Non-immune control of trypanosomosis: in vitro oxidative burst of PMA- and trypanosome-stimulated neutrophils of Boran and N'Dama cattle

An in vitro assay that measures the generation of superoxide anions (O₂ˉ) was used to assess the level of oxidative burst of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) - and trypanosome-stimulated neutrophils isolated from healthy Boran and N'Dama cattle, and those infected with Trypanosoma congolense. PMA stimulation of healthy bovine neutrophils resulted in between 300-400% increase in O₂ˉ generation. Neutrophils of Boran cattle exhibited slightly higher, but insignificant O₂ˉ generation capacity than those of the N'Dama breed. In vitro stimulation by trypanosomes of neutrophils isolated from Trypanosoma congolense-infected cattle caused significant increases in O₂ˉ generation, especially on days 14, 28 and 42 post-infection, of both breeds of cattle. No significant differences were observed in O₂ˉ generation capacity of the neutrophils of both breeds of infected cattle throughout the period of assay. The results of this study have shown that PMA and trypanosomes do cause an enhanced in vitro oxidative burst, hence trypanosome phagocytosis and killing activity of neutrophils. Neutrophils have been shown to play very significant roles in parasite clearance, hence reduction of trypanosome parasitaemia. The rates of both in vitro generation of O₂ˉ and trypanosome phagocytosis over time did not differ significantly between Boran and N'Dama breeds of cattle, even during T. congolense infection in this study. Hence, it may be inferred that sustained and higher parasitaemia, more pronounced neutropenia, inadequate bone marrow response and less effective trypanosome-specific immune response, rather than defective neutrophil trypanosome destruction, may be the problem of trypanosusceptible cattle breeds.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format

The cost minimization analysis of an outreach dental service: a pilot study at Akinyele local government area in Nigeria

Background: Access to dental services improves oral health and thereby, overall general health. For people with limited or no access to oral health care services, outreach dental services may be used to reduce oral health inequality. There is however paucity of information on the economic analysis of outreach dental services in sub Saharan Africa.Objective: To report a cost minimization analysis of an outreach dental service as compared with a primary oral health clinic.Method: A comparative analysis of the costs expended in the treatment of patients at an outreach dental service of the University College Hospital, Ibadan was done versus the costs that would have been incurred if the patients had been treated at a Primary Oral Health Clinic of the same institution.Results: A total of three hundred and forty two (342) participants were attended to at the outreach dental service. More than 80% of the 123 participants examined had an unmet oral health need. The procedures carried out were in keeping with the basic package of oral care. The average cost of the outreach per participant was N530 (~$2.50) only versus an estimate of N868 (~$4.13) per participant if the programme had been clinic based. The total cost savings was N115,344 (~$549.26).Conclusion: Outreach dental services provide similar dental treatment to services in a primary oral health clinic at a reduced cost.Keywords: Access, Basic package of oral care, Cost analysis, Dental services, Oral health care, Oral health inequalitie

Ethnobotanical and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of Moringa oleifera, Andrographis paniculata and Asystasia vogeliana extracts

Ethnobotanical and in vitro cytotoxicity studies were carried out on three different multi- purpose medicinal plants; Moringa oleifera (Lam) (Moringaceae), Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f) and Asystasia vogeliana (Benth) (Acanthaceae). The ethnobotanical information was collected by one to one interview and discussions using semi-structured questionnaires with indigenous people from selected locations in Nigeria. Plant samples collected were identified and authenticated in Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Ibadan, Oyo State. Each of these three plant samples was extracted in 95% ethanol using a soxhlet extraction apparatus and concentrated to dryness at 45 °C. M. oleifera showed the highest incidence of occurrence (17.5%), fidelity level (74.9%) and multi-purpose usage. The ethnobotanical study revealed the medicinal relevance of the three plants in the treatment of myriads of diseases and ailments including malaria, fever, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes among others in local herbal medicine. The in vitro cytotoxicity activities of ethanol extracts of the three plant species were screened in two cancer cell lines (BGC-823 and HeLa cells) using the sulphorhodamine B (SRB) assay. Cytotoxicity assay on the two cell lines BGC-823 and HeLa cells revealed that only the ethanolic extract of A. paniculata exhibited some level (moderate) cytotoxicity activity with IC50 values of 24.7 and 23.1 μg/ml respectively. M. oleifera and A. vogeliana did not show any significant activity on the cell lines. The study highlights the importance of ethnobotanical information in finding cost effective, potent and safe herbs for people and screening of the plant species for their activities against cancer cell lines. Further studies on the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds responsible for cytotoxic effects of A. paniculata is recommended

