Drink plenty of water through the day to stay hydrated, because thirst can be easily mistaken for hunger which encourages
over eating.

HIV prevention pill Truvada backed by US experts

A panel of US health experts has for the first time backed a drug to prevent HIV infection in healthy people.

The panel recommended US regulators approve the daily pill, Truvada, for use by people considered at high risk of contracting the Aids virus.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not required to follow the panel's advice, but it usually does.

Some health workers and groups active in the HIV community have opposed the approval of the drug.

However, correspondents say the move could prove to be a new milestone in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Truvada is already approved by the FDA for people who are HIV-positive, and is taken along with existing anti-retroviral drugs.

Studies from 2010 showed that Truvada, made by California-based Gilead Sciences, reduced the risk of HIV in healthy gay men - and among HIV-negative heterosexual partners of people who are HIV-positive - by between 44% and 73%.

June decision

The Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee, which advises the FDA, voted 19-3 in favour of prescribing the drug to the highest risk group - non-infected men who have sex with multiple male partners.

They also approved it, by majority votes, for uninfected people with HIV-positive partners and for other groups considered at risk of acquiring HIV through sexual activity.

Truvada has been used as a treatment for people infected with HIV in the US since 2004

The votes followed an 11-hour meeting of the panel in Silver Spring, Maryland, and a lengthy public comments session.

Opposition to the prospect of approving the drug is based on concerns that users could gain a false sense of security, and fears of a drug-resistant strain of HIV.

There is also concern that the high cost of Truvada could divert limited funding from more cost-effective options.

"We need to slow down. I care too much about my community not to speak my concerns," said Joey Terrill, of the Aids Healthcare Foundation, which campaigned against the drug's approval.

Nurse Karen Haughey told the panel: "Truvada needs to be taken every day, 100% of the time, and my experience as a registered nurse tells me that won't happen.

"In my eight years, not one patient that I've cared for has been 100% adherent."

But others welcomed the panel's recommendation.

"This brings us closer to a watershed for global HIV prevention efforts," said Mitchell Warren, executive director of the Aids Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, after the vote.

The FDA is expected to make its decision by 15 June.

In the UK, Sir Nick Partridge, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "There is no single method of prevention that can on its own stop the transmission of HIV.

"Adding Truvada to our existing range of prevention programmes, including safer sex campaigns, using condoms and regular testing for HIV is an exciting prospect.

"But we need to know if people at highest risk of infection are prepared to take a pill every day and whether there would be an increase in risk-taking behaviour which could outweigh the prevention effectiveness of Truvada."

He said a clinical trial to invesitgate these issues would begin in the UK in the autumn.

This report was pulished by BBC and reprint by myhealthaffair.blogspot.com

RESEARCHERS VALIDATE LOCAL TB DRUGS.

Alligator pepper..extracts from the seed of aframomum melegueta

             

 Bitter kola...have anti-flammatory, anti-parasitic, anti-microbial and antiviral properties

sugarcane..stem extract could serve as sources of antioxidants and bioactive compounds for nutrition and therapeutic purposes















The result of the Ogun study showed that majority(greater 80%0f the herbalist/tradition
medicine practitioner(TMP) herb seller claimed no occurrence of side effects following their use of the
herbal remedies. the implies that the herbs are devoid of any undesirable effects when used or that the
herbalist/TMP/herb sellers never took notice of such effects.

