Background: Staphylococcus epidermidis is the most frequently isolated species of the coagulase negative staphylococci from human stool. However, it is not clear how its presence in the gut affects the cellular structures and functions of this organ. In this study therefore, the pathogenicity of strains of S. epidermidis which were isolated from the stool samples of apparently healthy children was investigated in mice and rats.
Background: Lopinavir/Ritonavir (LR) is a protease inhibitor used human immunodeficiency virus infection management. There have been issues regarding the effects of fat on LR efficacy and the possibility of neurological deficits following prolonged use, there is however a dearth of research examining this. Aims: The effects of LR administered with normal or High-Fat Diet (HFD) on neurobehaviour, neurochemistry and oxidative stress in healthy mice were examined. Methods: Mice were randomly-assigned into eight groups of ten (n=10) animals each. The groups were normal control [Standard Diet, (SD)], HFD control, 3 groups of LR incorporated into SD (100/25, 200/50 and 400/100 mg/kg of feed), and 3 groups of LR with HFD (100/25, 200/50 and 400/100 mg/kg of feed). Mice were fed daily for six weeks, following which open field, elevated-plus maze (EPM), radial-arm maze and Y-maze behaviours were scored. Twenty-four hours after tests, mice were euthanised and brains were homogenised for estimation of oxidative stress, L-glutamate level and acetylcholinesterase activity. Results: LR was associated with a reduction in HFD-induced weight gain, suppression of open-field behaviours with SD, and counteraction of HFD-induced changes in working-memory, open-field and anxiety-related behaviours. Also, LR causes increased lipid peroxidation and superoxide dismutase activity; and a decrease in brain glutamate, irrespective of dietary composition. Increased fat catabolism leading to increased oxidative stress could possibly account for the weight changes, while a decrease in brain glutamate could account for the changes in open-field behaviours in mice fed SD. Conclusion: LR alters neurobehaviour, oxidative stress and brain glutamate in mice; however, only its effects on neurobehaviour are affected by diet.
The worldwide burden of cancers is increasing at a very high rate, including the aggressive and resistant forms of cancers. Certain levels of breakthrough have been achieved with the conventional treatment methods being used to treat different forms of cancers, but with some limitations. These limitations include hazardous side effects, destruction of non-tumor healthy cells that are rapidly dividing and developing, tumor resistance to anti-cancer drugs, damage to tissues and organs, and so on. However, oncolytic viruses have emerged as a worthwhile immunotherapeutic option for the treatment of different types of cancers. In this treatment approach, oncolytic viruses are being modeled to target cancer cells with optimum cytotoxicity and spare normal cells with optimal safety, without the oncolytic viruses themselves being killed by the host immune defense system. Oncolytic viral infection of the cancer cells are also being genetically manipulated (either by removal or addition of certain genes into the oncolytic virus genome) to make the tumor more visible and available for attack by the host immune cells. Hence, different variants of these viruses are being developed to optimize their antitumor effects. In this review, we examined how grave the burden of cancer is on a global level, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, major conventional therapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer and their individual drawbacks. We discussed the mechanisms of action employed by these oncolytic viruses and different viruses that have found their relevance in the fight against various forms of cancers. Some pre-clinical and clinical trials that involve oncolytic viruses in cancer management were reported. This review also examined the toxicity and safety concerns surrounding the adoption of oncolytic viro-immunotherapy for the treatment of cancers and the likely future directions for researchers and general audience who wants updated information.
Aim of the Study: Conventional antimalarial drugs are used concurrently with herbal remedies in malarial endemic developing countries. Vernonia amygdalina is one of such popular herbs used in the treatment of malaria. This study aimed at investigating the antimalarial chemotherapeutic interaction of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) when combined with Amodiaquine (AQ) and/or Artesunate (AS) in a murine Plasmodium berghei malaria model. Methodology: Various doses of aqueous VA leaf extract (100-500 mg/kg/day), AQ (2-10 mg/kg/day) and AS (0.8-4 mg/kg/day) were administered orally to P berghei.-infected Swiss albino mice to determine their sub-therapeutic doses. These doses were subsequently used to investigate the chemotherapeutic interactions of VA with AQ and/or AS in both early and established malaria infection test models. The survival of animals with established infections that received different drug/herb treatments were determined using their mean survival time (days) and Kaplan-Meier survival curves (percentage). Using GraphPad Instat (version 3.10) and PrismR (version 5.01) the data obtained were subjected to One-way ANOVA, followed by Student-Newman-Keuls test. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The sub-therapeutic doses of VA, AQ and AS were found to be 100 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg and 2.4 mg/kg, respectively. The chemosuppressive effect of AQ or AS was significantly increased (p< 0.05) when administered in combination with the VA extract. Similarly, combination of VA extract with AQ or AS resulted in significant (P < .05) parasite clearance when compared to the effects of the herb or the conventional drugs administered separately. The mean survival period of animals with established infection was also significantly enhanced by the VA alone or with AQ (or AS) compared to placebo.
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