Scicom Journal of Medical and Applied Medical Sciences

Identification of Antagonists of Pro-Survival Bcl-2 from Morus alba in Human Malignancies

Olukayode Olusola Odubela — 2024-10-25

The target of most cancer chemotherapeutic agents is to drive cancer cells toward death, necessitating the need to find a fine balance between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Any shift favoring the pro-apoptotic proteins is needed to drive cellular death in cancer chemotherapy. Therefore, this study uses molecular docking, ADMET predictions, and molecular dynamics simulations for the identification of potent inhibitors of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 from Morus alba (mulberry). Our molecular docking study discovered that quercetin-3-(6- malonylglucoside) (-10.912kcal/mol) and epigallocatechin gallate (-9.750kcal/mol) recorded excellent binding affinity against human Bcl-2, better than popular standard drugs, venetoclax (-9.468(kcal/mol) and navitoclax (-9.058kcal/mol). Interactions profile summary clearly showed that hydrophobic interactions at TRP141, VAL145, and TYR105 were consistently maintained by the ligands, and all the compounds, except venetoclax, consistently maintained the hydrogen bonding at TYR105. MD simulation analysis showed that the protein and ligand RMSD for the quercetin-3-(6-malonylglucoside)-Bcl-2 complex fell within permissible range, suggesting the ligand is capable of functioning as apposite antagonists of Bcl-2. Epigallocatechin gallate also bind excellently with the target, and both ligands showed favorable ADMET parameters. Summarily, this study identifies two compounds of mulberry as potential drug candidate in the management of known human malignancies, and therefore suggest the compounds should further be assessed through in vitro and in vivo approaches to validate the reports documented here.

Prevalence of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease among Women of Reproductive Age Attending Gynaecology Clinic at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos

Rosemond Chidimma Iwu — 2024-12-23

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a polymicrobial infection of the female upper genital tract, mostly caused by Neisseria gonorrhoea and/or Chlamydia trachomatis, while other endogenous flora from the vagino-cervical areas might also be implicated. This study examined the prevalence of PID among women of reproductive age attending Gynaecology Clinic at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). The study adopted a cross-sectional research design. A total of 218 respondents participated in the study. A 43-item questionnaire was used for data collection, and then analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25 while adopting Chi square for the inferential statistics. Results of the study showed that there was high prevalence of PID 164(75%) among the respondents and 120(55%) had treated the disease previously. The study also revealed that the respondents had poor knowledge about the risk factors and effects of PID; they understood that lower abdominal pain 174(80%) and foul smelling discharge 164(75%) were the major experienced symptoms. Whereas 131(60%) disagreed that multiple sexual partners could cause it. Similarly, 179(82%) were undecided on whether PID could cause complications in pregnancy and 159(73%) strongly disagreed that PID can cause infertility. Also, all respondents 218(100%) agreed that use of pain relief and antibiotics could cause PID. Hypothesis testing revealed that there was no significant relationship between the respondents’ educational level and their knowledge about PID. Conversely, there was a strong association between the occurrence of PID and the women’s age. It was concluded that there is high prevalence of PID among women in Gynecology Clinic at LASUTH (age<25years) who portrayed poor knowledge on the risk factors and effects. It was therefore recommended that the management of LASUTH should invest more time and resources in educating women on the risk factors, preventive measures and complications of PID.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Modern Family Planning Methods among Men in Ogbogu Community in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State

Udo Orukwowu — 2024-02-29

This study examined the knowledge, attitude and practice of modern family planning methods among men in Ogbogu Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. Introduction: Family planning is the practice that helps individuals or couples to attain certain objectives such as avoiding unwanted pregnancies, bringing about wanted babies at the right time, regulating the interval between pregnancies, controlling the time at which birth occurs in relation to the ages of the parents. Methodology: The study used a descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised married men currently residing in Ogbogu Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State. A sample size of 389 persons was selected using a simple random technique. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) windows (version 20.0). Results: The study showed that there is high awareness of family planning of among the married couples used for the study. Majority of the participants had detailed knowledge of condom. Also, the study indicated that married couples had a favourable attitude toward modern family planning methods of 51%, out of the married couples that were aware of modern family planning methods. Again, the study revealed that high percentage of married couples practice modern family planning methods. Conclusion: Knowledge of modern contraceptives is high in the study population. Substantial proportion of married couples had positive attitude towards modern contraceptives and hence more room for increasing modern contraceptive use in the study population.