Abstract Plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration, or viral load, is an indication of the magnitude of virus replication and largely correlates with disease progression in an infected person. It is a very useful guide for initiation of therapy and monitoring of response to antiretroviral drugs. Although the majority of patients who are not on antiretroviral therapy (ART) have a high viral load, a small proportion of ART naive patients are known to maintain low levels or even undetectable viral load lev...
Abstract Bilayer tablets of aceclofenac sodium were developed using carboxymethylated whit yam (Dioscorea rotundata) starch (CWY) for a fast release layer (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5% w/w), and acid-hydrolyzed bitter yam (Dioscorea dumetorum) starch (ABY) for a sustaining layer (27% w/w). Sodium starch glycolate (SSG) and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose HPMC)were used as standards.The starches were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), particle size, swelling power, densi...
Hypertension is a multifactorial disorder because of the interaction of risk genes and environmental factors. Angiotensin II is a well-known vasoconstrictor that exerts most of its influence through the angiotensin Il type 1 receptor. The A1166C polymorphism is a single base substitution of adenine for cytosine at position 1i66 in the 3 untranslated region of the gene. There are conflicting reports on the association of the Al166C polymorphism with cardiovascular diseases such as prevalent hy...
ABSTRACT Water pans are excavated earth with embankments used as boundaries that are used to harvest surface runoff. Water pans are the main sources of water for domestic purposes in arid and semi-arid lands, however, lack of protection and water treatment of this water sources exposes the dependent communities to human health problems. This study sought to assess the microbiological water quality of water pans in relation to prevalent water-related diseases in the study area. This was achie...
ABSTRACT Adolescent pregnancy is an important public health problem on the increase in Nigeria. Few studies have investigated the circumstances and factors associated with parental decisions taken following an adolescent pregnancy, in spite of the implications of these on the adolescent. This study was designed to assess factors influencing parents‟/guardians‟ decisions on adolescent pregnancy. A mixed method study involving the use of Key Informant Interviews (KII) and semi-structure...
ABSTRACT This study sort to examine the effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) on pain intensity (PI), occurrence and control of negative thoughts in response to pain (OCNT) and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer patients who were experiencing physical pain. A pretest post-test control group quasi- experjmental research design was utilised. Ninety patients with breast cancer who were; experiencing physical pain were randomly assigned to three groups. Experimental group I received ...
ABSTRACT Accessibility to potable water is a fundamental right for dignity and well-being. In spite of this observation, over 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. This is particularly true in the Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia regions. The main aim of this study was to Assess Water and Sanitation Accessibility and Prevalence of water-related diseases in Marigat town Baringo County, Kenya. The study employed a Cross-sectional household survey. Stratified random sampl...
ABSTRACT Background: Studies have shown Hepatitis E Virus to be a causative agent of acute and chronic hepatitis in severely immunocompromised patients such as organ transplant recipients and person with HIV infection. This study was de- signed to determine the burden of HEV infection among HIV positive individuals in Nigeria and the effect of HIV treatment on the burden of HEV infection among this group of patients. Methods: Aliquot of plasma samples collected for laboratory investigations...
ABSTRACT In West Africa, artisanal gold mining competes with agriculture, more specifically crop farming and livestock keeping. Mali is not an exceptional to this observation. In Sikasso region, women and youths have been reported to abandon agricultural activities for artisanal gold mining. It is against this background that this study was conducted to assess the factors that influenced households to be engaged in artisanal gold mining, to evaluate its impacts on water quality, subsistence ...
ABSTRACT Lake Baringo waters and sediments are being impacted negatively by metal contaminants sourced from the lake’s watershed posing a human and environmental health concern. The main objective was to determine the concentration of heavy metals cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) in water and sediments, and to characterize sediments in terms of grain size and total organic carbon and relate them to the heavy metal levels encountered at the sampled sites. 5 sites were s...
ABSTRACT East African Sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata) is a dioecious shrub growing to 1-7 m tall depending on environmental factors and genetic variation. Sandalwood is widely exploited for extraction of oil, which is used in the fragrance, perfumery and pharmaceutical industries. Efforts are being made to domesticate the species in order to reduce pressure from its natural habitat. However, little is known in regard to its ecological factors, range of oil yields and quality across its distri...
ABSTRACT Background: Cancer is often associated with a lot of pain and suffering. These suggest that coping with the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a major life stressor that is capable of influencing patients’ quality of life (QoL). Purpose: The purpose of the study is to assess the relationship between cancer patients QoL dimensions and coping strategies in the Radiotherapy Department of the University College Hospital Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: Data were collected on cl...
ABSTRACT Heavy metal pollution in the environment is a problem experienced all over the world. Whereas heavy metals exist naturally in the environment, heavy metal pollution is associated with anthropogenic activities. Pollution studies reveal that the aquatic ecosystems in Kenya and the fish that inhabit these ecosystems are contaminated with heavy metals. Literature also reveals that exposure to levels of heavy metals above the recommended doses may possibly cause various adverse health ef...
Introduction Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, tear instability) is a disorder of the tear film due to tear deficiency or excessive evaporation and is associated with symptoms of discomfort and ocular irritation such as feeling hot, dry, gritty or sandy, burning, smarting sensation, itching, watering or tearing.1,2 Dry eye is one of the commonest afflictions affecting humans, especially the aged. It has been observed that over half of the adult population and a large number of teenagers pr...
ABSTRACT Nzoia River Drainage Basin is a major sugar production region in Kenya. Various pesticides are applied in this area to control weeds and boost sugar productivity. However, use of herbicides for weed control leads to increased chemical loads in the environment whose effects could be disastrous to the biotic component. The use of pesticide adapted microorganisms in the degradation and detoxification of many toxic xenobiotics, especially pesticides, is an efficient tool for the deconta...