Abstract.Background: Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in human beings and cortisol is a known stress hormone. Examination has been described as a naturalistic stressor capable of affecting human health. Objectives: To estimate the relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile during examination stress. Methods: Two hundred and eight (208) apparently-healthy undergraduate students (aged, 24 ± 6 years) were involved in the study. Exactly 5 mls of venous blood was collected from each subject 1-3 hours before a major examination. A second assessment was done on the same students 3-4 weeks before any examination (control samples). Cortisol and adrenaline were assayed using ELISA techniques, FBG was assayed using enzymatic method while lipid parameters were assayed using standard enzymatic-spectrophotometric methods. Results: There was statistically significant increase in serum cortisol, adrenaline, Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in students under examination stress compared to the non examination period (p=0.001, 0.013, 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). FBG showed no significant increase. There was also significant positive correlation (r=0.297, p=0.032) between serum cortisol and TC/HDL ratio (cardiac risk factor) before examination stress but not during the stress period. Conclusions: Significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol and TC/HDL ratio before examination stress.

BackgroundArterial blood pressure tends to rise with growth and development. Elevated blood pressure (EBP) in children usually occurs during the first two decades of life, and the children with hypertension tend to grow into adulthood with the high level of blood pressure. The prevalence of hypertension in children is increasing, the causes likely to be of different combination of factors. In this study we ascertained the prevalence of EBP in pre-school children in Enugu metropolis, South-East Nigeria and also determined its association with some factors like the Body Mass Index (BMI), urinalysis finding, family history, gender, age and socioeconomic class.MethodA Stratified method of sampling was used to select subjects from registered nursery schools (Pre- elementary school) within Enugu metropolis. Physical examination of the recruited pupils was done with emphasis on arterial blood pressure, anthropometric measurements and urinalysis.ResultSix hundred and thirty children (630) were studied out of which 345 (54.8%) were males and 285 (45.2%) were females. Sustained EBP (mainly systolic) were recorded in 12 pupils (1.9%) giving a prevalence of 1.9% of the pre-school population. The twelve (1.9%) pupils were all 5 years of age (p value = 0.001) and 11 (1.72%) of them were of under-weight BMI. The prevalence of obesity is 0.5% and that of under-weight is 92% of the studied population. There is no association between EBP and obesity (p value = 0.679). All the pupils with EBP had protein-free urine and no hematuria.ConclusionsEBP and under-weight malnutrition is common in children in 5 years age group. EBP in preschool children is not influenced by their body mass index, urinalysis finding, gender, family history of hypertension or socioeconomic class.

Background:Changes in lipid metabolism have been shown to occur during pregnancy, to ensure a continuous supply of nutrients to the growing fetus, despite intermittent maternal food intake. Abnormal lipid metabolism has also been linked to atherosclerosis.Objective:To investigate the effect of pregnancy on the lipid profile and possible predisposition of pregnant Nigerian women to atherosclerosis.Settings and Design:Serum lipid and lipoprotein levels of 60 apparently healthy pregnant women aged between 25 and 45 years, attending the antenatal clinic of the U.N.T.H, Enugu and 60 apparently healthy non-pregnant, age-matched females (controls) were estimated. The test samples were collected from each subject at each of the trimesters.Materials and Methods:Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) were analyzed using enzymatic/spectrophotometric methods while low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were calculated using Friedewald's formula.Statistical analysis used:The data obtained were analyzed with Students’ t-test and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation, using graph pad prism software program and results expressed as mean ± SD. The level of significance was determined at 95% confidence level.Results and Conclusion:The serum lipid levels were significantly higher (P<0.05) in all the trimesters of the pregnant women than in the controls. There was a steady increase in the serum lipid levels with increasing gestational age. A significant positive correlation (P<0.05) was observed between the lipid fractions and the different trimesters of pregnancy. TC/HDL was decreased significantly (P<0.05) in pregnant women, with increasing gestational age. Cardiac risk factor, however, decreased with gestational age, signifying possible protection from atherosclerosis. A comparison of two age groups of pregnant women (25-34 years and 35-45 years) showed no significant differences (P>0.05) in all the lipid fractions studied, suggesting no possible age-related effect on lipid metabolism in the women in their first trimester. Even with significant increase in plasma lipid during pregnancy, normal pregnancy in Nigerian women does not appear to increase the risk.

Background:Myelosuppression is the most common dose-limiting side effect of chemotherapy. Cassia occidentalis plays a vital role in preventing health disorders, but its hematological effects have not been documented much. This study is designed to investigate the myeloprotective activity of the crude methanolic leaf extract of C. occidentalis in cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression.Materials and Methods:Twenty-eight Wistar rats aged two to three months, weighing 120-170 g were used for the study. The rats were divided into four groups of seven rats each, labeled A to D. Groups A and B were administered with 3 mg/kg of cyclophosphamide intraperitoneally daily for three days to induce bone marrow suppression, after which groups B and C were orally fed with 250 mg/kg body weight of the crude leaf extract once daily for 14 days. Group D served as control without receiving the extract. On Day 15, blood samples (3.0 ml) were collected from each rat through the retro-orbital plexus of the median canthus into K3-EDTA containers for hematological analysis using standard operative procedures. Data were analyzed with Pearson's correlation test and multivariate analysis of variance using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 and results were expressed as mean ± SD. The level of significance was determined at 95% confidence level.Results:Myelosuppression was achieved in Group A rats. Group B rats showed a significant increase in hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), and total white blood cell count (TWBC) compared with Group A. The Group C rats revealed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in Hb, Hct and TWBC when compared with control.Conclusions:Crude methanolic leaf extract of C. occidentalis may possess myeloprotective properties when orally administered in cyclophosphamide-induced bone marrow suppression.

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