Background: The use of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has greatly improved the health and lifespan of people living with HIV, however, hepatic dysfunction has been associated with HIV. This study investigated the liver function biomarkers of women living with HIV and who are on ART. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on HIV-positive pregnant women and HIV-positive non-pregnant women in Rivers State, Nigeria. A total of 330 women between 15-60 years participated in this study. HIV-negative pregnant and non-pregnant women served as a control to the test subjects. Sociodemographic data were collected using a well-structured questionnaire. Blood samples were collected for biochemical assay of the liver function biomarkers. The subjects were on Tenofovir-Lamivudine-Efavirenz (TLE) antiretroviral therapy. Data were analyzed statistically on IBM SPSS Version 25 using student’s t - test, ANOVA and compared using the Post hoc test. Results: The results obtained showed a significant increase at p ≤ 0.05 in the ALP, ALT and AST levels of both HIV-positive pregnant and non-pregnant women when compared to the control group. The serum TP level of HIV-positive pregnant women decreased in comparison to the control group. However, the decrease was not statistically significant at p ≤ 0.05. A statistically significant increase in the total protein level was observed in the HIV-positive non-pregnant women when compared to the control group. The albumin level in HIV-positive pregnant women had a statistically insignificant increase in comparison to the control group. HIV-positive non-pregnant women had a decreased level of Albumin at p ≤ 0.05 in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: The findings of the study suggest that the HIV-positive pregnant and non-pregnant women on ART are prone to adverse alterations in their liver function biomarkers in comparison to the control groups, hence they are vulnerable to liver dysfunction. Thus proper care and regular investigations should be carried out on HIV-positive women on ART.
Air fresheners are widely used as a means of eliminating bad odour, albeit, it has been reported to be associated with some health risks. This work investigated the effect of acute exposure to air freshener on the antioxidant biomarkers of Wistar rats. Twenty-four Wistar rats were used for this study. The rats were divided into four groups of six rats each, labeled group 1, group 2, group 3, and group 4. Group 1, served as control which was not exposed to air freshener. Groups 2, 3 and 4 were exposed in a tightly enclosed cage to air freshener at 6, 9 and 12 h daily, respectively. The rats were sacrificed and blood collected in a sample bottle for analysis of the following antioxidants biomarkers; reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GP X), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT) after 14 and 28 days of exposure. The results showed that the blood MDA concentration increased significantly at p≤0.05 with increase in exposure time, a concurrent decrease in catalase and reduced glutathione concentration was observed significantly in the exposed groups when compared to the control. The decrease in SOD was concentration dependent, although not statistically significant, while an inconsistent decrease in the GPx and GST concentrations were observed in exposed groups when compared with the control group. These findings suggest that exposure to air freshener increased oxidative stress, thereby posing potential health hazards to the regular consumers. This study therefore suggests a reduction in exposure to air fresheners as its adverse health effect is proportional to the length of exposure.
The quest for the use of plants in the management of reproductive hormone dysfunction prompted this research. This study explored the effects of Ricinodendron heudelotti seed ethanol extract on some male reproductive hormones. Twenty five male albino rats were used. The animals were grouped into five and each group had five (5) albino rats. The extract was processed from the seeds of Ricinodendron heudelotti. Group A served as control, group B animals were administered with 300mg/kg.bw, while groups C, D and E animals were administered 450, 600 and 750 mg/kg.bw of the extract respectively for twenty one days. The animals were sacrificed and their blood samples were collected for the assay of testosterone, Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH). From the results obtained, the serum testosterone level of the experimental animals showed a concentration dependent increase in all the extract administered groups when compared with the value of the control group. FSH and LH levels showed an increase statistically (p≤0.05) in comparison to the level of the control. Ricinodendron heudelotti seed extract effectively increased the reproductive hormones of the animals by increasing the serum Testosterone, FSH and LH levels, hence suggests its effectiveness in enhancement of the male reproductive function.
Background: Gas flaring, an environmental harmful practice, is prevalent in Eleme and most communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Aim: This study explored the impact of gas flaring on some clinical enzyme biomarkers of Eleme residents who are constantly exposed to the flared gas. Study Design/Place of Study: Volunteer subjects were randomly selected from representative groups resident in Eleme, an oil and gas producing and refining area, for over 15 years, while similar volunteer subjects resident in Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, a non-gas flaring community, served as the control. Methodology: Blood samples were collected from the subjects and analyzed for selected clinical enzyme biomarkers including Creatine kinase (CK), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) using standard enzyme activity and Randox test kit methods. Results: Results obtained revealed that CK levels for female Eleme subjects increased by 61.20% when compare with the female control subjects. This increase was statistically significant (p<0.05). The CK levels for Eleme male subjects also increased by 37.36% compared to control. However, this increase was not statistically significant (p<0.05). LDH increased by 23.21% in the male subjects and 18.58% in the female subjects compared to control, while AST increased by 42.11% in the male subject and 11.32% in the female subjects compared to control. The results suggest that there could be impending damage to organs for which an increase in the biomarkers-Creatine kinase, Lactate Dehydrogenase and Aspartate Aminotransferase suggest an ongoing pathologic process. Conclusion: These results therefore suggest that the continuous exposure to gas flare is causing an increase in some critical tissue and organ function enzyme biomarkers in blood. This may eventually affect the health status of the residents, increase the tendency of developing ill health and generally reduce their quality of life.
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