a study of plant used traditional for the management of tuberculosis in five local councils in ogun state, has identified six plants with great potential fo developing novel
drugs.
the six Nigerian plants, according to a study published recently in African journal of traditional complementary and alternative medicine are: the fruit of cola acumminata(kola nut)
'leaves of Garcina kola (bitter kola), oil from vitallaria parodoxa(Sheabutters), stem bark of pycnanthus angolensis(African nutmeg) and fruits of aframomum
 melegueta(alligator pepper).
the study tiled: "traditional management of tuberculosis in ogun state of Nigeria: the practice and ethnobotanical survey," was conducted by researchers from the department of pharmacognosy,
faculty of pharmacy, olabisi onabanjo university, sagamu, ogun state: and department of pharmacognosy, faculty of pharmacy, university of Ibadan, Oyo state.
according to the researchers, the aim of the study was to document herbs used in the management of tuberculosis and identify possible drug lead from the phytomedicine of these
communities.
the researchers wrote: "A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain the required information on the use of herbal remedies for the management.
a total of 50 respondents made up of herbalists(40.0%), herb sellers(52.0%) and traditional medicine practitioner(80.0%) were interviewed in the study.
the dominant age of respondents was in the range of 21 to 40 years (72.0%) during of treatment of tuberculosis with herbs was between two to 12weeks.
a total of 36 plants belonging to 20 families were proffered for the management of tuberculosis.eighty-four people(42%) of the 50 respondents interviewed said that their clients observed
no side effects and that the herbs were either available in the forest or bought from the markets.
"cola acumminata(fruit), garcina kola(leaf), vitallaria parodoxa(oil), costus afer(stem), pycnanthus angolensis(stem bark) and aframomum melegueta(fruit)were the most frequently mention herbs.
the ethnomedicines of the studied areas of ogun state seem to have a high potential as a source of drug discovery of anti-tuberculosis.
this is of utmost importance because people living with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) are susceptible to tuberculosis."
formally called butryspermum paradoxum, vitellaria paradoxa belongs to the plant family sapotacceae.
it is an immensely popular tree with many application in folkloric medicine.
it is commonly called shea butter in english, kareje in fulfude), kadanya in hausa, koita in gbagi, mmameng in cham, okwuma in ibo, and ori in yoruba.
previous studies have shown that different parts of the plant including leaves, roots, seeds, fruits and stem bark have been used in the treatment of enteric infections suchn as diarrhea,
dysentery, helminthes and other gastrointestinal tract infections, skin disease and wound infections.
the bark is used to used to supressed cough and also to treat leprosy. it is rich in oil and together with the oil palm  serve as source of edible oil for many households in many parts of Sahel Africa.
particularly in nothern Nigeria. fat extracts from the kernal of the plant is used extensively in cosmetic and chocolate industries.
recent antimicrobial screening of stem bark extracts of vitellaria paradoxa against some enteric pathogenic microorganisms found that there is scientific basis for the use of this plant as a traditional
medicine and can therefore be used to source new antibiotic substances for the treatment of various enteric infections.
according to the study publuished in African journal of pharmacy and pharmacology, preliminary phytochemical screen of the stem bark extracts of vitellaria paradoxa revealed the presence of carbonhydrates,
alkaloids, saponins, tannins and cariac glucosides. ethanol, acetone and aqueous extracts of the plant inhibited the growth of pathogenic esherichia coli, klebsiella pneumonia, proteous mirabilis, shigella
dysenterie and salmonella typhi with varying degrees of activity with the ethanol extract demonstrating the highest activity against all the test organisms.
the researchers concluded: "result from this study showed the therapeutic activity of V.paradoxa against some selected members of the enterobacteriaceae.
the plant can therefore be used to manage enteric infectionsn like diarrheal diseases.
toxicological studies, purification and identication of the plant active principles should be embarked upon in addition to investtigating its activity on a wider range of bacteria and fungi.
commonly called ginger lily, sugar cane or bush-cane, costus afer belongs to the plant family costaceae.
in Nigeria, it is ukhueruoha in Edo; mbritemin efik; kakiizuwaa in hausa; mbiritem in ibibi; okpete, okpoto or okpete in ohia in ibo; andura in jukun; achikkun in Tiv; and atare in yoruba.
prevoius studies have shown that the succulent stem is chewed as a remedy for cough.
the root decoction is administeredfor the treatment of sleeping sickness and stomachache.
it is also used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in folklore medicine.
a study pulished in African journal of biotechnology found that methanol and aqueous extracts of costus afer possess anti-oxidation properties as well as bioactive metabolites. "thus, stem extract of costus
afer could serve asb source of antioxadanta and bioactive compounds for nutrition and therapeutic purposes."
pycnanthus angolensis belongs to the myristicaceae family. it also  called pycnathus kombo. the plant common names include african nutmeg and wild nutmeg.
