A total of 2,570 apparently healthy human immunodeficiency virus-negative adults from the six geopolitical zones in the country were enrolled in our study in 2006. The samples were assayed using the Cyflow technique. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). The majority (64%) of the participants had CD4 counts within the range of 501 to 1,000 cells/l. The reference range for CD4 was 365 to 1,571 cells/l, while the reference range for CD8 was 145 to 884 cells/l.In Nigeria, although country-specific reference ranges for some hematological measures have been determined (3,5,6), national data for CD4 reference values are still not available. Prior to a few recent monocenter studies carried out among defined populations of healthy Nigerians (2, 13), CD4 reference range values from literature based on studies in western countries were largely employed for clinical decision making.However, as the access to treatment increased in Nigeria, it became critically necessary to determine on a national level the reference values for CD4 cell counts and the factors that may affect it. This was necessary to inform the clinicians of the required minimal range for the initiation of antiretroviral therapy, and also for accurate monitoring of responses to therapy and other treatment outcomes.The national study reported in this document was a multicenter study conducted among healthy human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative adult Nigerians, in eight sites across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Therefore, the objective of this study was to establish the normal reference values of CD4 and CD8, as well as CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratios, indigenous to Nigeria.This project was carried out as a cross-sectional study among apparently healthy Nigerians aged 18 years and older who tested HIV negative at voluntary counseling and testing site sites. Exclusion criteria included pregnancy, sickle cell anemia, or clinical illness.A 5-ml sample of blood was collected from each participant by venipuncture into a Vacutainer EDTA bottle. These samples were retested using the Genie II kit (Bio-Rad), which is a rapid HIV serology test kit. Only samples that were confirmed negative were assayed for CD4 and CD8 cell counts concurrently using the Cyflow technique, with an instrument known as the Cyflow counter (Partec). This instrument is for counting and analyzing particles and cells. The first step in the measurement of cells is staining with a fluorescent dye. The fluorescent molecules are taken up by the cells. The cells are individually illuminated by light of a defined wavelength. The light activates the fluorescent molecules so that they emit light of a characteristic color (wavelength). This fluorescent light is filtered out, and its intensity is measured by a ploidy analyzer for each single cell. The fluorescence light intensity emitted by a labeled cell is proportional to its CD4 or CD8 content. For cell counting or concentration determination, the sample volume detector measures exactly 0.2 ml of th...

Pharmacological exploitation of natural compounds has continued to lead to development of non-synthetic and non-toxic anticancer agents that are promising at ameliorating the menace of neoplastic diseases such as leukemia. This study is an attempt to determine the chemopreventive and antileukemic activities of ethanol extracts of Moringa oleifera leaves on benzene induced leukemia bearing rats. Leukemia was induced by intravenous injection of 0.2 mL benzene solution 48 hourly for 4 weeks in appropriate rat groups. Ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera (EMO) leaves was administered at 0.2 mL of 100 mg/mL to respective treatment rat groups. A standard antileukemic drug (cyclophosphamide) was also used to treat appropriate rat groups. Clinical examination of liver and spleen with hematological parameters were employed to assess the leukemia burden following analysis of the rat blood samples on Sysmex KX-21N automated instrument. Leukemia induction reflected in severe anemia and a marked leukocytosis over the control/baseline group. Liver and spleen enlargements were also observed in group exposed to benzene carcinogen. The in vivo antioxidative potential of EMO was evaluated using Malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. The liver MDA and GSH levels obtained in benzene induced leukemic rats treated with EMO compared favorably with those obtained in similar treatments with the standard drug (p< 0.05). The extract demonstrated chemopreventive and anti-leukemic activities as much as the standard anti-leukemic drug (p>0.05) by ameliorating the induced leukemic condition in the affected rat groups owing to its bioactive constituents. This study reveals that the extract might be an active, natural and non-toxic anticancer drug lead.

The aim of this study was to establish the effects of fl uoride on lipid metabolism and attendant infl ammatory response by exposing rats to 50 mg L -1 and 100 mg L -1 of fl uoride through drinking water for seven weeks. Both concentrations led to hypercholesterolemia while the 100 mg L -1 concentration induced hypertriglyceridaemia. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels dropped in the exposed rats while interleukin 2 (IL-2) increased more than 1.5-fold (p<0.05) and IL-6 and plasma TNF-α more than 2.5 fold (p<0.05). Fluoride-exposed rats also had signifi cantly higher levels of liver malondialdehyde (MDA) and plasma lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) but lower plasma paraoxonase (PON1) activity. Oxidative stress indices correlated with pro-infl ammatory cytokines and plasma cholesterol. In contrast, proinfl ammatory cytokines inversely correlated with plasma triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and PON1. Our results suggest that the association between fl uoride exposure with cardiovascular diseases may be related to its ability to disturb lipid homeostasis, and trigger pro-infl ammatory cytokines and oxidative stress.

Despite an influx of T cells to the cervix during HIV infection, genital T cells are not associated with control of HIV shedding. CD57 expression by T cells has been associated with enhanced migratory potential and CD57+ T cells have been shown to accumulate in tissues during the late stages of HIV disease. We investigated the impact of HIV-infection and clinical status on the expression of CD57 by T cells from the female genital tract in 13 HIV-infected and 5 uninfected women. We found that cervical and blood-derived T cells expressed similar frequencies of CD57. The frequency of CD57 expression by cervical or blood T cells was not associated with clinical status (CD4 counts). No impairment in IFN-γ production by CD57+ T cells from the genital tract was observed. We conclude that increased T cell senescence does not appear to be a hallmark of genital mucosal HIV-1 infection.

Ethanol extract of Monringa oleifera leaves has been shown to possess anticancer properties in animal models. The mechanisms of action of its anticancer properties have not been fully demonstrated. In this study, we induced leukemia in two groups of 7 rats each by intravenous injection of benzene chromasolv solution (0.2 mL) 48 hourly for 4 weeks. The extract (0.2 ml of 100 mg/mL) was administered orally by gavage, after leukemia induction, daily for 4 weeks to one of the groups while the other group was not treated. The third group served as the normal control. At the end of the treatment, the rats were immobilized by cervical dislocation and blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture. Plasma concentrations of Beta-2 Microglobulins (β2M), Perforins (PF), Interleukin-2(IL2), Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) were determined by standard commercial ELISA Results showed that leukemia was induced within 4 weeks as a significantly elevated leukocyte count and plasma β2M concentration over the baseline were noted (p&lt; 0.05). Plasma IL2 and TNF-α were also significantly elevated while PF and IFN-γ decreased significantly in Moringa oleifera leaves extract treated rats compared with untreated groups. Since IL2 and PF are associated with cytotoxicity of CD8 T lymphocytes, reduced expression of PF in the face of increasing plasma concentration of IL-2 suggests that Moringa oleifera extract may not exert its anticancer properties via direct cytotoxicity. We thus concluded that increased expression TNF-α may translate to enhanced apoptosis and may be a possible mechanism of action. Citation Format: Olufemi E. Akanni, Adebayo L. Adedeji, Kola J. Oloke. Upregulation of TNF-α by ethanol extract of Moringa oleifera leaves in benzene-induced leukemic Wister rat: a possible mechanism of anticancer property. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3792. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3792