Free Radical Attack on Membrane Lipid and Antioxidant Vitamins in the Course of Pre-Eclamptic Pregnancy

Background: Despite the volume of knowledge and daily reports on pre-eclampsia, its pathogenesis is still yet to be ascertained. Oxidative stress (oxidant (free radical) in excess of antioxidant) injury is one of the recently suggested pathogenetic mechanisms. This study, however, was designed to determine second and third trimesters of plasma malondialdehyde (product of free radical attack on membrane lipid) and vitamins C and E in pre-eclamptic Nigerian women.Subjects and methods: A Total of 100 subjects, each for pre-eclamptic, apparently normal and non-pregnant women qualified for the study. Venous blood samples were taken in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and at the point of contact for non-pregnant women. Variables were analyzed using SPSS version 16, taking level of significance to be 0.05.Results: Plasma malondialdehyde in the third trimester of normal pregnancy (2.03±0.71μmol/l) was found to be significantly higher than the one in the second trimester (1.65±0.62μmol/l) (p<0.0001). For pre-eclamptic subjects, the malondialdehyde in the third trimester (3.13±0.61μmol/l) was also higher than the malondialdehyde in the second trimester (3.00±1.21μmol/l).The mean vitamin C values for subjects with normal pregnancy were similar in the second and third trimesters (38.25±19.66 vs. 38.66±19.40; p=0.882). For subjects with pre-eclampsia, the mean Vit C values were also similar in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters (35.05±18.37 vs. 37.20±24.44μmol/l;p=0.175).Mean vitamin E values in the second and third trimesters were also similar for subjects with normal pregnancy (28.62±13.85 vs. 28.50±13.35μmol/l;p=0.950). A similar finding was observed in pre-eclamptic subjects (25.09±12.79 vs. 28.00±14.83μmol/l;p=0.067).Conclusion: There was an increased product of membrane lipid attack (malondialdehyde) with no change in plasma levels of vitamins C and E as pregnancy advances into the third trimester of both normal and pre-eclamptic pregnancies. Antioxidant vitamins may not be useful in stopping the progression of free radical attack on membrane lipid to control pre-eclampsia.Keywords: Lipid peroxidation, Malondiadehyde, Free radical, Pre-eclampsia, Trimester, Vitamin

Vitamin D Levels and Insulin Resistance among Nigerian Men with Type-2 Diabetes mellitus

Background: A number of studies have shown a high prevalence of insufficient vitamin D levels in humans in the North American, European and Asian regions. Various research works have also shown that low serum vitamin D levels play a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic, non-infective illnesses such as diabetes mellitus and cancer. Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the serum vitamin D status in relation to glucose homeostasis among men with Type-2 Diabetes mellitus and normal controls. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study included 80 men with confirmed diagnosis of Type-2 diabetes mellitus and 49 normal adult male controls. Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D, fasting serum C-peptide and fasting plasma glucose levels were measured in both study groups. Results: There was a significant difference between the mean serum 25-OH vitamin D levels among the cases (36.55ng/mL) and the controls (42.96ng/mL) (p = 0.001). All the four 25-OH vitamin D-deficient subjects had diabetes. In the diabetes group, 43.8% had a normal insulin resistance compared to 61.8% of the control group (p = 0.054). In the diabetes group, 73.8% had sufficient vitamin D, 21.2% had insufficient vitamin D and 5% had vitamin D deficiency. In the control group, there was a significant negative correlation between serum 25-OH vitamin D and BMI and fasting plasma glucose. The mean HOMA2IR value for the diabetes group (3.09) was higher than the value for the controls (2.40). Conclusion: The mean serum 25-OH vitamin D level in the diabetes group was lower than that of the control group hence, hypovitaminosis D may be a contributor to the onset of diabetes mellitus among Nigerian men

Review of prostate cancer research in Nigeria

Prostate cancer (CaP) disparities in the black man calls for concerted research efforts. This review explores the trend and focus of CaP research activities in Nigeria, one of the ancestral nations for black men. It seeks to locate the place of the Nigerian research environment in the global progress on CaP disparities. Literature was reviewed mainly through a Pubmed search with the terms “prostate cancer”and “Nigeria”, as well as from internet and hard copies of journal pages

Anthropometric characteristics of offspring of Nigerian Type 2 Diabetics

Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) has a strong genetic component. Overall obesity and central obesity have strong associations with insulin resistance, which is a major factor in the development of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and Type 2 DM. The impact of a parental history of Type 2DM on anthropometric measurements known to govern glucose tolerance was examined in this study. Materials and Methods: Weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference and waist-hip ratio were measured in 52 offspring of Nigerian Type 2 diabetic patients and compared with 50 control subjects who had a similar distribution of age, sex and socio-economic class. Results: Offspring of diabetics had a significantly higher mean (SD) (i) weight (69.9(15.1)kg vs 63.8 (63.8(112)kg;p=0.024); (ii) body mass index (25.0(4.9)kg/m2 vs 23.0 (3.0)kg/m2;p=0.013;) (iii) Waist circumference (82.3(12.2) cm vs 77.2 (8.3) cm; P=0.014); (iv) hip circumference (99.0 (11.4) cm vs. 93.0 (7.2) cm; p=0.005). The waist-hip ration for both groups of subjects did not differ significantly (0.83(0.06) versus 0.82 (0.05);p=0.52). Conclusion: These results suggest that a parental history of Type 2 DM influences body fat and its distribution resulting in greater degrees of generalized and central/abdominal fat, implying a greater risk of developing Type 2 DM in view of the relationship between body fat distribution and insulin resistance. Long-term prospective studies are needed to define anthropometric indices predictive of the development of Type 2 DM, as well as its relation to insulin sensitivity, amongst Nigerians. KEY WORDS:- Type 2 diabetic parents, offspring, Anthropometry Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol.5(2) 2002: 75-8

Anti-Mullerian Hormone Levels in Regularly Menstruating Nigerian Women

Background: Studies have shown that serum levels of Anti-Mullerian Hormones (AMH) decrease with age as it is also an early and sensitive marker of ovarian reserve in women in the North American, European and Asian regions. Various research works have also generated data about AMH in the Caucasian, Americans and Asians There was a need to compare these known data with African data. Objectives: To assess the serum levels of AMH in healthy women of reproductive age and determine the relationship between AMH, age, Body Mass Index, parity and menstrual cycle in healthy regularly menstruating women. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 200 apparently healthy women aged 21-45 years was carried out between January and May 2014. Serum AMH and FSH levels were measured in the participants using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. Results: The median AMH value was 4.07ng/mL, while the median FSH value was 9.65mIU/mL. The reference 90% CI of AMH was 0.60 -9.71 ng/ml. There was a significant negative correlation between serum level of AMH and age (r = - 0.718, p<0.001). Conclusion: The serum AMH levels gradually declined throughout the reproductive lifespan of a woman