ABSTRACT
Background: Hypertension and Diabetes mellitus have emerged as the leading non-communicable disease worldwide, thus, the increasing need to continuously explore more and better ways of treating these diseases.Objectives: To carry out a survey of plants used in the treatment of hypertension and Diabetes mellitus in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Materials and methods: Interview was conducted among respondents using semi-structured questionnaires and asking open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Result: A total of 30 respondents comprising of 60.0% male and 40.0% female with the highest distribution of age range at above 50 years old (50.0%) was reported. Forty (40) medicinal plant species belonging to thirty-one (31) plant families were cited with the Apocynaceae family having the highest number of medicinal plants, followed by Asteraceae. For hypertension, 32 plant species were reported of which the most cited were Allium sativum (4) and Ficus asperifolia (2) while for Diabetes mellitus, 20 plant species were mentioned, of which the most cited were Hunteria umbellata (10) and Vernonia amygdalina (9). Of particular interest in this study were the plants that appeared for both hypertension and Diabetes treatment.Conclusion: This survey has helped to increase available medicinal plants knowledge and documentation in the management of hypertension and Diabetes. However, further work on the pharmacological activity of these plants as well as formulation in proper dosage form is recommended
Subject(s)
Diabetes Mellitus/therapy , Hypertension/therapy , Medicine, Traditional , Nigeria , Plants, Medicinal/therapeutic use , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) share similar routes of transmission; making it possible for an individual to have a co-infection. HBV infection is well known to be a major cause of chronic liver diseases worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HBV infection among HIV infected HAART naive patients and investigate the effect of co-infection on CD4 count and liver function. Study design: This was a hospital based descriptive cross sectional study of one hundred consecutive therapy-naive HIV-infected individuals. The CD4 count; Hepatitis B surface antigen; Serum albumin; total Protein; and liver enzymes were determined using standard techniques. Results:The prevalence of HIV and HBV co-infection was 37. The mean serum ALT and ALP were significantly higher in the co- infected patients (Pvalues 0.05). The mean CD4 count of the mono infected patients was significantly higher (p-value of 0.014). The mean serum ALT; AST and ALP of mono and co-infected patients with CD4 count200/?l were significantly higher than those with count ? 200 cells/?l. (p-value of 0.01). The mean ALT and AST of the co -infected patients and all patients with CD4 count 200 cells/?l were higher than the normal reference range. Conclusion : Approximately one third of HIV positive patients had hepatitis B virus co-infection. Coinfection and CD4 count 200 cells/?l are likely to result in abnormal ALT and AST. We recommend that co-infected patients and those with CD4 count 200 cells/?l should be given non-hepatotoxic antiretroviral drug
Subject(s)
Coinfection , HIV Infections , Hepatitis B virus , LiverABSTRACT
Post-pandial glycaemic responses to food can be affected by the method involved in the preparation of the food. Dietary intervention with food modification forms the corner- stone of management of type 2 diabetes worldwide. The effect of processing on yam; a staple food in Nigeria; was studied among diabetic and non-diabetic Nigerians. Despite undergoing more processing; amala prepared from yam flour had a better post-pandial glycaemic response index (PGRI) compared to other yam preparations; and this was also significantly higher among the diabetic subjects. Yam-based products; particularly amala; should be encouraged among diabetic Nigerians