Effects of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme in the liver in fructose induced metabolic syndrome rat model

Excessive expression and activity of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme type 1 (11β-HSD1) enzyme in mature adipocyte leads to obesity and metabolic syndrome. Fructose in drinking water was proven to induce metabolic syndrome in male Wistar rat. Hence, the aim of the study was to assess the effects of expression and activity of 11β-HSD1 enzyme in the liver in an established metabolic syndrome rat model induced by fructose drinking water. Twelve male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: Control group, C (n=6) and Fructose drinking water 20%, F20 (n=6). The food and fluid intake were given as ad libitum for eight weeks. At the end of the experiment, the expression of 11β-HSD1 enzyme in the liver was measured by immunohistochemical staining method. The score was given according to the intensity of the staining of the granules in the hepatocyte cytoplasm which was measured using double-blinded method. Meanwhile, the activity of 11β-HSD1 enzyme in the liver was measured using ELISA technique. Following eight weeks of consumption of fructose drinking water, the F20 group showed an increased in both expression and activity of 11β-HSD1 in the liver. The obtained data clearly suggest that 11β-HSD1 enzymes in the liver may play a role in the development of metabolic syndrome and its complications in male Wistar rat

Decision making in management of proximal fifth metatarsal fracture: a short review

Fifth metatarsal bone fracture is one of the most commonest fractures of the foot. The decision for surgical or conservative approach is still inconclusive. Scoring system, decision analysis model and classification system are established to weigh between surgical and conservation approaches. Its unique anatomy and surgical complication influence decision on optimal surgical approach. Therefore, the present review attempts to look at factors that might influence decision making in management of fifth metatarsal fracture

Metabolic Syndrome Disorders In Urban Black Zimbabweans With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

A CAJM field study.Objective: The main aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome disorders and their interrelations in black Zimbabwean type 2 diabetic patients. Study Design: Prospective cross sectional study. Setting: Outpatient diabetic clinics at Harare and Parirenyatwa tertiary hospitals. Main Outcome Measures: We recruited 109 adult diabetic subjects attending a tertiary hospital Diabetic Clinic. Anthropometric and metabolic parameters were measured by standard methods. Eighty percent of the patients were hypertensive, 32% dyslipidaemic, 32% obese, 50% hyperinsulinaemic, 61% had poor • glycaemic control and 43% of the participants had the metabolic syndrome. The means of BMI and triglycerides were significantly different in hyperinsulinaemic versus non-hyperinsulinaemic patients (p<0.001 and 0.041 respectively), and diastolic blood pressure was significantly raised in the obese group (p=0.043). The following significant associations were observed, hyperinsulinaemia with the metabolic syndrome (odds ratio=3.9, p<0.001) as well with obesity (odds ratio=4.8, p<0.001), however, only a weak association was observed between hypertension and hyperinsulinaemia (odds ratio=2.5, p=0.064). Patients exhibiting three metabolic disorders (dyslipidaemia, hypertension and obesity) were five times more likely to be hyperinsulinaemic (p=0.025) and hypertensive patients were almost three times more likely to, be hyperinsulinaemic. Conclusion: In comparison to their counterparts from certain ethnic groups, this urban diabetic population is also burdened with a variety of metabolic disorders which are risk factors for coronary artery disease. In this population, hyperinsulinaemia has a relatively weak association with hypertension and the relationship between obesity versus diastolic blood pressure as well as hypertriglyceridaemia versus serum insulin levels requires further investigation

Connecting species’ geographical distributions to environmental variables: range maps versus observed points of occurrence

Connecting the geographical occurrence of a species with underlying environmental variables is fundamental for many analyses of life history evolution and for modeling species distributions for both basic and practical ends. However, raw distributional information comes principally in two forms: points of occurrence (specific geographical coordinates where a species has been observed), and expert-prepared range maps. Each form has potential short-comings: range maps tend to overestimate the true occurrence of a species, whereas occurrence points (because of their frequent non-random spatial distribution) tend to underestimate it. Whereas previous comparisons of the two forms have focused on how they may differ when estimating species richness, less attention has been paid to the extent to which the two forms actually differ in their representation of a species’ environmental associations. We assess such differences using the globally distributed avian order Galliformes (294 species). For each species we overlaid range maps obtained from IUCN and point-of-occurrence data obtained from GBIF on global maps of four climate variables and elevation. Over all species, the median difference in distribution centroids was 234 km, and median values of all five environmental variables were highly correlated, although there were a few species outliers for each variable. We also acquired species’ elevational distribution mid-points (mid-point between minimum and maximum elevational extent) from the literature; median elevations from point occurrences and ranges were consistently lower (median −420 m) than mid-points. We concluded that in most cases occurrence points were likely to produce better estimates of underlying environmental variables than range maps, although differences were often slight. We also concluded that elevational range mid-points were biased high, and that elevation distributions based on either points or range maps provided better estimates

