The Impact of Deranged Glucose Metabolism and Diabetes in the Pathogenesis and Prognosis of the Novel SARS-CoV-2: A Systematic Review of Literature.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020, and has constituted one of the most serious health challenges of the century, globally. The causative organism was initially named the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019 n CoV) but has subsequently been renamed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has so far infected several millions and killed about a million people worldwide. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the leading causes of morbidity worldwide. OBJECTIVES: To examine the critical role diabetes plays in the pathogenesis and prognosis of COVID-19 and to assess the emerging therapies available to fight the pandemic. METHODS: Authors conducted a systematic review of the literature to examine the role of diabetes as comorbidity in the pathogenesis and prognosis of COVID-19 by searching PubMed and Science Direct databases mainly for articles published since the outbreak of the pandemic. RESULTS: Both experimental and observational data from early 2020 suggested that most people with COVID-19 have comorbidities, the most dominant of which are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension. Empirical evidence indicates that diabetic patients infected with the COVID-19 disease had the worst outcomes concerning morbidity and mortality. CONCLUSION: A combination of underlying chronic conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and cardiovascular diseases together with altered ACE receptor expression, immune dysregulation via cytokine storm, alveolar and endothelial dysfunction, increased systemic coagulation may put individuals with diabetes at risk for COVID-19 severity. More studies are needed to elucidate how glucose- lowering drugs may modulate the host immune response in diabetic individuals, especially following the administration of potential COVID-19 vaccines.

Pesticides-induced Cardiovascular Dysfunctions: Prevalence and Associated Mechanisms.

Increased applications of pesticides, mainly in agriculture and public health, have resulted in increased chances of human exposure to pesticides. Chronic exposure to pesticides has been implicated in several human diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases are broadly used for various heart pathological conditions, including a defect in blood vessels, and they include myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, stroke, cardiomyopathy, coronary heart disease, etc. In this review, the association between human exposure to pesticides and the development of cardiovascular diseases was discussed using epidemiological and laboratory data. The toxicokinetics of pesticides in humans was reviewed, as well as the risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The important role of oxidative stress principally the induction of reactive oxygen species as the signaling molecules for various signaling pathways involved in pesticides-induced cardiovascular disease, was discussed.

Maternal exposure to Bonny Light Crude Oil Altered Reproductive indices in Male and Female offspring of Wistar rats.

In this study, the effects of maternal exposure to Bonny Light Crude Oil (BLCO) on reproductive functions of the offspring was investigated in Wistar rats. Ten pregnant rats were divided into two groups (n=5). Group 1 served as the control, it was administered 0.75ml/Kg bwt/day normal saline and Group 2 was administered 0.75ml/Kg bwt/day BLCO. Serum hormonal profile, sperm indices, estrous cycle length and pubertal timing were assessed as measures of reproductive function. Tissue Malondialdehyde, Catalase and SOD activities were assessed as indices of oxidative stress. Results obtained showed that BLCO significantly (p<0.05) reduced birth weight, anogenital distance (AGD) at birth, sperm count, motility and normal morphology, serum testosterone, testicular and epididymal SOD and catalase activities in the male offsprings. However, days of preputial separation, relative weight of testis and epididymis, testicular and epididymal MDA were significantly (p<0.05) raised by gestational exposure to BLCO. In the female offspring, birth weight, AGD at birth, relative weight of ovaries and uterus, SOD, catalase activities, serum LH were significantly reduced by BLCO exposure during gestation. Moreover, uterine and testicular MDA, serum estradiol and FSH were significantly increased by BLCO treatment during gestation. In conclusion, maternal exposure to BLCO during gestation may alter reproductive indices in the offspring and increased occurrence of oxidative stress in reproductive structures in male and female offspring of Wistar rats.

COVID-19 health literacy, coping strategies and perception of COVID-19 containment measures among community members in a southwestern state in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to describe COVID-19 health literacy, coping strategies and perception of COVID-19 containment measures among community members in a Southwestern state in Nigeria. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional design was used to enroll 691 respondents from households in Akure, Ondo state using a multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire between 1st and 9th October, 2020. Bivariate Chi-square tests were conducted on respondents' COVID-19 health literacy while multivariate logistic analysis was performed on significant variables. Statistical significance levels were set at p<0.05. RESULTS: Respondents' mean age was 29.93±10.66 years, 352 (50.9%) were males. Also, 292 (49.7%) had high levels of trust in the World Health Organization regarding COVID-19 information, and 31 (33.3%) in the first wealth quintile had good health literacy (χ2=10.459, p=0.033). Respondents below 20 years were twice more likely to have good COVID-19 health literacy (OR=2.304, 95%CI=1.316-4.034, p=0.004). Also, respondents aged 21-29 years were three times more likely to have good COVID-19 health literacy (OR=2.587, 95%CI=1.559-4.293, p≤0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Available media platforms should be actively engaged by the national government to ensure that community members especially the rich are equipped with good health literacy.

