ABSTRACT
Background: In the continuous search for accessible, reliable and sensitive biomarkers for early detection of environmental lead exposure, authors determined the interaction between blood lead level (BLL), the conventional marker of lead exposure, and the indices of calcium and bone metabolism in children.Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 309 apparently healthy children from eight public primary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria who were classified as Elevated BLL (EBLL) and control based on standard cut-off for childhood BLL. BLL, serum Ca (tCa), phosphate, magnesium (Mg), 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), urinary calcium (uCa) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (uDPD) were determined using AAS, HPLC and ELISA as appropriate. Bone-specific ALP (B-ALP) and ionized calcium (iCa) were calculated using standard formulae. Data analyses involved Student’s t-test, Pearson correlation and multivariate regression analysis. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: BLL and 25-OH-Vitamin D levels were increased in EBLL (0.4±0.1 µmol/L and 60.1±10.7 mmol/L) compared with control (0.2±0.0 µmol/L and 55.1±14.3 mmol/L) p <0.05. No significant differences existed in the levels of ALP, B-ALP, uCa, uDPD, tCa, iCa, phosphate and Mg in both groups (p>0.05). BLL had significant positive correlation with uCa (r=0.176, p=0.002) (p<0.05) but no significant correlation with uDPD, ALP, B-ALP, tCa, iCa, phosphate, Mg and 25-OH-Vitamin D (p>0.05). BLL could be accounted for by uCa by applying the equation, BLL=0.329+0.324uCa.Conclusions: Urinary calcium could be a promising predictive biomarker for early recognition of significant environmental lead exposure in children.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Hedyosmum brasiliense Miq., Chloranthaceae, has been used in Southern Brazil as a sedative, anti-inflammatory, and aphrodisiac. In this study, endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded rat aortic rings and strips of corpus cavernosum were used to investigate the relaxant effects of an hexane fraction of leaves of H. brasiliense and its sesquiterpene lactones 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, podoandin, and elemanolide 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide. The incubation of hexane fraction of leaves of H. brasiliense resulted in significant relaxation of endothelium-intact aortic rings previously contracted by phenylephrine. In addition, 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide and podoandin displayed a clear concentration-dependent ability to relax endothelium-intact (∼85 to 90%) and endothelium-denuded (∼45 to 55%) rat aortic rings. A less pronounced vascular relaxation was recorded when 15-hydroxy-isogermafurenolide was tested. Interestingly, in tissues previously incubated with the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (100 µM), both 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide and podoandin had their effects in endothelium-intact vessels reduced to the same degree of relaxation observed in endothelium-denuded aortic rings. Podoandin, 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, and 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide (100 µM) were also able to relax precontracted corpus cavernosum strips by 49.5 ± 3.9%, 65.9 ± 7.3% and 57.9 ± 5.5%, respectively. Our results demonstrated that 13-hydroxy-8,9-dehydroshizukanolide, podoandin and 15-acetoxy-isogermafurenolide, isolated from H. brasiliense, generate both endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation of rat aortic rings, as well as being able to induce in vitro relaxation of rat corpus cavernosum. Importantly, the endothelium-dependent effect is fully dependent on nitric oxide production. Considering that penile erection depends on both relaxation of cavernosal smooth muscle and inflow of blood for the cavernous bodies, this is the first study reporting experimental evidence supporting the aphrodisiac properties of H. brasiliense.
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This paper is the result of a visit by Brazilian researchers to Ghana, with the aim of improving understanding of the relationship between traditional healers and conventional health practices, specifically in relation to tuberculosis. Through this exploratory visit, this group of researchers promoted by the Edital Pro Africa (CNPq) had an opportunity to learn about, reflect on, and discuss the different social, economic and cultural realities and contexts that have led to the different health conditions and forms of healthcare in Ghana. Besides the direct relationship between the social and economic conditions of the country and the health of its population, it was also concluded that there is a clear distancing, in the Ghanaian reality, between the traditional healers and the conventional system, in terms of culture and modes of operation, each constituting isolated systems with little or no collaboration between them.The visit enabled us to see the difficulties involved in managing TB, including diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and co-infection with HIV. The majority of patients with TB only go to hospital after several attempts at self-medication, due to the non-specificity of the principal symptoms, and also to the trust in the traditional medicine. Initiatives to encourage research into medicinal plants in Ghana are seeking partnerships with developed countries, but not always with clear or secure national interests. For the traditional healers, there are high hopes that the information gathered by researchers from the local universities, on the plants and traditional methods they use, will result in affirmation and recognition of their practices, but they complain strongly that they receive no feedback on the research carried out.
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Purpose: In all CD4+/CD8+ T-cell estimation systems, the reagents used are liquid in nature and have to be transported and stored at 2°-8°C. This causes problems in countries where the ambient temperature is high for most parts of the year or where the laboratories are at remote places. Materials and Methods: We evaluated a dry format of CD4/CD8 reagents from ReaMetrix (Bangalore, India) against the existing liquid reagents from Becton Dickinson (San Jose, CA, USA) and Guava PCA system (Guava Technologies, Hayward, CA, USA). Blood samples collected during March 2009 through May 2009 from 102 HIV-infected individuals and 31 normal healthy individuals in a tertiary care centre in India (south) were tested by Guava; EasyCD4™ System (PCA) and FACSCount using the respective reagents and the corresponding ReaMetrix reagents. Results: Overall, the correlation (r) of the new Rea T Count and FACSCount reagents for the CD4+ T-cell estimation was 0.98, while with ReaPan 3 4 G reagent in the Guava PCA system with the Guava reagent was 0.97. The mean bias for CD4+ T-cell measurements between Rea T count and BD reagent was -6 cells/ml, while the same with ReaPan 3 4 G reagent in the Guava PCA system was 78 cells/ml. The mean bias for the Rea T count and the ReaPan 3 4 G reagent tested in the FACSCount and Guava PCA system was 17 cells. Conclusions: The dry reagents were found to be reliable and cheaper compared to the existing liquid reagents. This allows the transportation of reagents in the absence of cold chain and will facilitate a more user-friendly CD4+ T-cell testing system.