Effects of Micronutrient Supplementation on CD4+ Cell Count and Anthropometric Parameters in HIV-Positive Adults on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Treatment Naïve in Sokoto, Nigeria.

Aims: To examine the effects of micronutrient supplementation on CD4+ cell count and anthropometric parameters in 210 HIV-positive adult patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy and treatment naïve. Study Design: A prospective and interventional study was performed comparing five groups receiving daily either a micronutrients (Centrum) supplement or no supplement for 12 months, and the effects of micronutrients supplementation on CD4+ cell count and anthropometric parameters from baseline to 12 months were assessed. Place and Duration of Study: Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto and Department of Chemical Pathology and Immunology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, between April, 2013 and September, 2014.

Effect of environmental iodine deficiency (EID) on foetal growth in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: There is scarcity of information on impact of iodine deficiency on growth and development of newborns, both pre-term and term babies. The present study was carried out to see the impact of iodine deficiency (ID) on the intrauterine foetal growth and development in terms of birth weight (BW) in an African population living in an iodine deficient zone. METHODS: The maternal and cord serum thyroid parameters at term delivery (38-40 wk of gestation) were measured and correlated with the birth weights of the corresponding newborns, and the results compared between those assessed in an ID zone (Jengere region of Bassa district, Plateau State, Nigeria) and with that of non ID (Control) zone, Jos, the State capital. RESULTS: The level of maternal and neonatal thyroid function were significantly reduced in the group with low birth weights (<2.5 kg) as compared to the level seen in normal birth weights category in both control (Jos) and ID (Jengere) regions. Both in non ID and ID regions the maternal serum thyroxine (T4), thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and free thyroxine index (FT4I) were positively correlated (P<0.005) with BW of term babies while thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (P<0.005) and thyroxine binding capacity (TBK) (P<0.05) showed negative correlation. Maternal T3 and T3/T4 ratio did not show any correlation with BW in Jos, while in the ID region of Bassa the BW showed a positive correlation (P<0.005) with the maternal serum T3 and T3/T4 ratio. Cord serum analysis of the term babies revealed that the BW was positively correlated with its T4, triiodothyronine (T3), TBG, FT4I and T4/TBG ratio (Jos only) (P<0.005) in both ID region of Bassa and non ID control zone of Jos. Cord serum TSH and TBK showed negative correlation (P<0.005) with BW. Thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test revealed that mothers with small for date (SFD) babies at term were more hypothyroid compared to the level of thyroid function seen in the women delivering normal babies. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Maternal thyroid hormone plays a significant role in the intrauterine foetal growth and development, and the smaller babies and their corresponding mothers, in an ID affected area are functionally sub-thyroid in greater proportion due to prevailing long standing environmental iodine deficiency (EID). Maternal T3 is an important factor in the defence of foetus in ID regions.

The drug sensitivities of Plasmodium falciparum in the Sonitpur district, Assam, India.

Falciparum malaria is an ongoing problem in the foothills of Northeast India. Evaluation of the drug sensitivities of P. falciparum was carried out in four endemic villages of the Sonitpur District of Assam, involving 218 cases who were tested in vivo over 35 days. Chloroquine resistance was detected at the RI level in 29 cases (13%) and RII level in 8 cases (4%). No RIII chloroquine resistant cases were detected in the study. RI resistance was observed in the age groups 6-10 years, 11-14 years, and 15 years and above in 16%, 17%, and 13%, respectively. RII level resistance was observed in 4% of all those groups combined. All the RI and RII resistant cases responded well to a single dosage of Metakelfin (sulfamethoxypyrazine I.P 1,500 mg and pyrimethamine I.P 75 mg).

Effect of growth medium on hydrophobicity of Staphylococcus epidermidis.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of growth medium on expression of hydrophobicity of Staphylococcus epidermidis. A total of 24 hydrophobic isolates of S. epidermidis, determined by n-hexadecane adherence assay (HAA) earlier were included. Five different growth media: horse blood agar (HBA), brain heart infusion agar (BHIA), brain heart infusion broth (BHIB), tryptic soy broth (TSB) and proteose peptone broth (PPB) were used. All 24 isolates exhibited the reproducible hydrophobicity when grown on HBA; however, 20 (83.33%), 19 (79.16%), 15 (62.50%) and 13 (54.16%) isolates were found to be hydrophobic when grown in BHIA, BHIB, TSB and PPB, respectively. HBA was found to be the most suitable medium for detection of hydrophobicity of S. epidermidis followed by BHIA or BHIB.

Epidemiological and entomological aspects of malaria in forest-fringed villages of Sonitpur district, Assam.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Detailed epidemiological and entomological studies were undertaken in forest-fringed villages and a Tea Estate in Sonitpur, Assam to assess the malaria situation. METHODS: Door-to-door active surveillance was carried out to collect blood samples. Thick and thin blood smears stained with Giemsa were used for malaria parasite detection. Mosquito collections were made using CDC miniature light-traps and hand catch methods from dusk-to-dawn. RESULTS: 48% SPR, 49.1 Pf% was recorded from the study villages. Children between 10 and 14 years were most sufferers. Per trap night density of mosquitoes in human dwellings was 204.3 and in cattlesheds--908.7, An. minimus accounted for 20.7% of total malaria vectors. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The results showed high malaria risk in the study villages. High vector density with high parity rate, poor socio-economic conditions, lack of awareness, poor sanitation and congenial atmosphere for mosquito proliferation are aggravating the malaria situation more complex in the study area.

