Adiponectin, in contrast to leptin, is not associated with body mass index, waist circumference and HOMA-IR in subjects of a west-African population

Factors associated with plasma levels of adiponectin and leptin were studied in adult subjects without diabetes from Cotonou in Benin (West‐Africa). Seventy (70) men and 45 women were included in the study. Anthropometric variables were measured and a venous blood sample was drawn from each subject, after an overnight fasting period, for measurement of plasma glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels. HOMA‐IR was determined to assess insulin resistance. Adiponectin and leptin levels were higher in women than in men (with adiponectin 18.48 ± 12.77 vs.7.8 ± 10.39 μg/mL, P < 0.0001, and leptin 30.77 ± 19.16 vs. 8.66 ± 8.24 ng/mL, P < 0.0001). Fasting insulin level and HOMA‐IR were also higher in the females. Hyperleptinemia was observed in 66,96% of subjects and hypoadiponectinemia was present in 44.35% of subjects. In both men and women, leptin correlated with age (r = 0.2; P = 0.02), BMI (r = 0.572; P < 0.0001), waist circumference (r = 0.534; P < 0.0001), fasting insulin (r = 0.461; P < 0.001), and HOMA‐IR (r = 0.430; P < 0.0001). No significant correlation was observed for adiponectin levels with these variables. Only in women, adiponectin was inversely correlated with fasting glucose (r = −0.423; P < 0.004). These data confirm previous descriptions of leptin but suggest that variations in factors determining serum adiponectin levels observed between ethnicities could also been seen between populations from the same ethnicity

CT pelvimetry of variant pelvis and child birth prognosis

The aim of this study was to determine the threshold values of pelvimetry by scanning and to evaluate the ability of the pelvimetry alone to diagnose a fetal-pelvic disproportion. It was an observational retrospective study on 410 pregnant women who had a scanner pelvimetry for any reasons. Based on the fetal presentations, two subgroups (breech and cephalic -others) have been defined. Measurements of the main obstetric diameters (promonto-retropubic, median transverse and dual sciatica) were taken. The 5th and 10th percentile were calculated as well as the 90th and 95th to determine the threshold values of pelvimetry by scanner. The scanner values found on CT were compared with the standard X ray pelvimetry values. Referring to extreme values obtained by pelvimetry scanner, some pathological pelvic brim were reconstructed in 3D. Moreover, the delivery prognostic was analyzed by crossing the pelvic inlet dimensions (Magnin index) and pelvic outlet dimensions (bi-sciatic diameter) with the outcome of the delivery. The mean values of the scanno-pelvimetry measurement in our series were:m12,39 cm (± 1) for the promonto-retropubic diameter, 12.88 cm (± 1.01) for the transverse median diameter and 11 cm (± 1.32) for the bi-sciatic diameter. These measurements provided an accuracy less than 1 cm compared to the standard ray pelvimetry. Although Magnin index at 23 allows a vaginal delivery, 51% of oursample have failed. Moreover, for the Magnin index at 24 and 25, the vaginal delivery failure rate remains high:45.1% and 39.61% respectively. Compared to classical pelvimetry, pelvimetry by scanner provides additional precision and allows to study the geometry of the basin. However, the pelvimetry alone could not be effective to establish the prognosis of vaginal delivery.Keywords: scanno-pelvimetry, prognosis, deliver

Polykystose renale autosomique dominante (PKAD) au CNHU-HKM de Cotonou: profil épidémiologique, clinique, biologique et intérêt du dépistage familial

Introduction: Étudier le profil épidémiologique, clinique et paraclinique de la PKAD chez des patients diagnostiqués au CNHU de Cotonou et évaluer l'intérêt d'un dépistage chez les patients à risque. Méthodes: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale comportant une revue de dossiers des patients  cliniquement diagnostiqués PKAD à la clinique universitaire de néphrologie et d'hémodialyse du 1er janvier 2000 au 31 janvier 2011, et une enquête familiale chez les patients où le diagnostic de PKAD a été confirmé entre le 1er février et le 31 Août 2011.Un séquençage à la recherche de mutations dans les gènes de la Polycystine 1 et 2 a été réalisé chez les cas index. Résultats: L'incidence hospitalière de la PKAD était de 7,8 cas par an. Le dépistage familial avait permis d'examiner 99 membres de 22 familles et de confirmer 14 cas de PKAD. L'âge moyen des patients était de 45,6±12,8ans. Le signe physique le plus fréquent était l'hypertension artérielle (HTA (83%). Une  insuffisance rénale chronique était observée dans 75% des cas. Le séquençage direct avait permis de mettre en évidence 7 nouvelles mutations dont 02 mutations dans les gènes PKD2 et 5 dans PKD1. Conclusion: La PKAD relativement fréquente, présente de nouvelles mutations chez les patients  diagnostiqués au CNHU de Cotonou. Le conseil génétique est particulièrement indiqué dans les familles où la maladie rénale a débuté précocement.Key words: Polykystose rénale autosomique dominante, dépistage, mutations PKD2 et PKD

