Journal of Basic and Applied Research in Biomedicine

Immune-nutritional indices in female Nigerian breast cancer patients with different tumour characteristics

Mutiu Jimoh — 2023-11-03

Breast cancer presents varied and complex clinicopathological features which make its management individualistic, prolonged and expensive, thus the need to differentiate each type of breast cancer using cheap and easy to perform investigations. This study evaluated the differentiation potential of extensive immune-nutritional indices which combined serum C-reactive protein (CRP), haemoglobin, albumin levels, blood lymphocyte and platelet counts in breast cancer patients of different status. The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-treatment Onodera’s prognostic nutritional index (OPNI), CRP-Albumin-Lymphocyte (CALLY) index and the Haemoglobin, Albumin, Lymphocyte and Platelet (HALP) scores differ with breast cancer characteristics. We enrolled a total of 135 consecutive newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who were not on any treatment from Radiation Oncology Department, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Lymphocyte count, platelet count and haemoglobin levels were determined using auto-analyser while serum CRP and albumin levels were measured using ELISA. Immune-nutritional indices (OPNI, CALLY and HALP) were calculated. Haemoglobin concentration, serum albumin level, OPNI, CALLY and HALP were significantly decreased while serum CRP was significantly raised in breast cancer patients compared with control. Mean values of OPNI, CALLY and HALP were significantly decreased in late stage breast cancer patients compared with early stage breast cancer patients, while only CALLY was significantly decreased in poorly differentiated and metastatic breast cancer patients compared with well differentiated and non-metastatic breast cancer patients respectively. This study confirmed the presence of malnutrition and inflammation in breast cancer patients, especially late-stage, poorly differentiated and metastatic groups. This calls for monitoring of liver functions in all cases of breast cancer.

Microarray Gene Expression Data Generation and Pre-Processing of Moringa Oleifera Leaves for the Improvement of Medicinal Use

Umar Shittu — 2023-04-18

Moringa oleifera is a plant species belonging to the family name called Moringaceae widely cultivated for human use. This study aimed to generate microarray gene expression data from the leaves of the Moringa oleifera plant and explore the usage of some tools available in the Bioconductor R package for the quality control. Six (6) young Moringa Oleifera leaves (YMOL) samples and six (6) old Moringa oleifera leaves (OMOL) samples were collected from the plant and processed for microarray data generation. Microarray gene expression raw data from the leaves of the Moringa oleifera plants were generated, each in a CEL file format and the usage of some tools available in R programming Bioconductor open source and development software project were explored for the quality control of the data. Affycoretools were installed in the R environment for pre-processing of microarray raw data. AffyQCReport tools were used to generate a comprehensive quality control (QC) report for the microarray unnormalized raw data in PDF format. It is recommended that Gene chip robust multiarray analysis (GCRMA) method can be used for visual inspection, background correction, normalization and summarization of this microarray raw data. The normalized microarray raw data can be used through the genetic engineering to improve the Moringa oleifera plant medicinal values in order to solve some medical problems especially with patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension and also can be of enormous importance in the fields of pharmacy and medicine at large.

Investigation of the Possible Association Between Galectin and Apoptosis in Gastric Cancer Patients

Funda Kosova — 2023-11-18

Cancer is a type of disease that occurs as a result of the uncontrolled growth of cells, which has been very common in recent years, and some species have a poor prognosis. Galectin-3 is a multifunctional protein and is associated with the developmental process of tumors, including cell growth, adhesion, proliferation and metastasis. Galectin-3 has a broad effect on tumor development, including cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell adhesion, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Members of the BCLF-2 family are anti-apoptotic molecules required for the proteolytic degradation of the cell by caspases, which is the ultimate drive of programmed cell death, which plays a very important role in the regulation of the apoptotic pathway, ensures the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane and prevents the release of cytochrome C from the mitochondria. NF-kB, which is one of the important factors in cancer formation, is found in the cytoplasm, and there is a correlation between the protein levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as interlukin (IL)-1b, and IL-8, and the high incidence of cancer. There are two types of apoptotic caspases: initiator (apical) caspases and effector (executioner) caspases. Initiator caspases (e.g., caspase-2, -8, -9 and -10) cleave inactive pro-forms of effector caspases, thereby activating them. Effector caspases (e.g., caspase-3, -6, -7) in turn cleave other protein substrates within the cell resulting in the apoptotic process. At least fourteen caspases have so far been implicated in human apoptotic pathway cascade. Among these, caspase-3 is considered to be a major executioner protease in apoptosis. To examine this mechanism in more detail, we aimed to examine the difference between Galectin, BCLF-2, Kaspase3, Kaspas 8, Nfkb levels before and after treatment in operable gastric cancer patients with the Elisa test. In this study, We observed a statistical increase in Galectin, BCLF-2, Kaspase3, Kaspas 8, Nfkb levels when the control group was compared with the preoperative group. There was a statistically significant increase in Galectin, BCLF-2, Nfkb, Caspase3, Caspase 8 levels in the preoperative group compared to the control. There is a statistical increased in Galectin, BCLF-2, Kaspase3, Kaspas 8, Nfkb levels in the postoperative group compared to the control. Although there was no statistical difference in Galectin, BCLF-2, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Nfkb levels between pre and postoperative groups, a significant decrease was observed in Galectin, BCLF-2, Nfkb levels. A very slight increase was observed in Caspase-3 and Caspase-8 levels. In conclusion, we think that Galectin-3 Bcl-2 and NF-kB may be markers for gastric cancer patients. We think that it is appropriate to conduct this study with more patient groups and a longer period.

