Research Article
Dec 23, 2022
Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma (CMM) is a life threatening disease whose incidence and mortality rates have risen rapidly in the White Caucasian population in recent decades. The aim of the current study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in genes involved in DNA-repair and detoxification of reactive metabolites and the development of CMM. The patient cohort consisted of 69 individuals while the control population consisted of 100 individuals. We found a statistically significant association between the presence of the wild type NQO1 C allele, MDHFR C T, TS 1494 del6, TSER polymorphisms and development of CMM (P=0.04; odds ratio=2.35). The NQO1 CC genotype was more strongly associated with CMM development (P=0.016; odds ratio=2.92). The NQO1 gene codes for a protein that has been widely considered to be protective through its ability to detoxify quinones. However recent studies have also linked it to an important source of reactive oxygen and to NF-κB-dependent proliferation of cultured melanoma cells. In conclusion these results link molecular epidemiology and experimental evidence for the role of the NQO1 gene product in development of CMM. MDHFR and TS in Folic acid metabolism are responsible for methylation of methyl group. Two important roles of folate ‘related to this study’ are the conversion of homocysteine to methionine and the generation of Thymidylate (dTMP) which is required for DNA synthesis. According to many studies done at this area, folate deficiency has been associated with chromosome strand breaks, impaired DNA repair, DNA hypomethylation and hypermethylation all of which have been associated with cancer cell formation. The result of study shows, MTHFR C 677 T and TS 6bp deletion/insertion are not related to increased risk of CMM and therefore have no effect on an individual’s susceptibility.
Research Article
Nov 11, 2022
Background: Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is one of malignant hematologic disorders arises from hematopoietic stem cells. BCR-ABL transcript levels on the international scale at 3 and 6 months are defined as indicators of the early efficacy of first line TKI treatment. Aim To investigate the impact of Early Molecular Response (EMR; BCR-ABL ≤ 10% on the International scale at 3 or 6 months) on outcome of the newly diagnosed CML in chronic phase treated with Nilotinib. Patients and Methods: The study was enrolled from 2018 to 2020 at Nasser Institute for Research and Treatment. This is a prospective cohort study done on 94 newly diagnosed CML cases in Chronic Phase. Results: A statistically significant difference was detected between patients not achieved EMR with peripheral blasts ≥ 5%, when compared to others achieved EMR with peripheral blasts <5% (P<0.001). 75% of patients not achieved EMR were ≥ 55 years age at diagnosis; and 90% of patients achieved EMR were<55 years of age at diagnosis with (P<0.001). 25% of cases not achieved EMR were compliant, while other cases achieved EMR were compliant with (P<0.001).Overall survival remained higher in patients who achieved EMR (N=90) compared to patients who did not achieve EMR (N=4) (P=0.0001). Conclusion: EMR is an important prognostic significance for CML patients received treatment with Nilotinib. Patients suffered with who achieved EMR had significantly better outcome. Achieving MR3.0 should be the aim in patents with CML- CP who have a 3-month BCR-ABL ≤ 10% and 6-month BCR-ABL ≤ 10%.
Research Article
Nov 01, 2022
A cross sectional study was conducted in Worabe town, Southern Ethiopia, to assess milk handling practice, determine physicochemical properties and evaluate the microbial quality of raw cow milk produced in the town. Three kebele were purposely selected based on their dairy production potential one kebele from town two kebele from rural. A total of 120 dairy farms consisting of crossbred dairy cattle were selected. The result of the survey indicates that the majority of the respondents (86.7%) follow milking procedures that include washing hands and utensils before and after milking, while 91.7% of the producers wash the udder and teats before milking. Majority of the respondents (100%) used purchased feeds in the farm and the main source of water was tap water. A total of 30 raw milk samples were collected and laboratory work was conducted to determine microbial load. The results of overall means revealed that 4.54 ± 0.67 cfu/ml total bacteria count, 2.95 ± 0.44 cfu/ml ColiForm count and 2.63 ± 0.46 cfu/ml yeast and mould count. There was a significance variation (p<0.001) for total bacteria count and yeast and mould among the three kebele no significance difference for ColiForm count. The result revealed that overall mean for specific gravity (density), water, fat, protein, solid-non-fat and total solid milk samples were 1.02 ± 0.02, 88.54 ± 1.51, 3.54 ± 0.76, 3.23 ± 0.61, 8.15 ± 3.00 and 11.46 ± 1.51 respectively. Except SNF and TS the physicochemical property of milk from all milk production was under the acceptable level. The microbial quality raw milk produced by the milk shed was poor. Therefore, to ensure safety and quality of milk and health of the public, strict hygienic practice should be followed during milk production and handling.
