Haematinic activity of Hibiscus Cannabinus

The haematinic activity of an orally administered aqueous extract of Hibiscus cannabinus leaves was studied on haemolytic anaemic rats. Anaemia was induced by an oral administration of phenylhydrazine for a period of 8 days. Red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration, and pack cell volume were analysed as indices of anaemia. The mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell volume and mean cell haemoglobin concentration were calculated accordingly. Phenylhydrazine induced a significant decrease (

Can free open access resources strengthen knowledge-based emerging public health priorities, policies and programs in Africa? [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Tackling emerging epidemics and infectious diseases burden in Africa requires increasing unrestricted open access and free use or reuse of regional and global policies reforms as well as timely communication capabilities and strategies. Promoting, scaling up data and information sharing between African researchers and international partners are of vital importance in accelerating open access at no cost. Free Open Access (FOA) health data and information acceptability, uptake tactics and sustainable mechanisms are urgently needed. These are critical in establishing real time and effective knowledge or evidence-based translation, proven and validated approaches, strategies and tools to strengthen and revamp health systems.  As such, early and timely access to needed emerging public health information is meant to be instrumental and valuable for policy-makers, implementers, care providers, researchers, health-related institutions and stakeholders including populations when guiding health financing, and planning contextual programs

Impact of telemonitoring approaches on integrated HIV and TB diagnosis and treatment interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Background: This paper explores telemonitoring approaches as a promising real time and contextual strategy in improving HIV and TB interventions, quality access and uptake, retention, adherence and coverage impact in endemic and epidemic prone-regions. Methods: A scoping review design was applied to synthesize telemonitoring HIV and TB information indexed in peer reviewed journal hubs to identify relevant articles pertaining to telemonitoring as a proxy surrogate method in reinforcing sustainability of HIV/TB prevention and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa. The following research indexing hubs were used for the search: Medline, Embase, Global Health, PubMed, MeSH PsycInfo, Scopus and Google Scholar. The articles selected were used to foster evidence of telemonitoring/mhealth diagnosis, treatment of HIV and TB prevention and control approaches. Results: We found telemonitoring approaches as a convenient and sustained proxy-method of HIV and TB risk reduction strategies including early diagnosis and prompt quality clinical outcomes. This has shown to significantly contribute in decreasing health systems/patients cost, long waiting time in clinics, hospital visits, travels and time off/on from work. Conclusion: Telemonitoring/mhealth (electronic phone text/video/materials messaging) adoption, integration, acceptability, access and uptake are crucial in monitoring and improving HIV and TB uptake, retention, adherence and coverage in both local and national interventions programs. Improved integrated HIV and TB telemonitoring sustainability hold great promises in health systems strengthening including patient early centered diagnosis and care delivery, uptake and retention in medications/ services and improvement of patients’ quality of life

Deciphering emerging Zika and dengue viral epidemics: Implications for global maternal–child health burden

Summary: Since its discovery in 1947 in Uganda and control and eradication efforts have aimed at its vectors (Aedes mosquitoes) in Latin America in the 1950s, an absolute neglect of Zika programs and interventions has been documented in Aedes endemic and epidemic-prone countries. The current unprecedented Zika viral epidemics and rapid spread in the Western hemisphere pose a substantial global threat, with associated anxiety and consequences. The lack of safe and effective drugs and vaccines against Zika or dengue epidemics further buttresses the realization from the West Africa Ebola outbreak that most emerging disease-prone countries are still poorly prepared for an emergency response. This paper examines knowledge gaps in both emerging and neglected arthropod-borne flavivirus infectious diseases associated with poverty and their implications for fostering local, national and regional emerging disease preparedness, effective and robust surveillance–response systems, sustained control and eventual elimination. Strengthening the regional and Global Health Flavivirus Surveillance-Response Network (GHFV-SRN) with other models of socio-economic, climatic, environmental and ecological mitigation and adaptation strategies will be necessary to improve evidence-based national and global maternal–child health agenda and action plans. Keywords: Zika virus, Epidemics, Health, Preparedness, Surveillance, Maternal–chil

Phytochemical Studies and Antioxidant Properties of Four Medicinal Plants Used in Cameroon

Four plants (Amphimas pterocaroides, Harungana madagascariensis, Myrianthus arboreus, and Cussonia barteri) that are commonly used in Cameroon for the management or reversal of anaemia were screened for their phytochemical content and antioxidant potential. Four extracts (methanolic, hydro-ethanolic, aqueous, and hydrolysed) from each of the plants were prepared and analysed. Qualitative phytochemical tests were used to detect the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and phenols, while three quantitative methods; Folin, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and diphenyl -1, 2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) were used to determine the antioxidant potential of these extracts. With the exception of the extracts of Cussonia barteri (negative for triterpenes and phenols) and the aqueous extract of Harungana madagascariensis (negative result for cardiac glycosides and glycosides), all other extracts contained the phytochemicals tested. The highest antioxidant activities were observed in the hydrolysed extracts of each plant, while the aqueous extract showed the least activity irrespective of the method used. The presence of active phytochemical substances with antioxidant activities may provide substantial basis for the use of these plants in ethnomedicine

Addressing knowledge gaps in molecular, sero-surveillance and monitoring approaches on Zika epidemics and other arbovirus co-infections: A structured review