A report on oral health delivery to rural underserved communities oyo state using the mobile dental clinic

Objective: In Nigeria, the distribution of health care facilities particularly oral health facilities is urban based. Consequently, the rural people have no access or minimal access to oral health care. Various studies have called attention to the increasing trend of oral diseases in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas. Mobile dental clinic transcends all barriers to oral health care including physical and cultural barriers through community outreach, to rural underserved areas. Therefore, this project set out to determine the oral health needs of poor underserved rural communities in Ibadan and to deliver oral health care at their doorsteps.Methods: Using the services of a mobile dental clinic, inhabitants in selected rural communities namely; Akufo, Olosun, Aremo and Ilaju were given oral health talk and treatment after their needs were determined using dental mirror, natural light, CPITN probe, caries probe.Result: One hundred and thirty one people were examined and treated. Majority were from Yoruba tribe. More females (58.0%) participated in the study. Mean age of the participants was 42.4years (+10.4). Many (61.8%) of the participants had periodontal disease, tooth wear 24.4%, dental caries 16.0%. Majority of the participants had scaling and polishing (61.8%) as treatment, while 3.1% had atraumatic restorative treatment. Extraction was done for 6.8% of participants, while 27.5% were referred.Conclusion: Oral diseases, especially periodontal disease, tooth wear and caries are quite prevalent in underserved rural communities.Keywords: oral health, rural, mobile, barriers, underserve

Oral health knowledge and practice among traders in Ibadan

Background: Adopting good oral health practices such as regular tooth brushing and flossing; healthy nutritional habits and regular visits to the dentist, play a vital role in the wellbeing of an individual by preventing oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontal disease. Adequate knowledge of factors related to oral health may influence oral health practices leading to improved oral health.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the oral health knowledge and practice of a group of adults in Ibadan, Nigeria to enable planning of oral health services.Method: A cross sectional survey involving 400 randomly selected traders at the Bola Ige Modern Market, Gbagi, Ibadan. A semi-structured intervieweradministered questionnaire was used to obtain information on sociodemographics, oral health knowledge and practice. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics at p < 0.05.Results: The mean age of participants was 36.9 ±1.2, 37.0% had adequate knowledge that tooth decay was related to sweet food substances, but the majority (61.9%) consumed carbonated drinks at least once a week. Only 22.8% had ever visited a dentist in their life time and 5.8% in the last six months. Knowledge of who a dentist was associated with their level of education, with more participants who had tertiary education (83%) having greater knowledge (X2= 38.3, p < 0.001). About 70.3% of the study participants used a toothbrush and toothpaste to clean their teeth.Conclusion: There is poor oral health knowledge amongst adult Nigerians and they utilize oral health practices that do not engender good oral health.Keywords: Dental caries, Periodontal disease, Oral health awarenes

Differential expression of surface membrane antigens on bovine monocytes activated with recombinant cytokines and during Trypanosoma congolense infection