Case Report
Oct 25, 2022
Rigidity and Multifocal Seizure Syndrome, Lethal Neonatal (RMFSL, OMIM#614498), is caused by mutations of the BRAT1 gene. Our patient had the typical syndromes of RMFSL, and Trio whole exome sequencing (trio-WES) identified a homozygous synonymous variant (BRAT1:C.1395 (exon10) G>C). Given that the pathogenicity of synonymous mutation (p.Thr465Thr) is most likely underestimated, a further transcriptional study of the father showed that C.1395 (exon10) G>C mutation would result in abnormal splicing, which caused the exon 10 skipping and affected protein features. We first confirmed the pathogenicity of the synonymous mutation of BRAT1 using a transcriptional study.
Review Article
Aug 11, 2022
Genome methylation is a fundamental regulatory process of gene expression carried out by DNA Methyl Transferase enzymes (DNMTs), and constitutes one of the main epigenetic modifications. This modification is characterized for being stable and reversible, making it possible to establish global or gene-specific hypomethylation, which has been linked to alterations in physiological processes and the development of different pathologies. In this context, Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (CNCD) have become important due to their high prevalence worldwide, and hypomethylation is highly evident in this kind of disease, which generates alterations in gene expression that are related to the onset and development of these diseases; therefore, it is fundamental to establish a relationship with the environment, which is able to influence epigenetics, making it possible to establish preventive measures for the establishment of CNCD.
Case Report
Jul 27, 2022
Background: A clinical case of initially metastatic primary multiple cancers of the ascending and descending parts of the colon, which developed associated with familial adenomatous polyposis is presented. Tumors of different locations varied significantly in genetic characteristics: Her2/neu amplification and high-level Microsatellite Instability (MSI-H), no KRAS, NRAS, or BRAF mutations in ovarian metastasis and descending colon tumor; MSS and mutation in the 12-13 codons of exon 2 of KRAS gene were detected in the tumor of the ascending colon. Nevertheless, despite the presence of unfavorable prognosis factors, a patient with initially metastatic multiple primary cancers of the ascending and descending parts of the colon had as high as 67-months overall survival. Familial adenomatous polyposis caused by abnormalities in APC gene is detected in about 1% of patients with colorectal cancer. The prognostic significance of this mutation is extremely high; the risk of developing colorectal cancer in the first 40 years of life is 100%. Clinical case: A rare case of the detection of multiple primary metastatic colon adenocarcinomas associated with familial adenomatous polyposis is presented. The tumor of the ascending colon was microsatellite stable, with KRAS mutation. The tumor of the descending colon had rather rare genetic characteristics high-level microsatellite instability, HER2/neu amplification, and the absence of RAS and BRAF mutations. Metastases also had different characteristics. An unusual slow disease progression in the absence of pronounced clinical effects of drug therapy is noted. The patient with initially metastatic colon cancer survived more than 5.5 years. Conclusion: This review affirms the alertness of the attending physicians regarding the possible development of multiple tumors with genetic heterogeneity of both primary and metastatic manifestations of colon cancer in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis.
Research Article
Jul 27, 2022
Eucalyptus essential oil is an important aroma-therapeutic agent in the treatment of diverse diseases and ailments in human and animals. The aim of this study was to determine the composition and pharmacological properties of the seed essential oil of E. citriodora from Nigeria. The essential oil was extracted by hydro-distillation using Clevenger- type apparatus and analyzed using GC-MS. The total phenolic content, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial activities were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu’s, 2,2ʹ-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, reduction antioxidant, carrageenan, formalin and agar-well diffusion assays respectively. The GC-MS result showed the presence of 22 organic compounds making up 98.8% of the percentage composition of the essential oil. The main components of the oil were palmitic acid (29.00%), oleic acid (10.00%), E,E,E-α-springene (9.00%), 2-ethenyl-2,5-dimethyl-4-hexen- 1-ol (8.00%), 2,4-dimethylheptane (6.00%), hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (5.00%), geranyl butanoate (4.00%), farnesol (4.00%), geranylgeraniol (4.00%) and trans-2-methyl-2-(4-methyl-3-pentenyl)-cyclopropanecarboxaldehyde (4.00%). The TPC value was 175.84 ± 0.00 μgmg-1 GAE. The DPPH IC 50 and AAI values of the essential oil were 3.00 μgml-1 and 13.30, respectively. The essential oil was capable of scavenging free radicals in a range of 67.77%-71.95%, while the FRAP EC50 value was 2.00 μgml-1 . The essential oil exhibited high anti-inflammatory effect with value of 43.80% and analgesic potential by inhibition of both neurogenic (41.32%) and inflammatory pains (11.11%). The zones of inhibition were between 0.80-18.00 mm. The seed essential oil of E. citriodora consists of useful phyto-therapeutic compounds that may be of great use in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Research Article
Jul 08, 2022
