No abstract

Data were collected and analyzed from a cross-sectional study using the World Health Organization's STEPwise approach, to estimate the prevalence of various types of dyslipidemia and determine their associated factors among adults in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study population included 4490 Saudi adults aged 15 years and older who were selected by a stratified, multistage, cluster random sampling technique. Lipid profile was determined by spectrophotometrically by biochemical methods, high total cholesterol (TC) was defined as TC of 5.2 mmol/L or more, hypertriglyceridemia as serum triglycerides level 1.7 mmol/L or more and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) as serum HDL-C 0.9 mmol/L or less, LDL-C 3.35 mmol/L or more and TC/HDL ratio 5 or more. Of the 4490 subjects (94.4% of total sample) included in the final analysis, 51% were females, 23% of study subjects were less than 25 years and 11% were 55 or more years of age. The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia ranged from about 20% to 40%. The highest prevalence was for triglycerides where about 44% of all subjects were affected. About a fifth of the subjects had high level of total cholesterol. Males had significantly higher prevalence of all types of dyslipidemia than female except LDL-C and TC. Higher dyslipidemia prevalence of total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly found in older subjects, illiterates and housekeepers. Lower prevalence rates for HDL-C was significantly observed in retired and youngest subjects. There were significant regional variations and significantly higher prevalence of dyslipidemia among hypertensives, diabetics, obese/overweight, smokers and physically inactive subjects. There were no significant differences according to income or fruits and vegetable consumption. Logistic regression analysis revealed that obesity/overweight, gender, age, diabetes were the most important significant predictors of dyslipidemia. The findings of this study suggest that the prevalence of dyslipidemia is high in Saudi Arabia. Multisectorial intervention strategies are needed targeting the predictors and significant risk factors identified.

BackgroundIntraerythrocytic malaria parasites actively import obligate nutrients from serum and export proteins and lipids to erythrocyte cytoplasm and membrane. The import of macromolecules in the malaria parasite has been the subject of many debates. To understand the import of macromolecules by the parasite, we studied the uptake of proteins by Plasmodium falciparum infected human erythrocyte.MethodsProteins were biotin labelled individually, purified on a gel filtration column and added to uninfected and infected asynchronized culture. The uptake of these proteins by malaria parasites was determined by western blot analysis of parasite pellet and their different fractions using streptavidin-horseradish conjugate. To further confirm this import, we studied the uptake of 125I-labelled proteins by western blot analysis as well as used direct immunofluorescence method.ResultsHere we show that biotin labelled and radio-iodinated polypeptides of molecular sizes in the range of 45 to 206 kDa, when added in the culture medium, get direct access to the parasite membrane through a membrane network by by-passing the erythrocyte cytosol. The import of these polypeptides is ATP-dependent as sodium azide treatment blocks this uptake. We also show that malaria parasites have the ability to take up and degrade biotin labelled human serum albumin, which has been shown to be essential for the parasite growth.ConclusionsThese results can be used, as a basis to explore the role of human serum albumin in the intraerythrocytic development of parasites, and this in turn can be an important adjunct to the development of novel antimalarial drugs.

Bioactivity directed fractionation of the chloroform extract of the root bark of Maytenus senegalensis resulted in the isolation and characterization of the quinonemethide triterpene, (20α)-3-hydroxy-2-oxo-24-nor-friedela-1(10),3,5,7-tetraen-carboxylic acid-(29)-methylester (pristimerin). The structure was elucidated by spectroscopic techniques. The in vitro antiplasmodial activity of the isolated compound against chloroquine-resistant strain (Dd2) of Plasmodium falciparum was IC 50 = 0.5µg/ml and its in vitro antileishmanial activity performed on promostigotes of Leishmania major was IC 50 = 6.8 ± 0.8 µg/ml while the cytotoxicity on lymphocyte proliferation model was detected at IC 50 = 6.8 ± 0.8 µg/ml.