The expression of surface membrane antigens on peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) of cattle of the Boran and N'Dama breeds activated with recombinant cytokines (TNF-α and IFN-γ) and during experimental infection with Trypanosoma congolense was investigated using monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) and fluorescein-activated cell sorter (FACS). The surface antigens investigated were C3bi receptor, major histocompartibility (MHC) II complex (Ia antigen) and two monocyte/macrophage (MΦ) differentiation antigens. The study revealed that both cytokines caused the enhancement of the expression of all the PBM surface antigens studied. rBoIFN-γ at low concentrations was more efficient in causing the activation of PBM. While the PBM of Boran cattle were more significantly activated to express the C3bi receptor vis-a-vis the Ia antigen than N'Dama cattle, the reverse was the case with the PBM of N'Dama cattle which expressed more Ia antigens than Boran PBM. Similar results were observed during T. congolense infection in the two breeds of cattle. The significantly higher expression of C3bi receptor and correspondingly lower Ia antigen expression by the PBM of Boran cattle, both during trypanosomosis and in vitro may be responsible for the higher rate of erythrocyte phagocytosis, hence the development of more severe anaemia by Boran cattle during trypanosomosis than N'Dama. In addition, the expression of significantly higher numbers of Ia antigen by N'Dama MΦ, hence are more able to process, present and initiate better trypanosome antigen-specific immune response than Boran cattle during infection. These two attributes are known genetic characteristics of trypanotolerance in cattle.The articles have been scanned in colour with a HP Scanjet 5590; 600dpi. Adobe Acrobat v.9 was used to OCR the text and also for the merging and conversion to the final presentation PDF-format.International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).mn201

Studies on Local Knowledge and In vitro Cytotoxicity of Moringa oleifera L., Andrographis paniculata N. and Asystasia vogeliana B. Extracts

Multi-Purpose Medicinal Plants (J\.1J'v1Ps) are gaining nnprecedented attention apparently because of their potency to contribute to the prevention and treatment of myriads of diseases. As such the toxicity of many herbs including the J\.1J'v1Ps has always been a concern particularly relating to internal organs. The present study investigates the local knowledge use and in vitro cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines; BGC-823 and HeLa cells on three (MMPs); Moringo oleifero (Lam) (Moringaceae) Androgrophis poniculoto (Burm. f) and Asystasia vogeliana (Benth) (Acanthaceae). The local knowledge was collated through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) approach from selected locations in the Oke-Ogrm area of Oyo state, Nigeria. Ethanolic extracts were used for the in vitro cytotoxicity study. The extracts were screened in two cancer cell lines (BGC-823 and HeLa cells) using the Sulpha Rhodamine B (SRB) assay. For the treatment of diseases, the local knowledge shows that A. poniculoto recorded higher fidelity level on the treatment of malaria (95% ), diabetes (80% ), high blood pressure (87 .5% ), cancer and tlllllor ( 65.7% ). The infusion of A. vogeliana in combination with the leaves of Cassia alata, Cymbopogon citrutus and fruit juice of Citrus aurantifolia recorded higher fidelity level in the treatment of malaria and chronic fever (74.8%), gonorrhea (65%) and leprosy (40%) suggesting better alternative toM. oleifera and A. paniculata. The medicinal relevance of the species in the treatment of diseases such as malaria, fever, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes among others in local herbal medicine were revealed. Cytotoxicity assay on the two cell lines, BGC-823 and HeLa cells revealed that only the ethanolic extract of A. paniculata exhibited some level (moderate) of cytotoxic activity with IC50 values of 24.7 and 23.1 ).lg/mL, respectively. M. oleifera and A. vogeliana did not show any significant activity on the cell lines. The study highlights the importance of local knowledge in finding cost effective, potent and safe herbs for people and screening of the plant species for their activities against cancer cell line

Antimicrobial pattern of Ricinus communis crude extracts on bacteria isolated from Musa parasidica

