Tuberculosis (TB) is a well-known disease state caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The disease accounts for about 1.5 million deaths worldwide and is transmitted from person to person by the inhalation of respiratory droplets. The progression of tuberculosis from the latent phase to its active form has been reported to be associated with reduced immunity and occurs in about 10% of tuberculosis-infected population. Trace elements play a vital role in the maintenance of the immune system in humans, and therefore their concentration in the serum is important in the management of TB patients. The primary objective of this study was therefore to assess the serum concentrations of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and manganese (Mn) in tuberculosis patients and compare the results obtained against apparently healthy subjects as well as to compare the concentrations of trace element levels in TB patients already on antituberculosis drugs against those not yet exposed to antituberculosis drugs. A total of 62 TB patients were selected, and their blood samples were collected while controls were taken from 20 apparently healthy individuals. The results obtained showed that the serum concentration of the trace elements Zn and Cu was significantly lower and higher for Mn (1.58±1.09 mg/l, 1.17±0.16 mg/l and 0.78±0.11 mg/l, respectively) in the control than in tuberculosis patients (2.59±1.79 mg/l, 1.64±0.47 mg/l, and 0.25±0.35 mg/l). However, those on drugs had higher Zn and Cu levels than those not on drugs. It was therefore concluded and recommended that further studies should be carried out to ascertain the mechanism of action of antituberculosis drugs and their specific effects on serum trace elements of immunological significance, to improve the care for tuberculosis patients.

Background: Regardless of the type of diabetes mellitus, there is always a Beta-cell dysfunction leading to absolute insulin deficiency in type 1 diabetes mellitus or associated with insulin resistance in case of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: A total of 267 subjects consisting of 164 diabetic patients and 103 non-diabetic apparently healthy individuals were analysed. The plasma insulin and c-peptides levels were determined using enzyme link immunosorbent assay, while plasma glucose level was determined using standard spectrophotometric method. Results: The biochemical results showed that the mean plasma glucose of Type 1 diabetes (213.65±20.35) and Type 2 diabetes (218.78+7.85) were significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of non-diabetic control (81.88±17.22) mg/dl; the mean plasma glucose and the systolic reading of the Diabetes Mellitus with Nephropathy, hypertension, coronary artery disease, neuropathy, and retinopathy patients were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the control subjects. Among diabetic hypertensive patients mean insulin and c-peptide levels were significantly (p<0.05) lower, while the mean insulin level was insignificantly (p>0.05) lower in diabetic patients with neuropathy or coronary artery disease. No significant (p>0.05) differences was observed in the mean plasma c-peptide level, and diastolic reading of diabetic patient with neuropathy. There were no significant (p>0.05) differences in the mean plasma c-peptide level, systolic and diastolic readings of Diabetic patients with coronary heart disease or retinopathy. Conclusion: There were significant differences in the blood pressure parameters in both the diabetes mellitus and diabetic complications in this study.

IntroductionLong-term population-based research has demonstrated a link between heavy drinking and the prevalence of kidney disorders; similarly, alcohol abuse has long been recognized as one of the main causes of liver diseases. A recent trend of concomitant use of the opioid analgesic Tramadol and alcohol among young males in sub-Saharan Africa has emerged.

Dic-Ijiewere et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

This study was undertaken to assess the thyroid profile of diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and patients with some associated complications in the Edo state, Nigeria. Blood samples from 267 subjects, consisting of 164 diabetic patients (24 type 1 DM and 140 type 2 DM) and 103 nondiabetic apparently healthy individuals (as controls), were analyzed. The thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) levels were determined using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). From the result obtained, the T3 level was found significantly (p < 0.05) higher in diabetic-nephropathy (D-NEPHR) patients than the control subjects, while the TSH and T4 levels of D-NEPHR were insignificantly (p > 0.05) higher than those of the control group. The mean TSH level was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in diabetic hypertensive patients when compared with the control group, while the plasma T3 level was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in diabetic hypertensive patients when compared with the control group. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the mean value of T4 of diabetic hypertensive patients when compared with the control subjects. The mean plasma T3 and T4 were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in diabetic neuropathy (D-NEUR) patients than those of control subjects. There were no significant (p > 0.05) differences in the mean plasma TSH level of D-NEUR patients when compared with those of control subjects. The mean plasma T3and T4 levels of diabetic patients with coronary heart disease (DM-CHD) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of control subjects while the mean plasma TSH level of DM-CHD was significantly (p < 0.05) lower than that of control subjects. No significant (p > 0.05) difference in the mean plasma TSH, T4, and T3 levels of diabetic retinopathy subjects when compared with those of control subjects was obtained.