Hepatitis C virus in Zimbabwe

A research article on the prevalence of the Hepatitis C virus in ZimbabweLiver disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Zimbabwe, accounting for more than six per cent of the deaths in three medical wards of Harare Central Hospital (IT Gangaidzo, 1994, unpublished observations). In western countries, HCV infection is the most common cause of chronic viral hepatitis and ranks a slight second below chronic alcoholism as a cause of cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatom

Lung function in South African children with cystic fibrosis

Objective: To determine the pattern of lung function in stable cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and to investigate the relationship of abnormal lung function to demographic variables, CF genotype and pulmonary colonisation with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA)Design: A descriptive study done at the CF clinic at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town.Methods: Data were recorded and pulmonary function testing (PFT) was performed in 42 CF patients.Results: 29 patients (69%) had mild disease,. while 11 (26%) and 2 (5%) had moderate and severe disease respectively. Twenty-four patients (57'%) demonstrated lower airway obstruction (LAO). Patients with moderate or severe disease were significantly older than those with mild disease (13.3 (3.7) years (mean (SD)) compared with 11.1 (3.0) years (t =2.1; P =OM)). PA colonisation status differed significantly with the pattern of lung function (X2 =6.6; P = 0.04) and severity of lung disease (X2=12.6; P =0.002.). Nine (35%) of the 26 patients tested before and after broncbodilator therapy showed a positive response.Conclusion: The majority of patients had mildly impaired or normal lung function, with LAO predominating. A minority of patients were bronchodilator-responsive. PA colonisation may be associated with the development of abnormal lung function and more severe pulmonary disease.

Advances in the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected and HIV-Uninfected Children

The identification of improved diagnostic tests for tuberculosis has been identified as a global research priority. Over the past decade, there has been renewed interest in the development and validation of novel diagnostic tools for pulmonary tuberculosis that are applicable to resource-poor settings. These techniques are aimed primarily at improving detection of the organism or a specific host immune response. Although most studies have focused on determining the accuracy of novel tests in adults, it is likely they will also have the capacity to significantly improve the diagnosis of childhood tuberculosis. Improving the quality of clinical samples obtained from children with suspected tuberculosis remains an important research priority while awaiting validation of novel diagnostic tests. This review will focus on a number of recent developments for the diagnosis of tuberculosis, with a specific emphasis on the application of these new tests to children in settings where tuberculosis is endemic

Seasonal abundance of small cladocerans in Lake Mangakaware, Waikato, New Zealand

The seasonal changes in the dynamics and life histories of the Cladocera in Lake Mangakaware, North Island, New Zealand, were studied over 19 months by sampling at weekly or 2-weekly intervals. Lake Mangakaware is a 13.3 ha polymictic lake with high nutrient status, low Secchi disc transparencies, and an unstable thermal regime. The four planktonic cladoceran species (Bosmina longirostris, B. meridionalis, Ceriodaphnia pulchella, and C. dubia) exhibited disjunct population maxima. Only B. longirostris was perennially present. All species exhibited low fecundities and low lipid content, indicating that food resources were limited and that competitive interactions and resistance to starvation were probably important in determining species success. Increases in body size in cooler seasons were unrelated to clutch size, giving further support for the view that available food was limited. These results are consistent with previous experimental findings that subtle differences in life history can determine seasonal success and the outcome of competition between similar species

Boosting BCG with recombinant modified vaccinia ankara expressing antigen 85A: Different boosting intervals and implications for efficacy trials

Objectives. To investigate the safety and immunogenicity of boosting BCG with modified vaccinia Ankara expressing antigen 85A (MVA85A), shortly after BCG vaccination, and to compare this first with the immunogenicity of BCG vaccination alone and second with a previous clinical trial where MVA85A was administered more than 10 years after BCG vaccination. Design. There are two clinical trials reported here: a Phase I observational trial with MVA85A; and a Phase IV observational trial with BCG. These clinical trials were all conducted in the UK in healthy, HIV negative, BCG naı¨ve adults. Subjects were vaccinated with BCG alone; or BCG and then subsequently boosted with MVA85A four weeks later (short interval). The outcome measures, safety and immunogenicity, were monitored for six months. The immunogenicity results from this short interval BCG prime–MVA85A boost trial were compared first with the BCG alone trial and second with a previous clinical trial where MVA85A vaccination was administered many years after vaccination with BCG. Results. MVA85A was safe and highly immunogenic when administered to subjects who had recently received BCG vaccination. When the short interval trial data presented here were compared with the previous long interval trial data, there were no significant differences in the magnitude of immune responses generated when MVA85A was administered shortly after, or many years after BCG vaccination. Conclusions. The clinical trial data presented here provides further evidence of the ability of MVA85A to boost BCG primed immune responses. This boosting potential is not influenced by the time interval between prior BCG vaccination and boosting with MVA85A. These findings have important implications for the design of efficacy trials with MVA85A. Boosting BCG induced anti-mycobacterial immunity in either infancy or adolescence are both potential applications for this vaccine, given the immunological data presented here. Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.Oxford University was the sponsor for all the clinical trials reported here