The impacts of first line highly active antiretroviral therapy on serum selenium, CD4 count and body mass index: a cross sectional and short prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship that exists between body weights, serum selenium and immunological markers of HIV/AIDS continue to provoke more researches in the recent times. The objectives of this study were to examine baseline body mass index, CD4 count and serum selenium and to prospectively assess the impacts of HAART on same parameters 48 weeks post HAART among HIV patients. METHODS: A cohort comprising 140 newly diagnosed HIV positive were prospectively studied. Anthropometric measurements, serum selenium and CD4 count were assessed at diagnosis and 48 weeks post HAART. RESULTS: The mean age for patients was 35±8.8 years; 68% was female. Patients' mean weight was 56.79±10.22kg, BMI; 21.59±3.53, serum selenium; 0.55 ± 0.45µmol/L and CD4 count; 288.36 ± 232.23 at the baseline. At diagnosis, 47 (33.6%) were in stage 1, 49 (35.0%) in stage 2, 26 (18.6%) and 18 (12.9%) were in stage 3 and 4 respectively. Similarly, most patients had normal body mass index, 94 (67.14%), 26 (18.57%) were underweight, (12.86%) were overweight and two (1.43%) were obese at diagnosis. At 48 weeks post HAART, the mean weight, BMI, serum selenium and CD4 count were significantly increased. CONCLUSION: HAART repleted CD4 count and serum selenium, Post HAART overweight was associated with lesser CD4 count reconstitution and selenium repletion. A renew call for weight monitoring in HAART era.

Serum selenium and skin diseases among Nigerians with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The role of selenium as an antioxidant micronutrient has garnered the unprecedented focus of researchers in recent times. No clinical study has related serum selenium concentration to skin diseases in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. METHODS: In this study, 134 newly diagnosed HIV patients that satisfied the inclusion criteria were included. Skin diseases were clinically diagnosed and fasting venous blood was taken for assessment of serum selenium using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. RESULTS: THE MEAN AGE OF HIV SUBJECTS WITH AND WITHOUT SKIN DISEASE WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT: 32.72 ± 9.21 versus 35.86 ± 8.55 years, P = 0.077, respectively. The mean of serum selenium (0.51 ± 0.48 versus 0.81 ± 0.39), CD4+ count (228.06 ± 212.89 versus 446.41 ± 182.87), and body mass index (BMI; 21.09 ± 3.58 versus 23.53 ± 3.35) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) for HIV/AIDS participants with skin disease than those without skin disease. We found significant clustering of symptoms and signs: fever (P = 0.037), weight loss (P = 0.009), oral candidiasis (P = 0.038), pallor (P = 0.037) among HIV/AIDS subjects with skin diseases than those without. Low serum selenium concentration was significantly associated with primary skin disease of HIV/AIDS, such as pruritic papular eruption of AIDS (P = 0.003), xeroderma (P = 0.030), fluffy hair (P = 0.021), blue-black nail hyperpigmentation (P = 0.033) and secondary skin disease, such as oral candidiasis (P = 0.002). There was a significant association between low serum selenium concentration and increasing frequency of skin diseases (P = 0.002), but serum selenium was not significantly related to extents of distribution of skin diseases (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: serum selenium concentration was lower among HIV subjects with skin diseases than those without skin disease. Pruritic papular eruption, xeroderma, fluffy hair, blue-black nail hyper pigmentation, and oral candidiasis were significantly associated with low serum selenium concentration.

Effect of different modes of delivery on cord blood oxidative stress markers.

BACKGROUND: Normal pregnancy has been associated with oxidative stress injury. Oxidative stress has been linked with poor perinatal outcome and birth asphyxia. The severity of this oxidative stress in newborn may be related to stress of different modes of delivery. METHODS: Eighty seven newborn babies were recruited in both labour ward and operating theatre of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. Fourty one of them was delivered via spontaneous vertex delivery, 26 via emergency caesarean section and the rest, 20 were delivered through elective caesarean section. Cord blood sample was collected from new born babies immediately after delivery. Plasma was extracted and used for the laboratory measurement of total antioxidant status, malondialdehyde and Uric acid. RESULTS: There were no significant (P>0.05) changes among the studied groups in mean plasma levels of malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status and uric acid. However, a trend was observed in these parameters. Mean plasma total antioxidant status/mmol/l was observed to be highest in subjects delivered through ECS (2.35 ± 0.05) and lowest in subjects delivered through SVD (2.03 ± 0.08). Similarly mean plasma UA/mg/dl was also observed to be highest in subjects delivered through ECS (3.61 ± 0.16) lowest in those delivered through SVD (3.49 ± 0.71). The highest mean plasma level of MDA/µmol/l was found in subjects delivered through SVD (5.78 ± 1.56) while the lowest was found in subjects delivered through ECS (5.01 ± 1.21). CONCLUSION: There is no significant relationship between oxidative stress markers in neonate and the mode of delivery.