39 research outputs found
Assessment of knowledge, perception and readiness of Nigerians to participate in the COVID-19 vaccine trial
No full textDeveloping an effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine is a global public health necessity in containing the pandemic, however, recruiting volunteers can be challenging in a clinical trial phase because of poor knowledge, negative perception, ethical issues and safety concerns
Assessment of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients in Minna, North-Central Nigeria
No full textNo Abstrac
Acute effects of aqueous leaf extract of Aspilia Africana C.D. adams on some haematological parameters in rats
No full textSeveral medicinal plants have been documented for their haematological effects either at low or high concentration but very little is known about Aspilia africana. The aim of the study was to investigate the acute effects of aqueous leaf extract of Aspilia africana at different concentrations on some haematological parameters in rats. Following 14 days of oral administration of aqueous extract of A. africana, Haematocrit (HCT), Haemoglobin concentration (HB), Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Red Blood Cell Count (RBC Count), Total White Blood Cell Count (Total WBC Count), Absolute Neutrophils count (NEUT#), Absolute Lymphocytes count (LYM#), Absolute Eosinophils Count (EOSIN#) and Absolute Monocytes (MONO#) were evaluated in twenty (20) male Wistar albino rats. The rats weighed 174±20g, and were randomly assigned into 4 groups viz: Group 1, Control; Group 2, 250mg/Kg/d aqueous extract; Group 3, 500mg/Kg/d aqueous extract; and Group 4, 750mg/Kg/d aqueous extract. HCT, HB, MCHC, RBC Count, Total WBC Count, NEUT#, LYM#, EOSIN# and MONO# were significantly increased (P<0.001) in 500mg/Kg/d of A. africana extract (61.13±1.65%, 13.5±1.29g/dl, 23.33±0.0.02g/dl, 3.68±0.02 X 1012Cells/l, 2.33±0.02 X 109Cells/l, 1.32±0.04 X 109Cells/l, 1.43±0.05 X 109Cells/l, 0.47±0.02 X 109Cells/l and 0.47±0.04 X 109Cells/l, respectively) when compared to the Control (51.13±0.85%, 9.56±0.43g/dl, 19.22±0.19g/dl, 2.69±0.01 X 1012Cells/l, 1.79±0.01 X 109Cells/l, 0.80±0.00 X 109Cells/l, 0.83±0.00 X 109Cells/l, 0.18±0.00 X 109Cells/l and 0.24±0.00 X 109Cells/l, respectively) which received no extract at all. The 500mg/Kg of A. africana extract proved to be the most effective, while the 750mg/Kg proved to be the least effective in comparison with the control. The results of this study further strengthened the earlier works on the medicinal benefits of Aspilia africana and its virtue as a good pharmacological source of haematopoiesis.Key words: Aspilia Africana, haematology, rats
Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Potential of Gongronema latifolium Extracts on Some Wound-Associated Pathogens
No full textThis present study investigated the antimicrobial p
otential of the leaf and stem extracts of
Gongronema latifolium
against some
selected wound-associated pathogens:
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus
mirabilis, Klebsiella pneumonae
and
Candida albican
using the punch-hole agar diffusion method. The ou
tcome of the study show that neither the aqueous no
r
the methanolic leaf and stem extracts of
Gongronema latifolium
showed any inhibitory activity against the bacteri
al and fungal
isolates at all the concentrations (200, 150, 100 5
0 and 25 mg/mL) tested either singly or combined; w
hereas the positive
control was effective against all of them; with zon
es diameter of inhibition ranging between 18-24 mm
(
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa
), 17-23 mm (
Escherichia coli
), 15-23 mm (
Proteus mirabilis
), 18-22 mm (
Staphylococcus auerus
) and 17-24 mm
(
C. albicans
). On the other hand, as expected, the negative con
trol (distilled water) did not show any zone of inh
ibition. The
antibacterial activity of the positive control was
statistically significant at P value <0.05 when com
pared against the extracts
and negative control. Although the antimicrobial po
tential of extracts of
G. latifolium
have been previously demonstrated
against various clinical isolates, the findings in
this current study did not support claims made by d
ifferent researchers in
previously studies. All the test isolates were foun
d to be resistant to the extracts. Lack of inhibito
ry activity by extracts of
G.
