Socialism as an African Social and Political Philosophy: Senghor’s Paradigm

The paper interrogates the meanings and practices of African political thoughts, especially the theory put forward by Leopold Sedar Senghor. What is the distinguishing factor of African Socialism? What is the direction of African socio-political philosophy? What is the African conception of man that determines the socio-political theory? It is in an attempt to answer these and other related questions that the paper is written. We argue that Socialism is socialism; there cannot be anything like African Socialism, European Socialism, American Socialism and even Scientific Socialism. This is because socialism is based on two premises: (i) Equity (ii) Non-exploitation. These are value-laden, moral and non-scientific. Socialism can be applied as a means of economic, social and political advancement in any society. Although situation and condition may differ but the basic productive and distributive principles remain the same

HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IN NIGERIANS WITH LONG STANDING TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Introduction: Deranged immunologic capability has been widely implicated in diabetic subjects. It is not well documented if dysfunctional humoral antibodies that occur in DM leads to susceptibility to infections as a result of poor glycaemic control or a reaction that occurs when the infection has already set in. We sought to evaluate the pattern of humoral immune response in Nigerians with Diabetic mellitus with and without complications and its association with glycaemic control indices. Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study conducted on 150 people with type 2 DM between the ages of 38 and 80 years and 75 age and sex matched healthy controls. Presence of co morbidities and complications was sought for in the subjects. DM subjects were subdivided into early onset (less than five years duration) and long standing (greater than five years duration). Glycaemic control was assessed using fasting plasma glucose, fructosamine and glycosylated haemoglobin. Plasma immunoglobulins A, G, and M were estimated using elisa method. Results: The mean levels of all the studied immunoglobulins were comparable in DM and healthy controls save for immunoglobulin M which was significantly lower in DM. A significantly inverse association was observed between immunoglobulin G with fructosamine (r = - 0.356, p = 0.030) and glycosylated haemoglobin (r = -0.352, p = 0.026). Immunoglobulin M was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (r = - 0.269, p = 0.034 ) and diastolic blood pressure (r = - 0.257, p = 0.044). Conclusion: Plasma levels of Immunoglobulin M are lower in subjects with DM than in people without DM. Plasma Immunoglobulin G and M levels are significantly and inversely associated with glycaemic control indices and blood pressures respectively in DM subjects. KEYWORDS: Diabetes mellitus; Immunoglobulins; Humoral immune response Glycaemic indices

HUMORAL IMMUNE RESPONSE IN NIGERIANS WITH LONG STANDING TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Introduction: Deranged immunologic capability has been widely implicated in diabetic subjects. It is not well documented if dysfunctional humoral antibodies that occur in DM leads to susceptibility to infections as a result of poor glycaemic control or a reaction that occurs when the infection has already set in. We sought to evaluate the pattern of humoral immune response in Nigerians with Diabetic mellitus with and without complications and its association with glycaemic control indices. Methods: This was a cross sectional analytical study conducted on 150 people with type 2 DM between the ages of 38 and 80 years and 75 age and sex matched healthy controls. Presence of co morbidities and complications was sought for in the subjects. DM subjects were subdivided into early onset (less than five years duration) and long standing (greater than five years duration). Glycaemic control was assessed using fasting plasma glucose, fructosamine and glycosylated haemoglobin. Plasma immunoglobulins A, G, and M were estimated using elisa method. Results: The mean levels of all the studied immunoglobulins were comparable in DM and healthy controls save for immunoglobulin M which was significantly lower in DM. A significantly inverse association was observed between immunoglobulin G with fructosamine (r = - 0.356, p = 0.030) and glycosylated haemoglobin (r = -0.352, p = 0.026). Immunoglobulin M was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure (r = - 0.269, p = 0.034 ) and diastolic blood pressure (r = - 0.257, p = 0.044). Conclusion: Plasma levels of Immunoglobulin M are lower in subjects with DM than in people without DM. Plasma Immunoglobulin G and M levels are significantly and inversely associated with glycaemic control indices and blood pressures respectively in DM subjects. KEYWORDS: Diabetes mellitus; Immunoglobulins; Humoral immune response Glycaemic indices

e-Government security implications

The electronic government (eGovernment) is mainly concerned with providing quality services and value added information to citizens, and it has potentials to build better relationships between government and the public by making interactions between citizens and government agencies smoother, easier, and more efficient. The use of Internet medium has helped government organisations and nongovernment organisations to increase their productivity, reduce costs and also improve services. The most security implications in egovernment is the protection of the data security, whereby the privacy of the citizens are not guaranteed, because the access to the data are not controlled by authorised agents, and due to human interaction it is vulnerable to so many attacks. Hackers developed sneaky ways attacking the digital communicating system by phishing into the information systems. There are problems about security vulnerability in government websites, which has made the public to be extremely concerned, and third party routinely invade government websites for fraudulent purposes. Attitudes of people interrogating this system will go a long way by having a strong principle of sincerity and honesty so as to help rectifying the security issues and strict legislative rule cannot be undermined in dealing with offenders. This paper proposed a model of five blocks of steps to bring security in eGovernment systems