Adiponectin, in contrast to leptin, is not associated with body mass index, waist circumference and HOMA-IR in subjects of a west-African population

Factors associated with plasma levels of adiponectin and leptin were studied in adult subjects without diabetes from Cotonou in Benin (West‐Africa). Seventy (70) men and 45 women were included in the study. Anthropometric variables were measured and a venous blood sample was drawn from each subject, after an overnight fasting period, for measurement of plasma glucose, insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels. HOMA‐IR was determined to assess insulin resistance. Adiponectin and leptin levels were higher in women than in men (with adiponectin 18.48 ± 12.77 vs.7.8 ± 10.39 μg/mL, P < 0.0001, and leptin 30.77 ± 19.16 vs. 8.66 ± 8.24 ng/mL, P < 0.0001). Fasting insulin level and HOMA‐IR were also higher in the females. Hyperleptinemia was observed in 66,96% of subjects and hypoadiponectinemia was present in 44.35% of subjects. In both men and women, leptin correlated with age (r = 0.2; P = 0.02), BMI (r = 0.572; P < 0.0001), waist circumference (r = 0.534; P < 0.0001), fasting insulin (r = 0.461; P < 0.001), and HOMA‐IR (r = 0.430; P < 0.0001). No significant correlation was observed for adiponectin levels with these variables. Only in women, adiponectin was inversely correlated with fasting glucose (r = −0.423; P < 0.004). These data confirm previous descriptions of leptin but suggest that variations in factors determining serum adiponectin levels observed between ethnicities could also been seen between populations from the same ethnicity

GAD65 antibody prevalence and association with c-peptide, HLA class II alleles in Beninese patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Antibodies to glutamic acid decarboxylase and particularly their isoforms in 65 kDa are one of markers for the diagnosis of the type 1 diabetes (T1D). The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of GAD65 antibodies (GAD65Ab) and investigate the association of GAD65Ab with C-peptide values, HLA Class II alleles genotyping. The diagnosis of T1D was set up according to American Diabetes Association criteria.Methods: Radioimmunoassay was used to determine the GAD65Ab and C-peptide values. Class II HLA genotyping was performed in 51 patients with T1D and 51 healthy unrelated as control by using the PCR-SSP method. The sensitivity and specificity of the tests were calculated by standard formula.Results: Result revealed that GAD65Ab were present in 74.5% (38/51) of the patients with T1D. There was no significant difference between the positivity or the negativity of GAD65Ab and gender, onset and duration of diabetes, frequencies of HLA-DR4, HLA-DR3-DR4, HLA-DQB1*0201. However, GAD65Ab values are linked to C-peptide concentration (χ2 =15.73, P=0.0001), the presence of HLA-DR3 (χ2 =9.75, P= 0.002), HLA-DQA1*0501 (χ2 =4.09, P= 0.043) alleles. The GAD65Ab test sensitivity and specificity were 74.5% and 94.1%, respectively. The C-peptide test showed a sensitivity around 82.4 % and 86.3 % for the specificity.Conclusions: GAD65Ab showed to be a valuable early predictive marker and is associated with the risk to develop of T1D

Evaluation of 90-day subchronic oral toxicity of aqueous extract of Gmelina arborea Roxb (Verbenaceae) leaves in Wistar rats

Purpose: To evaluate the 90 day sub-chronic toxicity of aqueous extract of Gmelina arborea leaves in Wistar rats. Methods: Rats were submitted to repeated daily oral administration of extract (250, 62.5 and 15.62 mg/kg) of Gmelina arborea leaves. The control groups were given distilled water and the rats were monitored for any toxicity symptoms as well as body and organs weights, water and food intake changes. The biochemical, haematological and histolopathological parameters were analysed. Results: The 90 days administration of the aqueous extract did not produce any toxicity signs or mortality. In addition, no significant alteration in water or food intake by the rats was observed. Although there were no changes in the body weights, significant decrease in the weight of the kidneys of the rats was observed at 250 mg/kg. Biological parameters as well as the histopathology of liver and kidneys were not significantly affected. Significant decreases were noted in glucose level at the three dose levels. In addition, significant difference in the levels of transaminases, glucose and platelets were observed. Conclusion: The 90-days subchronic toxicity test on Gmelina arborea did not produce any toxic effects. This confirms the safety of the plant leaves by traditional medicine practitioners. Keywords: Gmelina arborea, Subchronic toxicity, Wistars rats, Biological parameter