latifolium
growing in Irolu, Ikenne Local Government Area of O
gun state in this present study is plausible and wo
uld require
further investigation. Due to differences in topogr
aphical factors of various geographical locations,
nutrient concentrations of
the soil, chemical composition, age and time of har
vest of the plant, extraction method as well as met
hod used for
antimicrobial study; it is therefore important that
scientific protocols be clearly identified, adequa
tely followed and reported
Global Impacts and Nigeria Responsiveness to the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThe Coronavirus Disease – 2019 (COVID-19) is officially now a pandemic and not just a public health emergency of international concern as previously labelled. Worldwide, the new coronavirus has infected more than 4.9 million people and leaving more than 300,000 people dead in 188 countries. As countries of the world get locked down in an effort to contain the widespread of the virus, experts are concern about the global impacts of the pandemic on individuals, countries and the world at large. Millions of people are currently under quarantine across the globe. Many countries have responded by proclaiming a public health emergency, closed their borders and restrict incoming flights from high risk countries. This has grossly affected the travel plan of many. Several international programs, conferences, workshops and sporting activities are either postponed or cancelled. As the number of confirmed cases continues to escalate across the globe, hospitals seems to be running out of medical supplies, hospital spaces and personnel. Health workers are being overwhelmed by the numbers of people requesting for testing and treatment. Many of such health workers have been infected with the coronavirus and even lost their lives since the fight against COVID-19 started. Public health experts are also concerned about the huge medical wastes coming from the hospitals at this time and the adverse effects associated with improper management of such medical wastes, both at the hospital and community levels. The pandemic has also impacted negatively on the global economy. There have been serious crises in the stock market, with gross fall in the price of crude oil resulting in inflation and economic hardship among the populace. Many are currently out of job and as a result, the level of crime, protest and violence have continued to escalate in different parts of the world. The deaths of loved ones due to the coronavirus has left many emotionally traumatized. Nigeria, like other African countries is not spared of the ravaging effects of the pandemic, even as the government take strict measures to contain the virus. No doubt, this is very challenging, but the country is capable of surmounting the virus with the needed help from her international partners and cooperation from the citizenry. But if we as a people, remain complacent and continue with business as usual, without taking measures to flatten the curve, the disease will escalate too quickly beyond our capacity to handle and our health system will be overwhelmed and may collapse eventually. We cannot therefore afford to be complacent in our response to containing the pandemic
Assessment of Antiphospholipid Antibodies, CD4 Count and Some Haematological Parameters in HIV Patients attending a Tertiary Health Institution in South-Western Nigeria
No full textAntiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) are the serological markers used in the diagnosis
of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). HIV infe
ction has been as
sociated with an elevated aPls
level, but its link to the APS with clin
ical thrombosis is still been investigated
.
This study is designed
to determine and correlate serum level of antiphospholipid antibodies with CD4 count and some
haematological parameters of HIV se
ropositive subjects in comparison to those of healthy controls and also to compare these parameters between an
tiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve and treated
patients.
Methodology:
A cohort of 110 patients which consist of
90 HIV positive Patients (22 males and 68
females) and 20 HIV negative patients (10 males and
10 females) which serve as control attending
Babcock University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) Ilisha
n-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria were recruited for
the cross-sectional study. HIV anti
bodies were detected using 3 rapid diagnostic kits (Determine,
Unigold and Stat Pak). CD4+ cells were counted us
ing Partec® Cyflow Counter (Germany). The Full
Blood Count was analyzed using the Sysmex® Auto
mated Haematology Analyzer (Kobe-Japan).
Antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) were assayed using the Human Anti-Phospholipid Screen
IgG/IgM ELISA kit (Alpha Diagnostic International, Texas, U
SA).
