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Biomedical subjects

A Lamikanra

Publications and source records attributed to A Lamikanra.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

A study of the In Vivo activity of the leaf extract of Alchornea cordifolia against multiply antibiotic resistant S. aureus isolate in mice.

The effect of a 50% aqueous ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum and Thonn) Muell. Arg. leaf was investigated in mice which had been infected intraperitoneally with 5.0 x 10(9) cfu of Staphylococcus aureus. Dose-dependent antibacterial activity was demonstrated and the rate of survival of infected mice was improved significantly by doses between 25 and 200 mg/kg of injected extract when compared with untreated infected controls. The intraperitoneal median lethal dose of the extract was found to be 800 mg/kg.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

A study of the microbial quality and organoleptic properties of ophthalmic preparations obtained from traditional medical practitioners in South Western Nigeria.

Twenty eight samples of traditional ophthalmic preparations were obtained from various traditional medical practitioners in the South Western states of Nigeria over a one-year period. They were examined for sterility, clarity, presence of particulate contamination and pH. All of them were found to be contaminated with bacteria to the order of 2.00 x 10(6) to 1.60 x 10(11) colony forming units/ml, with Pseudomonas species and other potential pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Yersinia enterocolita, Micrococcus varians and others being isolated from these preparations. A rotifer Rotaria rotatoria, at the adult stage, was also isolated from one sample, this being an indication of gross faecal contamination. All the samples were also found to contain significant particulate contamination and pH values encountered varied over the range of 2.5-9.2. None of the samples was found to comply with official specifications and all of them may therefore be regarded as being potentially dangerous to the users.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

In vivo evaluation of an EIAV vector for the systemic genetic delivery of therapeutic antibodies.

Lentiviral-based vectors hold great promise as gene delivery vehicles for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. We have previously reported the development of a nonprimate lentiviral vector system based on the equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV), which is able to efficiently transduce dividing and nondividing cells both in vitro and in vivo. Here, we report on the application of EIAV vectors for the systemic delivery of an antibody fusion protein designed for the treatment of cancer. The therapeutic potential of a single chain antibody against the tumour-associated antigen, 5T4, fused to immune enhancer moieties has been demonstrated in vitro and here we evaluate the genetic delivery of a 5T4 scFv fused to B7.1 (scFvB7) using an EIAV vector. The kinetics and concentration of protein produced following both intravenous (i.v.) and intramuscular (i.m.) administration was determined in immune competent adult mice. In addition, the immune response to the EIAV vector and the transgene were determined. Here, we show that a single injection of EIAV expressing scFv-B7 can give rise to concentrations of protein in the range of 1-5 microg/ml that persist in the sera for more than 50 days. After a second injection, concentrations of scFv-B7.1 rose as high as 20 microg/ml and levels greater than 2 microg/ml were present in the sera of all mice injected i.v. after 210 days despite the detection of antibodies against both the transgene and viral envelope for the duration of this study. These results demonstrate the potential of EIAV as a gene therapy vector for long-term production of therapeutic recombinant proteins.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Seminars on controversial issues. A review of the pharmacological approach to the management of dental anxiety in children.

This paper aims to review the existing literature on the pharmacology of a number of sedative drugs used in the management of dental anxiety in the conscious child patient. Pharmacological agents may be used as a complement to behavioural techniques to assist in the management of anxiety in some paediatric dental patients. Their use may also be especially indicated in children with disabilities. These agents are usually sedative in action and do not, in themselves, eliminate anxiety but merely enhance patient acceptance by reducing arousal and modifying anticipation of danger. The agents used are varied and diverse and include nitrous oxide, benzodiazepines and narcotics. Nitrous oxide has proved to be of particular value but carries a degree of risk for the operating staff. Amongst the benzodiazepines, Midazolam has been used more frequently in recent years. It may be given by a variety of routes, including intra-nasally. Dentists who employ sedative agents and techniques should be familiar with the pharmacology of the agents selected, be cognisant of the risks and benefits of the technique employed and be able to manage any adverse events that may arise through their use.

