Pre-and-post-operative aversion among men whose partners had caesarean delivery in a patriarchal setting.

Objectives: The study evaluated pre and post-operative perception and aversion to caesarean delivery (CD) among men whose partners underwent the procedure.Design: A multicentre cross-sectional study.Setting: Two tertiary and two secondary health facilities.Participants: Men whose partners underwent CD at the study sites.Methods: Participants were recruited by purposive sampling, data collection was through interaction via an interviewer-administered questionnaire first immediately the decision for CD was made and thereafter on the third postoperative day. Men whose partners had vaginal delivery were excluded from the study and data management was with SPSS version 21.0 while p<0.05 was significant.Results: Awareness about CD was 84.0% mainly through the healthcare workers (42.1%) and the female partner (34.1%); 88.0% of participants recommended CD for medically-indicated reasons. The greatest influence on consent was the male partner (48.8%). The major pre-operative concerns were limitation of family size (34.7%) and fear of repeat CD (34.0%). Pre-operative perceptions of CD included being expensive (60.7%), fear of the procedure (48.0%), fear of complications (45.3%) and longer hospital stay (44.0%). Aversion to CD was 30.0% pre and 5.3% post-operation; predictors of aversion were history of previous surgery among male or female partner and awareness about CD. However, there were reductions in negative perception and aversion post-operation.Conclusion: The high negative perception and aversion to CD among male partners were reduced post-operation. Healthcare workers should address the concerns and negative perceptions about CD and prioritize patient-friendly experiences during surgical operations

Virologic and immunologic outcome of treatment of HIV infection with a herbal concoction, A-ZAM, among clients seeking herbal remedy in Nigeria

This study was to determine the effectiveness (CD4 count and viral load) of a safe herbal concoction, α-Zam used by clients seeking herbal remedy for treatment of HIV infection in Nigeria. 51 patients taking α-Zam as complementary and alternative therapy through the herbal therapist were studied for a period of 16 months. Preliminary medical and laboratory examinations using WHO and CDC criteria were done after confirmation of HIV infection by Western blotting in the nearest teaching hospitals to the residence of the patients. Regular visits were paid to the patients after commencement of the α-Zam to assess the side-effects, drug interactions, toxicity and effectiveness of the herbal remedy. There was a statistical significance (P<0.05) between pre-treatment and post-treatment CD4 count. 4 (7.8%) of the patients had average increase in CD4 count of 262±16 cell/µL, 23 (45.1%) patients with average increase 310±16 cell/µL, 16 (31.4%) patients with average increase 456±25 cell/µL and 8 (15.7%) patients with average increase 510±36 cell/µL( %) were at WHO staging I , II, III and IV respectively within 4 months on herbal therapy. There was very marked reduction in viral (HIV-RNA) load with 41 (80.4%) and10 (19.6%) HIV infected patients had undetectable viral load and <1000 copies/ml respectively after the therapy. All symptoms and signs associated with HIV infection in all patients fully subsided within 4 weeks of commencement of α-zam therapy and there was no evidence of negative drug interaction in those HIV patients using both the herbal and highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART). The study is in progress to determine periodic immunological outcomes of post therapy in all patients

Corn silk methanolic extract improves oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in rats’ excision wound model

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of corn silk (Stigma maydis of Zea mays L.) extract were investigated in excision wound model. Twenty male Wistar rats (130-150g) were grouped into four (n=5/group): Control rats received 0.5 mL distilled water, the experimental groups received distilled water (0.5 mL), aqueous corn-silk extract (ACSE; 500 mg/kg) and methanolic corn-silk extract (MCSE; 500 mg/kg), twice/day orally, three weeks before and three weeks after they had 1.5 × 1.0 cm excision wound. Rats were sacrificed and blood was collected. Serum was separated while wound tissues were removed, homogenised and supernatant was stored. Antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, hydroxyproline, cyclooxygenase-2 and NO were measured in wound tissues colorimetrically, while serum cytokines were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. MCSE significantly (p˂0.05) increased glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, hydroxyproline and total protein content but decreased significantly (p˂0.05) malondialdehyde, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ when compared with untreated wound. ACSE increased significantly (p&lt;0.05) glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase but decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05) malondialdehyde and cyclooxygenase-2. However, it produced no significant effect on catalase, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IFN-γ when compared with untreated wound. MCSE attenuated oxidative and inflammatory responses in excision wound rat model

Immunohistochemical studies of codeine medication on the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum of adult Wistar rats

Despite the dangers associated with the increased use of prescription opioid drugs, limited researches have addressed the specific effects of prescription opioids on the brain. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of codeine medication on the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum of Wistar rats. The drugs, ArchilinTM with codeine syrup and Dihydrocodeine 30 mg tablets were used for this study. Thirty (30) male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups labeled A, B, C, D, and E, n = 6. Group A served as control and was given normal saline, group B was treated with 1 mg/kg bodyweight dihydrocodeine, group C was treated with 2 mg/kg bodyweight dihydrocodeine, group D was treated with 2 ml/kg bodyweight ArchilinTM with codeine syrup and group E was treated with 4 ml/kg bodyweight ArchilinTM with codeine syrup. Drugs were administered orally and daily for 21 days. At the end of the treatment period, animals were sacrificed via intraperitoneal injection of ketamine hydrochloride, brains were perfused with phosphate-buffered saline and formal saline before harvested and postfixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Sections of the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum were obtained and processed for immunohistochemical studies using GFAP stain. Results from the study suggested that prolonged administration of codeine medication produced an inflammatory reaction in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum of treatment groups. This neuroinflammatory reaction is an indicator of a pathologic process that could lead to neuronal degeneration, glial degeneration, and altered physiologic process in the prefrontal cortex and cerebellum