Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus among pregnant women attending Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano,Nigeria

Background

Primary Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy is a frequent and serious threat to the fetus. As there is no vaccine alternative measures are needed to prevent congenital CMV infection.

Objective

This study determined CMV Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody among pregnant women in order to ascertain the immune status of mothers to guide policy makers.

Methods

A semi-structured questionnaire was initially administered to obtain information on demographic details, stage of pregnancy and risk factors. Blood was collected by venipuncture from 180 women attending the antenatal clinic in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital Kano, Kano State, Nigeria. Sera samples were screened using CMV IgG ELISA kit (Dialab, Austria).

Results

Out of 180 pregnant women, 164 (91.1%) were seropositive. Based on stages of pregnancy 6/6(100%), 52/60(86.7%) and 106/114(93.0%) were seropositive among women in the first, second and third trimesters respectively.

Conclusion

Seroprevalence of pregnant women to CMV Ig G is high, hence the need for CMV - IgM screening to know the extent of active infection. There is also need for public enlightenment on the methods of transmission, effective prevention and control strategies.     

Antioxidant and antipyretic properties of methanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus leaves

ObjectiveMethanolic extract of Amaranthus spinosus (A. spinosus) leaves was screened for antioxidant and antipyretic activities.MethodsAntioxidant activity was measured by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazile (DPPH) free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, hydroxyl free radical scavenging, nitric oxide radical scavenging, 2,2 '-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazole-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging assays and total phenolic content was also determined. Antipyretic activity of methanolic extract of A. spinosus was measured by yeast induced pyrexia method at concentration of 200 and 400 mg/kg using paracetamol as standard drug.ResultsMethanolic extract of A. spinosus showed potent antioxidant activity. The IC 50 value was (87.50 ±3.52) μg/mL, (98.80±1.40) μg/mL, (106.25±0.20) μg/mL, (88.70±0.62) μg/mL and (147.50±2.61) μg/mL for DPPH, superoxide, hydroxyl, nitric oxide and ABTS radical scavenging activities. Methanolic extract of A. spinosus showed significant (P <0.01) antipyretic activity.     

Increased levels of IgE and autoreactive, polyreactive IgG in wild rodents: implications for the hygiene hypothesis

To probe the potential role of Th1 versus Th2 reactivity underlying the hygiene hypothesis, intrinsic levels of Th1-associated and Th2-associated antibodies in the serum of wild rodents were compared with that in various strains of laboratory rodents. Studies using rat lung antigens as a target indicated that wild rats have substantially greater levels of autoreactive, polyreactive immunoglobulin G (IgG), but not autoreactive, polyreactive IgM than do laboratory rats, both on a quantitative and qualitative basis. Increased levels of serum IgG and IgE were observed in both wild rats and wild mice relative to their laboratory-raised counterparts, with the effect being most pronounced for IgE levels. Further, wild rats had greater intrinsic levels of both Th1- and Th2-associated IgG subclasses than did lab rats. The habitat (wild versus laboratory raised) had a more substantial impact on immunoglobulin concentration than did age, strain or gender in the animals studied. The presence in wild rodents of increased intrinsic, presumably protective, non-pathogenic responses similar to both autoimmune (autoreactive IgG, Th1-associated) and allergic (IgE, Th2-associated) reactions as well as increased levels of Th1-associated and Th2-associated IgG subclasses points toward a generally increased stimulation of the immune system in these animals rather than a shift in the nature of the immunoreactivity. It is concluded that, at least to the extent that feedback inhibition is a controlling element of immunoreactivity, an overly hygienic environment may affect the threshold of both types of immune responses more so than the balance between the different responses.     

Perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant levels of bisphenol A decreases fertility and fecundity in CD-1 mice

Background

Perinatal exposure to low-doses of bisphenol A (BPA) results in alterations in the ovary, uterus, and mammary glands and in a sexually dimorphic region of the brain known to be important for estrous cyclicity.

Objectives

We aimed to determine whether perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of BPA alters reproductive capacity.

Methods

Female CD-1 mice that were exposed to BPA at 0, 25 ng, 250 ng, or 25 μg/kg body weight (BW)/day or diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 10 ng/kg BW/day (positive control) from gestational day 8 through day 16 of lactation were continuously housed with proven breeder males for 32 weeks starting at 2 months of age. At each delivery, pups born to these mating pairs were removed. The cumulative number of pups, number of deliveries, and litter size were recorded. The purity of the BPA used in this and our previous studies was assessed using HPLC, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance.

Results

The forced breeding experiment revealed a decrease in the cumulative number of pups, observed as a nonmonotonic dose–response effect, and a decline in fertility and fecundity over time in female mice exposed perinatally to BPA. The BPA was 97% pure, with no evidence of contamination by other phenolic compounds.

Conclusions

Perinatal exposure to BPA leads to a dose-dependent decline in the reproductive capacity of female mice. The effects on the cumulative number of pups are comparable to those previously reported in mice developmentally exposed to DES, a compound well known to impair reproduction in women. This association suggests the possibility that early BPA exposure may also affect reproductive capacity in women.