Emmanuel I Ugwuja | Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki (original) (raw)

Papers by Emmanuel I Ugwuja

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2019

Background: Traditional medicine intervention has been used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatmen... more Background: Traditional medicine intervention has been used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment due to limitations of conventional drugs. Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the anti-arthritic potentials of ethanol and aqueous extracts of stem bark of Cleistopholis patens (SBCP) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced rheumatoid arthritis in rats. Methods: Rheumatoid arthritis was induced in groups 2 to 9 by intradermal injection of 0.1 mlkg À1 chicken type II collagen in CFA into the left hind paw of the rats. Group 1 served as normal control. Group 2 (negative control) received 5 mlkg À1 body weight normal saline while group 3 (positive control) received 10 mg/kg body weight standard drug (indomethacin). Groups 4 to 9 received varied doses of the extracts. After 10 days of RA induction, rats were treated with ethanol and aqueous extracts of SBCP orally at a dose of 400, 600 and 800 mgkg À1 for 21 days. The paw size, body weight changes, inflammatory parameters, lipid peroxidation maker and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed. Results: Rheumatoid arthritis induction caused marked (p < 0.05) increase in paw size, inflammatory makers and MDA while significant (p < 0.05) reduction was observed in body weight relative to normal control. Treatment with extracts analogous to indomethacin markedly (p < 0.05) decreased the paw size and caused weight gain while the altered inflammatory parameters and MDA were reversed relative to negative control. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the extracts of SBCP have good antiarthritic potentials comparable to indomethacin and hence could be used in rheumatoid arthritis management.

Journal of Diabetology, 2014

To investigate the effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on some mineral elemen... more To investigate the effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on some mineral elements in Nigerian patients with diabetes, seventy patients with diabetes (37 males and 33 females) aged 29 to 72 years and 30 patients without diabetes matched for age, sex and socio-demographic data were enrolled. Medical history including duration of disease and complications were obtained from the patients’ folders while fasting blood samples were collected for glucose, mineral element and other biochemical analysis using standard laboratory methods and techniques. Glycated haemoglobin was used to assess glycaemic control, with values ≤ 7.0% as good and > 7.0% as poor control. Mean duration of diabetes was 4.83 ± 4.09 years (range 1-28 years). There was no significant difference in the plasma levels of iron, magnesium and zinc between patients with and without diabetes. Patients with diabetes with poor glycaemic control had lower plasma magnesium and zinc (p > 0.05) but higher plasma iron (p > 0.05) in comparison to their counterparts with good glycaemic control. The most prevalent single complications observed in patients with diabetes were hypertension > renal disease > foot ulcer, with about 10% having both hypertension and renal disease, while about 27% had no complication at all, although no significant difference in the incidence of chronic complications between patients with diabetes with good glycaemic control and those without was observed (X2 = 0.169; p = 0.212). Again, none of the elements correlated with glycated haemoglobin or fasting plasma glucose, although patients with diabetes with complications had lower plasma iron (p > 0.05) but higher zinc and magnesium than patients with diabetes without complications. However, patients with diabetes with complications had significantly higher plasma urea (p < 0.05) in comparison to their counterparts without complications (6.30 ± 22.60 vs. 5.07 ± 2.39 mmol/l, p = 0.053). It may be concluded that diabetes complications and glycaemic control have no significant effect on plasma iron, magnesium and zinc levels in Nigerian patients with diabetes with short duration of the disease. Further studies on the long term effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on mineral element status are desired, food diversification among patients with diabetes is highly advocated.

African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Apr 30, 2019

This study assessed the levels of heavy metals in drinking water sources in Enyigba community in ... more This study assessed the levels of heavy metals in drinking water sources in Enyigba community in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Nigeria. Four sites were visited for sampling: two surface water (streams) and two underground water (boreholes). Three water samples were collected from each source making it a total of twelve water samples. The levels of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Lead (Pb) were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed significantly (P˂0 .05) high level of As, Cd and Pb which also exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum limits specification for drinking water. The metal index revealed significant (P˂0.05) elevated level of As, Cd and Pb. There was no significant (P˃0.05) difference between the stream water and borehole waters in terms of their elemental load. The findings suggest that drinking water from these sources are heavily contaminated by As, Cd and Pb and there is possible risk of contamination of the diverse ecosystem located in the neighbourhood. Therefore, the mining communities and the miners should be properly enlightened on the dangers associated with exposure to heavy metals to prevent them from polluting water bodies.

Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Jun 29, 2016

To determine the potential protective effect of spice mixture containing garlic, ginger and nutme... more To determine the potential protective effect of spice mixture containing garlic, ginger and nutmeg on the liver and kidney of cadmium exposed rats. Methods: Male albino rats (n=30) weighing 120-180 g, grouped into five (1-5) of 6 rats/group were studied. Group 1 (NC) rats were administered distilled water (1 ml) orally for 4 weeks and served as the negative control while group 2 (PC) rats were administered low dose (LD) cadmium (25 mg/kg body weight) orally for 4 weeks and served as positive control. Group 3 (TBE) rats were treated with spice mixture (SM); 300 mg/kg body weight orally for 2 weeks and then administered LD cadmium for 4 weeks. While group 4 (CET) rats were concurrently administered LD cadmium and SM for 4 weeks, group 5 (TAE) rats were administered LD cadmium for 4 weeks and then treated with SM for 2 weeks. The whole experiment lasted for 42 day after which the animals were sacrificed and blood collected for determination of biochemical parameters using standard procedures and techniques. Results: Exposure to Cd produced greater increases in the liver function parameters. However treatment with SM significantly (p<0.05) reduced ALT in animals treated after exposure, AST and bilirubin in those treated before exposure and significant (p<0.05) increased serum albumin in animals treated before exposure to Cd. The altered renal function parameters and total serum cholesterol were restored to near normal values following treatment with SM. Conclusion: It may be concluded that concurrent intake of garlic, ginger and nutmeg at culinary dose in the diet has both therapeutic and prophylactic effect at mitigating Cd toxicity and reaffirms the safely of spices combinations as being currently practiced.

Frontiers in Medicine

The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viru... more The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viruses, including the coronavirus, is increasingly gaining recognition. The plant extract has shown significant activity against both the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the novel SARS-CoV-2 that is currently ravaging the world. It is therefore necessary to evaluate individual chemicals of the plant for inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 for the purpose of designing drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. In this study, we employed computational techniques comprising molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, pharmacophore modeling, induced-fit docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and ADMET predictions to identify potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) from 168 bioactive compounds of Artemisia annua. Rhamnocitrin, isokaempferide, kaempferol, quercimeritrin, apigenin, penduletin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, luteolin-7-glucoside,...

Advances in Life Science and Technology, 2015

The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from fou... more The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from four bird species ( Gallus gallus ): quail ( Corturnix delegorgei ), guinea fowl ( Numida meleagris ), local chicken ( Gallus varius ) and high-breed chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ). A total of 60 eggs, consisting of 15 eggs from each bird specie were studied. Eggs from each bird species were divided into groups A, B, C, D and E, of three eggs per group. Eggs in groups A, B, C and D were boiled with omo, klin, table salt and alum, respectively while group E eggs were boiled with water only and served as the control. Vitamins were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC, AKAPTA), while protein, fat and cholesterol were determined using standard methods. Our results showed that quail egg was superior in fat-soluble vitamins content in comparison to the other eggs species. While the chemicals prevented cracking of the shell during boiling and enhanced peeling of the ...

The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viru... more The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viruses including the coronavirus is increasingly gaining recognition. The plant extract has shown significant activity against both the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the novel SARS-CoV-2, that is currently ravaging the world. It is therefore necessary to identify the bioactive compounds of the plants that are responsible for this activity, for the purpose of designing drugs against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we employed in silico techniques comprising of molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, pharmacophore modelling as well as druglikeness, pharmacokinetics and toxicity predictions, to identify potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) from 168 bioactive compounds of Artemisia annua. Rhamnocitrin, Isokaempferide, Kaempferol, Quercimeritrin, Apigenin, Penduletin, Isoquercitrin, Astragalin, Luteolin-7-glucoside and Isorhamnetin we...

Toxicology Research and Application, 2020

Background:Studies on nutritional factors, including zinc in ameliorating the deleterious effects... more Background:Studies on nutritional factors, including zinc in ameliorating the deleterious effects of potentially toxic elements have been scarce and the findings have been inconsistent.Aim:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ameliorative potential of zinc against lead-induced toxicity in rats.Materials and methods:Male albino rats (n = 24) assigned into four groups of six/group: normal control (NC), zinc control (ZnC; 20 mg/kg ZnCl2), lead control (PbC; 50 mg/kg PbCl2) and lead plus zinc (Pb + Zn; 50 mg/kg PbCl2plus 20 mg/kg ZnCl2), respectively were investigated. All administrations were through oral route and lasted for 42 days after which blood samples were collected for haematological and biochemical analyses using standard techniques.Results:Results showed that packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (HBC), red blood cell count (RBC) were significant (p < 0.05) reduced while total white blood cell count (TWBC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mea...

Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 2015

Zinc (an essential trace element) and cadmium (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with acclaime... more Zinc (an essential trace element) and cadmium (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with acclaimed toxicity) have been found to occur together in nature, with reported antagonism between the two elements. The present study aimed at determination of plasma levels of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) and their interrelationship in adult Nigerians. The series comprised adults (n=443) aged ≥18 yrs (mean ± SD 38.4±13.7 yrs), consisting of 117 males, 184 non-pregnant and 140 pregnant females. Sociodemographic data were collected by questionnaire while anthropometrics were determined using standard methods. Plasma Cd and Zn were determined by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean plasma zinc and cadmium were 94.7±18.1 μg/dl and 0.150±0.548 μg/dl, respectively. Age, sex, pregnancy, and parity had no effect on either plasma Zn or Cd. Although educational level had no effect on plasma Zn, it had a significant effect on Cd; subjects possessing either secondary or tertiary education h...

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, 2020

Introduction: Lifestyle and sociodemographic parameters have been recognised to play important ro... more Introduction: Lifestyle and sociodemographic parameters have been recognised to play important roles in human exposure to heavy metals and metal toxicity in both environmental and occupational setting. Aim: To determine the association of life style factors and sociodemographic parameters with plasma heavy metals; arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) in apparently healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: Randomly selected subjects (n=301) from 130 political wards in the 13 Local Government Area of the State, were studied. Structured questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic data while anthropometric parameters were collected using standard techniques. Metal concentrations were determined in blood plasma using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. One-way Analysis of Variance (One-way ANOVA) was use to analyse the data and p ≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The observed mean levels of heavy meta...

Int. J. Biomed. Hlth. Sci. Volume, 2010

... Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, South Eastern Nigeria Emmanuel Ike UGWU... more ... Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, South Eastern Nigeria Emmanuel Ike UGWUJA Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Ebonyi State University, PMB 053 Abakaliki, Nigeria (Received July 29, 2010; Accepted August 24, 2010) ...

African Health Sciences, 2015

Background: Adverse pregnancy outcome is an important public health problem that has been partly ... more Background: Adverse pregnancy outcome is an important public health problem that has been partly associated with increasing maternal parity. Aim: To determine the effect of parity on maternal body mass index (BMI), mineral element status and newborn anthropometrics. Methods: Data for 349 pregnant women previously studied for the impacts of maternal plasma mineral element status on pregnancy and its outcomes was analysed. Obstetric and demographic data and 5mls of blood samples were obtained from each subject. Blood lead, plasma copper, iron and zinc were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: Maternal BMI increases with parity. Women with parity two had significantly higher plasma zinc but lower plasma copper with comparable levels of the elements in nulliparous and higher parity groups. Although plasma iron was comparable among the groups, blood lead was significantly higher in parity > three. Newborn birth length increases with parity with a positive correlation between parity and maternal BMI (r = 0.221; p = 0.001) and newborn birth length (r = 0.170; p = 0.002) while plasma copper was negatively correlated with newborn's head circumference (r =-0.115; p = 0.040) Conclusion: It is plausible that parity affects maternal BMI and newborn anthropometrics through alterations in maternal plasma mineral element levels. While further studies are desired to confirm the present findings, there is need for pregnant and would-be pregnant women to diversify their diet to optimize their mineral element status.

Abstract: For a comparative study of plasma copper, iron and zinc between anaemic and non-anaemic... more Abstract: For a comparative study of plasma copper, iron and zinc between anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant women, data for anaemic (n = 223) and non-anaemic (n = 126) pregnant wo-men drawn from a cohort of 351 pregnant Nigerians recruited at gestational age of ≤ 25 weeks for the study of impacts of trace element status on pregnancy outcomes were analysed. With the exception of plasma copper which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in anaemic women in comparison to the non-an-aemic women (10.11 ± 10.15 vs. 8.68 ± 7.92 µmol/l), plasma iron and zinc were lower (p> 0.05) in the former. While plasma copper, iron and zinc concentration were not correlated with maternal haemoglobin concentration, plasma zinc signific-antly correlated negatively (r =-0.141, p < 0.05) with plasma copper. It is thus concluded that anaemia in pregnant women in this population may partly be due to a combination of trace ele-

To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on plasma trace element status and pregnancy outc... more To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on plasma trace element status and pregnancy outcomes, 349 pregnant women, aged 15-40 years (mean 27.04 ±2.75 years), recruited at ≤25 weeks (mean 21.76±3.12 weeks) gestational age, were followed up till delivery during which maternal and foetal outcomes were recorded. Plasma copper, iron, and zinc were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer while maternal sociodemographic data were obtained using a questionnaire. Except for copper, lower plasma iron and zinc were significantly (p<0.05) higher in women from socioeconomically-disadvantaged groups. Both adverse maternal health and foetal outcomes also seemed to be more prevalent in socioeconomically-disadvantaged women, although without a definite trend. This study has shown that, in economically-disadvantaged setting of developing countries, maternal socioeconomic status impacts on maternal trace element (copper, iron, and zinc) status and health and foetal outcomes.

