Lipid profile of drug naive HIV patients in a tertiary health facility in Lagos, Nigeria

Aim: To determine the effect of HIV syndrome on lipid profile in a cohort of Nigerians.Objective: To determine the concentrations of total cholesterol (Tchol), triglyceride (TGL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in HIV positive drug naive patients as against HIV negative people.Methods: This study examined the lipid profiles of 50 HIV positive individuals (test group), and 50 HIV negative individuals (control group) at the Human Virology Laboratory of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Lagos, Nigeria. Informed consent was obtained and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of NIMR approved the study. A questionnaire based assessment was provided for the individuals to complete, before 5 ml of blood was taken by venopuncture. Blood collected in plain tubes was centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 10 minutes and the serum obtained, used for the various lipid profile tests mentioned above.Statistical analysis on data from the questionnaire was done using Epi info 2000 (CDC).Results: The median lipid profile values for the control group were 168, 85, 99 and 58 mg/dl for Tchol, TGL, HDL and LDL respectively. Conversely, median lipid profile values for the HIV positive patients were 145, 98, 53, and 67 mg/dl for Tchol, TGL, HDL and LDL respectively. P values greater than 0.05 were taken to indicate an insignificant difference between the lipid profiles of the two groups.Conclusion: Based on results obtained, there were significant differences in the Tchol and HDL values between the two groups, indicating a possible effect of HIV on lipid profile for drug naive patients.Key words: lipid profile, HIV, TGL, HDL, LDL, Tchol

In vivo Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Zapoteca portoricensis (Jacq) HM Hernández

Purpose: To evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the root extracts and fractions of Zapoteca portoricensis. Methods: The root of Z. portoricensis was extracted with methanol and the extract (ME) subjected to activity-guided fractionation to obtain chloroform (CF), ethyl acetate (EF) and methanol (MF) fractions. CF was further separated into four column fractions (CF1-CF4). The crude methanol extract and all the fractions were screened for anti-inflammatory activity using eggalbumin induced rat paw edema as a model of inflammation. Results: The crude methanol extract (200 mg/kg) exhibited a significant (P<0.01) anti-inflammatory effect with edema inhibition of 71.9 % at 3 h. At 200 mg/kg, CF exhibited high and significant (P < 0.01) inhibition of edema (59.9 % at 3 h). EF (200 mg/kg) exhibited moderate inhibition of edema (29.8 % at 3 h) while MF (200 mg/kg) did not show any edema inhibition at 3 h. The column fractions CF1, CF3 and CF4 showed high and significant (P < 0.01) inhibition of edema (62.3, 60.9 and 66.7 %) respectively. The activities of these fractions are significantly higher than that of acetyl 100 mg/kg salycilic acid (45.6 % at 3 h). These column fractions on phytochemical analysis were shown to contain mainly terpenoids and steroids. Conclusion: Zapoteca portoricensis possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity in acute inflammation in rats. The terpenoids and steroids present in the column fractions may be responsible for the activity.Keywords: Zapoteca portoricensis; Anti-inflammatory, Egg albumeninduced edema, Terpenoids; Steroids

Cryptosporidiosis among children attending University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria

A study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Cryptosporidium parvum infection among children aged 0-15 years attending University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria, from January to May, 2007. A total of 480 stool samples were examined for oocysts of C. parvum using the modified Ziel-Neelson staining technique. The overall prevalence was 21.8%. About 74.0% and 10.1% watery and soft-formed stool samples respectively were infected with C. parvum oocysts. The prevalence rate of infection varied with age with the peak among the age-group 3-5 years (31.6%) and decreasing steadily thereafter. Males (26.8%) were more infected than females (18.0%), however the difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). The prevalence rate was significantly (

ANTI-DIARRHOEAL AND ANTISPASMODIC EFFECTS OF LEAF EXTRACT OF PTEROCARPUS SANTALINOIDES

Diarrhoea is one of the popular gastrointestinal disorders with high mortality especially in children. Certain medicinal plants are being used in traditional medicine practice to treat and control diarrhoea. One of such plants is the leaves of Pterocarpus santalinoides. The need to scientifically ascertain this folkloric claim and the possible identification of the active constituents therein motivated this study. The methanol leaf extract of P. santalinoides was prepared and screened for activity using castor-oil induced diarrhoea, gastrointestinal motility tests (charcoal transit test) and inhibition of contraction induced by histamine (H) and acetylcholine (Ach) on isolated rabbit jejunum. The results indicated that the extract at 200 mg/kg dose exhibited a significant inhibition (P < 0.05) of castor-oil induced diarrhoea when compared with a standard antidiarrhoeal agent, diphenoxylate hydrochloride (5 mg/kg). The extract also at 200 mg/kg dose level showed a significant inhibition (P<0.05) on gastrointestinal motility when compared with the vehicle (3 % Tween 80). The extract also exhibited a dose dependent inhibition on the contraction induced by acetylcholine and histamine on rabbit jejunum as well as the abolition of spontaneous pendular movements of the smooth muscles of the rabbit jejunum. The acute toxicity study exhibited an LD50 greater than 5000 mg/kg. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of carbohydrates, resins, terpenoids, steroids, saponins. The extract exhibited both antidiarrhoeal and antispasmodic effects which could be through inhibition of histaminergic and cholinergic mechanisms via their respective receptors abundant in the GIT. The antidiarrhoeal effect of this plant can be explored for therapeutic advantages as an alternative for treatment of diarrhoea and further research is expected to confirm the active phytochemical constituent(s) responsible for the activity. Keywords: P. santalinoides, antidiarrhoeal, antispasmodic and rabbit jejunumNigerian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, Vol. 8 No 1 pp. 138 - 144 (September 2010