Residues of Organochlorinated Pesticides in Soil from Tomato Fields, Ngarenanyuki, Tanzania

This work presents the concentrations of five pesticide residues, lindane, chlorpyrifos, endosulfan, p, p'-DDE and p, p'-DDD in soil samples collected from tomato fields in Ngarenanyuki, Tanzania. Endosulfan sulphate was detected in 100 % of the sample analysed with mean concentration of 0.2407 mg/kg dw. Chlorpyrifos was detected in 87 % of the samples with mean concentration of 0.1253 mg/kg dw. p, p'-DDE and p, p'-DDD were detected in 46 and 40 % of the samples analysed with mean concentrations of 0.1482 and 0.154 mg/kg dw, respectively. Lindane was the least detected pesticide. It was detected in 5 (33 %) of soil samples analysed with mean concentration of 0.2126 mg/kg dw. Low concentrations detected indicate the past usage of the pesticides

Sustained blood glutamate scavenging enhances protection in ischemic stroke

Stroke is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and disability. During ischemic stroke, a marked and prolonged rise of glutamate concentration in the brain causes neuronal cell death. This study explores the protective effect of a bioconjugate form of glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (hrGOT), which catalyzes the depletion of blood glutamate in the bloodstream for ~6 days following a single administration. When treated with this bioconjugate, a significant reduction of the infarct volume and a better retention of sensorimotor function was observed for ischemic rats compared to those treated with saline. Moreover, the equivalent dose of native hrGOT yielded similar results to the saline treated group for some tests. Targeting the bioconjugate to the blood-brain-barrier did not improve its performance. The data suggest that the bioconjugates draw glutamate out of the brain by displacing homeostasis between the different glutamate pools of the body

Regulatory T cells participate in the recovery of ischemic stroke patients

BACKGROUND: Recent preclinical studies have shown that regulatory T cells (Treg) play a key role in the immune response after ischemic stroke (IS). However, the role of Treg in human acute IS has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to study the relationship between circulating Treg and outcome in human IS patients. METHODS: A total of 204 IS patients and 22 control subjects were recruited. The main study variable was good functional outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin scale </=2) considering infarct volume, Early Neurological Deterioration (END) and risk of infections as secondary variables. The percentage of circulating Treg was measured at admission, 48, 72 h and at day 7 after stroke onset. RESULTS: Circulating Treg levels were higher in IS patients compared to control subjects. Treg at 48 h were independently associated with good functional outcome (OR, 3.5; CI: 1.9-7.8) after adjusting by confounding factors. Patients with lower Treg at 48 h showed higher frequency of END and risk of infections. In addition, a negative correlation was found between circulating Treg at 48 h (r = - 0.414) and 72 h (r = - 0.418) and infarct volume. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that Treg may participate in the recovery of IS patients. Therefore, Treg may be considered a potential therapeutic target in acute ischemic stroke

Grounwater pollution in Urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania : assessing vulnerability and protection priorities

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Levels of pesticide residues in irrigation effluent from tomato fields in Owiro Estate, Tanzania

Pesticide residues lindane, chlorpyrifos and endosulfan sulphate were detected in water from the spring source, within field and return channel of vegetable farms in Ngarenanyuki, Tanzania. Extraction of the pesticide residues were conducted by liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) method. The detection and concentrations of pesticide residues were determined by gas chromatography equipped with electron capture detector (GCECD). The percentage detections in return channel and within field were observed to be 67 and 33 respectively whereas no pesticides were detected in the spring source. The average concentrations for lindane, chlorpyrifos and endosulfan sulphate within field and return channel were 3.0, 0.27 and 3.35, and 2.8, 0.06 and 3.13 mg/L, respectively. Absence of residues detection in spring source indicates that the source of pesticides in water from the field and return channel were the applications of pesticides in vegetable farms. This work, thus, seeks to provide information on levels of pesticide residues in water that will assist in a scientific assessment of the impact of pesticides application on public health and ecosystem in Tanzania.Keywords: Organochlorines, Organophosphorous, Water contamination, Ngarenanyuki