Current perspectives of sickle cell disease in Nigeria: changing the narratives.

Introduction: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder characterized by clinical heterogeneity that may be influenced by environmental factors, ethnicity, race, social and economic factors as well as genetic and epigenetic factors. Areas covered: The present review was carried out to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current burden of SCD and treatments available for persons with SCD in Nigeria with the aim of identifying surveillance and treatment gaps, informing to guide the planning and implementation of better crisis prevention measures for SCD patients and set an agenda for new areas of SCD research in the country. This review assessed medical, biomedical and genetic studies on SCD patients in Nigeria and other endemic countries of the world. Expert opinion: Integration of hydroxyurea therapy into the management of SCD and surveillance via new-born screening (NBS) for early detection and management will improve the survival of persons with SCD in Nigeria. However, it will be important to carry out pilot studies, initiate strategic advocacy initiatives to educate the people about NBS benefits, develop collaborations between potential stakeholders and design sustainable financing scheme.

Influence of Vitamin C and Vitamin E on testicular zinc content and testicular toxicity in lead exposed albino rats.

BACKGROUND: Occupational and environmental exposures to lead remain a public health problem as lead alters physiological processes by inducing oxidative stress and mimicking divalent cations. This study was designed to investigate the effects of Vitamin C (VC) and Vitamin E (VE) on the reproductive function of lead exposed male rats. Experimental animals were exposed to oral doses of lead, VC and VE at 60 mg/kg body weight, 40 mg/kg body weight, and 150 mg/kg body weight respectively, while control animals received 0.9% saline solution. Oral administration spanned for six weeks after which changes in testicular redox status, lead deposition, testicular zinc content, serum androgen content, semen quality and testis histology were examined. RESULTS: There were significant (p < 0.05) increases in oxidative stress indices and testicular lead content. A significant (p < 0.05) depletion of zinc in the testis of lead exposed animals was also observed. Fluctuations were observed in androgen levels of lead treated animals with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in Serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (TT) content, while there was no significant change in luteinizing hormone (LH) content. Testicular tissue showed an alteration in its normal histology with degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium accompanied by a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the number of luminal spermatozoa. A downgrade in the semen appearance and semen quality -sperm motility, morphology, and count was also observed after lead exposure. VC and VE treatment showed a significant (p < 0.05) reversal of the physiological alteration induced by lead. CONCLUSIONS: Lead exposure resulted in a decline in the reproductive function of male rats by inducing oxidative stress, inhibiting enzymes and depleting testicular zinc contents. However, results clearly showed that VC and VE attenuated the deleterious impact of lead on the reproductive system.