A meta-analysis on burden of postpartum depression and its predictors among lactating women in East African countries from 1998 up to 2018.

Objective: Postpartum depression is a common mental illness that affects lactating women. This not only makes daily activities difficult for them, but it also affects child's future lives. There is little evidence of about postpartum depression and its factors in East African countries, which piqued the authors' interest in conducting a study on this matter for future decision- and policy-making. Methods: The protocol for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses was followed. To identify published articles, all major databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, WHOLIS, Cochrane Library, Embase, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and reference lists were used. In addition, shelves, author contact, Google and Google Scholar were also used to identify unpublished studies. Joanna Briggs Institute-Meta-Analysis of Statistical Assessment and Review Instrument was used for critical appraisal of studies. STATA software version 14 was used for the analysis. The random-effect model was used to estimate postpartum depression with 95% confidence interval, while subgroup analysis and meta-regression were used to identify potential sources of heterogeneity and associated factors, respectively. Furthermore, Egger's test and trim-and-fill analysis were used to check for publication bias. Results: Postpartum depression was found in 24% of lactating women in East African countries (95% confidence interval: 17.79-30.20). Postpartum depression was associated with being married (odds ratio = 2; 95% confidence interval: 1.05-3.81), domestic violence (odds ratio = 6.34; 95% confidence interval: 4:11-9.78), a lack of support (odds ratio = 6.59; 95% confidence interval: 1.98-21.89), and a lack of empowerment (odds ratio = 2.79; 95% confidence interval: 1.12-6.92). Conclusion: In East Africa, the prevalence of postpartum depression among lactating women is high and rising, as per global postpartum depression estimates. Therefore, the primary focus should be on women's domestic violence prevention mechanisms. Existing national policies and development agendas must prioritize strategies for women's support and empowerment. Future research into the relationship between marriage and postpartum depression is required.

Practice of Sunlight Exposure of Infants and Associated Factors Among Infant Coupled Mothers at Dejen District, Amhara Region, Northwest Ethiopia 2021.

Introduction: Currently, nutritional rickets has become a concern of many nutrition experts in many countries. Sunlight is the best and most reliable Source of vitamin D. Since, there is scarce information regarding infant sunlight exposure practice and the determinant factors. Hence, this study aimed to assess mothers' infant sunlight exposure, practice level, and associated factors. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 884 mothers from March 20 to April 4, 2017. Through the multi-stage simple random sampling method, the study areas had selected. The data were collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire and were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. The strength of association was measured using binary logistic regression at a 95% CI odds ratio. Finally, P < .05% was declared statistically significant. Results: From 884 infant coupled mothers, 866 were recruited in the study with a response rate of 97.9%. Only 44% of mothers had good practice of infant sunlight exposure. In multivariate analyses; Knowledge status (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0-1.9), Attitude status (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 1.1-1.9), mothers age group (AOR = 8.6, 95% CI: 5.1-14.4), mothers educational status (AOR = 5.2, 95% CI: 1.6-16.9), delivery at health facility (AOR = 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0-2.1), and friend influence (AOR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2-2.1) were significantly associated with maternal exposure status of their infants to sunlight. Conclusion: This finding showed that the majority of the mothers did not expose their infants to sunlight appropriately. The mother's knowledge, attitude, educational status, institutional delivery, and friend influence were the significant factors and needs to work on these.

Potential Protective Effects of Antioxidants against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Nephrotoxicity.

Cyclophosphamide is an alkylating antineoplastic agent, and it is one of the most successful drugs with wide arrays of clinical activity. It has been in use for several types of cancer treatments and as an immunosuppressive agent for the management of autoimmune and immune-mediated diseases. Nowadays, its clinical use is limited due to various toxicities, including nephrotoxicity. Even though the mechanisms are not well understood, cyclophosphamide-induced nephrotoxicity is reported to be mediated through oxidative stress. This review focuses on the potential role of natural and plant-derived antioxidants in preventing cyclophosphamide-induced nephrotoxicity.

Antileishmanial Activity of Tamoxifen by Targeting Sphingolipid Metabolism: A Review.

Leishmaniasis is a widespread group of neglected parasitic diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Around 2 million new cases are reported each year and around 12 million people are at risk of being infected. Although various therapies have been used to treat leishmaniasis, they have been associated with increased cytotoxicity and drug resistance problems. Hence, the present review was intended to show the potential of tamoxifen as an alternative option for the treatment of leishmaniasis. Tamoxifen is a known selective estrogen receptor modulator and has been widely used for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Various experimental and clinical studies revealed that it has an antileishmanial effect by decreasing parasitic burden, with low cost and few side effects. The antileishmanial action of tamoxifen has been related to its potential effect on sphingolipid metabolism. Besides, it affects mitochondrial function by inducing alterations in the plasma membrane potential. However, further detailed studies are required to show the ultimate effects on health outcomes.

