South Africa is blessed with a rich floral biodiversity of medicinally useful plants. One such pl... more South Africa is blessed with a rich floral biodiversity of medicinally useful plants. One such plant is Harpagophytum procumbens DC (Family: Pedaliaceae). H. procumbens is widely used in South African traditional medicine for the treatment, management and/or control of a variety of human ailments. In the present study, the analgesic effect of H. procumbens secondary root aqueous extract was evaluated in mice, using the ‘hot-plate ’ and ‘acetic acid ’ test methods; while the antiinflammatory and antidiabetic effects of the plant’s secondary root extract were investigated in rats. Fresh egg albumin-induced pedal oedema and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus were used as experimental test models of inflammation and diabetes Diclofenac (DIC, 100 mg/kg i.p.) was used as a reference analgesic and antiinflammatory agent for comparison. Chlorpropamide (250 mg/kg p.o.) was used as a reference hypoglycaemic agent for comparison. H. procumbens root aqueous extract (HPE, 50–800 mg/k...
Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its associations in adult ... more Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its associations in adult onset diabetic patients of African, European and Indian origins. Design. The prevalence of retinopathy was determined by 60° retinal photography in 507 consecutive out‐patients. Clinical and laboratory associations were evaluated. Setting. Diabetes clinic in a large community hospital. Main outcome measures. The associations between clinical and laboratory measurements with retinopathy. Results. African patients (A) had shorter duration of diabetes (P < 0.001), higher HbA1 levels (P < 0.01) compared to those of Europeans (E) and Indian (I) extraction. A also had lower C‐peptide levels (median 0.57 nmol L−1; vs. E, 0.81 nmol L−1 and I, 0.93 nmol L−1) (P < 0.001). The prevalences of retinopathy at diagnosis (21–25%) and overall were similar (A 37%, E 41%, I 37%). Severe DR was more frequent in the Africans (52%, P < 0.0001) and Indians (41%, P = 0.03) compared to the Europeans ...
South Africa is blessed with a rich floral biodiversity of medicinally useful plants. One such pl... more South Africa is blessed with a rich floral biodiversity of medicinally useful plants. One such plant is Harpagophytum procumbens DC (Family: Pedaliaceae). H. procumbens is widely used in South African traditional medicine for the treatment, management and/or control of a variety of human ailments. In the present study, the analgesic effect of H. procumbens secondary root aqueous extract was evaluated in mice, using the ‘hot-plate ’ and ‘acetic acid ’ test methods; while the antiinflammatory and antidiabetic effects of the plant’s secondary root extract were investigated in rats. Fresh egg albumin-induced pedal oedema and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mellitus were used as experimental test models of inflammation and diabetes Diclofenac (DIC, 100 mg/kg i.p.) was used as a reference analgesic and antiinflammatory agent for comparison. Chlorpropamide (250 mg/kg p.o.) was used as a reference hypoglycaemic agent for comparison. H. procumbens root aqueous extract (HPE, 50–800 mg/k...
Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its associations in adult ... more Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and its associations in adult onset diabetic patients of African, European and Indian origins. Design. The prevalence of retinopathy was determined by 60° retinal photography in 507 consecutive out‐patients. Clinical and laboratory associations were evaluated. Setting. Diabetes clinic in a large community hospital. Main outcome measures. The associations between clinical and laboratory measurements with retinopathy. Results. African patients (A) had shorter duration of diabetes (P < 0.001), higher HbA1 levels (P < 0.01) compared to those of Europeans (E) and Indian (I) extraction. A also had lower C‐peptide levels (median 0.57 nmol L−1; vs. E, 0.81 nmol L−1 and I, 0.93 nmol L−1) (P < 0.001). The prevalences of retinopathy at diagnosis (21–25%) and overall were similar (A 37%, E 41%, I 37%). Severe DR was more frequent in the Africans (52%, P < 0.0001) and Indians (41%, P = 0.03) compared to the Europeans ...
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