Anesthetics, Inhalation↗
PubMed2001

Bacteriological quality of skin-moisturizing creams and lotions distributed in a tropical developing country.

AIMS: To evaluate the bacteriological quality of skin moisturizing products in the South-west part of Nigeria and study factors predisposing their bacterial contamination under tropical conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Viable counts for bacteria exceeded 10(3) cfu ml(-1) or cfu g(-1) in 8 (16.3%) commercially available creams and lotions at time of purchase. Escherichia coli (8), Pseudomonas spp. (7), Staphylococcus spp. (9) and Bacillus spp. (6) were the most commonly recovered bacteria. Following use by volunteers, the proportion of E. coli and other Gram-negative organisms recovered increased. Organic matter, particularly in the absence of preservatives, enhanced survival and growth of bacteria in creams stored under ambient tropical conditions during challenge experiments. CONCLUSIONS: Contaminated products are relatively uncommon but some products present a potential health hazard because they are unable to suppress the growth of organisms of likely faecal origin during use. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Quality assurance during manufacture, pack size, preservative evaluation, organic matter and water content were identified as factors to be considered during the development of creams and lotions for use in tropical developing countries.

Bacteria↗
PubMed2001

Regression of established human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) immortalized tumors in vivo by vaccinia viruses expressing different forms of HPV-16 E7 correlates with enhanced CD8(+) T-cell responses that home to the tumor site.

Using vaccinia virus as a live vector, we show that the expression of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV-16) E7 fused to a nonhemolytic portion of the Listeria monocytogenes virulence factor, listeriolysin O (LLO), induces an immune response that causes the regression of established HPV-16 immortalized tumors in C57BL/6 mice. The vaccinia virus construct expressing LLO fused to E7 (VacLLOE7) was compared with two previously described vaccinia virus constructs: one that expresses unmodified E7 (VacE7) and another that expresses E7 in a form designed to direct it to intracellular lysosomal compartments and improve major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted responses (VacSigE7LAMP-1). C57BL/6 mice bearing established HPV-16 immortalized tumors of 5 or 8 mm were treated with each of these vaccines. Fifty percent of the mice treated with VacLLOE7 remained tumor free 2 months after tumor inoculation, whereas 12 to 25% of the mice were tumor free after treatment with VacSigE7LAMP-1 (depending on the size of the tumor). No mice were tumor free in the group given VacE7. Compared to VacE7, VacSigE7LAMP-1 and VacLLOE7 resulted in increased numbers of H2-D(b)-specific tetramer-positive CD8(+) T cells in mouse spleens that produced gamma interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha upon stimulation with RAHYNIVTF peptide. In addition, the highest frequency of tetramer-positive T cells was seen in the tumor sites of mice treated with VacLLOE7. An increased efficiency of E7-specific lysis by splenocytes from mice immunized with VacLLOE7 was also observed. These results indicate that the fusion of E7 with LLO not only enhances antitumor therapy by improving the tumoricidal function of E7-specific CD8(+) T cells but may also increase the number of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells in the tumor, the principle site of antigen expression.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Heterogeneous virulence of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli strains isolated from children in Southwest Nigeria.

Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) has been implicated in acute and persistent diarrhea, and most strains harbor a member of a partially-conserved plasmid family (called pAA). We studied EAEC isolated from Nigerian children aged <5 years to elucidate the roles of plasmid and chromosomal EAEC loci. We tested a total of 131 EAEC strains isolated from acute diarrhea case patients and control subjects for hybridization with 8 pAA plasmid-derived and 2 chromosomal gene probes, for several in vitro phenotypes and for resistance to antimicrobial agents. Using by multiple logistic regression, we found genes encoding the AAF/II fimbriae to be strongly associated with diarrhea in this population. EAEC strains appear to be of heterogeneous virulence, and data suggest that AAF/II may be a marker for pathogenic strains.