Nitrite-induced testicular toxicity in rats: therapeutic potential of walnut oil.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of walnut oil on nitrite-induced testicular toxicity in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Available evidence suggests that walnut oil contains high levels of important unsaturated fatty acids including alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-3; nitrite is a reproductive toxicant that causes the loss of germ cells in the seminiferous tubules and generates oxidative stress in the testes, thus reducing sperm counts and affecting sperm morphology. METHODS: This study included 24 male and 24 female adult SD rats. The male rats randomly assigned to Group A (controls) were given normal saline 2 ml/kg. The rats in Groups B, C, and D were given 50mg/kg body weight (bwt) of walnut oil, 0.08 mg/kg bwt of nitrite, and 0.08 mg/kg bwt of nitrite + 50 mg/kg of walnut oil respectively for 28 days via gastric gavage. Tested parameters included: testicular histology, sperm parameters, reproductive hormones, fertility, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione, and catalase (CAT). RESULTS: A severe decrease in spermatogenic cell series, hypocellularity, tubular atrophy, decreased sperm quality, and increased MDA levels were observed in the rats given nitrite only when compared to controls. Rats given 50 mg/kg of walnut oil had significant growth of seminiferous epithelium compared to controls. The rats given walnut oil and nitrite had significant growth of seminiferous epithelium, improved sperm quality, and had decreased MDA levels. CONCLUSION: Walnut oil attenuated the deleterious effects of nitrite to the testes, reduced oxidative stress, and promoted spermatogenesis.

Anti-hepatotoxic activities of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. in animal model of streptozotocin diabetes-induced liver damage.

BACKGROUND: Flavonoid-rich aqueous fraction of methanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyx was evaluated for its anti-hepatotoxic activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Wistar rats. METHODS: Diabetes Mellitus was induced in Wistar rats by a single i.p injection of 80 mg/kg b.w. streptozotocin (STZ) dissolved in 0.1 M citrate buffer (pH 6.3). RESULTS: The ameliorative effects of the extract on STZ-diabetes induced liver damage was evident from the histopathological analysis and the biochemical parameters evaluated in the serum and liver homogenates. Reduced levels of glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (3.76 ± 0.38 µM, 0.42 ± 0.04 U/L, 41.08 ± 3.04 U/ml, 0.82 ± 0.04 U/L respectively) in the liver of diabetic rats were restored to a near normal level in the Hibiscus sabdariffa-treated rats (6.87 ± 0.51 µM, 0.72 ± 0.06 U/L, 87.92 ± 5.26 U/ml, 1.37 ± 0.06 U/L respectively). Elevated levels of aspartate amino transferase (AST), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in the serum of diabetic rats were also restored in Hibiscus sabdariffa -treated rats. Examination of stained liver sections revealed hepatic fibrosis and excessive glycogen deposition in the diabetic rats. These pathological changes were ameliorated in the extract-treated rats. CONCLUSION: The anti-hepatotoxic activity of Hibiscus sabdariffa extract in STZ diabetic rats could be partly related to its antioxidant activity and the presence of flavonnoids.

Microanatomical effects of ethanolic extract of Cola nitida on the stomach mucosa of adult Wistar rats.

The study investigated the microanatomical effects of the extracts of Cola nitida on the stomach mucosa of adult male Wistar rats. Twenty adult male wistar rats were randomly divided into four equal groups of A, B, C and D (n = 5). Animals in experimental groups B, C and D were given 600 mg/kg body weight of crude extract of Cola nitida each by oral intubation for five, seven and nine consecutive days respectively, while group A (control) received equivalent volume of distilled water. Twenty four hrs after the last administration, the animals were sacrificed; tissues were harvested and fixed in 10% formol saline for histological analysis. The study revealed necrotized surface epithelium, degenerated gastric mucosa, and loss of glandular elements in the stomachs of experimental groups' vis-à-vis the control group. These observations were days-dependent; as those groups which received the extract for higher number of days were seen to be adversely affected. In conclusion, Cola nitida at 600 mg/kg body weight can cause gastric lesion in animals. This lesion may be pronounced if the administration continued for days. Cola nitida should, therefore, be taken with caution to avoid gastric complications.