Results:
The present study showed that the mean se
rum antiphospholipid antibody level was
significantly (P<0.001) higher in HIV positive Pa
tients (11.83±7.36u/ml) compared to the control
group (7.30±3.95u/ml). While on one hand, there was
a strong positive correlation between serum
aPLs level and PLT (r= 0.044), MCHC (r= 0.084)
and LYM (r= 0.105) in HIV
infection; on the other
hand, there was a strong negative correl
ation with CD4 count (r= -0.094), PCV (r= -0.099), Hb (r= -
0.072), RBC (r= -0.003), WBC (r= -0.063), MNO (r= -0
.213), GRA (r= -0.003), MCV (r= -0.023) and
MCH (r= -0.005). Also, there was no significant diffe
rences (P>0.05) between the aPLs level of HIV
group on ART (11.44±7.74 u/ml) and those not on
ART (12.00±7.24 u/ml). Some haematological
parameters like PLT, PCV, Hb, RBC and red cell
indices of the HIV group on ART did not differ
significantly from those not on ART. However, the CD4 count (638.89±119.56 cell/
μ
L), WBC
(5.38±1.49X10
3
/
μ
L), LYM (51.43±7.99%) and GRA (46.30±10.
18%) of the HIV group on ART were
significant higher than those not on ART (465.30±145.92 cell/
μ
L, 4.55±1.57X10
3
/
μ
L, 42.23±10.96%
and 39.10±7.81%, respectively).
Conclusion:
Significant elevated aPLs level is present
in HIV infection; however, the information
obtained is not sufficient to indicate the occurrence
of anti-phospholipid sy
ndrome in HIV infection.
There was no strong relationship between aPLs
level and indicators of immunohaematological
abnormalities in HIV infection. This finding is plausible and would therefore require further
investigation
Assessment of the bacteriological quality and efficacy of two hand sanitizers sold within Ilishan-Remo Community of Ogun State, Nigeria
No full textBackground. Hand sanitizers have been recognized as an effective means of reducing bacterial load and transmission. It is needful to periodically assess the bacteriological status of individual products due to batch variation. Aim. This study was designed to assess the bacteriological quality and efficacy of two hand sanitizers sold within the Ilishan-Remo community of Ogun State, Nigeria, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology. Samples of two brands of hand sanitizers were procured and assessed using standard bacteriological methods, including Sterility test, Surface viable count, Gram-stain, Motility test, Biochemical tests, Quantitative suspension test, and Agar diffusion test. Data were analyzed with paired-samples T-Test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences -Version 20.0 (SPSS-20.0) to assess for significant variation between the effectiveness of the two hand sanitizers. P-values <0.05 was considered significant. Results. The study\u27s outcome showed the satisfactory bacteriological quality of both hand sanitizers tested. However, the mean bacterial load was not significantly reduced after sterilization using both hand sanitizers. The hand sanitizers\u27 bactericidal activity was also considered unsatisfactory since the Log reduction was less than 5. Brand B hand sanitizer proved to be more potent than Brand A at the contact time. Each of the products displayed varying inhibitory activities against the bacterial isolates. Conclusion. The study highlighted the need to periodically assess the bacteriological quality and efficacy of hand sanitizers to guarantee the general safety of the end users and ensure proper infection control
A Review of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Role of Medical Laboratory Scientists in containment
No full textABSTRACT
The Coronavirus Disease – 2019 (COVID-19) virus has infected more than one million people, leaving more than 50,000 people dead across the globe. The health system of many countries has been overwhelmed by the pandemic, with many losing a significant number of their health professionals in the fight against the virus. While doctors and nurses are so visible at the front lines and are being applauded for the gallant role they are playing in the recovery of hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 patients, the world knows little about those behind their successes, the Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS). Medical laboratory science is the bedrock of diagnostic medicine and the role of the MLS in containing any pandemic cannot be overemphasized. An effective and timely diagnostics approach is fundamental and germane for the successful containment of any outbreak and the MLS are at the fore-front. They are the ones testing clinical specimens from infected and clinically recovered patients. As disease detectives, their role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic include, but not limited to: diagnosis, monitoring, confirmation of recovery, safety and efficacy testing of broad-spectrum antiviral agents, discovery and development of vaccines, validation of testing protocols and testing kits, offering of advisories to guide government policy on containment at all levels amongst others. The current pandemic requires a multidisciplinary approach and therefore the MLS should be fully integrated into the multidisciplinary team to effective contain the pandemic. The aim of this review therefore is to provide facts and figures about the COVID-19 pandemic, and to appraise the critical role of the Medical Laboratory Scientists in the fight against the pandemic
Assessment of the Microbiological Quality and Efficacy of Two Common Disinfectants Used in Hospital Laboratory
No full textThe present study assessed the microbiological qual
ity and efficacy of two common disinfectants (Jik a
nd Lysol) used in a
hospital laboratory. Sterility test using Nutrient
Agar and Sabour Dextrose Agar plates incubated at 3
7°C and 25°C,
respectively, were employed to detect the present o
f potential bacterial and fungal contaminants in 3
new batches of stock
disinfectants. Swabs of work-bench surfaces designa
ted as Site 1, 2 and 3 were collected in triplicate
at the end of each
business day (
i.e,
before disinfection) and also after disinfection wi
th 30% Jik and 2.5% Lysol dilution and cultured in
tubes
containing 3 ml of Tryptic Soy Broth medium and 0.1
mL Neutralizer. Surface viable count was carried o
ut to determine the
bacterial population density of three sites pre-dis
infection and post-disinfection. Colonies of bacter
ia were identified by Gram-
stain, motility test and routine biochemical tests.
