HIV/AIDS is changing the human landscape in sub-Saharan Africa. Relatively few patients receive antiretroviral therapy, and many suffer from debilitating diarrhea that affects their quality of life. Given the track record of probiotics to alleviate diarrhea, conventional yogurt fermented with Lactobacillus delbruekii var bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus was supplemented with probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR-1 and L. reuteri RC-14. Twenty-four HIV/AIDS adult female patients (18 to 44 y) with clinical signs of moderate diarrhea, CD4 counts over 200, and not receiving antiretrovirals or dietary supplements, consumed either 100 mL supplemented or unsupplemented yogurt per day for 15 days. Hematologic profiles, CD4 cell counts, and quality of life was evaluated at baseline, 15 and 30 days postprobiotic-yogurt feeding. There was no significant alteration in the hematologic parameters of both groups before and after the probiotic-yogurt feeding. The probiotic yogurt group at baseline, 15 and 30 days had a mean WBC count of 5.8+/-0.76 x 10(9)/L, 6.0+/-1.02 x 10(9)/L, and 5.4+/-0.14 x 10(9)/L, respectively. However, the mean CD4 cell count remained the same or increased at 15 and 30 days in 11/12 probiotic-treated subjects compared to 3/12 in the control. Diarrhea, flatulence, and nausea resolved in 12/12 probiotic-treated subjects within 2 days, compared to 2/12 receiving yogurt for 15 days. This is the first study to show the benefits of probiotic yogurt on quality of life of women in Nigeria with HIV/AIDS, and suggests that perhaps a simple fermented food can provide some relief in the management of the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

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BACKGROUNDElectronic waste (e-waste) is known to contain thousands of toxic chemicals and metals, many of which have identified endocrine disruption potentials even at low blood concentrations resulting from occupational and environmental exposures. E-waste crude reprocessing in Nigeria is massive and a growing number of Nigerians are occupationally exposed. The present study aimed to determine changes in gonadal hormone levels associated with occupational crude e-waste reprocessing in Nigerian male e-waste workers.

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Proteinuria in subjects with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an indication of an ongoing renal insufficiency and it's prevalence varies between sexes. We evaluated sex differences in the activities of Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and the levels of lipoproteins in SCA patients with proteinuria. Fifty SCA patients (30 males aged: 26.4 ± 7.3 years and 20 females, aged 25.4 ± 2.6 years) and 50 age and sex matched control SCA patients were recruited for the study. Random urine specimens were collected and tested for the presence of albumin by urine dipstick technique. A 24 h urinary protein was quantitated using sulphosalicylic acid technique. Fasting serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, urea and creatinine were determined using enzymes catalyzed colorimetric methods. HDL cholesterol was determined in the supernatant after precipitation with manganese chloride-phosphotungstic acid solution. LCAT was measured using the Anasolv LCAT assay with proteoliposome as substrate. LPL was determined by incubating the serum in glyceryl trioleate substrate, the glycerol liberated was measured in an aliquot of the incubating mixture. In male SCA controls there was 18.2 and 6.9% increase in the activities of LPL and LCAT respectively when compared with females but in SCA patients with proteinuria there was 8.4 and 5.2% decreases in the male SCA patients compared with females. The concentration of 24 h urine protein in the SCA male subjects with proteinuria was significantly higher (0.25 g/day; P < 0.001) compared with the SCA female patients with proteinuria (0.09 g/day). There are sex differences in the activities of LCAT and LPL in SCA patients with proteinuria. Metabolism of these lipolytic enzymes may be modulated differently in SCA patients with proteinuria.