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Background: Moringa oleifera Lam. is known to be of high nutritional and medicinal importance and has been demonstrated to possess a variety of biological activities., Objective: This study investigated the beneficial role of M. oleifera (moringa) supplementation in HIV positive subjects receiving antiretroviral drugs., Methods: Adult HIV positive individuals (104) attending the medical outpatient clinic in a tertiary health institution in Nigeria receiving highly active anti-retroviral therapies (HAARTs) were recruited in a randomized fashion for the study. Half of the subjects received moringa supplement (20 mg daily) additionally, while the others received only HAART and represented the control group. All subjects were monitored for 3 months during which their immunological status (CD4 counts and TNF-α), and hematological abnormalities at pre (baseline) and post study periods were determined., Results: Baseline levels of CD4 increased while TNF-α decreased significantly in control and moringa supplemented groups (p < 0.01). However, the post study CD4 values in the moringa group were higher and TNF-α values were lower compared to the control group (p < 0.01). In addition, baseline hematological abnormalities (anemia, thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, lymphopenia, and neutropenia) were improved but most significantly in the moringa supplemented subjects., Conclusion: The results suggest that moringa has immune-beneficial properties and improved hematological abnormalities in HIV positive individuals receiving antiretroviral therapy., (© 2022 Aprioku JS et al.)

There are increasing reports of antiretroviral therapy (ART) drug-related kidney dysfunction. Traditional markers of kidney dysfunction such as urine protein/creatinine ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) have thus far proven ineffective at detecting some sub-clinical forms of ART-related kidney injury. This is a cross-sectional examination of 114 people living with HIV (PLWH), either naïve ( N =104) or treatment experienced ( N =10). Urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1 ng/mg) thresholds were estimated using electrochemiluminescent assays from stored urine samples and normalised for urinary creatinine excretion (KIM-1/Cr). Correlation coefficients and predictors of kidney tubular injury were compared and derived for both adjusted and unadjusted urinary KIM-1/CR (ng/mg). In PLWH (both ART-naïve and treatment experienced) had a higher baseline unadjusted and adjusted median (≥3.7 ng/mg) and upper tertile (≥6.25 ng/mg) urinary KIM-1/Cr levels compared to either non-normal volunteers (0.39 ng/mg) or those with acute kidney injury in the general population (0.57 ng/mg). When upper tertile KIM-1/Cr (≥6.25 ng/mg) was utilised as a marker of kidney injury, eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m 2 ), white Caucasian ethnicity, and protease inhibitor exposure were significantly associated with increased risk of kidney injury in multivariate analyses (odds ratio 0.91, confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.98, P = 0.02; odds ratio 8.9, CI 1.6-48.6, p = 0.01; and odds ratio 0.05, CI 0.03-0.9, p =0.04, respectively). We found a significant degree of sub-clinical kidney injury (high unadjusted and adjusted KIM-1/Cr) in PLWH with normal kidney function (eGFR ≥60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ). We also found a higher baseline KIM-1/Cr (ng/mg) in our study cohort than reported both in normal volunteers and patients with kidney injury in the general population.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of use of traditional medicines amongst patients with HIV infection receiving therapies of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), Kano, Northwest Nigeria, and to assess the attitude of these patients to their ARV therapy., Methods: A cross sectional prospective study using pretested structured questionnaires administered on 430 patients with antiretroviral therapy attending the AKTH between April and June 2009. Data was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, use of traditional medicine and attitude to antiretroviral therapy., Results: A mean age of (33.6#20381;8.4) years old was found with 67.2% females and 32.8% males. A total of 29% had no formal education while 10.5% had postgraduate education; 12% earned above 35,000 naira (230 USD) per month; 63.8% were married; 39.8% had at least 2 sexual partners; 27.5% used traditional medicine before commencement of antiretroviral therapy (ART), but only 4.25% of patients used ARV and traditional medicine concurrently. There was no significant difference in most of the socio-demographic indices between the concurrent users and other patients (P>0.05). A total of 28.8% HIV patients, 14.6% patients used traditional medicine before ART and 29.4% concurrent users had missed at least a dose of their ARVs since commencement of therapy. 148 (37%) of the patients had their drug regimen changed at least once while 23 (20.90%) patients receiving traditional medicine before ART and 5 (29.41%) patients having two treatments had their drug regimen changed., Conclusions: A total of 4.25% patients used ARV and traditional medicine concurrently. In conclusion, the widespread use of traditional medicine by patients living with HIV/AIDS should be of concern to clinicians and policy makers., (Copyright © 2011 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)