Effect of Sida corymbosa leaf extract on the activity of serum liver enzymes of alloxan-induced diabetic albino wistar rats

This study was designed to investigate the effect of Sida corymbosa (SC) leaf extract on serum liver enzymes activity in alloxan induced diabetic albino wistar rats. A total of 30 albino wistar rats each weighing 100g were assembled and divided into 3 groups (A-C) consisting of 10 rats. Group A received SCtreatment, B received ethanol treatment while group C served as the control group. 400mg/kg of aqueous extract of SC leaf was administered orally to the rats in group A but group B received ethanol while group C received only water for 7 days. Blood samples were collected into plain containers for estimation of biochemical parameters (ALT, AST and ALP) respectively. Serum ALP, ALT and AST were analyzed using standard methods. There was a significant decrease in the mean serum activities of ALT, AST, and ALP respectively after SC administration when compared with the control group (P=0.001, 0.000, and 0.001 respectively). Again, the result showed a significant decrease in the mean weight of the albino ratspost SC administration (P=0.000). This study revealed the  deleterious effect of of SC use on the liver. Therefore, care should be taken in the use of SC in prevention and management of liver diseases especially at high therapeutic dosage level

Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure and Serum Cortisol Level as Stress Index in Symptomatic HIV/AIDS Male Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy Negative to Malaria Parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: HIV infection is a risk factor for a variety of endocrine problems. Objectives: This study investigated the body mass index (BMI), Systolic blood pressure (SBP), Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and serum cortisol level as stress factor/index symptomatic HIV/AIDS male subjects on ART who are negative to malaria parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 274 adult male participants aged between 18 and 60 (42 ±13) years were randomly recruited at the Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Centre in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and grouped based on WHO criteria for staging HIV into symptomatic HIV (stage 11) infected male participants on ART (A: n=69), Symptomatic HIV subjects not on ART (B: n= 69), Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects (C: n= 68) and HIV seronegative subjects (D: n= 68). Blood samples were collected from the participants for the determination of HIV status by immunochromatography and HIV confirmation by Western Blot. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to assay for cortisol level. Results: The results showed a significantly increased BMI and decreased mean serum cortisol level in HIV/AIDS seropositive participants on ART than in those, not on ART (p<0.05). Also, the BMI and mean serum cortisol level were significantly decreased and increased respectively in  HIV/AIDS seropositive participants not on ART than in Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects and control respectively (p<0.05). However, the mean SBP and DBP did not differ significantly between the groups studied (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed a decreased stress index in HIV/AIDS subjects on ART with hypercortisolism and lower BMI in symptomatic HIV participants, not on ART. Keywords: HIV; AIDS; Malaria uninfected male subjects; Cortisol; Blood pressure; Antiretroviral therapy

Body Mass Index, Blood Pressure and Serum Cortisol Level as Stress Index in Symptomatic HIV/AIDS Male Subjects on Antiretroviral Therapy Negative to Malaria Parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: HIV infection is a risk factor for a variety of endocrine problems. Objectives: This study investigated the body mass index (BMI), Systolic blood pressure (SBP), Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and serum cortisol level as stress factor/index symptomatic HIV/AIDS male subjects on ART who are negative to malaria parasite in Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 274 adult male participants aged between 18 and 60 (42 ±13) years were randomly recruited at the Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Centre in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital and grouped based on WHO criteria for staging HIV into symptomatic HIV (stage 11) infected male participants on ART (A: n=69), Symptomatic HIV subjects not on ART (B: n= 69), Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects (C: n= 68) and HIV seronegative subjects (D: n= 68). Blood samples were collected from the participants for the determination of HIV status by immunochromatography and HIV confirmation by Western Blot. Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used to assay for cortisol level. Results: The results showed a significantly increased BMI and decreased mean serum cortisol level in HIV/AIDS seropositive participants on ART than in those, not on ART (p<0.05). Also, the BMI and mean serum cortisol level were significantly decreased and increased respectively in  HIV/AIDS seropositive participants not on ART than in Asymptomatic HIV positive subjects and control respectively (p<0.05). However, the mean SBP and DBP did not differ significantly between the groups studied (p>0.05). Conclusion: This study revealed a decreased stress index in HIV/AIDS subjects on ART with hypercortisolism and lower BMI in symptomatic HIV participants, not on ART. Keywords: HIV; AIDS; Malaria uninfected male subjects; Cortisol; Blood pressure; Antiretroviral therapy

Effect of coffee consumption on liver enzymes (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase), total and conjugated bilirubin levels among students in Nnewi

