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...
ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. The disorder completely throws the metabolism of dietary carbohydrates, lipids and proteins into disarray. This condition in its fully developed form is characterized by high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia), glycosuria, increased protein breakdown, ketosis and acidosis. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition which can be con...
ABSTRACT The emergence of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has led to dramatic improvements in prolonging survival of HIV-infected patients on treatment in resource-limited areas. However, the main drawback of HAART that long-term use has the potential to cause liver and kidney derangements that may be life-threatening. These important complications sometimes warrant switch or discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy. Information on the prevalence of the above complications in Ke...
ABSTRACT Malaria and HIV/AIDS have a wide geographical overlap in several tropical regions. This makes co-infection of the two diseases very common. Due to enhanced global coverage of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), HIV/AIDS patients are under ARVs including protease inhibitors (PIs). Just like HIV, malaria parasite also depend on proteases in their life cycle. Therefore, PIs against HIV could offer some level of antimalarial activity by targeting the parasite proteases. This study sought to in...
ABSTRACT Assesment of hematological parameters and serum lipid profiles can be used to explain blood related functions of a plant extract. The blood can act as pathological reflector and also as an indicator of the physiological state of an animal. Hematological and lipid related disorders are increasingly on the rise while conventional management of these disorders are not easily accessible. This has prompted an increased use of medicinal plants which are readily available in the management ...
ABSTRACT The ameliorative potential of Psidium guajava leaf ethanol extract on Paraquat induced toxicity and oxidative stress in Albino Rats were investigated. Thirty (30) healthy male wistar rats were divided into five groups of six animals each. Group 1 served as the normal control (NC) and received normal saline, Group 2 (Intoxicated control) received 3.5mg/kg of paraquat. Group 3 (PG200) received 200mg/kg PG leaf extract + 3.5mg/kg PQ, Group 4 (PG400) received 400mg/kg PG leaf extract + ...
ABSTRACT Specific and sensitive tests for the detection and typing of rotavirus strains are essential for a more assessment of the epidemiology of rotaviral infection in a community. In this study, 200 stool specimens obtained from October, 1999 to March, 2000 from neonates at the Babies Unit of the Korle-Bu teaching and Legon Hospitals were examined. Group A rotavirus was detected in 30% and Non-group A in 2.5% of the samples tested by either enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for th...
ABSTRACT Background: Diarrhoea remains an important public health problem and is the second leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children throughout the world, especially in developing countries. In Ghana, diarrhoea is the third common cause of hospital attendance of young children. It is responsible for 13.1% of hospitalizations among these children and an annual average of 5, 193 deaths in children under 5 years of age. Bacterial enteropathogenic agents of diarrhoea and mechanisms r...
ABSTRACT This study involved the isolation, purification and characterisation of the bioactive phytochemicals from the ethanolic extract of young twigs and leaves of C. bonduc, the determination of the antimalarial activity of each isolated phytochemical, and the investigation of their in vivo toxicological effects. Further extractions were carried out using petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, butanol and water. Bioassay-guided fractionations of petroleum ether and ethyl acetate fractions were c...
ABSTRACT Tea is one of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages worlwide, and a leading foreign exchange earner and source of livelihood to over three million people in Kenya. Tea growing areas in Kenya often experience drought periods which cause accumulated soil water deficits. Tea plants respond to water deficit through poorly understood physiological, cellular/biochemical and molecular processes. Development of tea cultivars adapted to waterdeficit stress greatly relies on an understandi...
ABSTRACT Late stage Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is manifested by brain degeneration following infection by Trypanasoma brucei rhodensiense and Trypanasoma brucei gambiense parasites. This stage can only be treated with melarsoprol (Mel B) which inadvertently induces Post Treatment Reactive Encephalopathy (PTRE) and a mortality of 5% among HAT infected patients. This is an unacceptable mortality for a modern human drug. Investigations were conducted to establish the protective role of...
ABSTRACT Coprophilous fungi are abundant species found in dung of most wild animals, and an easily available and abundant tool for studying and monitoring ecosystem changes. The focus of this study was to characterize two genera of coprophilous fungi, Pilobolus and Ascobolus. These fungi are important in decomposing and recycling of nutrients from animal waste. Ascobolus fungi are important in genetic studies and have been identified as a source of enzymes and antibiotics. Pilobolus fungi pl...