Vitamin A Status of Steady State Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients Compared to Normal Control in Maiduguri North Eastern Nigeria.

Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited disorder of haemoglobin characterized by sickled red blood cells and increased destruction of these cells. Antioxidants protect cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. The aim of this study was to determine antioxidant vitamin A in steady state sickle cell anaemia patients and that of controls in Maiduguri, Borno state North-Eastern Nigeria. The study was carried out at UMTH Maiduguri. Sixty sickle cell anaemia patients were compared with sixty controls, aged ranged 1 year 3 months to 33 years of age, using HPLC for vitamin A status. The mean vitamin A in sickle cell patients according to age ranged between 0.047±0.002 to 0.053±0.002 mg/ml, while that of controls is 0.053± 0.001 to 0.091±0.001 mg/ml. The maximum mean serum vitamin A (0.053±0.001 mg/ml), in SCA was found in the business and children groups while the minimum vitamin A (0.039±0.001 mg/ml) was recorded in the un-employed SCA patients. The study showed the antioxidant vitamin A was found to be lower in the SCA subjects than in normal control in all age groups. Level of education also plays a role in the level of antioxidant vitamins in the blood.

A preliminary report on the Anti-Diarrhoeal benefit of Seleru: A possible adjunct HIV/AIDS Therapy

"Infection with the human immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is assuming greater proportion. The global estimates of new infections keep rising. The cure for HIV infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is related to the socio-economic status of the population. In our environment; poverty is a major undoing in the medical management of HIV/AIDS using orthodox antiretroviral drugs. Consequently; great attention is being turn to the exploration of herbal remedies in the management of this dreaded disorder. A concoction ""Seleru"" (Amodmat r) is claimed to have benefits for HIV/AIDS. We investigated the role of this concoction on diarrhoea; a distressing symptom of the syndrome. The antidiarrhoeal property of ""Seleru"" (Amodmat r) was investigated using the charcoal meal preparation; on albino wistar rat. The extract was administered at a dose range of between 100mg/kg to 800mg/kg body weight. Results show an antimotility effect on the gastrointestinal tract; supporting a usefulness of the extract in diarrhoeal states."