*Faculty of Health Sciences (ETDs)
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Browsing *Faculty of Health Sciences (ETDs) by Keyword "Alcohol"
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Item Conjoint tobacco and alcohol use, and depressive symptoms among hiv positive patients in Sedibeng District, Gauteng(2024) Akahilem, Kenneth E.Background: Psychosocial challenges among HIV positive patients may promote substance use disorders. In this study, we explored the relationship between conjoint tobacco and alcohol use and depression symptoms among HIV positive patients in Sedibeng district, South Africa. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 404 participants, a questionnaire collected information on socio-demography, tobacco and alcohol use, and depression symptoms. Outcome measures included the prevalence of conjoint tobacco and alcohol use, and its association with depression. Results: The mean participant age was 43.2 years. Most completed secondary school 62.9% (253/402), were black 99.0% (400/404), female 65.8% (266/404), unemployed 53.6% (216/403) and on ART for >1 year 97.8% (393/402). Current tobacco use was reported by 23.3% (94/404) participants with most smoking cigarette (73.7%) and having low nicotine dependence (75.5%). Current alcohol use was reported by 43.6% (176/404) participants, and 36.9% were categorised as harmful users. Only 7.7% (31/404) participants screened positive for depression; most of these (83.3%) previously undiagnosed. The prevalence of conjoint tobacco and alcohol use was 19.6% (79/404) and this was not associated with depression (p=0.438). Harmful alcohol users were more than five times likely to report conjoint tobacco and alcohol use (p=0.000) but women were less likely to report it (p=0.000).Item Evaluation of the neuroprotective effects of simvastatin against alcohol-induced damage to the sciatic nerve and the somatosensory barrels in adolescent C57BL/6J mice(2024) Efuntayo, Alice AdetokunboAlcohol is a commonly used and abused drug among adolescents which has an adverse effect on the body’s overall health, especially on the developing brain. It causes neurodevelopmental, neurobehavioral, neurocognitive, and social problems because alcohol exerts its neurodegenerative effects by up-regulating oxidative stress which is responsible for neuronal death. The rising prevalence of alcohol-related diseases and disabilities and the cost to the government necessitates investigation into interventions that could protect the neurons against the damaging effects of alcohol. One drug with antioxidant properties is Simvastatin, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug for lowering blood cholesterol levels. The neuroprotective effects of Simvastatin against alcohol neurotoxicity were evaluated on the sciatic nerves and the somatosensory barrel cortices of adolescent mice. 40 four–week old C57BL/6J male and female mice were administered 20% alcohol (i.p.), 5 or 10 mg/kg Simvastatin orally followed by 20% alcohol (i.p.) or the controls (i.e. 5 mg/kg Simvastatin only or non-treated) consecutively for 28 days. The axonal density, myelin thickness and g-ratio of the sciatic nerves were assessed as well as the sizes of the Posteromedial barrel subfield (PMBSF) barrels. The results confirmed alcohol neurotoxicity on the axonal density and myelination in both sexes. At the same time, Simvastatin was effective against the onset of alcohol nerve damage. For the somatosensory barrels, alcohol did not significantly reduce the mean areas of (I) the PMBSF barrels, (II) the enclosure, or (III) the septal portion in both sexes. However, the barrel-to-barrel comparison revealed alcohol toxicity on specific barrels in specific rows and arcs of the PMBSF barrels. Both concentrations of Simvastatin were also effective against alcohol–induced damage on those specific barrels. These may explain the reasons for the sensory-motor delays that are often seen in alcoholics due to possible delays in the relaying of sensory input and the processing and interpreting of information from the somatosensory cortex. Simvastatin seems to have the ability to protect against the damaging effect of alcohol on the peripheral nerves and the somatosensory cortex and this may be beneficial in reducing the prevalence of alcohol-related diseases or disabilities, especially in adolescents that are prone to abusing alcohol.