Extraction and demonstration of uterotonic activity from the root of steganotaenia araliacea hochst

Steganotaenia araliacea used for assisting labour in folk medicine.The root of Steganotaenia araliacea is used for assisting labour in folk medicine. Recent reports indicate that the root could possess uterotonic substances. The study aimed to evaluate three methods for the extraction of uterotonic principles from the root of S. araliacea growing in Zambia. Roots of the plant were collected from Chongwe District of Zambia. The air-dried roots were size-reduced, and the powdered material extracted with hot ethanol, hot distilled water, and cold distilled water. The solvent extracts were 0concentrated and dried at 110 C. Solutions of the hot aqueous and cold aqueous extracts were prepared in distilled water and used for organ bath experiments to demonstrate uterotonic activities using strips of pregnant rat uterus. The frequencies and amplitude of contractile forces were recorded. The amplitudes were plotted against log concentration of extract with GraphPad Prism software, and the EC50 values determined. The results showed that percentage yields were 31.3 % for the hot aqueous extract, 8.15 % for the ethanolic extract, and 3.27 % for the cold aqueous extract. The cold aqueous extract showed higher potency (EC50 of 0.54 mg/ml) compared to the hot aqueous extract (EC50 of 2.09 mg/ml). The conclusion were that root extracts of S. araliacea possess demonstrable uterotonic effects. Extraction of the roots for this purpose could benefit from preliminary defatting with organic solvents, followed by successive extraction with hot and cold water.Office of Global AIDS/US Department of State

Extraction and Demonstration of Uterotonic Activity from the Root of Steganotaenia Araliacea Hochst

Background: The root of Steganotaenia araliacea is used for assisting labour in folk medicine. Recent reports indicate that the root could possess uterotonic substances. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate three methods for the extraction of uterotonic principles from the root of S. araliacea growing in Zambia.Methods: Roots of the plant were collected from Chongwe District of Zambia. The air-dried roots were size-reduced, and the powdered material extracted with hot ethanol, hot distilled water, and cold distilled water. The solvent extracts were concentrated and dried at 110 0C. Solutions of the hot aqueous and cold aqueous extracts were prepared in distilled water and used for organ bath experiments to demonstrate uterotonic activities using strips of pregnant rat uterus. The frequencies and amplitude of contractile forces were recorded. The amplitudes were plotted against log concentration of extract with GraphPad Prism software, and the EC50 values determined.Results: The percentage yields were 31.3 % for the hot aqueous extract, 8.15 % for the ethanolic extract, and 3.27 % for the cold aqueous extract. The cold aqueous extract showed higher potency (EC50 of 0.54 mg/ml) compared to the hot aqueous extract (EC50 of 2.09 mg/ml).Conclusion: Root extracts of S. araliacea possess demonstrable uterotonic effects. Extraction of the roots for this purpose could benefit from preliminary defatting with organic solvents, followed by successive extraction with hot and cold water.Keywords: Childbirth, extraction methods, medicinal plant, potency, Steganotaenia araliacea, uterotonic effec

Output from the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network international postdoctoral fellowship for capacity building in HIV clinical trials

CITATION: Mbuagbaw, L., et al. 2018. Output from the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network international postdoctoral fellowship for capacity building in HIV clinical trials. HIV/AIDS - Research and Palliative Care, 10:151-155, doi:10.2147/HIV.S150107.The original publication is available at https://www.dovepress.comENGLISH ABSTRACT: As a response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and part of Canadian Institutes for Health Research’s mandate to support international health research capacity building, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Canadian HIV Trial Network (CTN) developed an international postdoctoral fellowship award under the CTN’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program to support and train young HIV researchers in resource-limited settings. Since 2010, the fellowship has been awarded to eight fellows in Cameroon, China, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. These fellows have conducted research on a wide variety of topics and have built a strong network of collaboration and scientific productivity, with 40 peer-reviewed publications produced by six fellows during their fellowships. They delivered two workshops at international conferences and have continued to secure funding for their research, using the fellowship as a stepping stone. The CTN has been successful in building local HIV research capacity and forming a strong network of like-minded junior low- and middle-income country researchers with high levels of research productivity. They have developed into mentors, supervisors and faculty members, who, in turn, build local capacity. The sustainability of this international fellowship award relies on the recognition of its strengths and the involvement of other stakeholders for additional resources.https://www.dovepress.com/output-from-the-cihr-canadian-hiv-trials-network-international-postdoc-peer-reviewed-article-HIV#Publisher's versio