Background: Coffee has a number of bioactive compounds that have beneficial effects on human health in general and more importantly is the fact that coffee consumption has positive impact on the liver function. The present study investigated the effect of coffee consumption on liver enzymes: alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TB) and conjugated bilirubin (CB) levels among student in Nnewi.Methods: A total of twenty-five (25) apparently healthy participants aged between 18 and 30 years which were randomly recruited from College of Health Sciences’ students to serve as both test and control group. Each participant was advised to abstain from coffee and similar beverages for a period of three weeks prior to the commencement of the study. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the subjects was given 2 gm of coffee dissolved in 150 ml of hot water in which 50 mg of non-dairy creamer was added before breakfast daily for 28 consecutive days. 6 ml each of baseline and test samples (after an overnight fast) were collected at day 0 and 29 respectively from each participant. Liver enzymes such as ALT, AST, and ALP activity as well as TB and CB levels was determined using standard laboratory methods.Results: This showed significant reductions in the mean serum AST and ALT activity, TB and unconjugated bilirubin (UB) levels with no significant alterations in the mean ALP activity and CB level in participants studied after short-term coffee consumption.Conclusions: This study revealed the hepatoprotective effect of coffee intake at short term basis

Evaluation of apo-lipoproteins and troponin levels in post-menopausal women in Nnewi Metropolis, Anambra state, Nigeria

Introduction: The global burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is rapidly increasing. It is the leading cause of death in women around the world. This study investigated the Apo-Lipoproteins and Troponin Levels in Post-Menopausal Women in Nnewi Metropolis, Anambra State, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 120 subjects comprising of 60 apparently healthy post-menopausal and premenopausal women (control) aged between 50 to 70 years and 20 to 30 years respectively were recruited for the study. Their demographic data, blood pressure readings, andbody mass index (BMI) were obtained using a well-structured questionnaire. Thereafter, 5mls of blood sample was collected from the subjects into plain container and used for the estimation of biochemical parameters (Apo A-I, Apo B, Apo C-II, and Troponin I levels) respectively using standard laboratory methods. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using student t-test and Pearson r correlation. Observations and results: The results showed that the mean serum concentrations of Apo B (0.68±0.38 Vs 0.43±0.18g/L); Apo C-II(0.06±0.01 Vs 0.05±0.01g/L) and Troponin I (0.23±0.07 Vs 0.10±0.08ng/ml) were significantly increased in postmenopausal women than in the control subjects (P=0.000), whereas the mean serum Apo A-I concentration (0.20±0.07 Vs 0.48±0.18g/L) was significantly decreased in postmenopausal women than in the control subjects (P=0.000). Interestingly, the mean BMI did not differ significantly in both subjects (P=0.540). More so, there were significant increase in the SBP (136.95±10.55 Vs 108.67±10.88) and DBP (93. 58±8.49 Vs 80. 33±7.21) in the postmenopausal women than in the control subjects (P=0.000). Again, there were no significant correlation observed in parameters studied in both subjects (p>0.05). Conclusion: These findings revealed that the incidence of coronary heart disease may be associated with menopause. Therefore, lifestyle modifications should be incorporated into the daily lives of menopausal women

Structural analysis, reactivity descriptors (HOMO-LUMO, ELF, NBO), effect of polar (DMSO, EtOH, H2O) solvation, and libido-enhancing potential of resveratrol by molecular docking

The profound impact of health challenges related to libido, encompassing sexual dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, relationship difficulties, stress, anxiety, depression, and the effects of certain medical conditions or medications, calls for urgent mitigative measures. As a result, this study meticulously explores the compound Resveratrol (Res) to uncover its substantial properties concerning libido enhancement. The compound was optimized using the DFT/ωB97XD/6–311G++(d, p) basis set in different solvents, namely DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), ethanol, and water. Notably, the geometry investigation reveals that the structural bond variations can be attributed to factors such as solvent polarity, screening effects, hydrogen bonding, solvation energy, and conformational preferences. Substantially, the Frontier Molecular Orbital (FMO) analysis explored the HOMO values of the compound in different solvents, resulting in 7.59198 eV, 7.5514 eV, and 7.59687 eV for RES_DMSO, RES_EtOH, and RES_H2O, respectively. Correspondingly, their LUMO values were found to be 7.5955 eV, 7.5648 eV, and 7.5982 eV, leading to respective band gaps of 0.0035 eV, 0.0133 eV, and 0.0014eV Remarkably, RES_H2O displayed the smallest energy gap (0.0014 eV) among the interacting compounds, indicating increased conductivity and sensitivity. Furthermore, the natural bond orbital analysis revealed that RES_H2O had the highest permutation energy among the three complexes (376.5 kcal/mol for RES_DMSO, 371.79 kcal/mol for RES_EtOH, and 378.77 kcal/mol for RES_H2O), indicating a stronger interaction between the donor and acceptor orbitals. Finally, the molecular docking studies unveiled a notable difference in binding affinity, with RES exhibiting a greater affinity for 1UDT at -8.1 kcal/mol compared to 1UDU, which demonstrated a binding affinity of -6.6 kcal/mol. Thus, RES has the potential to reverse erectile dysfunction and improve libido by inhibiting the activities of phosphodiesterase (1UDT and 1UDU), ultimately promoting vasodilatory signals from cGMP to the smooth muscles of the penis, leading to enhanced erection. These groundbreaking findings offer promising prospects for the development of new and effective drugs to combat various medical conditions