Evaluation of interleukin 8 and interleukin 10 cytokines in liquid based cervical cytology samples

Introduction: inflammatory cytokines have been associated with various cancers, including cervical cancers. Interpreting cytokine expression in liquid based cervical samples is quite challenging. This study is aimed at evaluating the levels of interleukin 8 and 10 in liquid based cervical samples. Methods: this is a descriptive analytical study carried out on eighty five (85) subjects aged between 23 and 68 years. Cervical samples were collected in liquid based medium and smears later examined after staining with Papanicolaou technique. These were categorized into low grade intra-epithelial lesion/malignancy, high grade intraepithelial lesion/malignancy according to the degree of dyskaryosis. Concentrations of interleukin 8 and interleukin 10 in the samples were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results: the mean age, standard deviation (SD) of the study subjects were 40.6 (7.8) years. A total number of 79 females (92.9%) were negative for intra-epithelial lesion/malignancy (NILM), while 4 (4.71%) and 2 (2.35%) were positive for low grade intra-epithelial lesion/malignancy (LILM) and high grade intra-epithelial lesion (HILM) respectively. While mean levels of interleukin 8 increased with the degree of malignancy, (107.27 ± 11.88pg/ml) in LILM, (114.80 ± 2.12pg/ml) in HILM when compared with NILM (88.39 ± 18.06pg/ml), (f = 0.700, p = 0.018); the mean levels of interleukin 10 was comparable between these groups (p ≥ 0.05). Pearson correlation coefficient analysis showed a negative association between interleukin 8 and interleukin 10 (r = -1.999, p = 0.000) in LILM. Conclusion: interleukin 8 cytokines in cervical cancer is associated with the degree of malignancy. Possible anti-inflammatory effect of interleukin 10 was not observed

Lipoprotein (a), C-reactive protein and some metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 DM

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Lipoprotein (a) (LP (a) is an independent cardiovascular risk factor that is not widely studied in people of sub-Saharan African origin. The aim of this report is to determine the frequency of occurrence of elevated Lp (a) and possible relationship with total cholesterol (TCHOL), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), C reactive protein (CRP) and serum uric acid (SUA).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a cross sectional study carried out in 200 Nigerian patients with type 2 DM and 100 sex and age matched healthy Controls aged between 32-86 years. We determined the frequency of occurrence of elevated Lp (a) levels in the study subjects and compared clinical and biochemical variables between type 2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients. Clinical and biochemical parameters were also compared between subjects with type 2 DM who had elevated LP (a) and normal LP (a) levels. Long term glycaemic control using glycosylated haemoglobin was determined and compared in the study subjects. Test statistics used include chi square, correlation coefficient analysis and Student's t test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean Lp(a) concentration differed significantly between type 2 diabetic patients and the Control subjects (18.7 (5.8) mg/dl vs 23 (6.8) mg/dl, 0.00001). Similarly, the prevalence of high LP (a) levels in type 2 DM patients was significantly higher than that of the Control subjects (12.5% vs 4%, p-0.019). The mean levels of the lipid profile parameters (TCHOL, LDL-C, TG, LDL/HDL) and CRP were significantly higher in DM patients than in the Control subjects. The mean LP (a) levels were comparable in both sexes and in DM subjects with and without hypertension. TG was the only parameter that differed significantly between subjects with elevated Lp (a) levels and those with normal Lp (a) levels. There was a significant positive correlation (r) between Lp(a) levels and TG, LDL-C. TCHOL, LDL/HDL and uric acid. No association was found between Lp(a) and clinical parameters such as age and anthropometric indices.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have showed that Lp (a), CRP and other CVS risk factors cluster more in patients with DM than non DM patients. Serum Lp (a) levels are not associated with anthropometric and glycaemic indices.</p

