Prevalence of viral and non-viral hepatitis in Menoua Division, West Region, Cameroon: a retrospective hospital-based study

Introduction: the paucity of data on hepatitis' epidemiology in Menoua Division, west region, Cameroon, prompted us to assess the prevalence of viral and non-viral hepatitis in this area. Methods: a retrospective exhaustive study based on records of patients from January 2008 to June 2014 was conducted in 9 health centres in Menoua Division. Targeted subjects were patients who did not receive hepatitis vaccines for the past year and have been screened for hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or a blood transaminase. Associations between variables were quantified with odd ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Cochran-Armitage test of linear trend was used for testing proportions of ordinal variables. Fisher's exact test was used for testing the association between 2 qualitative variables when expected counts were less than 5. Results: the overall prevalence were 9.6% and 6.7% for HBV and HCV respectively. HBV mostly infected people aged 21-30 (12.4%) while the prevalence of HCV increased with age up to 35.4% (p=0.03). A 0.6% co-infection was observed. Thirty percent of positive HBV or HCV had high transaminase while 13% of patients with elevated transaminase showed negative viral serology. Conclusion: these results show that hospital-based prevalence of HCV and HBV in Menoua Division is under the Cameroon's national range but point out the fact that non-viral hepatitis might be a serious case of concern in this area. There is therefore, a need to identify the risk-factors of non-viral hepatitis

ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF DICHROCEPHALA INTEGRIFOLIA (ASTERACEAE) IN A MOUSE MODEL OF MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE-INDUCED NEUROTOXICITY

Background: In Africa, neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly have become a major health concern due to the increase in live expectancy. Glutamate mediated neurotoxicity is involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Ischemia, Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases. Plants with antioxidant properties are reported to protect vital organs against glutamate toxicity. This study aims to assess the effect of Dichrocephala integrifolia against monosodium glutamatemediated neurotoxicity and oxidative stress. Methodology: The decoction prepared from the leaves of Dichrocephala integrifolia was evaluated against monosodium glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in mice. The animals were grouped in seven groups of 6 animals each. The animals received daily; distilled water (p.o) for the distilled water and the negative control groups, one of the four doses of the decoction of the plant (35, 87.5, 175 or 350 mg/kg p.o) for the tests groups and memantine (20 mg/kg p.o) for the positive control group. Monosodium glutamate (2.5 g/kg ip) was injected daily to animals except those of the normal control group all the seven days of the experimentation. Animals were observed for aggressiveness, locomotor and forepaws muscle grip activities 30 min after monosodium injections. Brain reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde levels were also assessed following the behavioral tests on day 8. Results: The decoction of Dichrocephala integrifolia at the doses of 87.5 and 175 mg/kg significantly (

Ecological risk assessment of pesticides based on earthworms in soils on the southeast slopes of Mount Cameroon

Agrochemicals misuse is common in developing countries with many environmental implications. This work assessed the ecological risk of pesticides, including insecticides, fungicides and herbicides based on earthworms in soils at the lower slopes of Mount Cameroon using the Pesticide Risk in the Tropics to Man, Environment and Trade (PRIMET) model. PRIMET was developed in 2008 in The Netherlands for use in tropical regions. Data on usage scheme and ecotoxicological information were collected and keyed into PRIMET for three main outputs: Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC), No Effect Concentration (NEC), and Exposure Toxicity Ratio (ETR = PEC/NEC). Pesticides predicted for no acute and no chronic risk to earthworms included fipronil and chlorothalonil. Several pesticides were predicted for an acute risk to earthworms, and they comprised acetamiprid, imidacloprid, lambda-cyhalothrin, and carbendazim when used on maize (PEC ​= ​2.69 ​mg ​kg−1; ETR ​= ​5) and tomato (PEC ​= ​16.15 ​mg ​kg−1; ETR ​= ​30); 2, 4-D and abamectin when used on tomato and ethoprophos. Insecticides exhibiting a possible chronic risk to earthworms comprised acetamiprid, cypermethrin, emamectin benzoate, imidacloprid, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, oxamyl, and thiametoxam. The majority of fungicides assessed (83%) posed a possible chronic terrestrial risk, with carbendazim at the top position when applied on tomato (PEC ​= ​16.15 ​mg ​kg−1; ETR ​= ​81). Some herbicides predicted for possible chronic risk based on earthworms included 2, 4-D, diuron, glyphosate, ethoprophos, and metaldehyde. Pesticides with the highest risk to earthworms comprised chlorpyrifos-ethyl, imidacloprid, ethoprophos, and nicosulfuron. The riskiest pesticides should hereby be regulated or replaced by less risky ones. The measurement of pesticide residues in water and food in the various agroecological zones of Cameroon is necessary to shed more light on pesticide ecotoxicology

