Prevalence of raised body mass indices and the association with high blood pressure and hyperglycaemia in the rural black population of Ga-Mothapo village, Capricorn District of Limpopo province

Objective: To assess the prevalence of elevated body mass index and to establish whether there was an association between raised body mass index (BMI) and high blood pressure (BP) and hyperglycaemia in the rural population of Ga- Mothapo village, Limpopo province.Design: Cross-sectional and prospective in nature.Setting: Ga-Mothapo village, a rural settlement with a population of 11 000, situated in the Capricorn region of Limpopo province, approximately 28 km east of Polokwane.Subjects: The study sample comprised 382 participants, of whom 286 were females (74.9%) and 96 males (25.1%), aged 18-65 years.Outcome measures: Fasting blood glucose samples were analysed using the ILab 300 Plus®. BP pressure was measured using an automatic BP monitor. Height and weight were measured using a height-measuring rod and weighing scale, respectively. The BMI was calculated.Results: The overall prevalence rates of overweight, obesity, high BP and hyperglycaemia were 30.6%, 23.6%, 27% and 11.8%, respectively. The prevalence rates of overweight, obesity, high BP and hyperglycaemia in females were 34.6%, 29.4%, 27.3% and 13.6% respectively. They were 18%, 6.3%, 26.1% and 6.3%, in the males, respectively.Conclusion: The study revealed high prevalence rates of raised BMI, high BP and hyperglycaemia in the Ga-Mothapo population. Females had higher prevalence rates of raised BMI and hyperglycaemia than males. The study highlighted the fact that raised BMI and hyperglycaemia were significantly associated with high BP.Keywords: overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, hyperglycaemia, rural black populatio

Antimicrobial And Anti-Inflammatory Activities Of Pleurostylia Capensis Turcz (Loes) (Celastraceae).

Background: Pleurostylia capensis is a large tree that can reach the maximum height of 20 m long, and it have been traditionally used as cosmetic, for steam bath, ritual body wash, and as a purgative to treat symptoms of witchcraft. Using ethanol, chloroform, dichloromethane (DCM), ethyl acetate (EA), and water extracts, leaves, bark and roots of Pleurostylia capensis were investigated scientifically for their effectiveness in antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities using standard methodsMaterials and Methods: The extracts were evaluated for antimicrobial activity against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Mycobacterium smegmatis), Gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Klebsiella oxytoca, Streptococcus pyogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium), and Candida albicans. The antioxidant activity was investigated using 2, 2-diphenlyl-1- picrylhadrazyl (DPPH), free radical scavenging assay. The anti-inflammatory activity of P. capensis extracts was evaluated against both cyclooxygenase enzymes (COX 1 and 2).Results: The ethyl acetate extracts of P. capensis showed a strong antimicrobial activity against B. cereus, K. pneumonia, S. pyogenes, and M. smegmatis with MIC value of 0.39 and 0.78 mg/ml. While the ethanol bark extract was most active against M. smegmatis with MIC value of 0.78 mg/ml; the least potent activity was observed with dichloromethane, chloroform and water extracts, with an MIC value ranging from 1.56 mg/ml to 50.0 mg/ml. The plant extracts proved to be good antioxidant agent, whereas extracts of ethanol were the most active, with IC50 ranging from 1.00 to 1.74 μg/ml, which is lower, and in close range to Vitamin C (1.40 μg/ml).Conclusions: Its moderation to potent inhibitory activity was observed in all extracts. Ethanol and dichloromethane extracts were among the most potent when compared to water and petroleum ether extracts. The water extracts showed to be nontoxic on the Hek cell line with an IC50 value of 204.0, and 207.3 μg/ml (roots and bark) respectively. The dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, chloroform and ethanol extracts showed to be toxic on the Hek cell, with IC50 range from 5.94 to 42.91μg/ml. The results obtained indicate the effectiveness of these plants.Keywords: Pleurostylia capensis (P.capensis); 2, 2-diphenlyl-1-picrylhadrazyl (DPPH); Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC); Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC); Cyclooxygenase (COX)

Homocysteine levels in individuals with and without metabolic syndrome in a rural black community of Ga-Mothapo in the Limpopo Province, South Africa

Metabolic syndrome (MS) represents a major public health problem that should be identified in individuals. By prediction, about 300 million people will have developed MS by 2030. The purpose of the study was to determine the levels of homocysteine (Hcy) in individuals and compare these levels in MS and non-MS individuals and, to determine the relationship between MS and Hcy. The study was cross-sectional, prospective and quantitative. The sample consisted of 382 individuals aged 18-65 years. Fasting blood samples were analysed for glucose, triglycerides and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol using ILab 300 Plus Chemistry System Analyser. Homocysteine was determined using the Beckman Coulter SYNCHRON System Analyser. Blood pressure was measured using the Omron MI-5 device. Diagnosis of MS was done according to National Cholesterol Education Programme criteria. The mean ages (years) of participants were 52.50 ± 11.067 and 35.76 ± 14.886 for MS and non-MS, respectively (p = 0.000). Homocysteine levels were 10.68 ± 3.433 μmol/L and 9.23 ± 2.924 μmol/L for MS and non-MS, respectively (p = 0.000). Metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with Hcy (r=0.132, p = 0.010). In bivariate regression, age, systolic and diastolic blood pressures and triglycerides increased the likelihood of hyperhomocysteinaemia by 1.07 times (p = 0.000), 1.03 times (p = 0.000), 1.05 times (p = 0.004) and 7.15 times (p = 0.020), respectively. In multivariate modelling age was a significant predictor of hyperhomocystenaemia. The study indicated significantly high levels of Hcy in MS than in non-MS (p = 0.010) and significant association of Hcy with MS.Keywords: Homocysteinaemia, metabolic syndrome, hyperglycaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, HDL-C, hypertension