Background. TheMoringa oleiferaplant has been implicated for several therapeutic potentials.Objective. To evaluate whether addition ofM. oleiferato diet has protective effect against nickel-induced nephrotoxicity in rats.Methodology. Male Wistar rats were assigned into six groups of five. The rats were given oral exposure to 20 mg/kg nickel sulphate (NiSO₄) in normal saline and sustained on either normal diet or diets supplemented withMoringa oleiferaat different concentrations for 21 days. 24 hours after cessation of treatments, all animals were sacrificed under slight anesthesia. The blood and kidney samples were collected for biochemical and histopathology analyses, respectively.Results. NiSO₄exposure reduced the kidney-to-body weight ratio in rats and caused significant elevation in the levels of plasma creatinine, urea, and potassium. Also, the plasma level of sodium was decreased by NiSO₄exposure. However, addition ofM. oleiferato diets averted the nickel-induced alteration to the level of creatinine and urea. The histopathology revealed damaged renal tubules and glomerular walls caused by NiSO₄exposure. In contrast, the damages were ameliorated by theM. oleiferasupplemented diets.Conclusion. The addition ofM. oleiferato diet afforded significant protection against nickel-induced nephrotoxicity.

Adherence is vital to effective antiretroviral therapy (ART) for reducing viral load and HIV/AIDS-related morbidity and mortality. This study was aimed at evaluating the adherence of HIV seropositive patients to ART in a tertiary institution in Nigeria. A cross sectional observational study was conducted among 400 HIV seropositive patients. The study was carried out between December 2016 and February 2017 at the HIV clinic of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. The mean age of the HIV patients was 42.2±9.5 years with a predominant female gender (Male:Female = 1:2.8). The median CD4 counts increased from 302.1±15.0cells/mm3 at diagnosis to 430.8±13.3cells/mm3 at the time of the study. Majority of participants were unaware of their spouses' HIV status (59.3%) while 32.5% of participants had a serodiscordant spouse. Poverty was a major challenge as 73.3% earned less than 140 dollars per month. Depressive symptoms, anxiety disorder and insomnia were also reported in 40.7%, 33.2% and 47.2% respectively. Poor adherence to ART was observed in almost 20% of the patients. Logistic regression indicated that predictors of poor adherence were depression, anxiety and low CD4 counts. Adherence to anti-retroviral therapy was good amongst the majority of HIV seropositive patients. Depression, anxiety disorder and low CD4 count were however associated with poor adherence. This emphasizes the role of the psychology units as integral part of the HIV clinic to assist patients' adherence to anti-retroviral regimens.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) like Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and Huntington’s disease predominantly pose a significant socioeconomic burden. Characterized by progressive neural dysfunction coupled with motor or intellectual impairment, the pathogenesis of ND may result from contributions of certain environmental and molecular factors. One such condition is hypoxia, characterized by reduced organ/tissue exposure to oxygen. Reduced oxygen supply often occurs during the pathogenesis of ND and the aging process. Despite the well‐established relationship between these two conditions (i.e., hypoxia and ND), the underlying molecular events or mechanisms connecting hypoxia to ND remain ill‐defined. However, the relatedness may stem from the protective or deleterious effects of the transcription factor, hypoxia‐inducible factor 1‐alpha (HIF‐1α). The upregulation of HIF‐1α occurs in the pathogenesis of most NDs. The dual function of HIF‐1α in acting as a “killer factor” or a “protective factor” depends on the prevailing local cellular condition. The kynurenine pathway is a metabolic pathway involved in the oxidative breakdown of tryptophan. It is essential in neurotransmission and immune function and, like hypoxia, associated with ND. Thus, a good understanding of factors, including hypoxia (i.e., the biochemical implication of HIF‐1α) and kynurenine pathway activation in NDs, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease could prove beneficial to new therapeutic approaches for this disease, thus the aim of this review.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the main challenges occurring among men worldwide, and is characterised by trouble getting or keeping steady erection during sexual intercourse. Various drugs like sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase‐5 inhibitor (PDE‐5) are freely available in the pharmacies, though normally associated with several adverse. This study was designed to assess the molecular relations obtainable between catechin, garcinal, garcinoic acid and d‐tocotrienol compounds isolated from Garcinia kola and targeted receptor linked to ED. These processes include the molecular docking of catechin, garcinal, garcinoic acid, d‐tocotrienol, and sildenafil to receptor: PDE‐5 via AutoDock Vina. Following the docking of catechin, garcinal, garcinoic acid and d‐tocotrienol with the PDE‐5‐receptor protein, we observed that all are protein inhibitors with garcinoic acid showing better binding affinity −10.0 kcal/mol with PDE‐5 receptor relevant to ED. Hence, the results provided insights into the development of garcinoic acid as a replacement for present ED management, with further analysis worth considering.