The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2011

BACKGROUND Lead toxicity has been reported to affect hematopoietic, nervous, reproductive, cardio... more BACKGROUND Lead toxicity has been reported to affect hematopoietic, nervous, reproductive, cardiovascular and urinary tract systems. Many investigators have so far studied the effects of high blood lead levels on pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of elevated maternal blood lead during pregnancy on some trace elements and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS Blood lead and plasma copper, iron and zinc were measured in 349 pregnant women with a mean ± SD age of 27.0 ± 4.8 years, and gestational age of 21.8 ± 3.1 weeks, at recruitment using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Maternal and fetal outcomes were recorded during follow-up and at delivery, respectively. A blood lead level of ≥ 10 μg/dL was considered high. RESULTS Women with elevated blood lead had significantly higher plasma copper and iron and lower plasma zinc than women with low blood lead level (<10 μg/dL). Blood lead level correlated with maternal hemoglobin concentration (r = -0.1054, p = 0.051) and ...

Journal of Family & Reproductive Health, 2017

Objective: To evaluate association of blood and seminal plasma lead and cadmium with sperm qualit... more Objective: To evaluate association of blood and seminal plasma lead and cadmium with sperm quality of non-occupationally exposed male partners of couples with infertility. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 men aged 20-45 years (mean = 37.1 ± 7.0 yrs.) with infertility recruited from the Fertility Clinic of a hospital in Abakaliki. Sperm count done in accordance with the WHO guidelines was used to classify the participants as normospamia, oligospermia and azospermia. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine lead and cadmium levels in plasma from blood and semen. Results: There were 15 azospermics, 22 oligospermics and 36 normospermics. Seminal and blood plasma cadmium as well as blood plasma lead were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in azospermic and oligospermic men compared to normospermic men. However, while seminal plasma lead was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in oligospermic and normospernic men than in azospermic men, th...

The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2012

BACKGROUND Respiratory problem is one of the major health hazards in dust-exposed workers; it is ... more BACKGROUND Respiratory problem is one of the major health hazards in dust-exposed workers; it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of respiratory problems and lung function impairment among quarry workers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. METHODS Respiratory problems and lung function were studied in 403 quarry workers aged 10-60 years. Respiratory problems were investigated with a questionnaire based on international models adapted for the study population. Lung function was assessed by spirometry and chest roentgenography. RESULTS The respiratory problems found were chest pain (47.6%), occasional cough (40.7%), occasional shortness of breath (6.5%) and wheezing (5.2%). The mean±SD FEV1 and FVC values were significantly decreased with length of exposure-respectively, 3.52±0.77 and 3.91±0.72 L for <5 years; 2.79±0.68 and 3.09±0.87 L for 5-10 years; and 2.03±0.92 and 2.86±0.83 L for >10 years of exposure. Moreover, the me...

Journal of vector borne diseases, 2011

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Malaria, one of the major health challenges of the tropics affecting abou... more BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Malaria, one of the major health challenges of the tropics affecting about 500 million people, particularly the children and pregnant women have been associated with changes in urine compositions. The present study was undertaken to document the urinary abnormalities in malaria patients based on malaria species and the level of malaria parasitaemia. METHODS Febrile patients (n = 365) with positive Giemsa - stained blood films for malaria recruited from Outpatient Department of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki participated in the study. Patients were classified into two categories (+ and ++) based on parasite density. Apparently healthy individuals (n = 81), without malaria parasite on both thick and thin films of comparable age and gender acted as control group. Urine sample (10 ml) was collected from each participant and analysed using standard laboratory methods and techniques. RESULTS Seventy - four (20.3%) of the patients had Plasmodiu...

Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, 2019

Background: Traditional medicine intervention has been used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatmen... more Background: Traditional medicine intervention has been used in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment due to limitations of conventional drugs. Objective: This study aimed at evaluating the anti-arthritic potentials of ethanol and aqueous extracts of stem bark of Cleistopholis patens (SBCP) in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced rheumatoid arthritis in rats. Methods: Rheumatoid arthritis was induced in groups 2 to 9 by intradermal injection of 0.1 mlkg À1 chicken type II collagen in CFA into the left hind paw of the rats. Group 1 served as normal control. Group 2 (negative control) received 5 mlkg À1 body weight normal saline while group 3 (positive control) received 10 mg/kg body weight standard drug (indomethacin). Groups 4 to 9 received varied doses of the extracts. After 10 days of RA induction, rats were treated with ethanol and aqueous extracts of SBCP orally at a dose of 400, 600 and 800 mgkg À1 for 21 days. The paw size, body weight changes, inflammatory parameters, lipid peroxidation maker and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed. Results: Rheumatoid arthritis induction caused marked (p < 0.05) increase in paw size, inflammatory makers and MDA while significant (p < 0.05) reduction was observed in body weight relative to normal control. Treatment with extracts analogous to indomethacin markedly (p < 0.05) decreased the paw size and caused weight gain while the altered inflammatory parameters and MDA were reversed relative to negative control. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the extracts of SBCP have good antiarthritic potentials comparable to indomethacin and hence could be used in rheumatoid arthritis management.

Journal of Diabetology, 2014

To investigate the effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on some mineral elemen... more To investigate the effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on some mineral elements in Nigerian patients with diabetes, seventy patients with diabetes (37 males and 33 females) aged 29 to 72 years and 30 patients without diabetes matched for age, sex and socio-demographic data were enrolled. Medical history including duration of disease and complications were obtained from the patients’ folders while fasting blood samples were collected for glucose, mineral element and other biochemical analysis using standard laboratory methods and techniques. Glycated haemoglobin was used to assess glycaemic control, with values ≤ 7.0% as good and > 7.0% as poor control. Mean duration of diabetes was 4.83 ± 4.09 years (range 1-28 years). There was no significant difference in the plasma levels of iron, magnesium and zinc between patients with and without diabetes. Patients with diabetes with poor glycaemic control had lower plasma magnesium and zinc (p > 0.05) but higher plasma iron (p > 0.05) in comparison to their counterparts with good glycaemic control. The most prevalent single complications observed in patients with diabetes were hypertension > renal disease > foot ulcer, with about 10% having both hypertension and renal disease, while about 27% had no complication at all, although no significant difference in the incidence of chronic complications between patients with diabetes with good glycaemic control and those without was observed (X2 = 0.169; p = 0.212). Again, none of the elements correlated with glycated haemoglobin or fasting plasma glucose, although patients with diabetes with complications had lower plasma iron (p > 0.05) but higher zinc and magnesium than patients with diabetes without complications. However, patients with diabetes with complications had significantly higher plasma urea (p < 0.05) in comparison to their counterparts without complications (6.30 ± 22.60 vs. 5.07 ± 2.39 mmol/l, p = 0.053). It may be concluded that diabetes complications and glycaemic control have no significant effect on plasma iron, magnesium and zinc levels in Nigerian patients with diabetes with short duration of the disease. Further studies on the long term effects of diabetes complications and glycaemic control on mineral element status are desired, food diversification among patients with diabetes is highly advocated.

African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Apr 30, 2019

This study assessed the levels of heavy metals in drinking water sources in Enyigba community in ... more This study assessed the levels of heavy metals in drinking water sources in Enyigba community in Abakaliki Local Government Area, Nigeria. Four sites were visited for sampling: two surface water (streams) and two underground water (boreholes). Three water samples were collected from each source making it a total of twelve water samples. The levels of Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn) and Lead (Pb) were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The result showed significantly (P˂0 .05) high level of As, Cd and Pb which also exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended maximum limits specification for drinking water. The metal index revealed significant (P˂0.05) elevated level of As, Cd and Pb. There was no significant (P˃0.05) difference between the stream water and borehole waters in terms of their elemental load. The findings suggest that drinking water from these sources are heavily contaminated by As, Cd and Pb and there is possible risk of contamination of the diverse ecosystem located in the neighbourhood. Therefore, the mining communities and the miners should be properly enlightened on the dangers associated with exposure to heavy metals to prevent them from polluting water bodies.

Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin, Jun 29, 2016

To determine the potential protective effect of spice mixture containing garlic, ginger and nutme... more To determine the potential protective effect of spice mixture containing garlic, ginger and nutmeg on the liver and kidney of cadmium exposed rats. Methods: Male albino rats (n=30) weighing 120-180 g, grouped into five (1-5) of 6 rats/group were studied. Group 1 (NC) rats were administered distilled water (1 ml) orally for 4 weeks and served as the negative control while group 2 (PC) rats were administered low dose (LD) cadmium (25 mg/kg body weight) orally for 4 weeks and served as positive control. Group 3 (TBE) rats were treated with spice mixture (SM); 300 mg/kg body weight orally for 2 weeks and then administered LD cadmium for 4 weeks. While group 4 (CET) rats were concurrently administered LD cadmium and SM for 4 weeks, group 5 (TAE) rats were administered LD cadmium for 4 weeks and then treated with SM for 2 weeks. The whole experiment lasted for 42 day after which the animals were sacrificed and blood collected for determination of biochemical parameters using standard procedures and techniques. Results: Exposure to Cd produced greater increases in the liver function parameters. However treatment with SM significantly (p<0.05) reduced ALT in animals treated after exposure, AST and bilirubin in those treated before exposure and significant (p<0.05) increased serum albumin in animals treated before exposure to Cd. The altered renal function parameters and total serum cholesterol were restored to near normal values following treatment with SM. Conclusion: It may be concluded that concurrent intake of garlic, ginger and nutmeg at culinary dose in the diet has both therapeutic and prophylactic effect at mitigating Cd toxicity and reaffirms the safely of spices combinations as being currently practiced.

Frontiers in Medicine

The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viru... more The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viruses, including the coronavirus, is increasingly gaining recognition. The plant extract has shown significant activity against both the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the novel SARS-CoV-2 that is currently ravaging the world. It is therefore necessary to evaluate individual chemicals of the plant for inhibitory potential against SARS-CoV-2 for the purpose of designing drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. In this study, we employed computational techniques comprising molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, pharmacophore modeling, induced-fit docking, molecular dynamics simulation, and ADMET predictions to identify potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) from 168 bioactive compounds of Artemisia annua. Rhamnocitrin, isokaempferide, kaempferol, quercimeritrin, apigenin, penduletin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, luteolin-7-glucoside,...

Advances in Life Science and Technology, 2015

The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from fou... more The effects of cooking eggs with chemicals on its nutrient contents were studied in eggs from four bird species ( Gallus gallus ): quail ( Corturnix delegorgei ), guinea fowl ( Numida meleagris ), local chicken ( Gallus varius ) and high-breed chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ). A total of 60 eggs, consisting of 15 eggs from each bird specie were studied. Eggs from each bird species were divided into groups A, B, C, D and E, of three eggs per group. Eggs in groups A, B, C and D were boiled with omo, klin, table salt and alum, respectively while group E eggs were boiled with water only and served as the control. Vitamins were determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC, AKAPTA), while protein, fat and cholesterol were determined using standard methods. Our results showed that quail egg was superior in fat-soluble vitamins content in comparison to the other eggs species. While the chemicals prevented cracking of the shell during boiling and enhanced peeling of the ...

The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viru... more The inhibitory potential of Artemisia annua, a well-known antimalarial herb, against several viruses including the coronavirus is increasingly gaining recognition. The plant extract has shown significant activity against both the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and the novel SARS-CoV-2, that is currently ravaging the world. It is therefore necessary to identify the bioactive compounds of the plants that are responsible for this activity, for the purpose of designing drugs against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we employed in silico techniques comprising of molecular docking, binding free energy calculations, pharmacophore modelling as well as druglikeness, pharmacokinetics and toxicity predictions, to identify potential inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) from 168 bioactive compounds of Artemisia annua. Rhamnocitrin, Isokaempferide, Kaempferol, Quercimeritrin, Apigenin, Penduletin, Isoquercitrin, Astragalin, Luteolin-7-glucoside and Isorhamnetin we...

Toxicology Research and Application, 2020

Background:Studies on nutritional factors, including zinc in ameliorating the deleterious effects... more Background:Studies on nutritional factors, including zinc in ameliorating the deleterious effects of potentially toxic elements have been scarce and the findings have been inconsistent.Aim:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ameliorative potential of zinc against lead-induced toxicity in rats.Materials and methods:Male albino rats (n = 24) assigned into four groups of six/group: normal control (NC), zinc control (ZnC; 20 mg/kg ZnCl2), lead control (PbC; 50 mg/kg PbCl2) and lead plus zinc (Pb + Zn; 50 mg/kg PbCl2plus 20 mg/kg ZnCl2), respectively were investigated. All administrations were through oral route and lasted for 42 days after which blood samples were collected for haematological and biochemical analyses using standard techniques.Results:Results showed that packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (HBC), red blood cell count (RBC) were significant (p < 0.05) reduced while total white blood cell count (TWBC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mea...