in Nigeria languages, it is referred to as akomu in yoruba, akujaadi in hausa, and egwunoma in ibo.
ethnopharmacological survey of pycnanthus angolensis, in the journal of ethnopharcology, confirms the potency of water extracts of the plant for wound healing and established antioxidant activities of the ethanoic
extracts of the plant.
the plant was reported to be good for stomach ulcer treatment due to it anti-adhesive activity against helicobacter pylori on human stomach cells.
commonly called grains of paradise or alligator pepper, aframomum melegueta is a tropical herbaceous perenial plant of genus aframomum belonging to the family zingiberaceae(gingerfamily). the phytochemicals obtained
from the seed of aframomum meleguea has been used for years in the treatment of infectious diseases.
the grains of aframomum melegueta posses active ingredients that maybe exploited for local development of antimicrobials.
a study pulished in international journal of biology by researchers from yaba college of technology, lagos conclude: "the plant aframomum melegueta can be of immense use in phytomedicine and can be included in health
care delivery system particularly in the developing economies. further studies on more effective method extracting only the necessary constituents and standard reconstituents means as well as other processing refining and
purification measures would be concluded from this study that the exracts from this study that the extracts from the seed of aframomum melegueta showed antimicrobial activity against the tested isolates at high concentration
of 50mg/ml. this probably justifies its use as an antimcrobial agent."
the presence of phenolic compounds in the seed of aframomum  melegueta indicates that this plant is an antimicrobial agents and this is because phenols and phenoic compunds have been extensively used in disinfection and
remain the standard with which other bactericides are compared.
extract from the seed of aframomum melegueta with have potent antiseptic or bactericidal properties, have therefore been used in treating wounds and preventing of infections.
aframomum melegueta was tested for antimicrobial effects on five pathogenic bacteria, which include bacillus cereus, staphylococcous aureus, echerictaia coli, salmonella typhi and klebsiella pneumonia.
the plant extract of aframomum melegueta was found inhibitory to the growth of klebsiella pneumonia and salmonella typhi.
the findings reveal that extract from aframomum melegueta contain phytochemicals, which offer an enormous potential as bio control of these pathogens and source of antimicrobial agents of therapeutic importance.
cola acuminata, a memeber of the sterclianceae family, is called obi-gbanja in yoruba; goro in hausa; and oji in Ibo.
it is a tree and its fruit commonly called kola nut is chewed widely among other populace for its stimulant effect.
the kola nut has a bitter flavor and it contains caffeine.
it is chewed in many west African cultures, individually or in a group setting.
it is often used ceremonially, presented to tribal chiefs or presented to guests.it is preferred among African Muslim, who are forbidden to drink alcohol.
chewing kola nut can ease hunger pangs. kola nuts are often used to treat whooping cough and asthma.
the caffeine present act as a bronchodilator, expanding the bronchial air passages.
frequent chewing of the kola nut can also lead to stained teeth.
among the urban youth in west Africa, kola nut is becoming less popular.
Garcinia kola of the family Guttiferaceae is an indigenous herb in Nigeria colloquially referred to as "bitter kola", "false kola" or "male kola." Garcinia kola has been shown to have anti-parasitic, antimicrobial
and antiviral properties.
According to a team of researchers led to by Maurice iwu Garcinia kola, is cultivated and distributed throughout west and central Africa.
medicinal used include, purgative, anti-parasitic and antimicrobial. the seeds are used in the treatment of bronchitis and throat infections.
they are also used to prevent and relieve colic, cure head  or chest colds and relieve cough.
also the plant is used for the treatment of liver disorders and as chewing stick.
iwu in a study titled "new antimicrobial of plant origin" published inn the perspectives on new crops and new uses examined local Nigeria plants for antibiotic(antimicrobial) activities.
meanwhile, the result of the ogun state study showed that majority(greater80%) of the herbalist/traditional medicine practitioner(TMP) herb seller claimed no occurrence of side effect following their
use of the herbal remedies.
the implies that the herbs are devoid of any undesirable effects when used or that the herbalist/TMP/ herbal seller never took notice of such effects.
another isue worthy of note is the average duration of treatment of tuberculosis using beral remedy, which may be novel when compared to duration of treatment of tuberculosis by using and TB required six to twelve
months while from the results obtained, no single duration of treatment of different respondents, exceeds 12 weeks.
some of the challenges encountered in the course of carrying out this survey include: respondents were unwilling to give relevant information due to the fear of loosing their major source of income, some could not distinguish
between asthma and tuberculosis.
None experimental validation of ant-tuberculosis activity of these medicinal plants was done by the way of literature survey and it was found out that a number of this plant were been used for the treatment of tuberculosis
in west Africa region and other part of the African continent generally(burkill, 1985; story and salem,1997).