Case-Control Studies↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of Escherichia coli strains from cases of childhood diarrhea in provincial southwestern Nigeria.

In a study carried out in small-town and rural primary health care centers in southwestern Nigeria, 330 Escherichia coli strains isolated from 187 children with diarrhea and 144 apparently healthy controls were examined for virulence traits. Based on the results of colony blot hybridization, strains were categorized as enteropathogenic E. coli (1.8%), enterotoxigenic E. coli (2.4%), enteroinvasive E. coli (1.2%), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (0.6%), enteroaggregative E. coli (10.3%), diffusely adherent E. coli (7.9%), cell-detaching E. coli (6.9%), and cytolethal distending toxin-producing E. coli (0.9%). E. coli strains that hybridized with a Shiga toxin gene probe but lacked other characteristics usually present in enterohemorrhagic E. coli constituted 8.4% of the isolates. Ninety-seven E. coli isolates adhered to HEp-2 cells in an aggregative fashion but did not hybridize with any of the probes employed in the study. Overall the pathotypes, apart from cytolethal distending toxin-producing E. coli, were recovered both from children with diarrhea and from children without diarrhea, though to a lower extent from the healthy children. All diarrheagenic E. coli strains were associated with diarrhea (P < 0.02). Heat-stable-enterotoxin-producing enterotoxigenic E. coli showed significant association with diarrhea (P < 0.02), as did strains that demonstrated aggregative adherence to HEp-2 cells (P < 0.04), but not those that hybridized with the CVD432 enteroaggregative probe.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1999

Antimicrobial spectrum of Alchornea cordifolia leaf extract.

The 50% aqueous ethanol extract of Alchornea cordifolia (Schum and Thonn) Muell. Arg. leaf was screened for activity against 74 microbial strains representing aerobic, facultative and anaerobic bacteria as well as fungi. The panel of test strains included organisms from culture collections as well as clinical and environmental isolates. A concentration of 5 mg/mL of extract inhibited 36.5% of the isolates and 95.9% were inhibited by a concentration of 20 mg/mL. Only three strains, all filamentous fungi, were not susceptible to 40 mg/mL of the extract, the highest concentration tested. The extract showed the best activity against gram-positive bacteria and yeasts with inhibitory concentrations against these organisms being under 5 mg/mL. The results demonstrate that the A. cordifolia extract has a very broad spectrum of activity and suggests that it may be useful in the treatment of various microbial infections.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1998

Epoetin alfa and beta differ in their erythropoietin isoform compositions and biological properties.

Epoetin alfa and beta are the two forms of recombinant DNA-derived erythropoietin (rEPO), both synthesized in Chinese hamster ovary cells, which are used for the treatment of erythropoietin (EPO)-responsive anaemias. Several batches of each of these rEPOs were compared for differences in their EPO isoform compositions by isoelectric focusing (IEF) and in a range of lectin-binding assays, and for differences in their EPO activities by in-vivo and in-vitro mouse bioassays and by immunoassay. Epoetin beta was found to differ from epoetin alfa in containing: (a) a greater proportion of more basic isoforms, (b) a greater proportion of EPO binding to Erythrina cristagalli agglutinin (which binds N-glycans with nonsialylated outer Gal beta1-4GlcNAc moieties), and (c) isoforms with higher in-vivo:in-vitro bioactivity ratios. Epoetin beta also contained slightly more than epoetin alfa of EPO binding to Lycopersicon esculentum agglutinin (which binds N-glycans containing repeating Gal beta1-4GlcNAc sequences), to the leucoagglutinin of Phaseolus vulgaris (which binds tetraantennary and 2,6-branched triantennary N-glycans) and to Agaricus bisporus agglutinin (which binds Gal beta1-3GalNAc containing O-glycans). No differences were found between the two rEPOs in their binding to a further five lectins. The differences between the isoform composition of epoetin alfa and beta, and the smaller inter-batch differences appear to be due to differences in glycosylation. The higher murine in-vivo:in-vitro bioactivity ratio of epoetin beta compared to epoetin alfa could not be explained in terms of differences in their degrees of sialylation, but was consistent with differences in their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics observed in human subjects. There have been no reports that epoetin alfa differs from epoetin beta in its clinical efficacy, but the differences between epoetin alfa and beta in some analytical systems suggest that there might be a need for separate international standards for these two types of rEPO.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Bacterial capsules: a simple method for demonstration under the light microscope.