Interdisciplinary Toxicology, 2015

Zinc (an essential trace element) and cadmium (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with acclaime... more Zinc (an essential trace element) and cadmium (a ubiquitous environmental pollutant with acclaimed toxicity) have been found to occur together in nature, with reported antagonism between the two elements. The present study aimed at determination of plasma levels of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) and their interrelationship in adult Nigerians. The series comprised adults (n=443) aged ≥18 yrs (mean ± SD 38.4±13.7 yrs), consisting of 117 males, 184 non-pregnant and 140 pregnant females. Sociodemographic data were collected by questionnaire while anthropometrics were determined using standard methods. Plasma Cd and Zn were determined by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The mean plasma zinc and cadmium were 94.7±18.1 μg/dl and 0.150±0.548 μg/dl, respectively. Age, sex, pregnancy, and parity had no effect on either plasma Zn or Cd. Although educational level had no effect on plasma Zn, it had a significant effect on Cd; subjects possessing either secondary or tertiary education h...

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, 2020

Introduction: Lifestyle and sociodemographic parameters have been recognised to play important ro... more Introduction: Lifestyle and sociodemographic parameters have been recognised to play important roles in human exposure to heavy metals and metal toxicity in both environmental and occupational setting. Aim: To determine the association of life style factors and sociodemographic parameters with plasma heavy metals; arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn) in apparently healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: Randomly selected subjects (n=301) from 130 political wards in the 13 Local Government Area of the State, were studied. Structured questionnaires were used to collect sociodemographic data while anthropometric parameters were collected using standard techniques. Metal concentrations were determined in blood plasma using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. One-way Analysis of Variance (One-way ANOVA) was use to analyse the data and p ≤0.05 was considered significant. Results: The observed mean levels of heavy meta...

Int. J. Biomed. Hlth. Sci. Volume, 2010

... Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, South Eastern Nigeria Emmanuel Ike UGWU... more ... Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, South Eastern Nigeria Emmanuel Ike UGWUJA Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Ebonyi State University, PMB 053 Abakaliki, Nigeria (Received July 29, 2010; Accepted August 24, 2010) ...

African Health Sciences, 2015

Background: Adverse pregnancy outcome is an important public health problem that has been partly ... more Background: Adverse pregnancy outcome is an important public health problem that has been partly associated with increasing maternal parity. Aim: To determine the effect of parity on maternal body mass index (BMI), mineral element status and newborn anthropometrics. Methods: Data for 349 pregnant women previously studied for the impacts of maternal plasma mineral element status on pregnancy and its outcomes was analysed. Obstetric and demographic data and 5mls of blood samples were obtained from each subject. Blood lead, plasma copper, iron and zinc were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results: Maternal BMI increases with parity. Women with parity two had significantly higher plasma zinc but lower plasma copper with comparable levels of the elements in nulliparous and higher parity groups. Although plasma iron was comparable among the groups, blood lead was significantly higher in parity > three. Newborn birth length increases with parity with a positive correlation between parity and maternal BMI (r = 0.221; p = 0.001) and newborn birth length (r = 0.170; p = 0.002) while plasma copper was negatively correlated with newborn's head circumference (r =-0.115; p = 0.040) Conclusion: It is plausible that parity affects maternal BMI and newborn anthropometrics through alterations in maternal plasma mineral element levels. While further studies are desired to confirm the present findings, there is need for pregnant and would-be pregnant women to diversify their diet to optimize their mineral element status.

Abstract: For a comparative study of plasma copper, iron and zinc between anaemic and non-anaemic... more Abstract: For a comparative study of plasma copper, iron and zinc between anaemic and non-anaemic pregnant women, data for anaemic (n = 223) and non-anaemic (n = 126) pregnant wo-men drawn from a cohort of 351 pregnant Nigerians recruited at gestational age of ≤ 25 weeks for the study of impacts of trace element status on pregnancy outcomes were analysed. With the exception of plasma copper which was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in anaemic women in comparison to the non-an-aemic women (10.11 ± 10.15 vs. 8.68 ± 7.92 µmol/l), plasma iron and zinc were lower (p> 0.05) in the former. While plasma copper, iron and zinc concentration were not correlated with maternal haemoglobin concentration, plasma zinc signific-antly correlated negatively (r =-0.141, p < 0.05) with plasma copper. It is thus concluded that anaemia in pregnant women in this population may partly be due to a combination of trace ele-