Globalization, with consequent increased travel and trade, rapid urbanization and growing weather variation events due to climate change has contributed to the recent unprecedented Zika virus (ZIKV) pandemic. This has emphasized the pressing need for local, national, regional and global community collaborative proactiveness, leadership and financial investment resilience in research and development. This paper addresses the potential knowledge gaps and impact of early detection and monitoring approaches on ZIKV epidemics and related arboviral infections steered towards effective prevention and smart response strategies. We advocate for the development and validation of robust field and point of care diagnostic tools that are more sensitive, specific and cost effective for use in ZIKV epidemics and routine pathophysiology surveillance and monitoring systems as an imperative avenue in understanding Zika-related and other arbovirus trends and apply genomic and proteomic characterisation approaches in guiding annotation efforts in order to design and implement public health burden mitigation and adaptation strategies

Cameroonian professional soccer players and risk of atherosclerosis

Abstract Background Elevated titers of antibodies against oxidized low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (ox-LDL-Ab) have been reported among professional athletes, paradoxically reflecting an increased risk of developing atherogenic and/or cardiovascular events. This study aimed to determine titers of ox-LDL-Ab in a group of Cameroonian professional soccer players, and evaluate their evolution during part of a competition season as well as the plasmatic antioxidant status to find out if this latter correlates with ox-LDL-Ab . Methods We conducted a descriptive cohort study in 2012 including 18 healthy male soccer players. Three samplings were performed in March (T1), May (T2), and July 2012 (T3) to assess the lipid profile, titers of ox-LDL-Ab, and plasmatic concentrations of four antioxidants: the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and uric acid. Results Ages ranged from 16 to 28 years with a median (interquartile range) of 19.5 (19–23) years. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides varied within normal ranges throughout the three samplings. While total cholesterol and LDL-C titers increased significantly (p = 0.003 and p = 0.006, respectively), triglycerides and HDL-C values varied non-significantly throughout the measurements (p = 0.061 and p = 0.192, respectively). The median ox-LDL-Ab titers were respectively: 653.3 (468.2–838.8) mIU/ml at T1, 777.7 (553.7–1150.7) mIU/ml at T2, and 1037.7 (901.7–1481.5) mIU/ml at T3. Overall, ox-LDL-Ab titers increased significantly from T1 to T3 (p = 0.006). Concomitantly, uric acid and FRAP concentrations decreased significantly (p = 0.001 and p = 0.003, respectively); on the contrary, GSH and SOD values increased, but insignificantly (p = 0.115 and p = 0.110, respectively). There was a positive and significant correlation between ox-LDL-Ab and HDL-C (ρ = 0.519, p = 0.027), and between ox-LDL-Ab and SOD (ρ = 0.504, p = 0.033) at T2. Ox-LDL-Ab values were expected to increase with each new visit (β = 201.1; p = 0.041) and each IU/ml of SOD titers (β = 23.6; p = 0.019). Conclusion These Cameroonian professional soccer players exhibited high levels of ox-LDL-Ab reflecting elevated levels of oxidatively-modified LDL-C particles with an increment over time, this being insufficiently counterbalanced by the antioxidant defense mechanisms. As a consequence, they may be at increased atherogenic and cardiovascular risks

Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Mildbr. and Monodora myristica (Gaertn.) Dunal Extracts Decrease Doxorubicin Cytotoxicity on H9c2 Cardiomyoblasts

Ethnopharmacological Relevance. Doxorubicin (Dox) is an anthracycline antibiotic widely used in cancer treatment. Despite its antitumor efficacy, its clinical application is significantly limited because of its cardiotoxicity originated, among other factors, from pro-oxidant damage to cardiac mitochondria. Phytochemicals represent a potentially attractive strategy to mitigate Dox cardiotoxicity due to their antioxidant properties, with plant extracts used in traditional medicine often being ignored in terms of potential therapeutic uses. Aim of the Study. The present study aimed at investigating the protective effects of two native Cameroonian plants, Afrostyrax lepidophyllus Mildbr. (A. lepidophyllus) and Monodora myristica (Gaertn.) Dunal (M. myristica), against Dox-induced cytotoxicity on cultured H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells. Materials and Methods. Bark extracts of these plants (1 and 25 µg/mL) were added 3 hours before coincubating H9c2 cardiomyoblasts with Dox (0.5 and 1 µM) for 24 hours more. We measured cell mass and metabolic viability, mitochondrial transmembrane potential, superoxide anion content, and activity-like of caspase-3 and caspase-9 following treatment with the extracts and/or Dox. Also, selenium and vitamin C contents were measured in the plant extracts. Results. The results confirmed that Dox treatment decreased cell mass, mitochondrial membrane potential and metabolic viability, increased mitochondrial superoxide anion, and stimulated caspase-3 and caspase-9-like activities. Pretreatment of the cells with the plant extracts significantly inhibited Dox cytotoxicity, with more significant results at the higher concentration. Measurements of selenium and vitamin C in the extracts revealed higher concentration of both when compared with other Cameroonian spices. Conclusion. Both extracts of A. lepidophyllus and M. myristica were effective against Dox-induced cytotoxicity, most likely due to their content in antioxidants