The relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, blood glucose and lipid profile of undergraduate students under examination stress.

BACKGROUND: Stress is an extremely adaptive phenomenon in human beings and cortisol is a known stress hormone. Examination has been described as a naturalistic stressor capable of affecting human health. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the relationship between serum cortisol, adrenaline, fasting blood glucose (FBG) and lipid profile during examination stress. METHODS: Two hundred and eight (208) apparently-healthy undergraduate students (aged, 24 ± 6 years) were involved in the study. Exactly 5 mls of venous blood was collected from each subject 1-3 hours before a major examination. A second assessment was done on the same students 3-4 weeks before any examination (control samples). Cortisol and adrenaline were assayed using ELISA techniques, FBG was assayed using enzymatic method while lipid parameters were assayed using standard enzymatic-spectrophotometric methods. RESULTS: There was statistically significant increase in serum cortisol, adrenaline, Total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in students under examination stress compared to the non examination period (p=0.001, 0.013, 0.0001, 0.0001 and 0.0001, respectively). FBG showed no significant increase. There was also significant positive correlation (r=0.297, p=0.032) between serum cortisol and TC/HDL ratio (cardiac risk factor) before examination stress but not during the stress period. CONCLUSIONS: Significant positive correlation was observed between cortisol and TC/HDL ratio before examination stress.

Relationship between lipid and lipoprotein metabolism in trimesters of pregnancy in Nigerian women: Is pregnancy a risk factor?

BACKGROUND: Changes in lipid metabolism have been shown to occur during pregnancy, to ensure a continuous supply of nutrients to the growing fetus, despite intermittent maternal food intake. Abnormal lipid metabolism has also been linked to atherosclerosis. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of pregnancy on the lipid profile and possible predisposition of pregnant Nigerian women to atherosclerosis. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Serum lipid and lipoprotein levels of 60 apparently healthy pregnant women aged between 25 and 45 years, attending the antenatal clinic of the U.N.T.H, Enugu and 60 apparently healthy non-pregnant, age-matched females (controls) were estimated. The test samples were collected from each subject at each of the trimesters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride (TG) were analyzed using enzymatic/spectrophotometric methods while low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were calculated using Friedewald's formula. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The data obtained were analyzed with Students' t-test and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation, using graph pad prism software program and results expressed as mean ± SD. The level of significance was determined at 95% confidence level. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The serum lipid levels were significantly higher (P<0.05) in all the trimesters of the pregnant women than in the controls. There was a steady increase in the serum lipid levels with increasing gestational age. A significant positive correlation (P<0.05) was observed between the lipid fractions and the different trimesters of pregnancy. TC/HDL was decreased significantly (P<0.05) in pregnant women, with increasing gestational age. Cardiac risk factor, however, decreased with gestational age, signifying possible protection from atherosclerosis. A comparison of two age groups of pregnant women (25-34 years and 35-45 years) showed no significant differences (P>0.05) in all the lipid fractions studied, suggesting no possible age-related effect on lipid metabolism in the women in their first trimester. Even with significant increase in plasma lipid during pregnancy, normal pregnancy in Nigerian women does not appear to increase the risk.

Urinary estrogen levels in women on contraceptives in enugu, South-East Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Substantial evidence supports a causal relationship between the risk of human breast cancer and levels of endogenous estrogens. AIM: To evaluate the urinary estrogen of women on contraceptives and also compare the levels in two different classes of contraceptives; hence, the possible predisposition of such women to the risk of breast cancer. SETTING AND DESIGN: Urinary estrogen level was evaluated in 84 women attending family planning clinic in University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria, who have been on contraceptive device for 10 years or less (≤10 years). They were aged between 21 and 50 years and were divide into three groups (21-30 years, 31-40 years, and >40 years). The control group consisted of 30 age-matched apparently-healthy women who were not on any contraceptive device. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Estrogen was analyzed using Ecologenia(;) Estrogen (E1/E2/E3) microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, Batch No. T2GR4, from Japan Envirochemicals Ltd, Japan. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Significant differences between means were determined by two-tailed Student's t-test using graph pad prism computer software program. RESULT: There was a statistically significant increase (P=0.0462), in the mean urinary estrogen level of women on contraceptives when compared with the control. The highest amount of estrogen was excreted by the women in the 21-30 years age group. When the contraceptive devices were divided into two classes of intra-uterine device and oral/injectables, there was no statistical difference (P=0.8112) in the mean urinary estrogen output of the women. CONCLUSION: The synthetic estrogen content of contraceptive device most probably contributed to the level excreted in the urine. The increased estrogen output observed in women on contraceptive device was not dependent on the class of contraceptive device used.

Long-term effect of different classes of highly active antiretroviral therapy on transaminases.

AIM: The current use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV/AIDS patients has increased the recognition of their hepatotoxic effects. The present study is aimed at evaluating the level of aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in HIV patients on different classes of HAART, for various durations, which causes its toxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The AST and ALT levels were estimated in a total of 340 subjects, of which 290 were HIV positive subjects drawn from patients attending the HIV clinic in two Teaching Hospitals, in Nigeria. 240 of the HIV patients were divided into 3 equal groups of 80 each and placed on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI), nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), and protease inhibitors (PI), respectively, and were monitored for different periods of time (3, 6, 12, and >12 months). 50 of the HIV patients, yet to be placed on anti-retroviral therapy and 50 apparently healthy HIV-negative subjects served as the positive and negative controls, respectively. RESULTS: A significant increase in enzyme levels was noted at three and six months in the NNRTI group, and at only three months in the NRTI and PI groups, when compared with the controls. However, increased ALT was observed at six months in those on PI. The increased ALT and AST levels noted in the NNRTI group were significant when compared to those on NRTI and PI over a three- and six-month duration. CONCLUSION: Liver enzyme activities were generally raised in the first three months of HAART, and further in the NNRTI group, after which they progressively fell to the normal level, with time. The highest degree was observed with NNRTI-based HAART.