A 90-Day Oral Toxicity Study of an Ethanolic Root Extract of Caesalpinia bonduc (L.) Roxb. in Wistar Rats

Background. Plant medicine is the oldest form of health care known to mankind; hence, studies on their safety for use are essential for the control of adverse drug effects. In Benin, Caesalpinia bonduc is one of many medicinal plants used as aphrodisiac, and for treatment of various ailments including prostatic hyperplasia. Despite its numerous ethnomedicinal benefits, toxicological information associated with its chronic use is currently limited. Objective. The present study therefore assessed the toxicity of an ethanolic root extract of Caesalpinia bonduc in Wistar rats. Methods. Caesalpinia bonduc root extract was administered by oral gavage at doses of 31.25, 125, and 500 mg/kg/day for 90 days to male Wistar rats, after which body weight changes, food consumption, urinary parameters, hematological and blood biochemical parameters, organ weights changes, gross pathology, and histopathology of vital organs were assessed. Results. There were no death or abnormal clinical signs, no significant changes in body weight gain or urinary parameters, and no changes in necropsy and histopathology findings of vital organs associated with extract treatment. However, some indices such as erythrocytes, total cholesterol, and aspartate amino transferase increased in rats treated with high doses of the extract, as well as relative weight of testes, followed by a decrease in food intake and prostate relative weight. Conclusion. The results indicate that an ethanolic root extract of Caesalpinia bonduc does not cause significant adverse effects and suggest its tolerability up to 500 mg/kg for daily administration of 90 days

Acute and Repeated Dose 28-Day Oral Toxicity Study of the Aqueous Extracts from the Leafy Stem and Fruit of Pedalium murex D.Royen EX.L in Wistar Rats

Background. Pedalium murex (P. murex) is used in folk medicine for treatment of male infertility. However, scientific data on its safety are limited. Objective. This study was carried out to assess the acute and repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity of the aqueous extracts from P. murex leafy stem and fruit in Wistar rats. Methods. The acute toxicity test was performed according to the line 423 of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guidelines. The rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 3). The control group received distilled water, while the experimental groups were given at a single dose, 5000 mg/kg of each extract. The repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity was performed according to the line 407 of the OECD guidelines. 35 rats divided into 7 groups of 5 male rats each were daily treated for 28 days with each extract at 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, and 800 mg/kg, respectively. The in-life parameters were recorded during the follow-up. At the end of this study, organ weights, hematology, biochemistry, and histology parameters were analyzed. Results. In the acute oral toxicity test, there was no morbidity or mortality related to the treatments. Both extracts belong therefore to category 5 of the globally harmonized system (GHS) of classification. In the repeated dose 28-day oral toxicity test, both extracts did not alter animal’s behavior. However, both extract administration led to proteinuria and renal damages. Conclusion. P. murex leafy stem and fruit aqueous extracts exhibited potential nephrotoxicity. Therefore, care should be taken when they are used over an extended period

Phylogeography of Sub-Saharan Mitochondrial Lineages Outside Africa Highlights the Roles of the Holocene Climate Changes and the Atlantic Slave Trade

Despite the importance of ancient DNA for understanding human prehistoric dispersals, poor survival means that data remain sparse for many areas in the tropics, including in Africa. In such instances, analysis of contemporary genomes remains invaluable. One promising approach is founder analysis, which identifies and dates migration events in non-recombining systems. However, it has yet to be fully exploited as its application remains controversial. Here, we test the approach by evaluating the age of sub-Saharan mitogenome lineages sampled outside Africa. The analysis confirms that such lineages in the Americas date to recent centuries—the time of the Atlantic slave trade—thereby validating the approach. By contrast, in North Africa, Southwestern Asia and Europe, roughly half of the dispersal signal dates to the early Holocene, during the “greening” of the Sahara. We elaborate these results by showing that the main source regions for the two main dispersal episodes are distinct. For the recent dispersal, the major source was West Africa, but with two exceptions: South America, where the fraction from Southern Africa was greater, and Southwest Asia, where Eastern Africa was the primary source. These observations show the potential of founder analysis as both a supplement and complement to ancient DNA studies