Immunomodulatory effect of dietary selenium supplementation on serum antibody response and leucocytic profile of Trypanosoma brucei brucei infected rats

Effect of selenium supplementation on the immune response of Trypanosoma brucei brucei infected rats was investigated. Twenty five (25) adult male albino rats divided into five groups of five rats each were used for this study. Groups A, B and C were fed 4, 8 and 16 part per million (ppm) selenium in their feed, respectively. Groups D and E were not given selenium supplementation. The supplementation started on day 0, followed by the infection of groups A, B, C and D with T. brucei brucei on day 14 post supplementation (PS). Immune response of the rats was assessed by determining the antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) using direct haemagglutination technique and total and differential leucocyte counts. The supplementation led to significant (p < 0.05) increase in antibody response to sheep red blood cell of the supplemented groups at pre- and post infection when compared with the control. The infection however, led to decrease in antibody titre but remained higher than the pre-supplementation titre. Also, the supplementation led to increase (p < 0.05) in leucocyte counts prior to infection on day 14 PS. The increase in total leucocyte count could be attributed to increase in lymphocyte and neutrophils. The mortality record showed that all rats (100%) in the infected, not supplemented group and 2 rats (40%) died from the 16 ppm group by day 42 PS. No rat died in 4, 8 ppm and not infected, not treated groups.Key words: Selenium, antibody titre, leucocytes, trypanosomes, immunosuppression

Maternal and child health interventions in Nigeria: a systematic review of published studies from 1990 to 2014

BACKGROUND: Poor maternal and child health indicators have been reported in Nigeria since the 1990s. Many interventions have been instituted to reverse the trend and ensure that Nigeria is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This systematic review aims at describing and indirectly measuring the effect of the Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) interventions implemented in Nigeria from 1990 to 2014. METHODS: PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched from 1990 to April 2014 whereas POPLINE® was searched until 16 February 2015 to identify reports of interventions targeting Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Nigeria. Narrative and graphical synthesis was done by integrating the results of extracted studies with trends of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and under five mortality (U5MR) derived from a joint point regression analysis using Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey data (1990-2013). This was supplemented by document analysis of policies, guidelines and strategies of the Federal Ministry of Health developed for Nigeria during the same period. RESULTS: We identified 66 eligible studies from 2,662 studies. Three interventions were deployed nationwide and the remainder at the regional level. Multiple study designs were employed in the enrolled studies: pre- and post-intervention or quasi-experimental (n = 40; 61%); clinical trials (n = 6;9%); cohort study or longitudinal evaluation (n = 3;5%); process/output/outcome evaluation (n = 17;26%). The national MMR shows a consistent reduction (Annual Percentage Change (APC) = -3.10%, 95% CI: -5.20 to -1.00 %) with marked decrease in the slope observed in the period with a cluster of published studies (2004-2014). Fifteen intervention studies specifically targeting under-five children were published during the 24 years of observation. A statistically insignificant downward trend in the U5MR was observed (APC = -1.25%, 95% CI: -4.70 to 2.40%) coinciding with publication of most of the studies and development of MNCH policies. CONCLUSIONS: The development of MNCH policies, implementation and publication of interventions corresponds with the downward trend of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria. This systematic review has also shown that more MNCH intervention research and publications of findings is required to generate local and relevant evidence

Brenil&#174-resistant trypanosoma bruceiinfection in a dog in Nsukka area of Enugu, Nigeria

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