The efficacy of the disinfectants against each bac
terial isolate at 10 min
contact time was determined using the quantitative
suspension test. The killing rate of the disinfecta
nts was expressed by
plotting the logarithms of surviving cells (CFU/mL)
against exposure time (min) of the disinfectant. T
he outcome of the study
showed that the microbiological quality of the two
disinfectants tested was satisfactory. Bacterial di
stribution pre-disinfection
include:
Staphylococcus epidermidis
,
Enterococcus aerogenes, Proteus mirabilis, Bacillus
subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa
and
Klebsiellia pneumoniae
; while only
B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa
and
K. pneumoniae
were recovered post-disinfection. Lysol
proved to be more potent than Jik at the dilution a
nd contact time tested with a log reduction of bact
erial population ≥5.
S.
epidermidis
,
E. aerogenes
and
P. mirabilis
were completely killed by the two disinfectants wi
thin the 10 minutes contact time.
While, a population density of 1-2 log CFU/ml of
B. subtilis, P. aeruginosa
and
K. pneumoniae
still survived after 10 min
exposure to Lysol and Jik. The outcome of this stud
y further strengthening earlier works and underscor
ed the need to
periodically assess the microbiological quality and
efficacy of disinfectants routinely supplied to th
e laboratory to ensure
proper control of infections by using right disinfe
ctant in right concentration for a right contact ti
m
Curative potential of Gbogbonise Epa Ijebu herbal remedy in male Wistar rats infected with Salmonella enterica serovar typhi
No full textBackground & Aim: Commercially sold herbal remedies are fast gaining recognition among the Nigerian populace for the treatment of various ailments. The aim of this study was to assess the curative potential of Gbogbonise Epa Ijebu herbal remedy in male Wistar rats infected with Salmonella enteric serovar typhi (S.typhi).
Experimental: A total of 60 male Wistar rats weighing 150+50 g (mean+SD) were randomly assigned into 10 groups of 6 rats each. Group 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10 were infected with one ml of S. typhi suspension with a concentration of 106 CFU/mL in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Group 4, 5 and 6 which served as the Zero control, undiluted herbal control and diluted herbal control, respectively. Group 7 and were 8 were treated with 500 mg/Kg/bid and 250 mg/kg/bid herbal remedy, respectively, while group 9 and 10 were treated with equal volume of Ciprofloxacin and herbal remedy, 500 mg/kg/bid and 250 mg/kg/bid, respectively, orally twice daily for 7days. Bacterial loads in rectal swab, intestine and gall bladder, as well as the anti-S.typhi O and H serum antibodies of the test and control rats were evaluated at pre-infection, post-infection and post-treatment phases using standard microbiological and serological methods.
Results: The outcome of this study showed that the administration of the herbal remedy (500 mg/Kg/bid) resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.001) in the rectal (1.8±04 Log CFU/mL), intestinal (4.25±0.05 Log CFU/Intestine) and gall-bladder (1.85±0.25 Log CFU/Gall-Bladder) bacterial load, as well as the anti-S. typhi O (93.3±22.3) and H (93.3±22.3) serum antibodies level of the test groups compared to the infection control (3.8±0.20 Log CFU/mL, 8.3±0.10 Log CFU/Intestine, 4.3±0.06 Log CFU/Gall-Bladder and 173.3±32.1, respectively).
Recommended applications/industries: The outcome of this study further underscores the curative potential of the herbal remedy as claimed by the manufacturers and vendors