It is sometimes desirable to demonstrate bacterial capsules during the routine examination of clinical isolates. Apart from the Indian ink method, methods of demonstrating bacterial capsules are not only tedious but are often non-reproducible. A combined positive-negative capsule staining procedure which is simple, rapid and reproducible is described.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1991

A survey of nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in a neonatal ward in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

The nasal carriage rate of Staphylococcus aureus among maternal-infant pairs was 18% compared with 39% among hospital staff in Ile-Ife, Nigeria during a 12-week survey. Of the newborns, 46% tested positive compared with 26% of their mothers. The S. aureus phage types recovered were predominantly of the group III type (38%); however, 28% of the strains isolated were non-typable. All the S. aureus strains were resistant to penicillin, 84% to tetracycline, and 35 and 24% were resistant to streptomycin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Altogether 19% of the strains tested were resistant to methicillin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

The characterisation of clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Of 166 strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospital patients and staff in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 32% were non-typable (NT). The strains were isolated from skin lesions, eye infections, wounds and nasal flora. Isolates from skin lesions or eye and wound infections were more likely to produce protease (95% and 78% respectively) than nasal isolates (11%). Nearly all (99%) of the strains isolated were resistant to penicillin and 78% were resistant to tetracycline. Streptomycin resistance occurred in 25% of isolates; 19% were resistant to chloramphenicol and 9% to methicillin.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

Transmissible trimethoprim resistance in strains of Escherichia coli isolated from cases of infantile diarrhoea.

Of 190 isolates of Escherichia coli from children aged up to 5 years with diarrhoea, 72 (37.9%) were resistant to trimethoprim and of the 70 isolates tested, 38 transferred high level trimethoprim resistance (MIC greater than 1000 mg/L) into E. coli EC 1005. Of the enterotoxigenic isolates from which trimethoprim resistance was transferred, 41.2% also contained transmissible toxigenic characteristics. All the trimethoprim-resistant isolates were resistant to other antibiotics.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1990

A study of the incidence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) secreting heat-labile toxin in two communities in south-western Nigeria.

The incidence of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was investigated at oral rehydration therapy clinics in Ibadan and Ile-Ife. The incidence rate of ETEC was 74 (21.3%) of the 347 diarrhoeal stool samples examined. ETEC incidence rate was 25.1% in Ibadan and 12.0% in Ile-Ife. Children aged between 0 and 18 months appeared most susceptible in both centres. A higher incidence of ETEC occurred among the male (31.9%) than female (17.0%) subjects at Ibadan but no such difference was obtained at Ile-Ife where 12.5% of males and 11.4% of female subjects were infected. The results obtained in this study suggest ETEC played a prominent role in infantile diarrhoea in the two centres studied.

Bacterial Toxins↗
PubMed1989

Transfer of low level trimethoprim resistance in faecal isolates obtained from apparently healthy Nigerian students.

Twenty-four of 63 enteric Gram-negative organisms (38.1%) which were isolated from 35 apparently healthy Nigerian students were found to have low trimethoprim resistance (MIC less than 1000 mg/l). These isolates were also found to be resistant to several other antibiotics and trimethoprim resistance was found to be transferable from 15 (62.5%) of the trimethoprim resistant organisms into E. coli EC 1005. It is likely that the high percentage of trimethoprim resistance encountered in this study is related to the high rate of resistance transfer which was observed.

Adult↗