HEPATOPROTECTIVE AND NEPHROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF THE AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF TURMERIC (CURCUMA LONGA) IN RIFAMPICIN AND ISONIAZID-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY AND NEPHROTOXICITY IN RATS

Objectives: The present study was designed to estimate the influences of oral administration of aqueous extract of turmeric (Curcuma longa) in hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity induced in rats by isoniazid and rifampicin (RIF) for 4 weeks. Influences were determined through the estimation of liver and kidney functions and histopathological changes. Materials and Methods: A total of 48 male albino rats were randomly divided into six groups: Normal control, INH+RIF treated rats, Turmeric aqueous extract 100 mg/kg treated rats, Turmeric aqueous extract 100 mg/kg + INH and RIF treated rats, Turmeric aqueous extract 200 mg/kg treated rats, Turmeric aqueous extract 200 mg/kg+ INH and RIF treated rats. Turmeric aqueous extract and INH + RIF (50 mg/kg bwpo, daily) were given for 4 weeks. Liver and kidney function markers (aspartate transaminase [AST], alanine transaminase [ALT], alanine phosphatase [ALP], bilirubin, blood urea, and creatinine) were determined enzymatically. In addition, tissues of liver and kidney were quickly separated and fixed in 10% formalin and subjected to histopathological studies. Statistical analysis was carried out using t-test. Results: The aqueous extract of turmeric (at a dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg bw, p.o. daily ) showed hepato- and reno-protective effects in hepato- and reno- toxicity induced by RIF and INH in rats. Significant elevation of serum ALT, AST, ALP, total bilirubin, creatinine, urea, and total protein, due to RIF and INH treatment, were significantly decreased. The histopathological study further confirmed the biochemical results. Conclusion: Results of the present study indicated that turmeric has hepatoprotective and renoprotective action against RIF- and INH-induced hepatic and renal injury in rats

Air quality modelling using chemometric techniques

The datasets of air quality parameters for three years (2012-2014) were applied. HACA gave the result of three different groups of similarity based on the characteristics of air quality parameters. DA shows all seven parameters (CO, O3, PM10, SO2, NOx, NO and NO2) gave the most significant variables after stepwise backward mode. PCA identifies the major source of air pollution is due to combustion of fossil fuels in motor vehicles and industrial activities. The ANN model shows a better prediction compared to the MLR model with R2 values equal to 0.819 and 0.773 respectively. This study presents that the chemometric techniques and modelling become an excellent tool in API assessment, air pollution source identification, apportionment and can be setbacks in designing an API monitoring network for effective air pollution resources management

The Application of Digital Pathology to Improve Accuracy in Glomerular Enumeration in Renal Biopsies.

BACKGROUND: In renal biopsy reporting, quantitative measurements, such as glomerular number and percentage of globally sclerotic glomeruli, is central to diagnostic accuracy and prognosis. The aim of this study is to determine the number of glomeruli and percent globally sclerotic in renal biopsies by means of registration of serial tissue sections and manual enumeration, compared to the numbers in pathology reports from routine light microscopic assessment. DESIGN: We reviewed 277 biopsies from the Nephrotic Syndrome Study Network (NEPTUNE) digital pathology repository, enumerating 9,379 glomeruli by means of whole slide imaging. Glomerular number and the percentage of globally sclerotic glomeruli are values routinely recorded in the official renal biopsy pathology report from the 25 participating centers. Two general trends in reporting were noted: total number per biopsy or average number per level/section. Both of these approaches were assessed for their accuracy in comparison to the analogous numbers of annotated glomeruli on WSI. RESULTS: The number of glomeruli annotated was consistently higher than those reported (p CONCLUSIONS: Although glass slides were not available for direct comparison to whole slide image annotation, this study indicates that routine manual light microscopy assessment of number of glomeruli is inaccurate, and the magnitude of this error is proportional to the total number of glomeruli

Variations of Arterial Supply of the Liver: C.T. Angiographic Study Among Sudanese Adults

Hepatobiliary surgery through laparoscopic approach is becoming a routine. Knowledge of extrahepatic arterial tree is essential for surgical and imaging procedures. Anatomical complexity is expected since the liver is developed by mergingof lobules with its separate blood supply. This makes a wide range of variations in the pattern of vascular arrangement and so reinforces the need for an accurate understanding of full spectrum of variations. This study aimed to investigate the variations in origin and distribution of extrahepatic arterial supply. Fifty volunteers (32 males and 18 females) aged 20–70 years were randomly recruited from the department of CT scan in Al Amal Hospital, Khartoum North, Sudan. The patients were already candidates for CT angiography with contrast for conditions other than hepatobiliary diseases. The reported data is related to those who accepted to participate in the study. Patients with history of hepatobiliary disease were excluded. 3D views of the scans were treated and the extrahepatic arterial tree was traced in a computer-based software. Key findings suggest that Michel’s classification was considered the standard template for description – 76% of them showed Michel’s type I classification. Types III and V constituted about 2%. About 4% of the cases were represented by types VI and IX. Other types of variations constituted about 12%. To conclude, although type I classification which describes the textbook pattern of hepatic artery distribution was significantly detected among the Sudanese population, other variants were to be considered since they are related to major arteries like aorta and superior mesenteric

The Application of Digital Pathology to Improve Accuracy in Glomerular Enumeration in Renal Biopsies

In renal biopsy reporting, quantitative measurements, such as glomerular number and percentage of globally sclerotic glomeruli, is central to diagnostic accuracy and prognosis. The aim of this study is to determine the number of glomeruli and percent globally sclerotic in renal biopsies by means of registration of serial tissue sections and manual enumeration, compared to the numbers in pathology reports from routine light microscopic assessment

Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients

Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement

Morphological and Physico-Chemical Characteristics of Soils in the Tasik Chini Catchment in Pahang, Malaysia

The morphological and physico-chemical properties of 11 soil series representing the major soil types in the Tasik Chini catchment in Pahang, Malaysia were studied. Soil types of the study area showed wide variations in their morphological and physico-chemical properties as a result of mean annual precipitation, soil parent material, vegetation and topography. Analyses showed that low values of silt were recorded in the horizon and the content of clay increased with soil depth. All the soil series contained low amounts of organic matter. Physical properties showed higher values for bulk density in the disturbed soils compared to the undisturbed forest soils. Regarding the chemical properties, these soils were strongly acidic. Electrical conductivity was also very low. Due to low pH, the contents of exchangeable base in all the soil types were very low. The cation exchange capacity of all the soil series were low with values less than 13.34 meq/100g soil

RESEARCH Open Access Diagnosis of Trichomonous vaginalis by

Background: Trichomoniasis is the most common sexually transmitted disease. However, limited data are available on an effective technique for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of wet mount microscopy, latex agglutination, Diamond’s media, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of T. vaginalis among symptomatic women who attended the gynecological clinic at Khartoum, Sudan. Results: Of the 297 women studied, 252 (84.8%) were positive for T. vaginalis by wet mount microscopy, 257 (86.5%) by latex agglutination, 253 (85.2%) by Diamond’s media, and 253 (85.2%) by PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of wet mount microscopy were 99.2 % and 97.7%, respectively, compared with PCR. The sensitivity and specificity of latex agglutination and Diamond’s media were 99.6 % and 88.6%, and 100.0 % and 86.4%, respectively, compared with PCR. Conclusions: In this study, wet mount microscopy, latex agglutination, and Diamond’s media were found to be highly sensitive and specific. However, the availability and cost effectiveness might limit the use of Diamond’s media and PCR in routine practice. Virtual slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here