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli infection: current progress & future challenges.

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a newly emerged pathogen that has been the focus of immense international research effort driven by its recognition as a major cause of large scale epidemics and thousands of sporadic cases of gastrointestinal illness. It produces a severe bloody diarrhoea that is clinically distinct from other types of diarrhoeal diseases caused by other enteric pathogens. One of the most important areas of current exploration concerns how STEC enters our food chain, an investigational avenue that begins with the ecology of STEC in animals and in the environment. A variety of foods have been identified as vehicles of STEC-associated illness and this makes the organism one of the most serious threats to the food industry in recent years. The pathogenesis of STEC is multifactorial and involves several levels of interaction between the bacterium and the host. STEC strains carry a set of virulence genes that encode the factors for attachment to host cells, elaboration of effective molecules and production of two different types of Shiga toxins. These genes are found in the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), lamboid phages, and a large virulence associated plasmid. The publication of the complete genome sequence of Esch. coli O157:H7 chromosome offers a unique resource that will help to identify additional virulence genes, to develop better methods of strain detection and in the understanding of the evolution of Esch. coli through comparison with the genome of the non-pathogenic laboratory strain Esch. coli K-12. These research efforts in turn, should lead to development of new potent and cost effective anti-Stx therapies or vaccines and thereby major improvement in human health world-wide.

Evaluation of botanicals as repellents against mosquitoes.

Repellent properties of three plant extracts--essential oil (steam distillate) of Zanthoxylum limonella (fruits), Citrus aurantifolia (leaf) and petroleum ether extract of Z. limonella (fruits) were evaluated as repellent against Aedes (S.) albopictus mosquitoes in mustard (Dhara) and coconut (Parachute) oil base under laboratory conditions. Three concentrations--10, 20 and 30% of the repellents were evaluated. Repellents in mustard oil afforded longer protection time against the bites of Aedes (S.) albopictus mosquitoes than those in coconut oil. At 30% concentration, 296-304 min protection time was achieved by the test repellents in mustard oil base while repellents in coconut oil exhibited 223.5-245 min protection time at the same concentration. Oil of Z. limonella gave the highest protection time against the bites of Aedes (S.) albopictus mosquitoes at all the concentrations than other herbal repellents tested both in mustard and coconut oil.

Comparative evaluation of hydrophobicity measures for virulence determination of Staphylococcus epidermidis from hospitalized patients & healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Hydrophobicity is one of the recognized markers for identifying pathogenic strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis. A number of tests are available for measuring the hydrophobic character but three tests viz., salt aggregation test (SAT), n-hexadecane adherence assay (HAA) and xylene adherence assay (XAA) are in common practice with different degrees of sensitivity. However, in the Indian context, no systematic study has been reported on the hydrophobicity of S. epidermidis. Hence, the present study was undertaken to compare the three methods for hydrophobicity measurement for identifying the pathogenic isolates of S. epidermidis. METHODS: Of the 597 samples obtained from milker's and butcher's (hand and nose), hospitalized pre-operative patients (hand, nose, ear), and post-operative patients (blood) examined, 212 isolates of S. epidermidis were recovered using established laboratory procedures. The isolates were screened by the three tests viz., SAT, HAA and XAA. The identified hydrophobic isolates were further tested by mouse inoculation method. RESULTS: Of the 212 S. epidermidis isolates studied, 24 (11.32%), 23 (10.84%) and 4 (1.88%) were found to be hydrophobic as detected by HAA, XAA and SAT, respectively. No isolates from apparently healthy individuals were found to be hydrophobic by SAT while 13 (8.76%) and 10 (8.24%) strains from apparently healthy individuals were detected to be hydrophobic by HAA and XAA, respectively. Seven (33.38%) isolates each were hydrophobic by HAA and XAA and 4 (22.22%) by SAT among the isolates from hospitalized post-operative patients. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The results suggested that there was no difference in the number of strains detected as hydrophobic by HAA and XAA, and any of the two tests may be used for screening the hydrophobic strains of S. epidermidis from healthy individuals and patients.

Field evaluation of herbal mosquito repellents.

Repellent properties of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. Syn. Z. alatum Roxb. (Timur), Curcuma aromatica (Jungli haldi) and Azadirachta indica (Neem) oils were evaluated against mosquitoes in mustard (Brassica sp.) and coconut (Cocos sp.) oil base and compared with synthetic repellent. Dimethyl phthalate (DMP) as standard. Timur and jungli haldi afforded better protection in the both the base at all the concentrations. Tepellents in mustard oil gave longer protection time than those in coconut oil. At 0.57 mg/cm2 concentration timur oil gave significantly higher protection both in mustard (445 min) as well as coconut oil (404 min) than the other repellents and DMP.

