sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP). Therefore, this study sought to identify and compare variations that occur in serum levels of high sensitivity CRP in groups of sportsmen (6) and physically active untrained subjects. Eighty-one healthy male participants made up of 21 untrained (control), 10 footballers, 10 athletes, 10 karates, 10 volleyballers, 10 basketballers, and 10 baseballers voluntarily participated in the study. Participants rested while in sitting position for about 30 minutes during which blood pressures and heart rates were taken. 5 mls of venous blood was withdrawn from the antecubital vein of the participants (aseptically) between 7:00 and 10:00 am into lithium heparin bottles following an overnight fast. The supernatant was decanted and centrifuged at 3000 rpm, serum was collected and stored at-20ºC prior to biochemical assay which was done with the use of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for hs-CRP. Differences in the means within the sporting groups were analysed using one-way ANOVA while the difference between the trained sportsmen and untrained young adults was analysed using the independent T-test. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The Mean ±SEM age, weight, height, and BMI of the participants were 22.0±0.8 years, 64.1±2.2 kg, 1.74±0.3 m, and 20.6±0.2 kg/m 2 respectively. The resting concentration of hs-CRP (µg/ml) was 1.0±0.2 in the untrained, 2.6±0.7 in footballers, 3.6±2.1 in track athletes, 2.4±0.5 in basketballers, 2.2±0.5 in volleyballers, 2.4±1.3 in baseballers, and 1.7±0.5 in karate respectively. There was no significant difference in the resting hs-CRP amongst the sporting groups, and in the sportsmen and untrained group. Resting serum levels of hs-CRP falls within normal range, and varies insignificantly in groups of sports, and in sportsmen and untrained young male adults. This may suggest that the types of sporting activities or participation in sports has no impact on the resting serum hs-CRP