The relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, blood glucose and lipid profile of undergraduate students under examination stress.

Background: Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in human beings and cortisol is a known stress hormone. Examination has been described as a naturalistic stressor capable of affecting human health.Objectives: To estimate the relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile during examination stress.Methods: Two hundred and eight (208) apparently-healthy undergraduate students (aged, 24 ± 6 years) were involved in the study. Exactly 5 mls of venous blood was collected from each subject 1-3 hours before a major examination. A second assessment was done on the same students 3-4 weeks before any examination (control samples). Cortisol and adrenaline were assayed using ELISA techniques, FBG was assayed using enzymatic method while lipid parameters were assayed using standard enzymatic- spectrophotometric methods.Results: There was statistically significant increase in serum cortisol, adrenaline, Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in students under examination stress compared to the non examination period (p=0.001, 0.013, 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). FBG showed no significant increase. There was also significant positive correlation (r=0.297, p=0.032) between serum cortisol and TC/HDL ratio (cardiac risk factor) before examination stress but not during the stress period.Conclusions: Significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol and TC/HDL ratio before examination stress.Key words: academic examination, stressors, cortisol, lipid profil

The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in stored blood

Background: Blood transfusion is a critical component of supportive therapy. Red blood cell viability in stored blood determines successful transfusion. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity has been shown to maintain red blood cell membrane integrity. This study was, therefore, aimed at estimating the G6PD activity in stored blood bags at the blood bank of the University of Nigeria Teaching hospital (UNTH) Enugu.Methodology: The activity of G6PD in 100 stored blood bags consisting of different ABO groups [A (n=30); B (n=30); O (n=30) and AB (n=10)], stored at the blood bank of the UNTH Enugu between April and August 2009, was determined using methhaemoglobin reduction and ultraviolet (UV) spectrophotometric quantitative methods. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using student’s t-test and analysis of variance.Results: There was statistically significant decrease in the G6PD activity from the third week of storage (p<0.05) at the blood bank, under optimum storage conditions. The different ABO blood groups did not show any significant variation (p>0.05) in G6PD activity.Conclusion: Storage of whole blood for up to three weeks results in significant decrease in the G6PD activity and possibly, affects the red cell viability. Stored blood in the blood bank should be used up before the third week to ensure viability of red blood cells.Keywords: ABO groups, blood transfusion, blood donors, haemolytic anaemia, red blood cell