The Effect of Consuming Groundnuts on Serum Testosterone Levels and Lipid Profile in Male Rats

Introduction: Groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea) are used by people for nutritional, medicinal, and recreational purposes. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of consuming groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) on serum testosterone level and lipid profile in male rats. Methods: Wistar male rats (n=32) aged 8-10 weeks were randomly divided into four groups of eight rats each: groups II, III and IV were fed diet containing 25%, 50% and 75% groundnuts, respectively. Group I which served as control was fed on normal commercial rat feed. At the end of twenty days blood was withdrawn, and sera harvested. Total testosterone radioimmunoassay and biochemical analysis were done. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA. Student`s t-test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to compare testosterone and lipids levels between groups, and level of significance was fixed at p=0.05.Results: The rats fed on 25% groundnuts showed insignificant difference in mean lipids and testosterone p>0.05. The 75% groundnuts fed rats had significantly lower total cholesterol, higher high density lipoprotein-cholesterol and higher testosterone p<0.05, an insignificantly higher low density lipoprotein-cholesterol plus a higher level of triglycerides p>0.05 while 50% groundnut fed rats had significantly higher levels of the parameters p<0.05 compared to the control except for low density lipoprotein-cholesterol.Conclusion: The results showed that groundnuts significantly increased testosterone accompanied with increased high density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels when fed on rat feed containing 50% and 75% groundnuts. This suggests that groundnuts may be a potential solution to age related decline in testosterone production.Key words: Groundnuts, testosterone, lipid profile, rat

Identifying Appropriate Delivery of and Referral to Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Uganda: A Survey Study of People Living with Chronic Respiratory Disease and Health Care Workers.

Introduction: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a low cost, high impact intervention that ameliorates the disability associated with chronic respiratory diseases (CRD). PR is becoming increasingly recognized in low resource settings where the burden of CRD is rapidly increasing. To aid the implementation of PR in Uganda, we conducted a study to assess the attitudes and opinions towards PR among patients with CRD in Uganda and explore barriers faced by health care workers (HCWs) in referring to PR. Methods: A cross-sectional study comprising two survey populations: people living with CRD and HCWs regarded as potential PR referrers and PR deliverers. This exploratory study sought initial opinions and thoughts regarding PR, as well as baseline knowledge and potential barriers faced in the referral process. Results: Overall, 30 HCWs (53% female, 43% doctors) and 51 adults with CRD (63% female) participated in the survey. Among those with CRD, the majority reported breathlessness as a major problem (86%) and breathlessness affected their ability to do paid and unpaid work (70%). Interest in PR was high amongst adults with CRD (92%) with preference for a hospital-based programme (67%) as opposed to community-based (16%) or home-based (17%). All HCWs considered PR important in lung disease management, but 77% do not refer patients due to a lack of information about PR. HCWs' free-text responses identified the need for training in PR, patient education and streamlining the referral process as key elements to develop successful PR referral services. Conclusion: To successfully set up a PR service for people with CRD in Uganda, there is a great need for appropriately tailored training and education of prospective referrers about CRD and PR programs. Educating patients about the benefits of PR as well as streamlining the referral process is critical in expanding PR services across Uganda to fulfill this unmet need

Factors affecting the duration of exclusive breastfeeding among HIV-infected and -uninfected women in Lusaka, Zambia.

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is optimal for infant health and is associated with decreased risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission compared with mixed feeding of breast milk and other foods. To investigate why many women stop EBF before the recommended 6 months, maternal and infant health and infant-feeding data were collected from 177 HIV-infected and 177-uninfected Zambian women regularly from 34 weeks gestation to 16 weeks postpartum. Despite strong support for good breastfeeding practice, only 37% of women were still EBF at week 16. Factors significantly associated with shorter duration of EBF were primiparity, maternal systemic illness, and infant length at 6 weeks. The results suggest that the association of EBF with lower rates of mother-to-child HIV transmission may not be causal but may be secondary to the reduced duration of EBF associated with poor maternal or infant health. Programs supporting EBF should include support for maternal health