Relation between interleukin-6 concentrations and oxidative status of HIV infected patients with /or at risk of Kaposi disease in Yaounde.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relation between interleukin-6 concentration and oxidative status of HIV infected patients with or at risk of Kaposi's disease in Yaoundé. METHODS: We conducted a two-months cross-sectional study on 87 consenting HIV infected patients followed at the Day Hospital of the Yaoundé Central Hospital. Serum/plasma obtained after centrifugation of blood collected in dry/EDTA tubes was used for the determination of Human Herpes Virus-8 antigen (HHV-8) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) by the ELISA technique, and that of oxidative stress markers: Malondialdehyde (MDA) reduced Glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity by spectrophotometry. RESULTS: Subjects belonging to the [40-50[year-old age group were mainly represented in our study population with 43.7%. The average age was 44.6 ± 10.4 years with extremes ranging from 26 to 72 years. The sex ratio was 0.24. Our population was mainly represented by people infected with HIV type I (90.8%) and 3.4% had developed clinical signs of Kaposi's disease. The prevalence of the HHV-8 antigen was 57.5%. Immune and oxidative parameters did not vary with age, sex and therapeutic line. We noted a significant increase in IL-6 concentrations in patients positive to the HHV-8 antigen for IL-6 concentrations < 37 (P = 0.005; CI= [0.40; 0.59]. MDA and GSH concentrations increased significantly with the HHV-8 infection (P < 0.0001; CI= [0.40; 0.59] and P < 0.0001; CI= [13.30;21.45], respectively). Total antioxidant capacity (FRAP) decreased significantly with HHV-8 infection (P = 0.004; CI= [-69.18; -13.78]). We noted a significant increase in MDA concentrations in patients taking their ARVs irregularly, (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our study showed a weak positive correlation between IL-6 and MDA, a strong negative correlation between FRAP and MDA and a strong positive correlation between MDA and GSH highlighting the association of these few markers of oxidative stress and Il-6 to the risk of Kaposi's disease.

Haptoglobin Gene Polymorphism among Sickle Cell Patients in West Cameroon: Hematological and Clinical Implications.

Haptoglobin is a protein involved in protecting the body from the harmful effects of free hemoglobin. The haptoglobin gene exhibits a polymorphism, and the different genotypes do not have the same capacity to combat the free hemoglobin effects. The present study aimed at determining the polymorphic distribution of haptoglobin in sickle cell patients (SCPs) from West Cameroon and their impact on the hematological parameters, as well as clinical manifestations of the disease severity. Haptoglobin genotype of 102 SCPs (SS) and 115 healthy individuals (60 AA and 55 AS) was determined by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction, and the complete blood count was determined using the AutoAnalyser. Results showed that the genotype Hp2-2 was significantly (p < 0.05) represented in SS patients (54%) than in controls AA and AS (27% and 29%, respectively), while Hp2-1 was mostly found (p < 0.05) in AS (42%) and AA (38%), against 15% in SS. The allelic distribution in SS patients was Hp2: 0.613, Hp1S: 0.304, and Hp1F: 0.084. In AA and AS controls, the proportions of the Hp1 and Hp2 alleles were similar (around 0.5 each), with 0.282 for Hp1S and 0.218 for Hp1F in AS and 0.283 for Hp1S and 0.258 for Hp1F in AA. The distribution of the haptoglobin genotypes did not reveal any significant difference across hematological parameters and clinical manifestations of disease severity in SCP and controls. SCP with Hp1S-1F genotype presented the highest level of hemoglobin. Although Hp2-2 was more frequent in SS patients, it appeared not to be related to the hematological parameters and to the disease's severity. Further investigations are necessary to explore the impact of Hp polymorphism such as antioxidant, lipid profile, and functionality of some tissues in SCP in Cameroon.

Comparison of Serum Inhibin B and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Level between Normal and Infertile Men in Yaoundé.

OBJECTIVE: Hormones play a vital role in initiating and maintaining male reproductive function. The present study explores the influence and predictive ability of two reproductive hormones on semen quality among men who were partners in an infertile couple. DESIGN: During our cross sectional study, men were recruited from private and public hospital and laboratories for clinical evaluation of fertility status. METHODS: Fresh semen samples were assessed for quality (concentration, motility and morphology) according to the 2010 World Health Organization manual and the serum levels of hormones, including follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Inhibin B was measured (ELISA). RESULTS: We found a significant difference in the two groups regarding sperm concentration (p < 0.0001), total sperm count (p < 0.0001), total sperm count (p < 0.0001), total sperm count (p < 0.0001), total sperm count (p < 0.0001), total sperm count (. CONCLUSION: Consistent with other studies, our results show strong association between semen quality and FSH and Inhibin B.

Blood Lead Levels among Children in Yaoundé Cameroon.

Blood lead levels (BLLs) are a useful indication of a population exposure to lead from environmental sources. No previous published study had reported BLLs in Cameroon. Our objective is to characterize exposure levels in children to inform policymakers of potential lead exposure sources. We tested the BLLs of 147 children aged 12 months to 6 years residing in Yaoundé, Cameroon, and conducted an extensive questionnaire with their parents or guardians to characterize potential exposure sources. The geometric mean BLL among this population was 8.0 µg/dl and arithmetic mean level was 8.7 µg/dl. These levels are more than sixfold higher than the geometric mean BLL reported in the U.S. and more than fivefold higher than those reported in France. In addition, 88% of the children tested had lead levels greater than 5 µg/dl. One limitation of the study is that the selection of the children sampled was not a random survey. The analysis of the responses to the questionnaire failed to uncover any specific exposure patterns. A statistically significant association was noted between the age of the child's home and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding with BLLs. The study points to a need for greater efforts to control sources of lead exposure in Cameroon.

The in vitro antisickling and antioxidant effects of aqueous extracts Zanthoxyllum heitzii on sickle cell disorder.

BACKGROUND: Several plant extracts from Rutaceae family are currently used to the management of sickle cell disorder (SCD) in the African. Few reports have shown that extracts from Zanthoxyllum or Fagara genus demonstrated anti-sickling property. This study investigates the in vitro antisickling and antioxidant properties of extracts from Zanthoxyllum heitzii. METHODS: The sickling of red blood cells (RBCs) was induced using sodium metabisulfite (2%) followed by treatment with extracts at different concentrations. The osmotic fragility tests permits to explore the effect of Z. heitzii extracts on haemoglobin S solubility and sickle cells membrane stability. For each extract, qualitative phytochemical tests were used to identify the presence of alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and phenols, while some quantitative methods such as Folin, Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) and diphenyl 1, 2 picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) were used to determine the antioxidant potential of these extracts. RESULTS: Sodium metabisulphite increased the sickling of RBCs from 29.62 to 55.46% during 2 h. Treatment of sickling cells with extracts at different concentrations showed that a decrease of the percentage of sickling cells was found in both induced and non induced sickling cells. The fruits extract of Z. heitzii demonstrated the best anti-sickling property. The same extract at 250 µg/mL showed the best membrane cell stability compared to others. All the extracts revealed an antioxidant and anti-radical activities although lesser compared to the standard. CONCLUSION: The fruit extract of Z. Heitzii demonstrated the most significant antisickling effect with a potential for use in the clinical management of SCD.