Output from the CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network international postdoctoral fellowship for capacity building in HIV clinical trials

Lawrence Mbuagbaw,1–3 Amy L Slogrove,4,5 Jacqueline Sas,6 John Lengwe Kunda,7 Frederick Morfaw,8 Jackson K Mukonzo,9 Wei Cao,10–12 Gisele Ngomba-Kadima,13 Moleen Zunza,14,15 Pierre Ongolo-Zogo,3 Philip N Nana,8 Anne Cockcroft,16,17 Neil Andersson,16,18,19 Nelson Sewankambo,9 Mark F Cotton,4 Taisheng Li,12 Taryn Young,14 Joel Singer,5,6 Jean-Pierre Routy,6,10,11,20 Colin JD Ross,21 Kyaw Thin,22 Lehana Thabane,1,2,6,23–25 Aslam H Anis5,6 1Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, 2Biostatistics Unit, Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre, St Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 3Centre for Development of Best Practices in Health, Yaoundé Central Hospital, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 4Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Family Clinical Research Unit (FAM-CRU), Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa; 5UBC School of Population and Public Health, Vancouver, BC, 6CIHR Canadian HIV Trials Network, UBC, Canada; 7Community Information and Epidemiological Technologies (CIET), Lusaka, Zambia; 8Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicines and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon; 9School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Makerere, Kampala, Uganda; 10Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University Health Centre, 11Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada; 12Department of Infectious Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China; 13Queen Mamahato Memorial Hospital, Maseru, Lesotho; 14Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa; 15Research Institute, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada; 16Community Information and Epidemiological Technologies (CIET) Trust Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana; 17Community Information and Epidemiological Technologies – Participatory Research at McGill (CIET-PRAM), Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, 18Centro de Investigación de Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo, Mexico; 19Department of Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; 20Division of Hematology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada; 21Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; 22Research Coordination Unit, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Maseru, Lesotho; 23Departments of Paediatrics and Anaesthesia, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; 24Centre for Evaluation of Medicine, St Joseph’s Healthcare—Hamilton, ON, Canada; 25Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada Abstract: As a response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and part of ­Canadian Institutes for Health Research’s mandate to support international health research capacity building, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research Canadian HIV Trial Network (CTN) developed an international postdoctoral fellowship award under the CTN’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Awards Program to support and train young HIV researchers in resource-limited settings. Since 2010, the fellowship has been awarded to eight fellows in Cameroon, China, Lesotho, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. These fellows have conducted research on a wide variety of topics and have built a strong network of collaboration and scientific productivity, with 40 peer-reviewed publications produced by six fellows during their fellowships. They delivered two workshops at international conferences and have continued to secure funding for their research, using the fellowship as a stepping stone. The CTN has been successful in building local HIV research capacity and forming a strong network of like-minded junior low- and middle-income country researchers with high levels of research productivity. They have developed into mentors, supervisors and faculty members, who, in turn, build local capacity. The sustainability of this international fellowship award relies on the recognition of its strengths and the involvement of other stakeholders for additional resources. Keywords: CTN, postdoctoral fellowship, capacity building, clinical trials, networkin

An investigation on students' risky sexual behavior at KwaZulu-Natal University, South Africa, Durban

University environments are fertile grounds for risky sexual behaviors. This study investigated students' risky sexual practices at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Data were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods. A total of 1,405 questionnaires were administered, and 80 in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 16.0. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The sample included 1,405 students, the majority (93%) of whom were never married and 97% were sexually experienced. Among males reporting male partnerships those who used alcohol were significantly more likely to report risky sexual practices. Among females reporting male partnerships, those 30 years and older were significantly less likely to report engaging in risky sexual behavior with male partners. Alcohol use was connected with inconsistent condom use and not using condom last sex among females. While low rates of condom use were a problem among older students aged 30 years and older, and risky sexual practices were more common among younger students. Risky sexual behaviors pose a big challenge for the successful HIV prevention interventions on university campuses