Aqueous Extract of Leaves and Flowers of Reduces the Proliferation of Cancer Cells by Underexpressing Some Genes and Activating Caspase-3.

The increasing prevalence of cancers and the multiple side effects of cancer treatments have led researchers to constantly search for plants containing bioactive compounds with cell death properties. This work aimed at evaluating the antiproliferative effect of an extract. After evaluation of the antioxidant potential of the three extracts of (aqueous (AE-Ac), hydroethanolic (HEE-Ac), and ethanolic (EE-Ac)) through the scavenging of DPPH and NO radicals, the extract with the best antioxidant activity was selected for bioactive compound assessment and antiproliferative tests.

Outcomes of a food voucher program and factors associated with the recovery rate of children with moderate acute malnutrition in Far North Cameroon.

Background: Research on moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) is limited, despite its high prevalence. This study examined outcomes of bi-weekly locally available foods provided via a food voucher program (FVP) on nutritional recovery [mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) ≥ 125 mm] from MAM (defined as MUAC between 115 and 124 mm) and identified the factors associated with recovery rate in Kaélé health district, Far North Region of Cameroon.

Methods: This was a prospective study with 474 MAM children aged 6-59 months.

Clinical characteristics and classification of Cameroonians with obesity and metabolically normal phenotype in the West region of Cameroon.

The objective of this study was to classify and suggest an adequate definition of the metabolically normal phenotype among Cameroonians with obesity in the western Region of Cameroon. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the West Cameroon Region from August 2016 to August 2017. A total of 324 subjects with BMI >27 kg/m, aged of 20 years and older, and not treated for cardiometabolic diseases were included in the study.

Lipomodulatory and anti-oxidative stress effects of a polyherbal formulation based on garlic and avocado seed extracts on high fat high sucrose diet fed rats.

Objective: To determine antioxidant potentials of seeds extracts and three formulation-based extracts , and to evaluate the effects of the best formulation on oxidative stress and dyslipidemia on rats fed with high fat and high sucrose diet (HFHSD).

Methods: Aqueous extracts of , and three formulations were mixed at various portions (A. s/P.

seed oil from west Cameroon: Chemical characterization and assessment of its hypolipidemic effect in high-fat diet-induced rats.

In this study, the in vivo hypolipidemic effect of west Cameroonian variety seed oil (PE) was assessed in female and male rats. The chemical properties of the oil were evaluated through the determination of the peroxide, iodine, and thiobarbituric acid values, as well as its fatty acid composition using gas chromatography. Results showed that the oil extraction yield was 19.

Relationship between malaria, anaemia, nutritional and socio-economic status amongst under-ten children, in the North Region of Cameroon: A cross-sectional assessment.

Background: Despite malaria, malnutrition and anaemia being major public-health challenges in Cameroon, very little has been reported on the interaction between these interconnected health determinants. This study therefore sought to investigate the relationship between malaria, anaemia, nutritional and socio-economic status amongst under-ten children living in six localities within two health districts in the North Region of Cameroon.

Methods: Accordingly, a cross- sectional survey was conducted during the peak malaria season in November 2014, in Pitoa and Mayo-Oulo Health Districts.

Effect of cooking treatments on the phytochemical composition and antidiabetic potential of .

The present study aimed at evaluating the effects of domestic culinary treatment on phytochemical contents (phenolic content and dietary fiber), and the antidiabetic potential of in type 2 diabetic rats. The culinary forms implied boiling leaves of directly and eliminating the leaves' bitterness before boiling. Seventy wistar rats were artificially induced with type 2 diabetes using streptozotocin and high-fat diet.

The Use of a Stem and Leaf Aqueous Extract of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) to Reduce Body Fat and Other Components of Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight Participants.

Background: Previous work had shown the ability of an aqueous leaf and stem extract of Cissus quandrangularis (300 mg of CQR, CQR-300) to improve components of metabolic syndrome (MS) in overweight individuals.