Following an emergency incident, critically injured patients are often treated by multiple healthcare professionals from Emergency Medical Teams (EMTs) over a short period of time. The process of transportation from the site of an incident to definitive health care therefore depends on coordination and information-sharing which is reliant on the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT is essential to ensure the necessary organizational responses to emergency situations by facilitating information-sharing, sustained coordination and collaboration to protect and save the injured. This literature review provides a broad overview which can facilitate an understanding of the experiences between EMTs in emergencies using ICT by systematically finding, reviewing, assessing and synthesizing current evidence. A systematic search guided by PRISMA was performed using relevant electronic databases and manual searches. Studies were limited to original research and only articles published between 2009 and 2021 were included. This review highlights that only a limited number of publications reported ICT use between EMTs in different emergencies in a single study. Fifteen papers were found which reported the experience of coordination and communication using ICT between EMTs in emergency situations in different countries. The findings of these papers indicate that although communication systems during an emergency are crucial, poor quality telecommunications infrastructure affected by difficult weather conditions often led to communication failures between respondents. The majority of these studies highlighted that the use of mobile phones is preferred over other systems due to their multi-functionality. Some of the studies reported issues in coordination between EMTs in which the limited information shared between EMTs affected their preparedness. Furthermore, the review shows that disaster simulation exercises between EMTs are insufficient and require improvement. Future research needs to include the perspectives of emergency operations centre staff along with nurses, physicians and paramedics in a single study to comprehensively explore the EMT response in emergency situations.
Research Article
Jul 08, 2022
Background: Widespread use of mobile phones and digital technology has warranted the research on the possible side effects of the excessive use of the technology. At the same time, it is imperative to find out ways to minimize the damage caused by excessive exposure. Many studies have reported various health problems due to the excessive use of mobile phones and Wi-Fi devices. These problems may range from headache, dizziness, lack of sleep, heart diseases, memory loss, and concentration issues to cancer in extreme cases. Objective: In this study, we have analysed the effect of Mobile and Wi-Fi radiations on HRV and the efficacy of Envirochip which claims to neutralize the harmful impact of mobile phone and Wi-Fi Radiations. Methods: The study was done on 77 participants and the data was taken under three conditions (normal reading, reading with mobile phone and the reading with Envirochip fixed on the mobile phone). Result: It was seen that HRV gets affected by mobile phone radiation and the uses of Envirochip. Conclusion: The study revealed that there was a reduction in the average HRV of the participants when they were talking on the mobile phone and an increase in the average HRV of the participants was seen when Envirochip was fixed on the mobile phones and the nearby Wi-Fi devices. However, a study on larger sample size is required to validate the finding of this pilot study.
Research Article
Apr 28, 2022
The goal of this study is to develop a classification model that can accurately and efficiently label human kinematics data. Kinematics data provides information about the movement of individuals by placing sensors on the human body and tracking their velocity, acceleration and position in three dimensions. These data points are available in C3D format that contains numerical data transformed from 3D data captured from the sensors. The data points can be used to analyse movements of injured patients or patients with physical disorders. To get an accurate view of the movements, the datasets generated by the sensors need to be properly labelled. Due to inconsistencies in the data capture process, there are instances where the markers have missing data or missing labels. The missing labels are a hindrance in motion analysis as it introduces noise and produces incomplete data points of sensor’s positioning in 3 dimensional spaces. Labelling the data manually introduces substantial effort in the analysis process. In this paper, we will describe approaches to pre-process the kinematics data from its raw format and label the data points with missing markers using classification models.
Research Article
Apr 21, 2022
Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a hypercoagulable and prothrombotic disease state characterized by hemostatic perturbations that may predispose to increased risk of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) and other vasculopathic events. Von Willebrand Factor (vWF) has been shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of vaso-occlusion in SCA, enhancing adhesive interactions with blood cells and the vascular endothelium. However, the levels of vWF in patients with SCA in Nigeria and its role in the pathophysiology of SCA vaso-occlusion have not been fully evaluated. The aim was to evaluate the plasma concentration of vWF in SCA patients in steady state and VOC for the purpose of determining its clinical value as marker of sickle cell VOC. This was an observational study carried out at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. Eighty patients and 40 healthy HbAA volunteers were recruited for this study. Forty patients presented during steady state and the same number of patients presented during VOC. Hematocrit (HCT), white blood cell count (WBC), Platelet (PLT), prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), and plasma concentration of vWF were determined. The mean values of vWF in VOC (3.85+/-3.81 IU/ml) and steady state (2.69 1.89 lU/ml) were higher than that of the control (1.53+/-0.40 IU/ml). There were statistically significant differences in HCT, WBC, PLT, PT, and APTT between the cases and HbAA control (p < 0.001). Levels of vWF are elevated in SCA during VOC and steady state and thus may serve as a potential marker to identify patients at risk of developing VOC.
