Pathophysiology 21 (2014) 183–184
Preface of the special issue – “Africa”
As the 7th International Congress of Pathophysiology approaches (September 4–7, 2014) in Rabat, Morocco, this special ‘Africa’ issue of ‘Pathophysiology’, was developed to highlight work by researchers from continental Africa, as well as by experts working on health topics and approaches which remain major concerns for this region. Among research contributions from Africa, Dr. Omamuyovwi Ijomone (and Olayemi Kafilat Olaibi and Polycarp Umunna Nwoha) from Obafemi Awolowo University (IleIfe, Osun Nigeria) has communicated the report “Effects of chronic nicotine administration on body weight, food intake and nitric oxide concentration in female and male rats” which is a valuable comparison of the relationships between sexually dimorphic nicotine responses, antioxidant capacity and metabolic regulation. Another report entitled “Motor and Memory Function in Rat models of Cyanide Toxicity and Vascular Occlusion Induced Ischemic Injury” is a study by Dr. Olalekan Michael Ogundele (and Philip A Adeyemi, Duyilemi C Ajonijebu, Amin Abdulbasit, Ansa E Cobham, Azeez O Ishola, Gbolahan W Balogun) at Afe Babalola University (Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria) and provides a novel method for evaluating the influence of ischemia on clinical outcomes relevant to stroke, but also to dietary sources of cyanide which may represent a simple and easily applied model of cerebral ischemia. An additional research contribution by Dr. Marwa Ahmed (co-authors KH Hassan; Khaled M Hassanein; H Waly) at Assiut University, Egypt is entitled “Role of Vitamin C and Selenium in Attenuation of Nicotine Induced Oxidative Stress, P53 and Bcl2 Expression in Adult Rat Spleen” which mechanistically describes how ascorbate supplementation limits nicotine induced oxidative stress, p53 and Bcl2 expression, and is potentially relevant to cell injury, survival and transformation.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pathophys.2014.08.004 0928-4680/© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
The contributions on health topics in Africa include two reports by Dr. Elias Hakalehto (and authors lso Outi Nyholm; Isidore Bonkoungou; Asseta Kagambega; Kari Rissanen; Anneli Heitto; Nicolas Barro; Kaisa Haukka) from the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Finland) on microbial detection methods that have been developed for and tested in Africa include “Development of microbiological field methodology for water and food-chain hygiene analysis of Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia spp. in Burkina Faso, West Africa” and a second report, “Enhanced recovery, enrichment and detection of Mycobacterium marinum with the Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit (PMEU)” by Dr. Hakalehto (and Anneli Heitto; Lauri Heitto; Kari Rissanen; Ilkka Pesola; Jouni Pesola) These technologies are unique and novel methods for rapidly evaluating pathogens in clinical and environmental samples. These approaches may be of use in Africa and many regions lacking time and full scale clinical labs for these evaluations, and may help to hasten identification of pathogens at labs in developed countries. Reviews on health topics in Africa include an extremely comprehensive study by Michael Levasseur and Neal D. Goldstein (under the supervision of Dr. Seth L. Welles, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA) on “A public health perspective on HIV/AIDS in Africa: victories and unmet challenges” which is an outstanding appraisal and perspective on the behavioral, political policies and historical trends in Africa, with critical implications not only for the future health of all Africans but worldwide. A supplementary Africa special topic issue is also currently slated to include feature articles by Dr. Delphi Chatterjee (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO) co-authored with Dr. Arun K. Pramanik (Louisiana State University) entitled “Tuberculosis in the African Continent: A Comprehensive Review”. Dr. Chatterjee has worked exclusively on the physiology and biology of Mycobacterium
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Preface of the special issue – “Africa” / Pathophysiology 21 (2014) 183–184
tuberculosis and is extensively involved in developing pointof-care diagnosis of TB in resource limited regions. The review describes the effect and trends in TB in the African Continent. The staff of Pathophysiology would here like to recognize the Editor of ‘Pathophysiology’ Journal, Dr. Osmo Hanninen for helping to organize this issue, and we all extend greetings to the participants at the 2014 ISP
meeting and wish them a productive and cooperative research conference! Best wishes, J. Steven Alexander (Ph.D.) Regional U.S. Editor, Pathophysiology E-mail address: [email protected]