Cardioprotective Effect of Crude Extract and Solvent Fractions of Urtica simensis Leaves on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Myocardial Injury in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are becoming the major cause of death. Urtica simensis is one of endogenous plant which treats a wide range of disease conditions including heart diseases. However, there is limited information on safety and efficacy of the plant. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, the in vivo cardioprotective activity of crude extract and solvent fractions of Urtica simensis leaves on cyclophosphamide-induced myocardial injury. METHODS: The cardioprotective activity of the crude extract, aqueous and hexane fraction of Urtica simensis leaves was evaluated based on anatomical, biochemical and histopathological methods. The in vitro antioxidant activity of the plant was also assayed in terms of free radical scavenging activity (RSA). RESULTS: Crude extract and solvent fractions of Urtica simensis significantly prevented the deleterious effect of cyclophosphamide on body weight (P<0.001), heart weight to body ratio (P<0.01), cardiac biomarkers including troponin I (P<0.01), alanine transaminase (ALT) (P<0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.01) and lipid profiles including triglycerides (P<0.001) and total cholesterol (P<0.01). The histopathological study confirmed presence of necrosis, oedema and haemorrhage on cyclophosphamide alone-treated groups while the 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg of the crude extract and aqueous fraction showed normal cardiocytes. The antioxidant assay of Urtica simensis plant exhibited free radical scavenging activity of inhibitory concentration of 50% (IC50) for the crude extract with the values of 63.27µg/mL, aqueous fraction with the values of 136.38µg/mL and hexane fraction with the values of 258.70µg/mL. CONCLUSION: Crude extract and solvent fractions of Urtica simensis leaves have cardioprotective activities. The cardioprotective effect could be attributed to the antioxidant activity of the plant extracts. However, this requires further in-depth understanding.

Montelukast: The New Therapeutic Option for the Treatment of Epilepsy.

Currently, there is no definitive cure for epilepsy. The available medications relieve symptoms and reduce seizure attacks. The major challenge with the available antiepileptic medication is safety and affordability. The repurposing of montelukast for epilepsy can be an alternative medication with a better safety profile. Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist that binds to the cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLT) receptors used in the treatment of bronchial asthma and seasonal allergies. Emerging evidence suggests that montelukast's anti-inflammatory effect can help to maintain BBB integrity. The drug has also neuroprotective and anti-oxidative activities to reduce seizure incidence and epilepsy. The present review summarizes the neuropharmacological actions of montelukast in epilepsy with an emphasis on the recent findings associated with CysLT and cell-specific effects.

Anti-Diabetic Effect of Telmisartan Through its Partial PPARγ-Agonistic Activity.

Telmisartan is an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, which selectively inhibits the angiotensin II type 1 receptor. Thus, it is widely used for hypertension management. Nowadays, telmisartan's effect on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) is gaining wider attention. PPARs are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Telmisartan is reported to have a partial PPARγ-agonistic effect while avoiding the safety concerns found with full PPARγ agonists (thiazolidinediones). Telmisartan could be an alternative treatment option, with dual benefit for diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. This review summarizes the anti-diabetic activity of telmisartan via its partial PPARγ-agonistic activity.

A Systematic Review on Rho-Kinase as a Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common clinical condition with limited treatment options. The main aim of the present systematic review was to synthesize information on Rho-kinase as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of ED. METHODS: We performed a systematic literature study in PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus. Included studies were original articles studied the role of Rho-kinase in the pathogenesis and/or new treatment approach for ED in animal models and clinical studies, published between 2014 and 2019. Data derived from each study were study design used, interventions applied and main treatment outcomes. The quality of the selected articles was assessed by CAMARADES criteria and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: A total of 1067 original articles were retrieved in the given period and eighteen papers met our inclusion criteria. Five articles explain the role of Rho-kinase in ED pathogenesis using different models such as cavernous nerve crush injury, heart failure-induced ED, vasculogenic and post-radical prostatectomy ED, diabetes-induced ED and age-related ED. Other ten papers explain the role of novel drugs evaluated for ED treatment by targeting Rho-kinase as a new approach for ED therapy. The rest three papers discuss the role of plant extracts used by traditional society for the treatment of ED and assess their potential function in targeting Rho-kinase in animal models. The penile erectile functional index has shown that the ratio of intracavernosal pressure to mean arterial pressure (ICP/MAP) was decreased due to age and various chronic diseases. Whilst, ROCK I and ROCK II expression were increased. Western blot findings have also shown that ROCK II and MYPT-1 phosphorylation rates increased in cavernous tissue after ED induction. Besides, compounds which can inhibit the action of Rho-kinase activity showed relaxation of the corpus cavernosum, decrease in corporal fibrosis, and alleviate increased apoptosis and caspase-3 activity in an NO-independent manner. Moreover, histological and molecular dysregulation have been improved by inhibition of Rho-kinase. CONCLUSION: Targeting Rho-kinase may be a possible target for the treatment of ED secondary to specific causes, and Rho-kinase inhibitors may be a new drug family for the treatment of ED. However, this requires further studies for in-depth understanding.

The Role of Antioxidants in Ameliorating Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cardiotoxicity.

The chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive agent cyclophosphamide has previously been shown to induce complications within the setting of bone marrow transplantation. More recently, cardiotoxicity has been shown to be a dose-limiting factor during cyclophosphamide therapy, and cardiooncology is getting wider attention. Though mechanism of cyclophosphamide-induced cardiotoxicity is not completely understood, it is thought to encompass oxidative and nitrative stress. As such, this review focuses on antioxidants and their role in preventing or ameliorating cyclophosphamide-induced cardiotoxicity. It will give special emphasis to the cardioprotective effects of natural, plant-derived antioxidants that have garnered significant interest in recent times.