Antioxidant properties of Dichrocephala integrifolia (Asteraceae) in a mouse model of monosodium glutamate-induced neurotoxicity

Background: In Africa, neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly have become a major health concern due to the increase in live expectancy. Glutamate mediated neurotoxicity is involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Ischemia, Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases. Plants with antioxidant properties are reported to protect vital organs against glutamate toxicity. This study aims to assess the effect of Dichrocephala integrifolia against monosodium glutamatemediated neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.Methodology: The decoction prepared from the leaves of Dichrocephala integrifolia was evaluated against monosodium glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in mice. The animals were grouped in seven groups of 6 animals each. The animals received daily; distilled water (p.o) for the distilled water and the negative control groups, one of the four doses of the decoction of the plant (35, 87.5, 175 or 350 mg/kg p.o) for the tests groups and memantine (20 mg/kg p.o) for the positive control group. Monosodium glutamate (2.5 g/kg ip) was injected daily to animals except those of the normal control group all the seven days of the experimentation. Animals were observed for aggressiveness, locomotor and forepaws muscle grip activities 30 min after monosodium injections. Brain reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde levels were also assessed following the behavioral tests on day 8.Results: The decoction of Dichrocephala integrifolia at the doses of 87.5 and 175 mg/kg significantly (p<0.01) inhibited the aggressiveness of monosodium treated mice, significantly (p<0.01) counteracted the reduction in locomotor and forepaws muscle grip capacity induced by monosodium glutamate. Furthermore, the decreases in reduced glutathione level and increases in lipid peroxidation level induced by monosodium glutamate were significantly (p<0.001) reversed by Dichrocephala integrifolia at the doses of 87.5 and 175 mg/kg.Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that Dichrocephala integrifolia is a medicinal plant that protects the brain against monosodium glutamate-mediated neurotoxicity. This can explain why this plant is intensively used in folk medicine in Cameroon to prevent and treat some central nervous system illnesses.Keywords: Neurotoxicity; Glutamate; Dichrocephala integrifolia; antioxidan

Dominant-negative tumor necrosis factor protects from Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and endotoxin-induced liver injury without compromising host immunity to BCG and Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is associated with the development of inflammatory pathologies. Antibodies and soluble TNF (solTNF) receptors that neutralize excessive TNF are effective therapies for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, clinical use of TNF inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of infections

Hepatoprotective effects of extracts, fractions and compounds from the stem bark of Pentaclethra macrophylla Benth: Evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies

Aim: To identify the bioactive hepatoprotective components of the ethanol extract of Pentaclethra macrophylla stem bark using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Methods: The bioguided-fractionation of the ethanol extract was based on the substances’ capacity to prevent in vitro, the lipid peroxidation of hepatocytes’ membranes induced by hydrogen peroxide. For the in vivo hepatoprotective test, mice were treated orally with the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction of the ethanol extract at doses of 50 and 75 mg/kg/day for one week and subjected to d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (GaIN/LPS)-induced hepatotoxicity. Blood samples were collected for alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), TNF-α and IL-1β assays. The liver was harvested for histological and biochemical (proteins, glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD)) analysis. Results: The ethanol extract and fractions induced concentration-dependent inhibition of lipid peroxidation (IC50: 3.21–48.90 μg/mL) greater than that of silymarin (IC50: 117.4 μg/mL). The purification of the sub-fractions of EtOAc fraction yielded: (7R)-7-hydroxyhexacosanoic acid (1), (7R)-1-(7-hydroxyhexacosanoyl) glycerol (2), bergenin (3), 11-O-galloylbergenin (4), 2-hydroxymethyl-5-(2-hydroxypropan-2-yl)phenol (5), β-sitosterol 3-O-β-d-glucopyranosyl (6) and β-sitosterol (7)), among which 11-O-galloylbergenin (IC50:1.8 μg/mL) was the most effective. The EtOAc fraction significantly reduced the serum level of ALAT, ASAT and TNF-α in vivo. This EtOAc fraction increased the liver protein content and protected the liver against structural damages, but did not boost the endogenous antioxidant parameters. Conclusion: The stem bark of Pentaclethra macrophylla possesses hepatoprotective effects that may result from its capacity to inhibit lipid peroxidation and could be attributed to its active components 3, 4 and 2