Journal of Current Biomedical Research

New approaches to reduce risk of cancer: a mini literature review

Asma’u Bashir, Ismail-J., Safiya Sambo, Rukayyat B Oloyede, Basira Lawal, K — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Cancer is the first or second leading cause of death before the age of 70 years in over 100 countries and ranks third or fourth in over 20 countries with 19 million new cancer cases and over 9 million mortalities in the year 2020 alone. Due to the high cost of cancer treatment, inefficiency in the eradication of all cancer cells and inaccessible healthcare for a large population in developing countries, the education of policy makers and the public in general on cancer prevention or cancer risk reduction measures is of utmost importance. These include the re-use of medications such as aspirin, foods such as soy and soy protein, vigorous intermittent physical activity, healthy eating (nutrition and diet) and vaccination. We aim to highlight and reiterate the importance of different approaches that reduce the risk of cancer, which may be alien or unknown in our society. These include the inclusion of foods such as soy and soy protein in our diet, vigorous intermittent physical activity, healthy eating (nutrition and diet) in general, vaccination and investment in the research of already existing drugs with known toxicity profiles.

The fact that a large number of cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries cannot afford therapy, means there is a dire need for prevention measures to be exploited and integrated alongside conventional cancer therapy. Policy makers and the public in general should be educated on these measures to relieve the financial and emotional burden on patients and society as a whole.

Secondary metabolites from the leaves and stem of the Nigerian mangrove plant -Acrostichum aureum possess wound healing and antimicrobial properties

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Acrostichum aureum is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of several disease conditions and infections. In Nigeria, its use is limited to the management of stomach pain and skin infections. This research aims to evaluate the wound healing and antimicrobial properties of the secondary metabolites from the stem and leaf of Acrostichum aureum. The crude extract was subjected to liquid- liquid partitioning successively with n-hexane, ethylacetate, butanol and water. Wound healing activity was determined using wound excision model while the antimicrobial activity was evaluated using the Inhibition Zone Diameter (IZD) model. Metabolomics was carried out using High performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD). Result from the study revealed that the crude extract and butanol fractions of both stem and leaves of Acrostichum aureum elicited significant (p<0.05) reduction in wound size on progressive administration of the extract at all doses when compared to the controls. From the result, models treated with 2% AAL-BF, 6% AAS-BF and povidone had at least 94% wound contraction on day 12 respectively, while models treated with 2% AAS-BF and 6% AAL-BF had 89.5% and 85.0% wound contraction respectively on the 12^th day. The crude extract and fractions of Acrostichum aureum showed a dose dependent response against the pathogens. The crude extract of both AAS and AAL showed the best antibacterial activities. AAL showed an IZD of 10.0 ± 0.7, 6.00 ± 0 and 12.0 ± 0 for Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aereginosa, and Escherichia coli respectively at the highest dose (1 mg/mL), while AAS showed an IZD of 10.0 ± 0.7, 7.0 ± 0 for Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aereginosa respectively at dose of 1.0 mg/mL. Fractions of AAL also showed activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The HPLC-DAD identified compounds; quercetin-3-galactoside, rocaglamide, palitantin and isorhamnetin diglycoside proposed to be responsible for the bioactivities observed. In conclusion, the secondary metabolites from the leaf and stem part of Acrostichum aureum growing in Nigeria possess wound healing and antibacterial properties and can be optimized for the development of potent therapeutic agents.

Seroprevalence and molecular identification of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) serotypes among HIV patients attending a selected public hospital in Kano, Nigeria

muhammad Abdullahi — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is a problem which causes liver disease worldwide and accounts for over 360 million cases of chronic hepatitis and more than one million deaths per year. HBV is a public health concern, especially among HIV-positive patients for its contribution to increasing the progression of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of HBV infection and identify the HBV serotypes among HIV-positive individuals in a tertiary health care centre in Nigeria.

Blood samples of One hundred seventy-eight (178) HIV-positive patients were screened for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Socio-demographic data and risk factors data for HBV infection were collected from the study population using structured questionnaires. Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used for molecular identification of HBV using primers for all four major serotypes under study (ayw), (adw), (adr), and (ayr). The data was analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 version.

Findings showed that out of the (178) samples only Eleven (11) samples were positive for Hepatitis B Surface Antigen with a prevalence of 6.2%. Out of the 11 positive samples, 4 samples were positive for ayw serotype and none for other serotypes using Multiplex PCR with a prevalence of just 2% and the remaining samples were negative for adw,adr and ayr after completing the gene identification test signifying the presence of other minor serotypes in the population. There was no presence of false positives All 11 positive samples come from the female population. Ages (31-40) have the highest positive Hep B of up to 60 %, of the positives (11). similarly, those with non-formal education have a higher prevalence. All the risk factors considered such as marital status, self-manicure, tattoo, smoking, alcohol intake, blood transfusion, sharing of cloth, intravenous drug use, sharing of utensils and tribal marks in the study were found not to be associated with the HBV infection.

The study established a prevalence of 6.2% for HBV in the study area and also identified ayw as the most prevalent serotype of HBV detected. Due to the endemic nature of HBV infection among HIV patients that was found in this study, there is a need for preventive measures such as awareness and vaccination of HIV patients with the HBV vaccine to avoid the HIV/HBV co-infection burden. Serotypes adw, adr, and ayr