ABSTRACT Iron deficiency anaemia contributes to 50% cases of anaemia and it remains a concern in the public health sector in sub-Saharan Africa and children under five years are at risk. It is associated with poor cognitive development and affects growth of preschool children. The interventions in most of sub-Saharan Africa focus on the improvement of hemoglobin (Hb) levels but it is not clear if Hb and iron levels relate in areas where there are multi-factorial causes of anaemia. The preval...
ABSTRACT Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by increased adipose tissue mass due to positive energy balance. The epidemic of obesity is currently on the rise probably due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles combined with easy availability of palatable, high-fat foods. It presents modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairements, anxiety and motor deficits. Globally, its prevalence has shown a startling increase in all age groups and have been associated with increased mo...
ABSTRACT In Kenya, diabetes mellitus is of health concern to the public, because it causes substantial morbidity, mortality, and long-term complications. Synthetic drugs used in the management of diabetes are unavailable, have numerous side effects and are expensive. Many plants such as Piper capense, Berberis holstii, Sonchus asper, Vernonia lasiopus and Galinsoga parviflora used traditionally to manage many diseases including diabetes mellitus but their efficacy and safety after long-term ...
ABSTRACT Extremely high body temperatures lead to destruction of body cells while excessive inflammation cause damage to body tissues and organs, therefore, the need to treat fever and inflammation. Conventional treatment is associated with many side effects hence the need for a treatment option that is more tolerable. Herbal medicines such as X. americana are arguably associated with minimal side effects. Ximenia americana is widely used as folk medicine in Africa to treat various disorders ...
ABSTRACT Oxidative stress is a state of imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants in the body. It is the main cause of several disease conditions such as diabetes, different types of cancers, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and aging. Oxidative stress is managed by use of antioxidants which can be obtained in the diet or given as supplements. Antioxidants are substances with the ability to prevent oxidation of other molecules in the body by free radicals. Antioxidants react with ...
ABSTRACT Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are ubiquitous blood feeding ectoparasites that infest humans and animals and are vectors of pathogenic micro-organism of rickettsial, bacterial, viral and protozoal origin that cause severe infectious diseases in humans and livestock. Wild herbivores support a large population of these vectors and accurate and quick identification of ticks is therefore important. Morphological identification based on phenotypic criteria has been the main approach but the...
ABSTRACT The protective and antioxidant properties of Aqueous Anti-ulcer Drug (AQAUD) against Aspirin-induced gastric ulcers in albino rats were investigated. In this study, thirty male albino rats were divided into five groups. Rats in group I served as normal control and received food and water. Animals in group II received food and water in addition to aspirin 400mg/kg.b.wt orally on the 14th day. Rats in groups III, IV and V received “AQAUD” 250mg/kg.b.wt, 500mg/kg.b.wt and Omeprazol...
ABSTRACT Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) are enzymes that mediate resistance to βlactam antibiotics by opening the beta-lactam ring of penicillin derived antibiotics, and another family of antibiotics, rendering them inactive against the bacteria they are intended to kill. The ESBLs were first identified in 1939 and since then, they have proliferated worldwide and have been found in a number of different bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumonia, and Escherichia coli among others. Th...
ABSTRACT Rice is the third major food crop in Kenya and, its production is estimated at 129,000 tons which is below the annual national demand of 548,000 tons. Kenya rice yields per hectare are very low compared to major producers like China. Basmati (B) varieties, B370 and B217, are preferred by most rice consumers and are cultivated as a cash crop by 98.8% of Mwea rice farmers. This is because they have strong aroma. Due to the demand, basmati rice command high premium prices locally and in...
ABSTRACT Kenya has the fourth largest HIV epidemic in the world with adult prevalence of 5.9% (2016) (UNAIDS). Currently 80% of HIV patients access ARVs, while the rest do not due to stigma and traditional beliefs. In the coast of Kenya some patients seek alternative treatments to manage HIV/AIDS. Pwani herbs clinic in Mombasa is a popular clinic that dispenses herbal medicines to manage HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, these medicines have not been subjected to formal clinical research to ascert...
ABSTRACT The potentiality for use of catechin levels in selection for drought tolerance ability in clones of tea Camellia sinensis (L) O. Kuntze was studied. The study reported herein was carried out in Tea Research Foundation of Kenya (TRFK) between June 2011 and March 2012. Ten clones of tea known to vary in drought tolerance were screened. The experiment was conducted in an open field over three seasons. The treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design and replicated...
ABSTRACT Both HIV and TB as well as substance use cause profound dysregulation in the production of inflammatory cytokines such as adiponectin, interleukin-10 (IL-10) and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ). Although there are marked immunologic alterations in HIV and TB co-infected patients, IFN-γ, IL-10 and adiponectin levels, and their association with clinical correlates of disease such as CD4 counts, HIV-1 viral loads and BMI has not been examined in Kenyan HIV and TB co-infected non-injection su...
Abstract Water soluble components derived from black tea contain active antibacterial compounds, that can be utilized in combined antibiotic-herb therapy to combat bacterial resistance. This strategy is more advantageuos than using single therapy as it is more effective and has minimal side effects. However, it is not clear if the major bioactive compounds interacts with other water soluble compounds, which inturn affects their interaction with antibiotics. This research therefore aimed at co...
ABSTRACT Due to an increased risk of malaria during pregnancy, WHO recommends a strategic framework for malaria prevention and control during pregnancy in areas of stable transmission in Africa such as Malawi. One of the central policies is intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP). However, the emergence of SP resistance calls into question its effectiveness for IPTp. It has recently been demonstrated that 12 years after the withdrawal of chlor...
ABSTRACT Striga species are parasitic weeds, one of the most devastating biological constraint threatening agriculture especially production of cereals in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), causing approximately 30% to near crop failure, thus endangering the livelihood of more than 300 million poor smallholder famers. One way of combating Striga is having natural host resistance which is cost effective and efficient for tolerance to phytopathogenic damages. Such resistance can either be due to fai...