Artemether-Lumefantrine treatment combined with albendazole and ivermectin induced genotoxicity and hepatotoxicity through oxidative stress in Wistar rats

AbstractMass drug administration against malaria and parasitic worm co-infections is capable of increasing health risk. This study investigated the hepatotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by combinations of Arthemether-Lumefantrine (A-L) with Albendazole (ABZ) and Ivermectin (IVR) treatments in rats. 65 rats equally distributed into 13 groups were orally gavaged human therapeutic doses (×1.0), half of the doses (×0.5) and twice the doses (×2.0) of these drugs per body weights. Blood, liver and bone marrow cells were analyzed for serum biochemistry, histopathology and micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE) respectively. Treated rats showed clinical signs of toxicity. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total bilirubin and malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increase with concomitant decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the serum. Liver histology revealed single cell hepatocellular necrosis and kupffer cell hyperplasia, multiple foci vacuolar changes in the hepatocytes, thinning of hepatic cord and congestion of the sinusoids by inflammatory cells. Also, frequency of MNPCE significantly increased in the treated rats. The findings revealed that combine treatment of A-L with ABZ and IVR mostly at ×2.0 and ×1.0 induced liver dysfunctions and somatic mutations through oxidative stress in rats. These suggest health risk in wildlife and human populations during treatments with these drug combinations

Occurrence of malaria and utilization of antimalaria preventive measures amongst pregnant women attending Ajeromi- Ifelodun General Hospital, Lagos State, Nigeria

Malaria in Pregnancy poses a serious health problem both for the mother and her unborn baby and this can be prevented with the use of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), Long Lasting Insecticidetreated Nets (LLIN) and other preventive measures. This cross-sectional survey was carried out among pregnant women attending Ajeromi Ifelodun General Hospital between August 2013 and February 2014. A total of 414 pregnant women (with mean age of 29±8.7) in their first (84), second (124) and third (206) trimesters were recruited for this study. Blood samples for making both thin and thick smears were collected and semi-structured questionnaires administered to the respondents. The questionnaire probed into their knowledge on cause of malaria, the preventive measures taken against mosquito bite, use of IPTp-SP, possession and use of LLIN. The overall prevalence of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum is 24 (5.8%) out of which 13 were primigravid, 5 were secundi-gravid, and 6 were multigravida with no significant difference (P>0.05) amongst them. Two hundred and eighty-six (69.1%) pregnant women had good knowledge of the cause of malaria. 164 (39.6%) of the sampled population had a tertiary education while 182 (44.0%) had secondary education, 124 (30.4%) were traders and 80(19.6%) were civil servants. Preventive measures claimed to be adopted by the respondents in avoiding mosquito bites include the use of LLIN (62.6%), insecticides sprays (36.2%), and locally adopted measures (1.5%). The number of respondents who had not availed themselves of IPTp-SP was significantly higher 258 (62.3%) compared to those who had (P<0.05). It was observed that educational status had no significant effect on the knowledge of the cause of malaria in sample population (p>0.05). The findings of this study reveal that there is a good knowledge on the cause of malaria among pregnant women but low use of IPTp-SP. In order to meet the new target of reaching an elimination stage set by the World Health Organization, factors responsible for the low use of these preventive measures should be investigated and quickly addressed so as to reduce both maternal and child morbidity/mortality resulting from malaria infection.Keywords: Malaria, Pregnant women, Prevention, Intermitent preventive treatment, Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, Longlasting Insecticide treated ne

Evidence of Novel Susceptibility Variants for Prostate Cancer and a Multiancestry Polygenic Risk Score Associated with Aggressive Disease in Men of African Ancestry

Background: Genetic factors play an important role in prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility. Objective: To discover common genetic variants contributing to the risk of PCa in men of African ancestry. Design, setting, and participants: We conducted a meta-analysis of ten genome-wide association studies consisting of 19 378 cases and 61 620 controls of African ancestry. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: Common genotyped and imputed variants were tested for their association with PCa risk. Novel susceptibility loci were identified and incorporated into a multiancestry polygenic risk score (PRS). The PRS was evaluated for associations with PCa risk and disease aggressiveness. Results and limitations: Nine novel susceptibility loci for PCa were identified, of which seven were only found or substantially more common in men of African ancestry, including an African-specific stop-gain variant in the prostate-specific gene anoctamin 7 (ANO7). A multiancestry PRS of 278 risk variants conferred strong associations with PCa risk in African ancestry studies (odds ratios [ORs] >3 and >5 for men in the top PRS decile and percentile, respectively). More importantly, compared with men in the 40–60% PRS category, men in the top PRS decile had a significantly higher risk of aggressive PCa (OR = 1.23, 95% confidence interval = 1.10–1.38, p = 4.4 × 10–4). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of large-scale genetic studies in men of African ancestry for a better understanding of PCa susceptibility in this high-risk population and suggests a potential clinical utility of PRS in differentiating between the risks of developing aggressive and nonaggressive disease in men of African ancestry. Patient summary: In this large genetic study in men of African ancestry, we discovered nine novel prostate cancer (PCa) risk variants. We also showed that a multiancestry polygenic risk score was effective in stratifying PCa risk, and was able to differentiate risk of aggressive and nonaggressive disease

