Intravenous pathogenicity of influenza virus A/H5N1/2014 isolated from pig in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Understanding the pathogenicity of avian influenza viruses in poultry is an important scientific and public health challenge because of antigenic shift/drift and a source of novel, potentially human-pathogenic strains. We have previously isolated an influenza A strain (H5N1/2014/Ogbomoso) from an outbreak among pig and have now aimed to assess its pathogenicity in an avian host and to categorize it as a low or high pathogenic strain. Intravenous pathogenicity index of the isolated virus was assayed using experimental infection of 6 weeks old pathogen-specific free chicken. The peak of clinical signs was on day three post-infection, and one death was observed on day eight. The intravenous pathogenicity index of this isolate was 0.08. This results classify this isolate as a low pathogenic avian influenza strain

In vitro cytotoxic activity of medicinal plants from Nigeria ethnomedicine on Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer cell line and HPLC analysis of active extracts

Abstract Background Cancer is a leading cause of death world-wide, with approximately 17.5 million new cases and 8.7 million cancer related deaths in 2015. The problems of poor selectivity and severe side effects of the available anticancer drugs, have demanded the need for the development of safer and more effective chemotherapeutic agents. The present study was aimed at determining the cytotoxicities of 31 medicinal plants extracts, used in Nigerian ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer. Methods The plant extracts were screened for cytotoxicity, using the brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) and MTT cytotoxicity assay. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cell line, normal Vero cell line and the normal prostate (PNT2) cell line were used for the MTT assay, while Artemia salina nauplii was used for the BSLA. The phytochemical composition of the active plant extracts was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Results The extract of Eluesine indica (L.) Gaertn (Poaceae), with a LC50 value of 76.3 μg/mL, had the highest cytotoxicity on the brine shrimp larvae compared to cyclophosphamide (LC50 = 101.3 μg/mL). Two plants extracts, Macaranga barteri Mull. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) and Calliandra portoricensis (Jacq.) Benth (Leguminosae) exhibited significant cytotoxic activity against the RD cell line and had comparable lethal activity on the brine shrimps. Further cytotoxic investigation showed that the dichloromethane fraction of Macaranga barteri (DMB) and the ethyl acetate fraction of Calliandra portoricensis (ECP), exhibited approximately 6-fold and 4-fold activity, respectively, compared to cyclophosphamide on RD cell line. Determination of selective index (SI) using Vero and PNT2 cell line indicated that DMB and ECP displayed a high degree of selectivity against the cancer cell under investigation. HPLC analysis showed that 3,5dicaffeoylquinic acid, acteoside, kampferol-7-O-glucoside and bastadin 11 were the major components of DMB while the major components of ECP were neurolenin B, nigrosporolide and trans-geranic acid. Conclusion The results demonstrate the cytotoxicity of Macaranga barteri and Calliandra portoricensis extracts, which are used in Nigerian folklore for cancer treatment

In vitro antiviral activity of twenty-seven medicinal plant extracts from Southwest Nigeria against three serotypes of echoviruses

Abstract Background Echoviruses, a serotype of enteroviruses, infect millions of people globally and there is no specific drug treatment or vaccine available for its management. The screening of medicinal plants used locally for the treatment of infectious diseases, can provide a reliable option in the discovery of potent therapeutic compounds. This study was carried out to investigate the antiviral activities of 27 medicinal plant extracts, belonging to 26 different plant species, selected from Nigerian ethnobotany, against echovirus 7, 13 and 19 serotypes (E7, E13 and E19, respectively). Methods The plants were macerated in methanol and the cytotoxicities of the crude extracts were evaluated on the rhabdomyosarcoma cell line using the MTT assay. The antiviral activity of the plant extracts and fractions against echoviruses (E7, E13, and E19) was determined using the neutralisation assay, an assay that measures the inhibition of cytopathic effect on cell culture. Results The crude extract of Macaranga barteri leaves had the highest cytotoxicity with CC50 value of 0.27 μg/mL. This was followed by Crinum jagus (9.88 μg/mL) and Terminalia ivorensis (12.14 μg/mL). The antiviral screening showed that ten out of the 27 crude plant extracts tested were active on E7 and E19, inhibiting the cytopathic effect of the virus in tissue culture. None of the extracts inhibited the cytopathic effect caused by E13 serotype. Amongst the active plant extracts, the methanol extract of M. barteri leaves had the highest antiviral activity on both E7 and E9 with IC50 values of 0.028 and 0.0017 ng/mL, respectively, followed by the Ageratum conyzoides extract (0.208 μg/mL, E7; 0.006 μg/mL, E19) and Mondia whitei extract (0.038 μg/mL, E7; 0.005 μg/mL, E19). Amongst the fractions of M. barteri, the DCM fraction was most the active and selective on E7 (IC50 = 0.0075 ng/mL; SI = 19,896.54) and E19 (IC50 = 0.0175 ng/mL; SI = 8581.24). Conclusion Our research has demonstrated that Macaranga barteri extracts has potent antiviral activity against echoviruses E7 and E19, and our findings suggest that this extract may have potential as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of enteroviral infections

Factors associated with hypertension among stroke‐free indigenous Africans: Findings from the SIREN study

Abstract Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for stroke and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) globally. Understanding risk factors for hypertension among individuals with matching characteristics with stroke patients may inform primordial/primary prevention of hypertension and stroke among them. This study identified the risk factors for hypertension among community‐dwelling stroke‐free population in Ghana and Nigeria. Data for 4267 community‐dwelling stroke‐free controls subjects in the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) study in Nigeria and Ghana were used. Participants were comprehensively assessed for sociodemographic, lifestyle and metabolic factors using standard methods. Hypertension was defined as a previous diagnosis by a health professional or use of an anti‐hypertensive drug or mean systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of hypertension and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) at p < .05. Overall, 56.7% of the participants were hypertensive with a higher proportion among respondents aged ≥60 years (53.0%). Factors including physical inactivity (aOR: 9.09; 95% CI: 4.03 to 20.53, p < .0001), diabetes (aOR: 2.70; CI: 1.91 to 3.82, p < .0001), being ≥60 years (aOR: 2.22; 95% CI: 1.78 to 2.77, p < .0001), and family history of CVD (aOR 2.02; CI: 1.59 to 2.56, p < .0001) were associated with increased aOR of hypertension. Lifestyle factors were associated with hypertension in the current population of community‐dwelling stroke‐free controls in west Africa. Community‐oriented interventions to address sedentary lifestyles may benefit this population and reduce/prevent hypertension and stroke among them