This research was done to determine the antimicrobial activity of castor oil plant parts (seed and leaves) on spoilage microorganisms of plantain fruits and vis-a-vis standard antibiotics. Plantain fruits were subjected to spoilage for 7days.The spoilage bacteria were characterized and identified using conventional and modern methods. The organisms isolated include: Corynabacterium sp., Staphylococus aureus and Proteus vulgaris. Castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) leaf and seed were extracted using ethanol and water. The phytochemical analysis of plant extracts were also carried out. The antimicrobial activities of the ethanol and aqueous extracts were tested on the isolates at different concentrations (100mg/ml, 150mg/ml, 200mg/ml and 250mg/ml). The extracts were effective on the bacterial isolates with range of Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values from 25.0mg/ml -100.0mg/ml, Staphylococcus aureus at 12.5mg/ml – 100mg/ml and Proteus vulgaris at 50mg/ml- 100mg/ml. The aqueous extracts of the leaf inhibited Corynabacterium sp., and Staphylococcus aureus but it did not inhibit Proteus vulgaris. Proteus vulgaris was also not inhibited by the aqueous seed extract, Corynabacterium sp. and Staphylococcus aureus were inhibited only at higher concentrations. Antibiotic susceptibility test showed that Corynabacterium sp., was inhibited more by the ethanolic seed extract than it was inhibited by Amoxicillin at the same concentration of 250mg/ml

Community survey of childhood injuries in North-Central Nigeria

Background and purpose: Childhood injury is of great significance globally and epidemiological data on the subject in most developing countries are inadequate. Informed demographics can help direct resources toward research and programs most likely to reduce the burden.Methods: A survey to determine the prevalence, mechanism of injury, and intervention measures was conducted using pretested questionnaires distributed to consented parents/guardians of children 15 years and younger who presented at six selected hospitals (representing public and private and low or high income clientele hospitals) for healthcare needs for any reason. Results were analyzed using Epi Info (6.04) and SPSS software (version 15).Results: There were 1088 respondents comprising parents (96.5%) and guardians (3.5%). Most were 21–40 years old (86.2%) and 51.9% of them had more than three children living with them. Over 50% had witnessed injuries of their wards within the previous 12 months and about a quarter admitted that a child was injured more than once. The risk of injury was twice in the male child mainly in the 1–4 years age group. Most injuries (65.2%) occurred at home, with 98% being unintentional from falls (62.6%) and 71.9% of the times the parents witnessed the injury as it occurred. The intentional injuries (2%) followed assaults during fights among peers. Treatment was provided at home in  58.5% of children by the parents, whereas only 27.5% took their wards to the hospital; 12.6% received treatment at patent medicine stores and 1.3% from the herbal/ traditional bone setters’ home. Two deaths resulted from the injuries from fall, whereas six children had residual deformity as a result of home injury. Three-quarter (74.8%) of the respondents believed childhood injuries were preventable.Conclusion: Childhood injuries are not uncommon in the community. The significant proportions of respondents using inappropriate means of treatment and who believed that injuries are not preventable represent targets for health education and counseling in the community.Keywords: childhood injury, epidemiology, injury education, preventio

Phytochemical Screening and Antimicrobial Studies of Crateva adansonii Leaf Extract

Diverse challenges of microbial infections and upsurge of multi-drug resistant microbes informed the investigation into the phytochemical and antibacterial properties of Crateva adansonii. Cold extraction was carried out using methanol solvent. The crude extract of Crateva adansonii was fractionated into the n-hexane, methanol and chloroform layers successively. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence of alkaloids, saponins, terpenoids, flavonoids and cardiac glycosides. The antimicrobial assay showed that, for Bacillus spp, the organism was sensitive to the chloroform fraction of leaf extract at 1.562 mg/ml. For Microccocus varians, result showed organism was sensitive to the crude extract at 3.125 mg/ml. According to the result of antifungal screening, the n-hexane fraction and crude extract showed activity against Aspergillus niger at 12.500 mg/ml and 3.125 mg/ml respectively. From these results, the crude extract of the leaf of Crateva adansonii shows activity against both bacteria and Fungi; hence, it may might be a good source of new drug for treating infections caused by these pathogens