Analgesic effects of the methylene chloride/methanol extract of the leaves of Laportea ovalifolia (Urticaceae)

In the present work, the analgesic effects of methylene chloride/methanol (1:1) (CH2Cl2/CH3OH) extract of Laportea ovalifolia (Urticaceae) were evaluated using acetic acid and formalin test. The anticonvulsant effects of the same extract were also investigated on seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and picrotoxin. CH2Cl2/CH3OH extract (100 -1000 mg/kg) exhibited protective effect reaching 59% of inhibition at a dose of 1000 mg/kg on the pain induced by acetic acid. The CH2Cl2/CH3OH extract significantly reduced the first phase and second phase of pain induced by formalin reaching a maximum of 98.7% of inhibition (in the late phase). The extract at the doses of 100 -2000mg/kg did not exert anti-convulsant effect neither against PTZ or PIC induced seizures. Keywords: Laportea ovalifolia, Urticaceae; analgesic activity; steroids; writhing test; formalin test.Cameroon Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 4 (1) 2008: pp. 52-5

A Surveillance System for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Population During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and its ensuing mitigation measures have negatively affected the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) population. There is currently no surveillance system established to enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 transmission to guide policy decision making to protect the MCH population in this pandemic. Based on reports of community and household spread of this novel infection, we present an approach to a robust family-centered surveillance system for the MCH population. The surveillance system encapsulates data at the individual and community levels to inform stakeholders, policy makers, health officials and the general public about SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics within the MCH population.&#x0D; Key words: • COVID-19 • Coronavirus • Maternal and child health • Family-centered • Surveillance system • Individual level data elements • Community level data elements • Community transmission of SARS-CoV-2&#x0D;  &#x0D; Copyright © 2020 Ajewole et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.</jats:p

ZBTB17 (MIZ1) Is Important for the Cardiac Stress Response and a Novel Candidate Gene for Cardiomyopathy and Heart Failure

Background Mutations in sarcomeric and cytoskeletal proteins are a major cause of hereditary cardiomyopathies, but our knowledge remains incomplete as to how the genetic defects execute their effects. Methods and Results We used cysteine and glycine-rich protein 3, a known cardiomyopathy gene, in a yeast 2-hybrid screen and identified zinc-finger and BTB domain-containing protein 17 (ZBTB17) as a novel interacting partner. ZBTB17 is a transcription factor that contains the peak association signal (rs10927875) at the replicated 1p36 cardiomyopathy locus. ZBTB17 expression protected cardiac myocytes from apoptosis in vitro and in a mouse model with cardiac myocyte-specific deletion of Zbtb17, which develops cardiomyopathy and fibrosis after biomechanical stress. ZBTB17 also regulated cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo in a calcineurin-dependent manner. Conclusions We revealed new functions for ZBTB17 in the heart, a transcription factor that may play a role as a novel cardiomyopathy gene