Objective: This small pilot study aimed to confirm the efficacy of CQR-300 in reducing the percentage body fat measured using two different methods-bioelectrical impedance assay versus dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

Design: The study was an 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial on 67 individuals who were requested by a dietary counselor to maintain their normal exercise and dietary routines.

Prevalence and Identification of Serum Markers Associated with Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis B in Pregnant Women in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women and identify markers associated with vertical transmission of HBV.

Methods: Prospective and cross-sectional study over 10 months on 298 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in the Cité Verte and Efoulan District hospitals in Cameroon. A dry tube blood collection was performed on all pregnant women and babies born to HBsAg-positive mothers.

Metabolic effects of quail eggs in diabetes-induced rats: comparison with chicken eggs.

Background: Quail eggs as a food item have recently been introduced into the diet of some Cameroonians. These eggs are being sold in local markets, but with many unfounded health claims. One claim is that quail eggs can reduce blood glucose levels in diabetics.

Protective effects of stem bark of Harungana madgascariensis on the red blood cell membrane.

Background: Anemia is a condition that has multiple origins. One such origin is the destruction of red blood cells' (RBCs) membrane induced by free radicals. Treatment of anemia could therefore be enhanced by the use of free radicals' scavengers potentially found in some medicinal plants.

Evaluation of some selected blood parameters and histopathology of liver and kidney of rats fed protein-substituted mucuna flour and derived protein rich product.

This comparative study reports the nutritional and toxicological characteristics of Mucuna pruriens flour and a protein-rich product developed from it. The protein-rich mucuna product (PRMP) was obtained by the three steps procedure: protein solubilization, heat-coagulation and sieving. Three weeks rats (n=6 per group) were fed for 28 days on standard protein-substituted rat feed with mucuna flour or PRMP.

Cordioxime: a new dioxime gamma-lactam from Cordia platythyrsa.

Cordia platythyrsa Baker is known for its medicinal value. This paper deals with a phytochemical investigation of this species, from which cordioxime (1), a new dioxime y-lactam has been isolated. Its structure was determined by comprehensive analyses of its 1H and 13C NMR, COSY, HMQC, and HMBC spectroscopic, and HREIMS data.

The use of LeptiCore in reducing fat gain and managing weight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Background: LeptiCore is a proprietary combination of various ingredients which have been shown to have properties which could be beneficial to weight loss in obese and overweight human subjects. This study evaluates the effect of Lepticore on bodyweight as well as parameters associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

Methods: The study was an 8 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design involving 92 obese (mean BMI > 30 kg/m2) participants (37 males; 55 females; ages 19-52; mean age = 30.

Phellodendron and Citrus extracts benefit joint health in osteoarthritis patients: a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: The objective of this clinical study was to assess the potential benefit of a dietary supplement, NP 06-1, on joint health in overweight and normal weight adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis.

Methods: An 8-week placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study was conducted with four groups comparing the effects of NP 06-1 to placebo on overweight and normal weight subjects diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis of the knee. NP 06-1 (a combination of two botanical extracts; Phellodendron amurense bark and Citrus sinensis peel) or matching placebo were given in a dose of two capsules (370 mg each) twice daily.

IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the West African plant Irvingia gabonensis, significantly reduces body weight and improves metabolic parameters in overweight humans in a randomized double-blind placebo controlled investigation.

Background: A recent in vitro study indicates that IGOB131, a novel seed extract of the traditional West African food plant Irvingia gabonensis, favorably impacts adipogenesis through a variety of critical metabolic pathways including PPAR gamma, leptin, adiponectin, and glycerol-3 phosphate dehydrogenase. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the effects of IGOB131, an extract of Irvingia gabonensis, on body weight and associated metabolic parameters in overweight human volunteers.

Methods: The study participants comprised of 102 healthy, overweight and/or obese volunteers (defined as BMI > 25 kg/m2) randomly divided into two groups.

Inhibition of Irvingia gabonensis seed extract (OB131) on adipogenesis as mediated via down regulation of the PPARgamma and leptin genes and up-regulation of the adiponectin gene.

