Effect of Ethanoic Extract of Treculia Africana Seeds on Total Cholesterol, Total Protein, and Nitric Oxide

Treculia africana is well known and eaten by the people of South-South and South-East region of Nigeria. T. africana can be eaten alone or process and combine it with other fruits. It is nutritious and provide natural bioactive substance to the body. This study was aim to evaluate the Effect of Ethanoic Extract of Treculia africana Seeds on Total Cholesterol, Total Protein, and Nitric Oxide. It was an experimental research. 20 male rats were randomly selected into four groups (control, low dose, moderate dose and high dose groups) with five animals per group.  Group A served as control and received only water and pellet feed, Group B (low dose) received 250mg/kg, group C (moderate dose) received 300mg/kgand group D (high dose) received 350mg/kg of aqueous extract of Treculia africana seed respectively. The extract was administered orally to the rats once a day for a period of 10days. On the 11th day, the animals were anaesthetized with chloroform soaked in cotton wool and blood tissues were collected. The results revealed that,there is significantly increase in the serum levels of total protein in all the treated groups when compared with control (Total protein control 51.40±0.51, low dose 61.60±0.51* medium dose 71.60±0.51*, and 71.80±1.07*). Total cholesterol significantly decreased when both medium and high dose were administered when compared with control (Total cholesterol control 2.34±0.05, medium dose 1.90±0.07*, high dose 1.96±0.19*). Also, nitric oxide significantly increases serum levels in the groups treated with T. africana when compared with control (Nitric oxide control 7.16±0.14, low dose 8.98±0.09*, medium dose 8.50±0.15* and high dose 8.02±0.11*)

Characterizing the immune microenvironment in high-risk ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast

PURPOSE: The recent increase in the incidence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has sparked debate over the classification and treatment of this disease. Although DCIS is considered a precursor lesion to invasive breast cancer, some DCIS may have more or less risk than is realized. In this study, we characterized the immune microenvironment in DCIS to determine if immune infiltrates are predictive of recurrence. METHODS: Fifty-two cases of high-grade DCIS (HG-DCIS), enriched for large lesions and a history of recurrence, were age matched with 65 cases of non-high-grade DCIS (nHG-DCIS). Immune infiltrates were characterized by single- or dual-color staining of FFPE sections for the following antigens: CD4, CD8, CD20, FoxP3, CD68, CD115, Mac387, MRC1, HLA-DR, and PCNA. Nuance multispectral imaging software was used for image acquisition. Protocols for automated image analysis were developed using CellProfiler. Immune cell populations associated with risk of recurrence were identified using classification and regression tree analysis. RESULTS: HG-DCIS had significantly higher percentages of FoxP3(+) cells, CD68(+) and CD68(+)PCNA(+) macrophages, HLA-DR(+) cells, CD4(+) T cells, CD20(+) B cells, and total tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) compared to nHG-DCIS. A classification tree, generated from 16 immune cell populations and 8 clinical parameters, identified three immune cell populations associated with risk of recurrence: CD8(+)HLADR(+) T cells, CD8(+)HLADR(−) T cells, and CD115(+) cells. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the tumor immune microenvironment is an important factor in identifying DCIS cases with the highest risk for recurrence and that manipulating the immune microenvironment may be an efficacious strategy to alter or prevent disease progression