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Leprosy reduces quality of life of affected persons. Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species may play a vital role in the pathogenesis of leprosy. This study evaluated anthropometric indices, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid profile, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total plasma peroxide (TPP), oxidative stress index (OSI), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdg) in leprosy patients. Sixty test participants of both genders, aged 18-65years and diagnosed of multibacillary leprosy and 30 apparently healthy controls were consecutively recruited for this study. The test participants comprised of 30 patients on multidrug therapy (MDT) and 30 patients relieved from therapy (RFT). Body mass index (BMI), Waist-hip ratio (WHR), FPG, lipid profile, TAC, TPP, OSI, MDA, GSH and 8-OHdg were determined using appropriate methods. Data were analyzed using Analysis of variance; p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The MDT group had significantly lower BMI (p = 0.0001), Total cholesterol (p = 0.001), HDL-C (p = 0.019), LDL-C (p = 0.005), TAC (p = 0.0001) and higher TPP (p = 0.001), MDA (p = 0.0001), OSI (p = 0.005) and 8-OHdg (p = 0.035) compared to the controls. The RFT group had significantly lower BMI (p = 0.001) Total cholesterol (0.0001), HDL-C (p = 0.006) LDL-C (p = 0.0001), TAC (p = 0.001) and higher WHR (p = 0.010), VLDL-C (p = 0.035), TG (p = 0.023) Atherogenic index of plasma (p = 0.0001) and TPP (p = 0.001), MDA (p = 0.0001) compared to the control group. GSH levels correlated negatively with duration of treatment (r = -0.401, p = 0.028). This study has shown that there is oxidative stress in multibacillary leprosy patients irrespective of drug treatment status. This study also shows that leprosy patients relieved from treatment may be susceptible to cardiovascular events. Antioxidants supplementation may be beneficial in the treatment of leprosy and clinical follow up on patients relieved from treatment may also be necessary to monitor health status and prevent development of cardiovascular events., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background & Objective: Oxidative stress (OS) associated with estrogen deficiency in menopause has been implicated in various complications of menopause. Some indices of OS, bone metabolism and uric acid (UA) in postmenopausal women were assessed as possible predictors of gouty osteoarthritis. Materials & Methods: This case-control study enrolled 40 postmenopausal women and 60 premenopausal women as participants. The levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), nitric oxide (NO), total plasma peroxides (TPP), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), inorganic phosphate (Pi), total calcium (tCa) and UA were estimated by colorimetry, estradiol (E2) by ELISA and oxidative stress index (OSI) by calculation. Data were analyzed using t-test, correlation and regression at P<0.05. Results: Postmenopausal women had higher UA, OSI and lipid peroxidation (higher MDA, TPP) with lower E2, tCa and antioxidants (reduced GSH, NO, TAC) compared to premenopausal women (P<0.05). Aging correlated negatively with E2 (r=-0.273, P=0.006), TAC (r=-0.484, P=<0.001), GSH (r=-0.306, P=0.002), NO (r=-0.337, P=0.001), tCa (r=-0.571, P=<0.001) and positively with TPP (r=0.445, P=<0.001), OSI (r=0.454, P=<0.001), MDA (r=0.505, P=<0.001) and UA (r=0.441, P=<0.001) in all women studied irrespective of menopause status. There were no associations between UA, tCa, Pi,E2 and indices of oxidative stress (TPP, TAC, OSI, MDA, GSH, NO) with menopause (R2 =0.216, P=0.728). Conclusion: Elevated UA, lipid peroxidation and oxidative stress and reduced tCa, E2 and antioxidants observed in postmenopausal women may be associated with aging and not the menopausal status suggesting that their assessment may be utilized in predicting women at increased risk of gouty osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deleterious effects of diabetes on seminal quality, serum metals and antioxidants have been confirmed. This study evaluated the effect of combined calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and E supplementation on seminal parameters, serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), nitric oxide (NO), malonyldialdehyde (MDA), calcium and magnesium in fructose-induced diabetic rats. Thirty rats were grouped into non-diabetic controls, diabetic controls, diabetic rats given vitamin E + C, calcium + magnesium and vitamin E + C + calcium + magnesium. The analytes were evaluated using standard methods. Statistical significance was set at p <.05. The diabetic controls had significantly higher MDA (p =.036) but lower (p =.0001) TAC, calcium, magnesium, sperm count, and %motility than the non-diabetic controls. The Vitamin C + E group showed the greatest improvement as they had the highest values of seminal parameters compared to other supplemented groups. Combined Vitamin C + E supplementation may provide better ameliorative benefits than a combination of Vitamin C, E, calcium and magnesium in diabetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Oxidative stress, vitamin, and macroelement deficiencies have been implicated in male infertility. It is unknown if diabetes mellitus with its attendant increased oxidative stress makes the seminal quality of the diabetic infertile men worse compared to their nondiabetic counterparts. Aims: The study investigated semen parameters, seminal plasma calcium, magnesium, Vitamins C and E, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in diabetic and nondiabetic infertile men. Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study involving 30 infertile men with type 2 diabetes, 30 infertile nondiabetic men and 30 fertile men. Subjects and Methods: Fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, seminal plasma calcium, magnesium, TAC, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, semen analysis, and cultures carried out using the standard procedures. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed by the analysis of variance and Student's t-test; the level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Both infertile groups had significantly lower (P < 0.0001) sperm count, percentage motility, TAC, Vitamin E and C, magnesium and calcium when compared to the fertile group. However, there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) in the mean values of these parameters among the two infertile groups. The infertile men had a significantly higher (P = 0.034) frequency of bacterial isolates compared to the fertile men. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent organism isolated. Conclusions: Seminal calcium, magnesium, TAC, and Vitamin E and C were lower in both infertile diabetic and nondiabetic men as compared to that of fertile men, but the levels of these analytes were comparable in the infertile diabetic and nondiabetic men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]