Capillaria hepatica, a parasite of zoonotic importance--a brief overview.

This review briefly elucidates the biology and mode of transmission of the parasite capillaria hepatica, an cuimial parasite. Occasional transmitted to man.

Role of Anopheles culicifacies during an outbreak of malaria in Gorubandha P.H.C., Assam.

Entomological investigation during an outbreak of malaria in Gorubandha PHC in Sonitpur district revealed unusually high density of Anopheles culicifacies followed by An.minimus. Parity rates of both the species were very high, 65% and 62.2% respectively. An. culicifacies was incriminated as malaria vector. Sporozoite rate recorded was 0.63%. Both the species were found susceptible to DDT. This substantiates the epidemiological observation which yielded 98% Plasmodium falciparum malaria out of 35.2% malaria positive cases. Incrimination of An. culicifacies means adding one more malaria vector to this region.

Immunogenic activity of viral polypeptides of an Indian isolate of infectious bursal disease virus.

An Indian isolate of infectious bursal disease virus, i.e. IBDV-P/AD/81, was analysed for immunogenic activity of its structural polypeptides. Virus was purified from infected bursal homogenate by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. It showed five different structural polypeptides of 75.8, 45, 40.7, 33.1 and 27 kDa molecular weights in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Anti infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) antibodies were tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and neutralization test (NT). Polypeptide 40.7 kDa (VP2) was known to have neutralizing epitopes. However, polyclonal anti VP2 failed to neutralize the virus. It was interpreted that VP2 had labile neutralizing epitopes which get altered confirmationally by SDS. Surprisingly, polyclonal anti 33.1 kDa (VP3) had mild neutralizing activity.

Laboratory and field evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis and B. sphaericus against mosquito larvae.

Laboratory and field trials were carried out with two formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis and four strains of Bacillus sphaericus (B 42, B 64, B 87 and B 33) against mosquito larvae in different breeding habitats of Tezpur, Assam. LC90 of B. thuringiensis var israelensis (formulation Teknar) against Ae. albopictus, Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. gelidus were recorded as 0.443, 0.453 and 2.15 ppm respectively and LC90 of B. thuringiensis (Deltox: VCRC B-17) against Ae. albopictus, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. gelidus and Cx. malayi were 8.414, 11.22, 5.24 and 6.761 ppm respectively. LC90 of B. sphaericus strains B 42, B 64, B 87 and B 33 against Cx. quinquefasciatus were 0.055, 0.115, 0.046 and 0.257 ppm respectively. At the dosage of 1 l/ha 87 per cent mortality was achieved after 24 hrs with Bti and it increased to 90-95 per cent at 1.5 l/ha. In polluted cemented drains 93-97 per cent kill of Cx. quinquefasciatus was observed at 2.5 l/ha. Out of four strains of B. sphaericus evaluated, strain B 87 was found to be the most effective as 87-96 per cent kill was achieved with only 0.1 kg/ha for Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. vishnui and A. vagus. For others 0.2 kg/ha dosage, eliminated 96-100 per cent Cx. vishnui gr. for B 42, 92-93 per cent for B 64 and 90-93 per cent for B 33 strain.

Persistence of leech repellents on cloth.

Trials on persistence of repellent properties of N, N-diethyl phenyl acetamide (DEPA), N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), 3acetyl2(2-6-dimethyl-5-heptenyl)oxazolidine(Citronyl) , dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and N-benzoyl piperidine (NBP) on cloth were conducted against land leeches in evergreen rain and deciduous forests of Assam. Results obtained were compared with volatile oil of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. syn. Z. alatum Roxb (Timur) to evaluate its efficacy as leech repellent. DEPA and DEET were found to be the best. Timur oil was at par with Citronyl and exhibited better results than DMP and NBP.

Serum and thyroid tissue lipids in patients with thyroid tumors in euthyroidism.

Plasma lipids of 24 euthyroid subjects with thyroid adenoma and non-toxic primary differentiated thyroid carcinoma (papillary and follicular types) were assessed and compared with a similar investigation conducted on 20 normal subjects. A parallel study with thyroid tumor tissues examined the lipid changes which occurred in the same group of patients. These were compared with the picture seen in 5 normal thyroids. The investigations examined the changes in total lipids; total, free and esterified cholesterol; total phospholipids; lecithin; cephalin and sphingomyelin; triglycerides and free fatty acids in both serum and thyroid tissue. Compared with normal subjects, the serum lipids were almost identical except for the concentration of free fatty acids which showed significantly lower values in the group with neoplastic changes. Tissue analysis of the cancerous thyroid however revealed a marked rise in virtually all lipid fractions but the cholesterol seemed to dominate the picture. The differential studies of total phospholipids for thyroid tissue membrane lipids further revealed a significant increase in the lecithin and sphingomyelin components of total phospholipids as well as the esterified cholesterol fraction in thyroid carcinoma. The changes in thyrophospholipids were more marked in females normal thyroids than males. An attempt has been made through evaluation of the results derived from differential lipid studies to elucidate the role of some of the various fractions determined and the possible effect of the changes described on thyroid hormone metabolism.