Levels of prolactin, progesterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone in infertile women in Calabar, Nigeria

Background: Infertility is defined as the inability of a couple to achieve conception despite frequent unprotected, well timed sexual intercourse for one year duration. Therefore the aim of our study was to estimate the levels of progesterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone in infertile women.Methods: One hundred and two (102) volunteers infertile women; aged 20-45 years were recruited from the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. They were further divided into three groups based on their prolactin levels; namely those with normal ovarian hormones value (normal); (n=32), those with prolactin values between 25 – 60ng/ml (moderate) (n=46) and those with prolactin values >60ng/ml (high); (n=24). Sixty (60) apparently healthy, age matched women were also selected to serve as the control group. Sera samples were obtained from the subjects and the following parameters were measured using DRG Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay; prolactin, progesterone, estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH).Results: In this study, the prolactin and E2 values were significantly (p0.05). There was a positive correlation between E2 and prolactin, progesterone and FSH (r=0.239; 0.368 and 0.217 respectively, p˂0.05) and a strong positive correlation between FSH and LH (r=0.677) in the infertile women.Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between E2 and progesterone with reduced concentration of FSH in women with normal, moderate and high prolactin concentrations. Therefore, there is need for anti-oxidant therapy or supplements for these subjects

Effect of ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata on the kidneys and intestines of healthy albino rats

Background: The use of plants and plant products for medicinal purposes is an age-long practice in traditional communities and is becoming prominent globally. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of ethanolic extract of Chromolaena odorata on the kidney and intestine of albino rats. Methods: Twenty growing albino rats with an average weight of 54 g were used in this study. They were grouped into four groups. Groups 1, 2, and 3, known as the test groups, were given 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 250 mg/kg ethanolic extract of C. odorata, respectively, while the control group was given distilled water orally. The experiment was performed for 6 weeks. The animals were killed using chloroform suffocation. The kidneys and the intestine were harvested and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological analysis. Blood samples were collected from the animals by heart puncture for estimation of creatinine and urea levels. Results: The creatinine, urea, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, and alkaline phosphatase levels of blood sample from the test group were significantly different when compared with the control (p < 0.05). The histological sections of the kidneys in this study showed no signs of degeneration. Infiltration of inflammatory cells and epithelial erosion were observed in the histology sections of the intestine of all the test groups. Conclusion: The results from this study revealed that uncontrolled use of this plant extract has an adverse effect on the kidney function and on the histology of the intestine of the rats used in this study

Evaluation of human papillomavirus testing for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil in clinical practice

BackgroundOncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a subtype of head-and-neck cancer with a distinct clinical and prognostic profile. While there are calls to undertake HPV testing for oropharyngeal SCCs within the diagnostic setting and for clinical trials, there are currently no internationally accepted standards.Methods142 tonsil SCCs were tested using p16 immunohistochemistry (IHC), high-risk HPV DNA in situ hybridisation (ISH) and HPV DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR; GP5+/6+ primers).ResultsThere were high levels of agreement between pathologists for p16 IHC and HPV ISH scoring; however, around 10% of HPV ISH cases showed some interobserver discrepancy that was resolved by slide review. The combination of p16 IHC and HPV ISH classified 53% of the samples as HPV-positive, whereas the combination of p16 IHC and HPV PCR classified 61% of the samples as HPV-positive. By employing a three-tiered, staged algorithm (p16 IHC/HPV ISH/HPV PCR), the authors were able to classify 98% of the cases as either HPV-positive (p16 IHC+/HPV DNA+; 62%) or HPV-negative (p16 IHC−/HPV DNA−; 35%).ConclusionsThe current study suggests that using a combination of p16 IHC/HPV ISH/HPV PCR, in a three-tiered, staged algorithm, in conjunction with consensus reporting of HPV ISH, leads to less equivocal molecular classification. In order to ensure consistent reporting of this emerging disease, it is increasingly important for the head-and-neck oncology community to define the minimum requirements for assigning a diagnosis of ‘HPV-related’ oropharyngeal SCC in order to inform prognosis and for stratification in clinical trials.</jats:sec