WHITE RICE INCREASES TYPE 2 DIABETES RISK, STUDY CLAIMS.

he risk of type 2 diabetes is significantly increased if white rice is eaten regularly claims a study published recently
on bmj.com
the authors from the harvad school of public health look at previous studies and evidence of the assosication between eating
 white rice and the risk of type 2 diabetes.
their studiesb seeks to determine whether this risk is dependent on the amount consumed and if the association is stronger for the asian
population, whotend to eat more white rice than the western world.
the author analysed the results of four studies two in Asian countries(china and japan) and two in western countries (united states and australia).
all participants were diabetes free at study baseline.
white rice is the predominant type of rice eaten worldwide and has high GI values.
High GI diets are associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
the average amount of rice eaten varies widely between western and asian countries, with the chines population eating an average of four portions
a day while those in the western world eat less than five portions a week.
a signifcant trend was found in both asian and western countries with a stronger association found amongst women ithan men.
the results also shown that the more white rice eaten, the higher the risk of type 2 diabetes: the authors estimate that the risk of type diabetes
is increases by 10% with each increased serving of white rice (assuming 158g per serving)
white rice has a lower content of nutrients than brown rice including fibre, magnesium band vitamins,some of which are associated with a lower risk
of type 2 diabetes.
the authors report, therefore, that a high consumption of white rice may lead to increased risk because of the low intake of these nutrients.
in conclusion, the authors state that higher white rice intake is associated with a significant elevated risk of type 2 diabetes.
this applies for both Asian and Western countries are at a higher risk , it is thought that Asian countries are higher risk.
the author recommend eating whole grains instead of refined carbohydrates such as white rice, which they hope will hgelp slow tghe global diabetes epidemic.
in an accompanying editorial, Dr. Bruce Neal from the unversity of sidney sugests that more, bigger studies are needed to substantiate the research
hypothesis that white rice in creased the chances of getting type 2 diabetes.

REMEDY OF BODY ODOUR

      

Bad body odor can be described as an unpleasant smell which results from the break down of sweat in to aromatic  fatty
acids by bacteria on the skin.
Contrary to a general opinion, sweat itself does not smell but senses as a very conductive for the bacteria that lives on the skin
which break down sweat into fatty acid characterized by an unpleasant smell.
       CAUSES OF BAD BODY ODOUR; General poor body hygiene such as irregular proper body hygiene such as irregular proper body cleaning
especially at the feet , groin ,armpit, genital, pubic hair and other hair belly button, anus, behind the ears and to some <lesser> extent
on the rest of skin are major predisposing factors to bad body odour.
medical condition such as obesity, thyroid disease, carcinoid syndrome, gastrointestinal problems, urinary tract infection,
zinc deficiency metabolic disorder can also cause body odor.
1.Diet consumption of much spicy food containing the likes of garlic ginger raw onions etc it not well controlled can lead
to bad body odour.
REMEDIES TO BAD ODOUR;- shower at least twice daily with soap and bathing sponge< especially for people living in the tropics>
2.Paying special attention to your armpits, groin and fat where there are many sweat producing glands, this will reduce
sweat and the number of bacteria acting on it.
3.Clean shave of hairy areas like the armpit, pubic hairs can help reduce the surface area for sweat to adhere to and fertile
  breeding ground for bacteria.
4.Regular change and thorough washing of clothing that come into contact with sweaty cloths can serve as breeding
  ground for bacteria and fungi.
5.Good anti-bacteria/ antiseptic bathing soaps can help reduce the effect of the seat converting bacteria which causes bad
  bad body odour.
6.Regular use of antiperspirant and roll-ons