Effect of antiretroviral drug (arved) on hepatic enzymes in albino rats

In the rush to put as many patients as possible on a potent ART, with very little or no laboratory monitory, limited attention has been given to side effects. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the effects of antiretroviral drugs arved® , on aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities as well as histological effect on the liver tissue. A total of fifty two (52) albino rats were randomly divided into four groups labeled A, B, C and D and kept in a well ventilated room. All experimental groups shared the same environmental conditions. Group A served as the control and rats were treated with distil water. Rats in groups B, C and D were, respectively treated with three different doses of arved (1.07, 3.21, and 4.29 mg kg-1), The drug was administered orally daily for 2, 4, 6, and 8 consecutive weeks. Animals were sacrificed twenty four hours after the last treatment. Blood samples were collected into heparinized sample bottles for biochemical analysis. Result obtained in this study revealed that arved dose and time dependently, significantly (P<0.05) showed higher AST activity with the highest activity observed in treatment group D in wk8, (149.50±1.91 IU/L) when compared to the control group. The mean value of ALT activity for the drug in dose dependent manner was observed to be significantly (P<0.05) higher when compared to control value. The activity was highest in week 2 treatment group D (58.50±2.65). The drug dose dependently, produced significantly (P<0.05) higher ALP activity when compared to the control ALP activity. The highest activity was observed in week 2 treatment group D (214.50±14.75) when compared to the control group A. The histopathological observation of liver tissues showed no morphological change in group D treated for 8 weeks as well as the control group. The rats had no morphologic evidence of hepatocellular necrosis or degeneration. In conclusion, treatment of HIV/AIDS patients with arved may likely result to liver damage possibly cholestatic liver injury at prolonged treatment.Keywords: HIV; AIDs; Antiretroviral Drugs; Arved; Zidovudine; Lamivudine; Alkaline phosphate (ALP); Aspartate amino transferase (AST); Alanine amino transferase (ALT); hepatocellular necrosi

Effect of Antiretroviral Drug (arved) on the Kidney in Albino Rat

African studies on effect of antiretroviral drugs on the kidney are limited resulting to scanty information on the safety of these drugs. This study was therefore designed to evaluate the effects of antiretroviral drugs arved®, on creatinine, urea, potassium and sodium ions as well as histological effect on the kidney. A total of fifty two (52) albino rats were randomly divided into four groups labeled A, B, C and D and kept in a well ventilated room. All experimental groups shared the same environmental conditions. Group A served as the control and rats were treated with distil water. Rats in groups B, C and D were, respectively treated with three different doses of arved (1.07, 3.21, and 4.29 mg kg-1). The drug was administered orally daily for 2, 4, 6, and 8 consecutive weeks. Animals were sacrificed twenty four hours after the last treatment. Blood samples were collected into heparinized sample bottles for biochemical analyses. The result of this study revealed a significant decrease (p<0.05) in blood urea level in weeks 4 and 6 for treatment groups B and C when compared to control group. Mean creatinine values for all the treatment groups significantly increased (p<0.05) over the period of treatment when compared to the control value. Sodium ion showed a non significant increase (p>0.05) all through the period of treatment. Significant increase (of about 2 fold) (p<0.05) of potassium ion was observed in all the treatment groups in weeks 6 and 8 of treatment. Histological examination of the kidney tissue of rats in group D treated with the drug for 8 weeks did not show any morphological change similar to that of the control group. In conclusion prolonged treatment of HIV/AIDS patients with arved could result to renal dysfunction.Keywords: HIV; AIDs; Antiretroviral Drugs; Arved; Zidovudine; Lamivudine; Creatinine; Urea; Potassium ion; Sodium ion; hypokalemi

Evaluating the use of spiny pigweed (Amaranthus spinosus) and water leaf (Talinum triangulare) for bioremediation of crude oil polluted soil in Ikarama Community in Bayelsa State Nigeria

The potential soil amending impact of various concentrations of macerated roots of Amaranthus spinosus and Talinum triangulare singly and in combination on crude oil polluted soil of Ikarama community of Yenagoa in Bayelsa State Nigeria was investigated using gas chromatography technique for twelve weeks. The polluted soil was bagged in seven groups with the addition of 250g of Amaranthus spinosus root, 500g of Amaranthus spinosus root, 250g of Talinum triangulare root, 500g of Talinum triangulare root, 250g of combined roots of Amaranthus spinosus and Talinum Triangulare, 500g of combined roots of Amaranthus spinosus and Talinum Triangulare and labelled as follows Ga, Gb, Wa, Wb, GWa and GWb respectively; and a polluted and not amended bag which served as control. Each bag contained 1000g of polluted soil. The Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH), pH and enzyme concentration were analysed at intervals of four weeks for twelve weeks. The result showed that TPH reduction in the impacted soil varied between 29.5% for Ga and 1.79% for Wa after week 4.The results also showed that PAH reduction varied between 53% for Gb and 14.2% in GWa at week 12 (p<0.05). The results suggested that the roots of the plants Talinum triangulare and Amaranthus spinosus are best used singularly and not in combination in the bioremediation of TPH and PAHs.Keywords: Amaranthus spinosus, Bioremediation, crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, Talinum triangulare, Total petroleum hydrocarbo

Caspase-Mediated Regulation and Cellular Heterogeneity of the cGAS/STING Pathway in Kaposi’s Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Infection.