Preface of the special issue – “Africa”
As the 7th International Congress of Pathophysiology approaches (September 4–7, 2014) in Rabat, Morocco, this special ‘Africa’ issue of ‘Pathophysiology’, was developed to highlight work by researchers from continental Africa, as well as by experts working on health topics and approaches which remain major concerns for this region. Among research contributions from Africa, Dr. Omamuyovwi Ijomone (and Olayemi Kafilat Olaibi and Polycarp Umunna Nwoha) from Obafemi Awolowo University (IleIfe, Osun Nigeria) has communicated the report “Effects of chronic nicotine administration on body weight, food intake and nitric oxide concentration in female and male rats” which is a valuable comparison of the relationships between sexually dimorphic nicotine responses, antioxidant capacity and metabolic regulation. Another report entitled “Motor and Memory Function in Rat models of Cyanide Toxicity and Vascular Occlusion Induced Ischemic Injury” is a study by Dr. Olalekan Michael Ogundele (and Philip A Adeyemi, Duyilemi C Ajonijebu, Amin Abdulbasit, Ansa E Cobham, Azeez O Ishola, Gbolahan W Balogun) at Afe Babalola University (Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria) and provides a novel method for evaluating the influence of ischemia on clinical outcomes relevant to stroke, but also to dietary sources of cyanide which may represent a simple and easily applied model of cerebral ischemia. An additional research contribution by Dr. Marwa Ahmed (co-authors KH Hassan; Khaled M Hassanein; H Waly) at Assiut University, Egypt is entitled “Role of Vitamin C and Selenium in Attenuation of Nicotine Induced Oxidative Stress, P53 and Bcl2 Expression in Adult Rat Spleen” which mechanistically describes how ascorbate supplementation limits nicotine induced oxidative stress, p53 and Bcl2 expression, and is potentially relevant to cell injury, survival and transformation.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pathophys.2014.08.004 0928-4680/© 2014 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
The contributions on health topics in Africa include two reports by Dr. Elias Hakalehto (and authors lso Outi Nyholm; Isidore Bonkoungou; Asseta Kagambega; Kari Rissanen; Anneli Heitto; Nicolas Barro; Kaisa Haukka) from the University of Eastern Finland (Kuopio, Finland) on microbial detection methods that have been developed for and tested in Africa include “Development of microbiological field methodology for water and food-chain hygiene analysis of Campylobacter spp. and Yersinia spp. in Burkina Faso, West Africa” and a second report, “Enhanced recovery, enrichment and detection of Mycobacterium marinum with the Portable Microbe Enrichment Unit (PMEU)” by Dr. Hakalehto (and Anneli Heitto; Lauri Heitto; Kari Rissanen; Ilkka Pesola; Jouni Pesola) These technologies are unique and novel methods for rapidly evaluating pathogens in clinical and environmental samples. These approaches may be of use in Africa and many regions lacking time and full scale clinical labs for these evaluations, and may help to hasten identification of pathogens at labs in developed countries. Reviews on health topics in Africa include an extremely comprehensive study by Michael Levasseur and Neal D. Goldstein (under the supervision of Dr. Seth L. Welles, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA) on “A public health perspective on HIV/AIDS in Africa: victories and unmet challenges” which is an outstanding appraisal and perspective on the behavioral, political policies and historical trends in Africa, with critical implications not only for the future health of all Africans but worldwide. A supplementary Africa special topic issue is also currently slated to include feature articles by Dr. Delphi Chatterjee (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO) co-authored with Dr. Arun K. Pramanik (Louisiana State University) entitled “Tuberculosis in the African Continent: A Comprehensive Review”. Dr. Chatterjee has worked exclusively on the physiology and biology of Mycobacterium
184
Preface of the special issue – “Africa” / Pathophysiology 21 (2014) 183–184
tuberculosis and is extensively involved in developing pointof-care diagnosis of TB in resource limited regions. The review describes the effect and trends in TB in the African Continent. The staff of Pathophysiology would here like to recognize the Editor of ‘Pathophysiology’ Journal, Dr. Osmo Hanninen for helping to organize this issue, and we all extend greetings to the participants at the 2014 ISP
meeting and wish them a productive and cooperative research conference! Best wishes, J. Steven Alexander (Ph.D.) Regional U.S. Editor, Pathophysiology E-mail address: [email protected]