Seminal Plasma Bisphenol A Concentrations Among Men with Secondary and Primary Infertility

Mathias Emokpae — 2023-11-18

Background: The declining trend of male infertility have been attributed to some factors including environmental, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary habits. Bisphenol A (BPA) which is preponderance in the environment and in various products frequently used has been implicated in male infertility. It is not known whether the seminal fluid BPA concentrations differ among men with primary infertility and secondary infertility. This study was aimed at determining the seminal plasma BPA concentrations among men with secondary infertility and primary infertility and to associated their levels with duration of infertility. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study of 145 men clinically diagnosed with primary infertility (n=80) and secondary infertility (n=65), and men with proven fertility (n=60) as controls. Semen analysis was done manually according World Health Organization guidelines and seminal plasma BPA was assayed using an Elisa kit. Chi square and Student’s t-test were used to analyze continuous data and discrete variables respectively. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the association between seminal plasma BPA and duration of infertility, and a p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The seminal plasma BPA was significantly higher (p<0.001) among subjects with secondary infertility than those with primary infertility. Sperm count, total motility, progressive motility and normal morphology were lower among secondary infertility than primary infertility, but the mean differences were not significant (p>0.05) except viability which was significantly higher among primary infertility than secondary infertility (p<0.05). The multiple regression model indicates that, the ages of men (OR=3.26 95% CI 2.23-7.26) was independently associated with BPA concentrations among secondary infertility. The finding of higher BPA concentrations in seminal plasma of men with secondary infertility than primary infertility may be associated with age and not duration of marriage.

Logic-Based Reverse Analysis: A Covid-19 Surveillance Data Set Classification Problem

Hamza Abubakar — 2023-11-19

This study focuses on the application of formal logic systems to real-world problem-solving, specifically in the classification of the COVID-19 Surveillance Data Set (CSDS). The research introduces the integration of a random three satisfiability problem of Boolean logic into a Hopfield Neural Network (HNN) to obtain an optimal representation of Random kSatisfiability for CSDS classification. The primary goal is to utilize the optimization capabilities of the Lyapunov energy function in the HNN to extract logical relationships and identify significant features contributing to COVID-19 detection. The CSDS used in this study is sourced from the reputable UCI dataset, and the HNN's energy minimization mechanism is employed for logical mining. Computational simulations are performed with varying numbers of clauses to validate the efficacy of the proposed model in training the CSDS for classification purposes. The results showcase the efficiency and robustness of employing reverse analysis using k-satisfiability in conjunction with a Hopfield Neural Network. This approach successfully extracts dominant features related to the logical framework underlying the CSDS. By combining formal logic systems with the power of neural networks, this research offers insights into the correlation between logical rules and COVID-19 detection. The findings contribute to our understanding of how the HNN can effectively learn and classify data, opening avenues for enhanced classification techniques in the healthcare sector and other domains.

Antimicrobial Effects of Sansevieria Zeylanica Extracts on Urinary Tract Infection Associated Pathogens Isolated from Students Attending a Tertiary Institution

Omoruyi Zainab — 2023-12-30

Urinary tract infections usually develop in the lower urinary tract and if not properly treated, they ascend to the upper urinary tract, causing severe damage to the kidneys. Sansevieria zeylenica is a plant known to be rich in phenolic compounds, which may be responsible for its antibacterial activities against Uropathogens.The study was aimed to investigate the antimicrobial effect of Sansevieria zeylenica extracts against isolate of UTI among students attending tertiary institution. A total of two hundred (200) urine samples were randomly collected from the students attending University of Benin into sterile universal containers and analyzed for the detection of Uropathogens using standard microbiological procedure while the leaf and root of Sansevieria zeylenica extraction was carried out with methanol using the Soxhlet apparatus. The antimicrobial activity against the isolates was determined using Agar well diffusion and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts against the isolates was determined using the microdilution method. Of the 200 participants studied, 23 (11.5%) had growth of four bacteria species associated with urinary tract infection; Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The activity of both leaf and root extracts was greater at 200mg/ml against E. coli and P. vulgaris isolates, but at 400mg/ml against S. aureus with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations of the leaf extract as 8mg/ml, 4mg/ml, 8mg/ml, and >16mg/ml against E. coli, S. aureus, P. vulgaris, and P. aeruginosa, respectively. The association of leaf extract and Ampicillin increases the activity of Ampicillin, producing a greater zone of inhibition (26mm) against P. vulgaris compared to Ampicillin alone (21mm) and leaf extract alone (16mm) giving rise to a synergistic effect. Sansevieria zeylanica extracts in this study can control Urinary Tract Infection and may be combined with conventional antibiotics as a treatment for Uropathogens. Though, further investigation would be requiring for the molecular mechanism behind its antibacterial activity.