To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on plasma trace element status and pregnancy outc... more To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on plasma trace element status and pregnancy outcomes, 349 pregnant women, aged 15-40 years (mean 27.04 ±2.75 years), recruited at ≤25 weeks (mean 21.76±3.12 weeks) gestational age, were followed up till delivery during which maternal and foetal outcomes were recorded. Plasma copper, iron, and zinc were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer while maternal sociodemographic data were obtained using a questionnaire. Except for copper, lower plasma iron and zinc were significantly (p<0.05) higher in women from socioeconomically-disadvantaged groups. Both adverse maternal health and foetal outcomes also seemed to be more prevalent in socioeconomically-disadvantaged women, although without a definite trend. This study has shown that, in economically-disadvantaged setting of developing countries, maternal socioeconomic status impacts on maternal trace element (copper, iron, and zinc) status and health and foetal outcomes.

The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2011

BACKGROUND Lead toxicity has been reported to affect hematopoietic, nervous, reproductive, cardio... more BACKGROUND Lead toxicity has been reported to affect hematopoietic, nervous, reproductive, cardiovascular and urinary tract systems. Many investigators have so far studied the effects of high blood lead levels on pregnancy outcomes. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of elevated maternal blood lead during pregnancy on some trace elements and pregnancy outcomes. METHODS Blood lead and plasma copper, iron and zinc were measured in 349 pregnant women with a mean ± SD age of 27.0 ± 4.8 years, and gestational age of 21.8 ± 3.1 weeks, at recruitment using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Maternal and fetal outcomes were recorded during follow-up and at delivery, respectively. A blood lead level of ≥ 10 μg/dL was considered high. RESULTS Women with elevated blood lead had significantly higher plasma copper and iron and lower plasma zinc than women with low blood lead level (<10 μg/dL). Blood lead level correlated with maternal hemoglobin concentration (r = -0.1054, p = 0.051) and ...

Journal of Family & Reproductive Health, 2017

Objective: To evaluate association of blood and seminal plasma lead and cadmium with sperm qualit... more Objective: To evaluate association of blood and seminal plasma lead and cadmium with sperm quality of non-occupationally exposed male partners of couples with infertility. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 75 men aged 20-45 years (mean = 37.1 ± 7.0 yrs.) with infertility recruited from the Fertility Clinic of a hospital in Abakaliki. Sperm count done in accordance with the WHO guidelines was used to classify the participants as normospamia, oligospermia and azospermia. Atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine lead and cadmium levels in plasma from blood and semen. Results: There were 15 azospermics, 22 oligospermics and 36 normospermics. Seminal and blood plasma cadmium as well as blood plasma lead were significantly (p < 0.01) higher in azospermic and oligospermic men compared to normospermic men. However, while seminal plasma lead was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in oligospermic and normospernic men than in azospermic men, th...

The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine, 2012

BACKGROUND Respiratory problem is one of the major health hazards in dust-exposed workers; it is ... more BACKGROUND Respiratory problem is one of the major health hazards in dust-exposed workers; it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality all over the world. OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of respiratory problems and lung function impairment among quarry workers in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. METHODS Respiratory problems and lung function were studied in 403 quarry workers aged 10-60 years. Respiratory problems were investigated with a questionnaire based on international models adapted for the study population. Lung function was assessed by spirometry and chest roentgenography. RESULTS The respiratory problems found were chest pain (47.6%), occasional cough (40.7%), occasional shortness of breath (6.5%) and wheezing (5.2%). The mean±SD FEV1 and FVC values were significantly decreased with length of exposure-respectively, 3.52±0.77 and 3.91±0.72 L for <5 years; 2.79±0.68 and 3.09±0.87 L for 5-10 years; and 2.03±0.92 and 2.86±0.83 L for >10 years of exposure. Moreover, the me...

Journal of vector borne diseases, 2011

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Malaria, one of the major health challenges of the tropics affecting abou... more BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Malaria, one of the major health challenges of the tropics affecting about 500 million people, particularly the children and pregnant women have been associated with changes in urine compositions. The present study was undertaken to document the urinary abnormalities in malaria patients based on malaria species and the level of malaria parasitaemia. METHODS Febrile patients (n = 365) with positive Giemsa - stained blood films for malaria recruited from Outpatient Department of Ebonyi State University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki participated in the study. Patients were classified into two categories (+ and ++) based on parasite density. Apparently healthy individuals (n = 81), without malaria parasite on both thick and thin films of comparable age and gender acted as control group. Urine sample (10 ml) was collected from each participant and analysed using standard laboratory methods and techniques. RESULTS Seventy - four (20.3%) of the patients had Plasmodiu...