Evaluation of the single platform Muse® Auto CD4/CD4 % system in Cameroon

Background: according to who revised guidelines for scaling up antiretroviral therapy (ART) in adults and children living in resource-limited settings, there is an urgent need for laboratory monitoring, including the numeration of CD4 T cells.Objective: the study compared the muse® auto CD4/CD4% System for CD4 t cell enumeration in absolute counts and in percentages, to the Guava® AutoD4/CD4% System.Design: This was a prospective study using adults, adolescents, children and infant’s samples.Setting: The Centre International de Diagnostic Medical (CIDM), Yaounde, a research laboratory devoted to HIV screening and monitoring affiliated to the University of Yaounde I.Subjects: K3-EDTA-blood samples from 111 patients (77 adults, 12 adolescents, 18 children and 4 infants) were collected and tested. All participants signed an informed consent form whereas the guardian and parent of children signed the assent form.Results: the absolute CD4 t lymphocyte counts as well as the percentage CD4 lymphocyte of the Muse® AutoCD4/CD4% and GuavaAutoCD4/CD4% Systems, were highly correlated with an interclass correlation coefficient of 0.997 (95%CI: 0.996-0.998) and 0.991 (95% CI: 0.987-0.994) respectively. The Bland-Altman analysis limits of agreement were -5.79 cells/μl (95%CI: [-97.77; 86.19]) for the absolute CD4 T lymphocyte counts and -1.93 (95%CI: [-7.29; – 3.43]) for CD4 T lymphocyte percentage. The numbers of outliers were similar (6/111=5.41%) both for CD4 T lymphocyte counts and percentage. In addition, Cohen’s Kappa ranged from 0.95 to 1 according to CD4 T lymphocyte counts thresholds (p<0.001), showing agreement between both methods. Conclusion: this study demonstrates that the muse™ auto CD4/CD4% system constitutes a promising system for CD4 t cell counting comparable to existing reference methods, and should facilitate wider access to CD4 T cell enumeration for adults and children with HIV infection living in resource-limited countries

PROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF THE STEM BARK METHANOL EXTRACT OF ALAFIA MULTIFLORA AGAINST CARBON TETRACHLORIDE-INDUCED HEPATOTOXICITY IN RATS

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to evaluate the hepatoprotective activity of the stem bark methanol extract of Alafia multiflora against CCl 4 induced liver damage in rats. The extract (125 and 250 mg/kg) was administered orally to the animals with hepatotoxicity induced by CCl 4 (40%, 0.5 mL/kg). The plant extract was effective in protecting the liver against the injury induced by CCl4 in rats. This was evident from significant reduction in serum enzymes alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), bilirubin and creatinin. It was also observed that extract of A. multiflora conferred protection against CCl 4 -induced superoxide dismutase depletion in liver and kidney (30 %); CCl 4 -induced catalase depletion in the same organs (>100 %); CCl 4 -induced reduced glutathione depletion (30 and 68 %) and CCl 4 -induced lipid peroxidation in the liver (28 %). Histopathological studies showed marked reduction in fatty degeneration and centrizonal necrosis, in animals receiving different doses of A. multiflora along with CCl 4 as compared to the control group. The results suggest that the stem bark methanol extract of A. multiflora possesses hepatoprotective activity against CCl 4 -induced hepatocellular damage in rat and this effect of A. multiflora may be due to its antioxidant content. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the role of this plant on liver regeneration