Research Article
Mar 30, 2022
Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Tengho drink.
Background: “Tengho” is a Cameroonian drink traditionally used for the treatment of inflammation, pain, hypertension, arthritis, diabetes and anxiety. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to evaluate its anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-, histamine and serotonin-induced paw oedema models and its analgesic activity using peripheral (acetic acid-induced writhing) and central (tail immersion in hot water) pain models. Methodology: Tengho was daily orally administered to rodent at the dose of 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg BW, 1 hour before the induction of inflammation or pain. Results: All tested doses significantly reduced oedema in carrageenan (p<0.001 after 3, 4, 5 and 6 hours), histamine (p<0.01 after 2 hours) and serotonin (p<0.01 after 1 h at the dose of 600 mg/kg) induced paw oedema models. We noticed as well a significant decrease (p<0.001) in the number of writhing provoked by the acetic acid and an increased (p<0.001) the tail flick latency in time-dependent manner. Conclusion: Taken altogether, these results indicate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of Tengho, supporting its local use as drink to relief inflammatory and painful conditions.
Research Article
Mar 11, 2022
Neuroprotective Effects of Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae).
Moringa oleifera Lam (Moringaceae) is a medicinal plant used in African traditional medicine against cognitive affections and metabolic diseases. In the present study, the memory-protective and neuroprotective effects of M. oleifera were assessed in scopolamine-treated rats. Wistar rats (n=48) were divided in 6 groups: A healthy control group and five groups treated daily with scopolamine (0.6 mg/kg, i.p.) for 14 days. Concomitantly, they received per os either distilled water (negative control), piracetam at 300 mg/kg (positive control), or aqueous extract of leaves of M. oleifera at doses 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg. Changes in animal cognition were assessed in the Morris Water Maze, in the last five days of treatment. Afterwards, the animals were sacrificed and brains dissected out and processed for biochemical and histopathological studies. Compared to the negative control group, the extract induced significant: (i) decrease in escape latency time (p ˂ 0.001); (ii) increase in the entries (p˂0.001), and time spent (p˂0.001) in the target dial; (iii) increase in GSH (p˂0.001), CAT (p˂0.001), and SOD levels (p˂0.001). The extract also prevented scopolamine-induced hippocampal neuron loss. These results suggest that M. oleifera aqueous extract has potent antioxidant, neuroprotective, and memory-protective effects in scopolamine-treated rats, justifying the traditional medicine use.
Case Report
Feb 15, 2022
Autopsy Findings in a Homicidal Death of a Pregnant Female.
Homicidal death by hanging is very rare and for one individual to hang another, there must be either an inequality in their size and strength. We presented a case of a 5-month-old pregnant Negroid female who was said to have hung herself using a cotton bedsheet tied to a ceiling fan. The said incident took place at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A postmortem examination was requested by the investigating police, and the findings were in keeping with assisted postmortem hanging and extensive fibrinoid exudate on the lung surfaces, which led to pulmonary infections with resultant septic shock and multiple organ failure. Respiratory failure due to severe diffused alveoli damage consistent with viral infections was the immediate cause of death.
Opinion
Jan 31, 2022
The islets of Langerhans make up only an estimated 1-2% of the total pancreas, but receive up to 20% of the blood supply. The abundant vascular blood supply to the pancreas derives from the splenic artery, allowing islets to be easily exposed to systemic blood glucose levels. Interestingly, recent studies suggest that islet local blood flow is tightly regulated by percentage. It dynamically controls the diameter of the islet microvasculature. Under diabetic conditions, pericytes are significantly lost, impairing the fine-tuning of islet function by this mechanism, suggesting a contribution to the pathology of the disease. Adult mice and the human pancreas also differ in innervation. Although the islets of mice have an extensive network of bifurcated nerves that are in direct contact with endocrine cells, the islets of humans are sparsely nerved compared to nerves that are in contact with smooth muscle cells of blood vessels rather than endocrine cells. It is dominated. This supports a new hypothesis that in human’s regulation of islet function depends on dynamic control of blood flow rather than direct signals from the autonomic nervous system.