Hyperuricaemia and the metabolic syndrome in type 2 DM

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elevated serum uric acid levels (SUA) have been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and are often reported to be higher in females than in males. The aim of this report is to determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of hyperuricaemia and also to evaluate associations with the MetS in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a cross-sectional study conducted in people with type 2 DM in Lagos, Nigeria. Hyperuricaemia was defined by cut-off values of > 7 mg/dl for men and > 6 mg/dl for women. The diagnosis of MetS was made using the new definition by the American Heart Association and other related bodies. Clinical and biochemical parameters were compared between subjects with hyperuricaemia and normouricaemia. Statistical analysis included usage of Student's t test, Pearson correlation coefficients, multivariate regression analysis and chi square.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>601 patients with type 2 DM aged between 34-91 years were recruited for the study. The prevalence rates of hyperuricaemia and the MetS were 25% and 60% respectively. The frequency of occurrence of hyperuricaemia was comparable in both genders (59% vs 41%, p = 0.3). Although, the prevalence of the MetS in subjects with hyperuricaemia and normouricaemia was comparable (61 vs 56%, p = 0.1), a higher proportion of hyperuricaemic subjects had 3 or more components of the Mets compared with normouricaemic subjects. Possible predictors of hyperuricaemia include central obesity, smoking and elevated serum triglycerides (TG). SUA levels were found to be positively and significantly associated with serum TG (r = 0.2, p = 0.0001) and total cholesterol (r = 13, p = 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The prevalence of hyperuricaemia in subjects with type 2 DM is comparable in both genders and possible predictors of hyperuricaemia are potentially modifiable. SUA is positively and significantly associated with serum TG and total cholesterol.</p

Human Norovirus prevalence in Africa:a review of studies from 1990 to 2013

OBJECTIVES: To assess the contribution of Human Norovirus to diarrheal diseases in Africa.   METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the PubMed and EMBASE databases for published articles of Human Norovirus in Africa between 1990 and 2013. Data were extracted from selected studies and analysed.   RESULTS: A total of 208 eligible studies were identified, of which 55 (from 19 countries) met the inclusion criteria. Many cases were of sporadic gastroenteritis (70.9%) in children (82%), 65.4% of which were seen in an outpatient setting. Over half (59.4%) of affected children were under 5 years of age. The pooled prevalence rate of Human NoV was 11% (95% CI 8-14%) and the meta-analysis indicated significant heterogeneity between the studies. However, the conditional negative binomial regression could not clearly find the factors affecting the Human NoV prevalence rates reported. A close relationship was found between Human Norovirus strains from environmental and clinical samples.   CONCLUSION: Unreported sporadic gastroenteritis cases of Human Norovirus are common in Africa. Most are community-associated infections. Possible environmental transmission routes have been documented. Combined environmental and clinical studies are required for targeted actions to control transmission of Human Norovirus in Africa. Systematic surveillance of Human Norovirus is needed to measure the burden of Norovirus-induced gastroenteritis in Africa and support any requirements for vaccine development. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Immunological Basis for the Gender Differences in Murine Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Infection

This study aimed to investigate the immunological mechanisms involved in the gender distinct incidence of paracoccidioidomycosis (pcm), an endemic systemic mycosis in Latin America, which is at least 10 times more frequent in men than in women. Then, we compared the immune response of male and female mice to Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection, as well as the influence in the gender differences exerted by paracoccin, a P. brasiliensis component with carbohydrate recognition property. High production of Th1 cytokines and T-bet expression have been detected in the paracoccin stimulated cultures of spleen cells from infected female mice. In contrast, in similar experimental conditions, cells from infected males produced higher levels of the Th2 cytokines and expressed GATA-3. Macrophages from male and female mice when stimulated with paracoccin displayed similar phagocytic capability, while fungicidal activity was two times more efficiently performed by macrophages from female mice, a fact that was associated with 50% higher levels of nitric oxide production. In order to evaluate the role of sexual hormones in the observed gender distinction, we have utilized mice that have been submitted to gonadectomy followed by inverse hormonal reconstitution. Spleen cells derived from castrated males reconstituted with estradiol have produced higher levels of IFN-γ (1291±15 pg/mL) and lower levels of IL-10 (494±38 pg/mL), than normal male in response to paracoccin stimulus. In contrast, spleen cells from castrated female mice that had been treated with testosterone produced more IL-10 (1284±36 pg/mL) and less IFN-γ (587±14 pg/mL) than cells from normal female. In conclusion, our results reveal that the sexual hormones had a profound effect on the biology of immune cells, and estradiol favours protective responses to P. brasiliensis infection. In addition, fungal components, such as paracoccin, may provide additional support to the gender dimorphic immunity that marks P. brasiliensis infection