November 2007

Lavudine therapy and hepatotoxicity as seen in a Nigerian tertiary antiretroviral treatment centre

      Hepatic toxicity is a common complication of anti-retroviral treatment in HIV patients, usually indicated or heralded by the elevation of liver transaminases measured in the blood. There had been reported evidence of hepatic toxicity in all the three currently approved classes of anti-retroviral drugs. However, its severity in some cases...

Author(s): Akande A.A, Olaosebikan O.F, Jimoh A.K, Abdulazeez, Olawumi H.O

November 2007

Quantitation of alcohols in orange wine fermented by four strains of yeast

  Gas liquid chromatography was used to identify the types of alcohol present in wines produced by fermenting orange juice with four strains of yeast; Saccharomyces cerevisiae (isolated from yam), S. cerevisiae (from sugarcane molasses),Saccharomyces carlsbergensis (from sugarcane molasses) and S. cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus (from orange juice). Ethanol and methanol were the...

Author(s): Okunowo, Wahab Oluwanisola and Osuntoki, Akinniyi Adediran

November 2007

Effect of Emblica officinalis against alcohol-induced biochemical changes in plasma and red blood cells of rats

  Alcohol is widely abused as a psychoactive drug. Emblica officinalis is known for its therapeutic effects and the present study is aimed at investigating therapeutic efficacy of aqueous extract of Emblica officinalis (AEEO) against alcohol-induced damage. Thirty three percent (v/v) alcohol (10 g/kg body weight) and AEEO (250 mg/kg body weight/day) was orally administered once a day for 60...

Author(s): Damodara Reddy. V, Saayi Krushna G, Padmavathi. P and Varadacharyulu. N.Ch

November 2007

Biochemical characterization of two α -mannosidases from breadfruit (Artocarpus communis) seeds

  The importance of α -mannosidases in glycoproteins processing and their application in food and pharmaceutical industry led us to further explore plant α -mannosidases. Thus, two α -mannosidases were purified from matured breadfruit (Artocarpus communis) seeds, by successive chromatography on Diethylaminoethyl-Sepharose CL-6B and Sephacryl S-200 HR to apparent...

Author(s): Amedée Pascal Ahi, Jean Tia Gonnety, Betty Meuwiah Faulet, Lucien Patrice Kouamé and Sébastien Niamké.

November 2007

Protective effect of betaine on changes in the levels of protein, glycoproteins and amino acids in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats

      The protective effect of betaine administration on changes in the levels of protein, glycoproteins and amino acids was studied in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in rats as an animal model of myocardial infarction in man. Oral pre-treatment with betaine significantly (P<0.05) attenuated the isoprenaline-induced rise in the levels of troponin-T...

Author(s): B. Ganesan, R. Rajesh, , R. Anandan , and N. Dhandapani,

November 2007

Garcinia kola extract reduced cisplatin-induced kidney dysfunction in rats

  The effect of Garcinia kola extract on cisplatin-induced renal insufficiency in rats was studied. A total of fifteen rats were used for the study and were split into three groups of five rats per group. Rats in group I were normal controls. Renal insufficiency was induced in rats of groups II and III by a single intraperitoneal administration of cisplatin (5 mg/kg b.w.). After three days, rats in...

Author(s): Okoko Tebekeme and Awhin Ejiro Prosper