Effects of Methanolic Extract of Citrullus lanatus Seed on Experimentally Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia.

Aims: To investigate the effects of methanolic extract of Citrullus lanatus seed (MECLS) on experimentally induced benign prostate hyperplasia. Study design: Animal model of experimentally induced prostatic hyperplasia. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Ikenne Campus, Ikenne, Ogun State, Nigeria, between May 2010 and August 2010. Methodology: Twenty adult male Wistar rats weighing about 135-180g were randomly divided into four groups of five animals each. Group I, Normal control (NC) was given corn oil as placebo 1g/Kg BW; Group II, Hormone treated control (HTC), Groups III, and IV hormone and extract treated (HTEC), received continuous dosage of 300μg and 80μg of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) respectively on alternate days for three weeks subcutaneously in the inguinal region while the extract treated received an additional 2g/Kg BW (low dose) and 4g/Kg BW (high dose) of extract orally for 4 weeks after the successful induction of prostate enlargement. Immediately after induction some animals were randomly selected and sacrificed for gross inspection of prostate enlargement and sperm count evaluation, these procedures were repeated again after four weeks of extract treatment. Portion of the prostate were taken and processed routinely for paraffin embedding and stained with H&E. Results: Hormone treatment did not affect the body weight of the animals; however it caused a significant decrease in the weight of the testes and rendered all the rats azoospermia. In addition, treatment with extracts caused a significant decrease in the enlarged prostate, seminal vesicle and testes sizes in a dose related manner (P<0.05) compared to the hormone treated control. Histological examination of prostate revealed that the methanolic extract caused significant changes in its histo-architecture. There was an increase in the fibromuscular layer, decrease in prostatic acini size, shrinkage of epithelium, and no infolding of the epithelium into the lumen, rather, it appeared flat compared to the very distinct columnar epithelium of the hormone treated control and conspicuousness of the acini. The extracts further caused a dose dependent reduction in the prostates weight. PSA level was significantly lowered in both HTEC at low and high doses (P<0.05) in dose dependent manner. Conclusion: Administration of MECLS for one month reduced the prostate size significantly (P< 0.05), both at high and low dose, but could not restore the initial size of shrunken testes and severe oligospermia caused by the hormones. The histological studies clearly establish MECLS as a potential candidate in management of androgen dependent conditions like benign prostate hyperplasia.

Chronic renal failure from the English-speaking Caribbean: 2007 data / Fallo renal crónico en el Caribe anglófono: datos del 2007

AIM: Development of the renal registry to include patients at different stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD). BACKGROUND: The 2007 renal registry include cases at different stages of CKD based on the current guidelines according to the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Kidney Disease Outcome Initiative (K/DOQI) staging. There was an increase in the number of participating countries, with the addition of Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Turks and Caicos. METHODS: Data were collected using a questionnaire form. Data were stored and analysed in Words Excel for Windows or SPSS 12.0. RESULTS: Data were available for Antigua and Barbuda (n = 43), British Virgin Islands (n = 69), Cayman Islands (n = 45), Trinidad and Tobago (n = 564), Jamaica (n = 920), Turks and Caicos (n = 64), St Lucia (n = 51) and Bahamas (n = 121). The registry identified hypertension, diabetes mellitus and Chronic Glomerulonephritis (CGN) as the commonest causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in these countries. The leading cause of death reported was listed as ischaemic heart disease/heart failure, sepsis and cerebrovascular accident. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with CKD and ESRD had hypertension, diabetes mellitus and CGN as the major causes. Collection of data for patients with CKD at different stages was met with some challenges, and resulted in underestimation of the true number of persons with CKD across these Caribbean countries. More emphasis will continue to be placed on improving data collection so the true incidence, prevalence and healthcare burden of CKD is known in the Caribbean. A web based programme is being developed to improve data collection.

OBJETIVO: Desarrollar el registro renal incluyendo pacientes en diferentes etapas de la enfermedad crónica del riñón (ECR). ANTECEDENTES: El registro renal 2007 incluye casos en diferentes etapas de la ECR, sobre la base de los lineamientos actuales de la estadificación según la iniciativa para los resultados de la enfermedad crónica renal (K/DOQI) propuesta por la Fundación Nacional del Riñón (NKF). Hubo un aumento en el número de países participantes, al añadirse Antigua y Barbuda, Santa Lucia e Islas Turcas y Caicos. MÉTODOS: Los datos fueron recogidos utilizando un cuestionario. Luego fueron almacenados y analizados usando Excel para Windows, o mediante SPSS 12.0. RESULTADOS: Hubo a disposición datos para Antigua y Barbuda (n = 43), Islas Vírgenes Británicas (n = 69), Islas Cayman (n = 45), Trinidad y Tobago (n = 564), Jamaica (n = 920), Islas Turcas y Caicos (n = 64), Santa Lucia (n = 51) y Bahamas (n = 121). El registro identificó la hipertensión, la diabetes mellitus y la glomerulonefritis crónica (GNC) como las causas más comunes de la enfermedad crónica del riñón (ECR) y la enfermedad renal terminal (ERT) en estos países. La principal causa de muerte según los reportes, fueron la cardiopatía isquémica/fallo cardíaco, la sepsis y el accidente cardiovascular. CONCLUSIONES: La mayoría de los pacientes con ECR y ERT sufrían de hipertensión, diabetes mellitus y GNC como causas mayores. La recogida de datos para los pacientes con ECR tuvo algunas dificultades, por lo que se subestimó el número real de personas con ECR en todos estos países caribeños. Se seguiría haciendo un mayor énfasis en mejorar la recogida de datos, de modo que la verdadera incidencia, prevalencia y carga de atención a la salud de la ECR sea conocida en el Caribe. Se halla en curso el desarrollo de un programa en la red de Internet, a fin de mejorar la recogida de datos.

Fourteen Days Oral Administration of Therapeutic Dosage of some Antibiotics Reduced Serum Testosterone in Male Rats

Fourteen days oral administration of therapeutic dose of Ampicillin (4mg/100g/day); Cloxacillin (6mg/100g/day) and Tetracycline (12mg/100g/day) separately to healthy adult male albino rats significantly reduced their serum testosterone level as assessed by enzyme immunoassay. The control group received equal volume of the vehicle (Normal saline) throughout the period of the treatment. A significant reduction (P0 .05) in testicular and epididymal weight was also produced by Cloxacillin; Cloxacillin and Tetracycline respectively. Ampicillin administration on the other hand significantly reduced (P0 .05) prostrate gland weight. After subjecting the treated animals to a recovery period ranging from 1-2 weeks; during which the drug administration was discontinued; all the animals recovered fully from the antifertility effect of these antibiotics on the serum testosterone level by the end of the second week. A significant recovery in the epididymal; testicular and prostrate gland weight was also recorded in the Cloxacillin and Tetracycline; Cloxacillin; and Ampicillin treated animals respectively. The result suggests that the reversible antifertility effects of these antibiotics were produced via the disruption of testosterone hormone production process. This was also accompanied by reduction in the weight of some of the male reproductive organs