ABSTRACT Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin disease caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU is the third most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy, but in Ghana and Cote d’ Ivoire, it is the second. M. ulcerans produces mycolactone, an immunosuppressant macrolide toxin which makes the infection painless. However, some patients have complained of painful lesions and delay healing. Painful ulcers and delay healing experienced by some patients may be due to secondary ba...
ABSTRACT Some traditional medical practitioners use decoctions of the plants Tridax procumbens and Phyllanthus amarus, separately, to treat malaria in Ghana. These plants have however, not been investigated scientifically to establish their antimalarial activities. In this study, inhibition of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum uptake o f 3H-hypoxanthine was used as an in vitro assay to assess the antiplasmodial activities of aqueous, ethanolic, chloroform and ethyl acetate extr...
ABSTRACT As reported malaria cases continue to decline, heterogeneity in transmission will become more pronounced and thus more sensitive tools would be required to identify micro-geographic areas of higher risk for targeted interventions. Sero-positivity against antigens expressed at different stages of the parasite life cycle and proteins in the mosquito saliva cocktail have gained relevance as transmission monitoring tool. However, the persistent nature of blood stage antigens and the poss...
African trypanosomosis is a vector-borne disease that is caused by a flagellated protozoon of the genus Trypanosoma. Large populations of human and domestic animals are at risk of infections with trypanosomes in vast areas of sub-Saharan Africa where the disease is endemic. Human infections with trypanosomes are referred to as Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT) while animal infections are known as African Animal Trypanosomosis (AAT). These infections are more prevalent in the rural areas (Ato...
ABSTRACT Livestock production is one of the farming systems and has a great impact on food and economic security in most developing countries. Animal African trypanosomiasis is a major limitation to livestock production in Africa, particularly cattle production. The disease is caused by Trypanosoma spp., a broad range of protozoan parasites of wild and domestic animals through cyclical and mechanical transmission. Cross-sectional studies conducted in Ghana reveal the common species of trypano...
Introduction Bacteria are essential components of all ecosystems. They inhabit soil, water, air and even travel in space (Afshinnekoo et al., 2015; Osman et al., 2008). Bacteria also survive on inanimate objects such as fomites either transiently or for long periods (Boone and Gerba, 2007; Miller and Diep, 2008). Some bacteria that live in contact with or infect animals, have been implicated in zoonotic infections, which can be a health risk for humans (Cantas and Suer, 2014) and can modulate...
ABSTRACT Background: The face of HIV/AIDS disease is constantly evolving, spreading among populations, and the virus mutating to become resistant to available antiretroviral drugs. Nevirapine, a NNRTI is widely used as the first-line treatment of HIV-1 infection in developing countries. Although it is generally well tolerated and effective, some individuals experience severe cutaneous and/or hepatic adverse events during the initial weeks of therapy. The risk factors associated with the devel...
ABSTRACT Kombucha tea is a slightly sweet, slightly acidic refreshing beverage consumed worldwide. Kombucha is a symbiosis of the Genera Acetobacter and Gluconobacter, with Acetobacter xylinum as a characteristic species, and various yeasts such as genera of Brettanomyces, Zygosaccharomyces, Saccharomyces and Pichia depending on the source. The tea fungus broth is composed of two portions, a floating cellulosic pellicle layer and a sour liquid broth. Black and green tea are known to be t...
ABSTRACT Generation of reactive oxygen species beyond the antioxidant capacity of biological system has been reported to give rise to oxidative stress which through a series of events deregulates cellular functions, leading to oxidative damage and various pathological conditions. This study examined the effect of chloramphenicol and amoxicillin on liver microsomal enzymes Ca2+ - ATPase and Glucose-6-Phosphatase (G-6-P) and lipid peroxidation in rats. Male Wistar strain rats weighing 120 – ...
ABSTRACT The possible influence of aflatoxin a potent hepatocellular carcinogen on the regulation of intracellular Ca^+ homeostasis has been studied using the red cell as a model. Preliminary work on the interaction of the toxin with the red cell membrane using spectrofluometric analysis indicated that the toxin binds spontaneously and irreversibly to the red cell membrane. The binding is highest at pH 4 and least at pH 10. Results obtained from studies using equilibrum dialysis technique sh...
ABSTRACT The effects of the liver tumour promoter, dicophane, with those of low protein intake (LPI) 2+ on the functional expression of rat liver microsomal Ca -ATPase were compared. The effects of dicophane and LPI on the activity of the microsomal enzyme after carcinogenic initiation by pretreatment with aflatoxin B (AFB ), a genotoxic liver carcinogen, were also 1 2+ compared. The Status of membrane - bound Ca -ATPase of erythrocytes of humans having primary liver cancer (PLC) and kwashior...
ABSTRACT Lamivudine (L(-)2 1 ,31 –dideoxy–3-thiacytidine) is an antiretroviral drug which exhibits tissue toxicity leading to peripheral neuropathy and parkinsonism. The exact mechanism of cytotoxicity and effects on target tissues are not well understood. This study was designed to elucidate the effects of lamivudine on biochemical indices in the liver, kidney and brain of rats. Female Wistar rats (180-200g) were randomly assigned into 5 groups of 6 rats each treated orally for 45 days ...
ABSTRACT The phytochemical contents of some milled Nigerian softwood chips were carried out in a quest to evaluate their potentials as sources of alternative medicine as well as uses in other industrial applications. The qualitative and quantitative analysis were ascertained. Tannin was found in all the Nigerian softwoods examined with the highest quantities obtained in Sterculia oblonga (1240 mg/100 g) and Barteria nigritiana (1230 mg/100 g). Highest quantities of alkaloid were obtained in C...
ABSTRACT The study aims to evaluate the effect of food chain mediated chronic exposure to arsenic and cadmium (singly and combined) on the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) and the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) in brains of rats. Fortymale Wistaralbino rats were fed with a diet containing fish fed with normal feed in water contaminated with 0.4 mg/100 ml cadmium (group B), arsenic (group C) and cadmium + arsenic (group D) respectively for three months. The control rats�...
ABSTRACT Processing o f gold arsenopyrite and sulphide ores is currently done with biooxidizing bacteria. This procedure is preferred because of its environmental friendliness and efficiency o f gold recovery from ores, compared to the conventional methods. The efficiency of biomining is, however, largely influenced by the origin o f biooxidizing bacteria used and local organisms have been found to be better adapted to extracting gold from the ore from which they were isolated. The work repor...