Background: Endeavors to manage obesity have been heavily reliant on controlling energy intake and expenditure equilibrium, but have failed to curtail the overweight and obesity epidemic. This dynamic equilibrium is more complex than originally postulated and is influenced by lifestyle, calorie and nutrient intake, reward cravings and satiation, energy metabolism, stress response capabilities, immune metabolism and genetics. Fat metabolism is an important indicator of how efficiently and to what extent these factors are competently integrating.

An open label study to determine the effects of an oral proteolytic enzyme system on whey protein concentrate metabolism in healthy males.

Background: Current research suggests that protein intake of 1.5 - 2.8 g/kg/day (3.

Phellodendron and Citrus extracts benefit cardiovascular health in osteoarthritis patients: a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

Background: The objective of this clinical study was to assess the potential benefit of a dietary supplement, NP 06-1, on cardiovascular protective properties in overweight and normal weight adults diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee.

Methods: An 8-week, placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind study was conducted with four groups, comparing the effects of NP 06-1 to placebo in overweight and normal weight subjects diagnosed with primary osteoarthritis of the knee. NP 06-1 (a combination of two botanical extracts; Phellodendron amurense bark and Citrus sinensis peel) or matching placebo was given in a dose of two capsules (370 mg each) twice daily.

The use of a Cissus quadrangularis/Irvingia gabonensis combination in the management of weight loss: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of two formulations, Cissus quadrangularis-only and a Cissus quadrangularis/Irvingia gabonensis combination, on weight loss in overweight and obese human subjects.

Methods: The study was a 10 week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design involving 72 obese or overweight participants (45.8% male; 54.

In vitro antioxidant activity of three Piper species.

Reactive oxygen species are known to play a role in numerous pathological conditions, and antioxidants from plant sources have been of great help in modulating this effect. This study assesses the methanolic extracts of the leaves of three Piper species (Piper guineense Schum and Thonn., Piper nigrum L.

The effects of ProAlgaZyme novel algae infusion on metabolic syndrome and markers of cardiovascular health.

Background: Metabolic Syndrome, or Syndrome X, is characterized by a set of metabolic and lipid imbalances that greatly increases the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The syndrome is highly prevalent in the United States and worldwide, and treatments are in high demand. ProAlgaZyme, a novel and proprietary freshwater algae infusion in purified water, has been the subject of several animal studies and has demonstrated low toxicity even with chronic administration at elevated doses.

Effects of sodium bicarbonate and albumin on the in vitro water-holding capacity and some physiological properties of Trigonella foenum graecum L. galactomannan in rats.

This study seeks to improve the beneficial effects of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum L.) galactomannan (GM) in lowering the plasma lipid profile and weight. Three different combinations of diets were prepared with fenugreek GM--(a) fenugreek GM + water (GM); (b) fenugreek GM + sodium bicarbonate (GMB); and (c) fenugreek GM + bicarbonate + albumin (GMBA)--and their in vitro water retention capacity and in vivo lipid-lowering effect were studied.

Medicinal plants can be good source of antioxidants: case study in Cameroon.

Extracts of 42 medicinal plants used for the treatment of anaemia, diabetes, AIDS, malaria and obesity were screened for phytochemical substances and antioxidant potentials. The plant extracts were prepared as hydrolysed (for total antioxidant) and non-hydrolysed (for free antioxidant). Extracts were analysed using three different assay methods for antioxidant analysis: Folin (Folin Ciocalteu reagent), FRAP (Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power) and DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl).

The effect of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) and a Cissus formulation (CORE) on obesity and obesity-induced oxidative stress.

Aim: Obesity is generally linked to complications in lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of a proprietary extract of Cissus quadrangularis (CQR-300) to that of a proprietary formulation containing CQR-300 (CORE) on weight, blood lipids, and oxidative stress in overweight and obese people.

Methods: The first part of the study investigated the in vitro antioxidant properties of CQR-300 and CORE using 3 different methods, while the second part of the study was a double-blind placebo controlled design, involving initially 168 overweight and obese persons (38.