As a result of the ongoing virus-host arms race, viruses have evolved numerous immune subversion strategies, many of which are aimed at suppressing the production of type I interferons (IFNs). Apoptotic caspases have recently emerged as important regulators of type I IFN signaling both in noninfectious contexts and during viral infection. Despite being widely considered antiviral factors since they can trigger cell death, several apoptotic caspases promote viral replication by suppressing innate immune response. Indeed, we previously discovered that the AIDS-associated oncogenic gammaherpesvirus Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) exploits caspase activity to suppress the antiviral type I IFN response and promote viral replication. However, the mechanism of this novel viral immune evasion strategy is poorly understood, particularly with regard to how caspases antagonize IFN signaling during KSHV infection. Here, we show that caspase activity inhibits the DNA sensor cGAS during KSHV lytic replication to block type I IFN induction. Furthermore, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to reveal that the potent antiviral state conferred by caspase inhibition is mediated by an exceptionally small percentage of IFN-β-producing cells, thus uncovering further complexity of IFN regulation during viral infection. Collectively, these results provide insight into multiple levels of cellular type I IFN regulation that viruses co-opt for immune evasion. Unraveling these mechanisms can inform targeted therapeutic strategies for viral infections and reveal cellular mechanisms of regulating interferon signaling in the context of cancer and chronic inflammatory diseases.post-print1848 K

Minerals, Amino Acids and Essential Oil Contents of Ethanol Extracts from Seeds and Pulps of Artocarpus Heterophyllus

Artocarpus heterophyllus is shown to be one amongst several plants shown to be blindly used by locals as nutritional supplements and for therapeutic purposes. This study examined comparatively the nutritional potentials of the seeds and pulps of Artocarpus heterophyllus. The minerals, amino acids and essential oil contents of ethanol extracts from seed and pulp of Artocarpus heterophyllus was evaluated using standard laboratory methods. Results shows that, the seed has the highest amino acid content, with glutamine being the highest in the seed (23.24g/100g) as compared to the pulp (21.74g/100g). The mineral content analysis shows that the pulp is rich in manganese (0.66mg/kg) while the seed is richest in potassium (0.6mg/kg). Iron (0.42mg/kg) and Calcium (0.42mg/kg) were observed to be higher also in the pulp. The totality of the mineral content is however, greater in the pulp than in the seed. The seed and the pulp of A. heterophyllus were found to contain almost the same quantity of essential oils, with the seed having higher varieties of essential oils. The study revealed that the ethanol extracts of the seed and pulp of A. heterophyllus are of high nutritional values as essentials minerals, oils and amino acids were seen present in the samples. Keywords: Artocarpus Heterophyllus, Minerals contents, essential oils, amino acids, Ethanol Extract DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/14-1-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Investigation on the Methaemoglobin Concentration of Three Human Erythrocyte Genotypes Infected With Plasmodium falciparum .

Investigation to ascertain the levels of methaemoglobin concentration of three human erythrocyte genotypes (HbAA, HbAS and HbSS) obtained from apparently healthy and clinically confirmed malarious subjects/volunteers was carried out. Spectrophotometric method was used for the determination of erythrocyte methaemoglobin concentration. The mean (+S.D) methaemoglobin concentration, expressed as percentage (Met.Hb %) of total haemoglobin concentration of three erythrocyte was in the order: HbAA<HbAS<HbSS. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between methaemoglobin concentrations of HbAA and HbAS erythrocyte of nonmalarious human subjects/volunteers. Erythrocyte obtained from blood sample of malarious human subjects/volunteers exhibited significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of methaemoglobin concentrations than those of non-malarious individuals, irrespective of their genotype and gender. In a similar manner, P. falciparum infected erythrocyte of malarious male individuals contained significantly (p<0.05) higher methaemoglobin concentration than the female group. Furthermore, with exception of HbAS erythrocytes, the other two red cell genotypes (HbAA and HbSS) showed significant difference (p<0.05) in methaemoglobin content between malarious male and female subjects/volunteers. The study suggests that erythrocyte methaemoglobin evaluation might be a reliable biochemical marker and possess promising rational for diagnostic potential in malaria. @ JASE