Modelling of clinker cooler and evaluation of its performance in clinker cooling process for cement plants

Cement manufacturing requires cooling down of hot clinker at temperature of about 1350o C to temperature lower than 100 o C in a cooling system known as clinker cooler. Many plants are unable to cool the clinker below 250o C. This challenge led to scaling down of actual clinker cooler to a test rig size in the ratio 25:1 suitable for simulation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools (Solid-Works and ANSYS) were used to achieve the simulation. The clinker outlet temperatures obtained from simulations were validated with theoretical evaluation. Results showed that with clinker and cooling air flow rates of 0.2 kg/s and 0.54 kg/s respectively and with a clinker bed height of 0.6 m. An optimum cooler performance was achieved with clinker outlet temperature of 68 oC. The scaled down cooler was 15% higher than the existing cooler in terms of recoverable energy and 10% high in terms of energy efficiency. Keywords: Clinker Cooler, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Mass flow rate clinker and Mass flow air and Clinker Furnace

Status of Eimeria infections of sheep and goat sold at small ruminant markets in Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria

Coccidiosis, an intestinal disease caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Eimeria, continues to challenge profitable small ruminant production worldwide. This study was carried out to determine the occurrence of Eimeria and identify the species infecting sheep and goat sold at small ruminant markets in Lagos State. Fresh faeces were collected from 83 sheep and 51 goats. The faecal samples were grossly examined for their consistency and subjected to salt floatation to detect the presence of Eimeria oocysts. Morphometric measurements of oocysts were taken for species identification. The number of oocysts/ml of faeces were estimated using a haemocytometer. Results revealed that 67 (80.7%) sheep and 34 (66.7%) goats were positive for Eimeria. There was no difference in the prevalence of infection between male and female of both animals (P > 0.05). The difference in infection rates between the breeds of sheep were also insignificant (P > 0.05). Goats with diarrheic stool had higher faecal oocyst counts (20400 oocysts/ml) when compared to those with normal stool (5250 oocysts/ml). E. faurei (41%), E. ovinoidalis (36%) and E. intricata (31%) were the most common of the 11 species infecting sheep in this study. Of the 8 species recovered from goats, E. ninakhloyakimovae (51%) and E. alijevi (39%) were the most frequent. The high incidence of pathogenic Eimeria species detected in the study area poses serious economic risks to stakeholders in Lagos State and Nigeria at large. Small ruminant farmers and traders are advised to improve biosecurity and sanitary conditions where livestock are kept. Keywords: Eimeria parasites; coccidiosis; goats; sheep; small ruminant markets; Nigeria

Trichomoniasis among pregnant women in Ifako Ijaiye, Shomolu and Agege Local Government Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria

Three hundred pregnant women between ages 15-60 years and attending antenatal clinics in Lagos State, Nigeria were screened for trichomoniasis in 2015. High vaginal swab samples obtained from the participants were examined by direct wet mount microscopy to determine prevalence of infection. Questionnaires were administered to capture socio-demographic data of study participants and their level of awareness. An overall prevalence of 11.3% was obtained in the study. Peak prevalence was recorded among women in the 21-30 years age-group 15 (44%) while those aged >40 years had the least prevalence (3%) and this was statistically significant (p<0.05). Women with only basic primary education 25 (74%) had the highest infection rate compared to other educational groups (p<0.05). Other statistically significant risk factors included polygamous family type, traders and the third trimester of pregnancy (p<0.05). Only 20 (7%) of the respondents were aware of trichomoniasis as a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) and this was significantly associated with the prevalence rate at p<0.05. This study indicates trichomoniasis is a public health concern, and recommends routine screening of pregnant women during antenatal visits, since the infection is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Keywords: Trichomoniasis; pregnant women; knowledge, attitude and practice; Lagos; Nigeri

Genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum among pregnant women in south-west Nigeria

Pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM) is a major public health concern and an important contributor to maternal and foetal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding of the biological basis of malaria in pregnancy was recently advanced by the discovery that susceptibility to PAM is not solely dependent on pre-exposure or gravidity. It was hypothesize in this study that PAM is difficult to diagnose in pregnant women who are multigravidae due to antibodies acquired from previous infections coupled with the extensive genetic diversity of the parasite. This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the extent of genetic diversity of P. falciparum isolates among pregnant women attending antenatal care in Lagos, Nigeria between August 2013 and February 2014. A total of 414 pregnant women in their first (84), second (124) and third (206) trimesters were recruited for this study. Blood spots were made from P. falciparum positive blood samples and the parasite deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted for merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 genotyping. The prevalence of FC27 allele type from pregnant women isolate was higher (33.3%) than that from non-pregnant women (29.2%). The multiplicity of infection with P. falciparum in both groups was low. The findings indicate a low level of P. falciparum diversity among pregnant women but there is need for year-round surveillance especially during the peak malaria transmission.Keywords: Genetic diversity; Plasmodium falciparum; merozoite surface proteins