Dise?o y construcci?n del edificio de vivienda multifamiliar Las Cumbres

El proyecto de tesis ?Dise?o y construcci?n del edificio de vivienda multifamiliar Las Cumbres? consta de 20 pisos, 320 departamentos y tiene una duraci?n de 22 meses, es un proyecto que se plantea ejecutar por primera vez en la ciudad de Lima. El prop?sito de la presente tesis es desarrollar la gesti?n del proyecto de acuerdo a la gu?a del PMBOK 6ta edici?n, de tal forma que podamos obtener informaci?n?n relevante de c?mo gestionar proyectos multifamiliares en Lima ,aplicarlos a proyectos reales y tener ?xito en ellos. En la actualidad para que un proyecto pueda tener ?xito tiene que haber una planificaci?n que contemple las 10 ?reas de conocimiento de la Gu?a PMBOK como son: Plan de gesti?n del alcance, de los plazos, de los costes, de calidad, de recursos, de comunicaciones, de riesgos, de interesados, de adquisiciones e integraci?n de todas la ?reas, si solo nos enfocamos en alcance, costo y tiempo, podr?amos llegar a fracasar y dejar de trabajar factores cr?ticos de ?xito. El sector de la construcci?n en el Per? es un motor de la econom?a y reacciona de manera inmediata con el crecimiento y es generador de empleo, estando en un mercado cada vez mas competitivo resulta imprescindible para las empresas implementar la gesti?n de proyectos para asegurar en mayor medida el ?xito de las estrategias. Adem?s, ?sta tesis se desarroll? contando con un equipo interdisciplinario y as? contribuy? a analizar desde puntos de vista diferentes, enriqueciendo a?n m?s el documento

Nuclear astrophysics with radioactive ions at FAIR

The nucleosynthesis of elements beyond iron is dominated by neutron captures in the s and r processes. However, 32 stable, proton-rich isotopes cannot be formed during those processes, because they are shielded from the s-process flow and r-process, β-decay chains. These nuclei are attributed to the p and rp process. For all those processes, current research in nuclear astrophysics addresses the need for more precise reaction data involving radioactive isotopes. Depending on the particular reaction, direct or inverse kinematics, forward or time-reversed direction are investigated to determine or at least to constrain the desired reaction cross sections. The Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR) will offer unique, unprecedented opportunities to investigate many of the important reactions. The high yield of radioactive isotopes, even far away from the valley of stability, allows the investigation of isotopes involved in processes as exotic as the r or rp processes

Estimation of Tannin, Saponin, Oxalate, Cyanogenic and Cardiac Glycosides in Garsinia Kola

The presence of some secondary plant metabolites - tannin, saponin, oxalate, cyanogenic and cardiac glycosides were done in Garsinia Cola. The tannin, saponin and oxalate content were 0.69 ± 0.01, 15.79 ± 0.28 and 1.707 ± 0.13 mg/100g of dry sample respectively. The cyanogenic and cardiac glycosides were 59.56 ± 0.05 and 67.10 ± 0.03mg/100g dry matter respectively. The levels of oxalate, tannin and cyanogenic glycosides of the kola were observed to be very low while the levels of saponin and cardiac glycoside were observed to be very high when compared to some internationally accepted standards.. @ JASE

Antidiabetic effect of crude glycoside of abrus precatorius in alloxan diabetic rabbits

The antidiabetic effect of crude a glycoside from Abrus precatorius seed was studied in alloxan diabetic rabbits. Three groups of male alloxan diabetic rabbits were used. The three groups (n = 3) received oral injection of 50mg/kg body of crude glycoside (CG), chlorpropamide (CP)-a known synthetic antidiabetic drug and 5mls of normal saline for CG, CP and CO respectively. Blood glucose levels were reduced in CG and CP groups of diabetic rabbits but not in CO. The percentage reduction of blood glucose for CG after 5,10,20,30,40,60, and 168 hours of oral injection were 34.1, 43.4,71.8,73.2,70.6,63.7 and 62.9% respectively while for CP we have 13.8,32.3,61.3,33.5,46.3 and 46.2% respectively. The peak reduction for CG was 73.2% after 30 hours and 61.3% for CP after 20 hrs of oral injection. Both CG and CP did not return back to hyperglycaemic level of 207.60 ± 0.21- 247.20 ± 0.50. There is a high significant difference between the blood glucose reduction pattern of CG and CP with that of CO at P < 0.001. There is no significant difference in the blood glucose reduction patterns of CG and CP (P < 0.001). Key words: Diabetes mellitus, Legumes, Abrus precatorius, Sulfonylurea, Crude glycoside. (Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences: 2002 9(1): 35-38