Objective: To investigate the relationship between obesity, insulin resistance, and lipid profile in type 2 diabetes patients and nondiabetic controls in the Cape Coast Metropolis of Ghana. Patients and Methods: Levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin, lipid profile, insulin resistance, and β-cell function were measured in 115 diabetes patients and 115 age-matched nondiabetic controls. In addition, body weight, height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and blood pressure were measured. Body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio were calculated. Results: Apart from diabetes patients with normal weight who exhibited higher (P < 0.05) FBG but lower systolic blood pressure than their overweight/obese counterparts, levels of all the other metabolites were comparable between the two weight groups in both diabetics and nondiabetic controls. Diabetic patients with systolic hypertension had higher (P < 0.05) low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and WC but nondiabetic hypertensives had lower (P < 0.05) FBG than their respective normotensives. In people with diabetes, dyslipidemia of total cholesterol (CHOL), LDL, and triglyceride were more prevalent in overweight/obese and systolic hypertensives. In controls, prevalence dyslipidemia of total and LDL CHOLs was higher in normal weight and hypertensives than their respective overweight/obese and normotensive counterparts. Conclusion: Nondiabetic respondents with normal weight may be at higher risk of cardiovascular disease through dyslipidemia than their overweight/obese counterpart. This metabolic paradox requires further investigations in the Ghanaian population.

Background: Chemotherapeutic approaches to the control of HPV infection suffer from a lack of specificity. For most existing HPV inhibitors, the weak antiviral effects observed in cellular assays suggest that further improvements in selecting targets, in drug potency, and in bioavailability and cell uptake are required. Objective: To synthesize novel 1,3-oxazole derivatives and define their antiviral activities against the human papillomavirus (HPV) in vitro. Methods: Determination of transient replication of an HPV-11 in transfected HEK293 cells, and HPV-18 DNA amplification in an organotypic squamous epithelial raft culture of primary human keratinocytes (PHKs), and cytotoxicity assays were used. Results: Bioassays showed that the synthesized compounds 2, 4, 5, and 9 exhibited potent antiviral activity against low-risk HPV-11 (IC50 = 1.7–9.6 μM) in a transient DNA replication assay and exhibited low cytotoxicity in HEK293 cells compared to cidofovir (CDV), antiviral agent in clinical use. Selectivity indices of compounds 4 and 5 were 20–40 times greater than that of CDV. However, compounds 4 and 9 did not exhibit a significant antiviral effect against high-risk HPV-18 infections in organotypic epithelial raft cultures. Although prophylactic HPV vaccines are now available to protect against primary infections by the seven genotypes most commonly found in cervical, penile, anal and oro-pharyngeal cancers (HPV16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) and two genotypes (HPV6 and 11) that cause benign anogenital warts and laryngeal papillomas, they do not protect against infections by other HPV types. Moreover, individuals already infected with HPV will not benefit from the vaccines. Thus, the need for antiviral agents to treat HPV-associated diseases remains great, but few options currently exist. Conclusions: We show that substituted 1,3-oxazole derivatives are a promising structure class of chemical compounds for the development of antiviral drugs against HPV lesions.

Introduction: Noise exposure causes different insults on hearing ranging from mild to severe damages. Objectives: We assessed the effects of acute auditory trauma on hearing at the front line of Braiga, near Benghazi, Libya, from February to November 2011. Patients and Methods: A total of 236 acoustic injury cases referred to audiology department, Hawari ENT Center, Benghazi, were studied. These cases were either seen directly after injury or referred from other hospitals after treatment of associated injuries. History, examination, and audiological assessment in the form of pure tone audiogram were done using Ad629 interacoustic. Results: A total of 236 cases were studied; aged 21–30 years. All were not using measures to protect ear and hearing. The majority of these cases (96.6%) complained of hearing loss and tinnitus. Most of the hearing loss (75.0%) was of the sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) type. More than 32% had moderate to severe hearing loss. Treatment was given according to type and degree of hearing loss. Patients who was diagnosed as hearing loss (H.L) of S.N type, treatment plan was either hyperbaric oxygenation, hearing aids or cochlear implants according to degree of H.L and availability of treatment. Conclusions: Explosions cause hearing insult of different types and different degrees. The most commonly noted type is sever to profound SNHL. Therapies needed included hearing aids in SNHL or tympanomastoidectomy in conductive hearing loss. Lack of use of hearing protective measures does increase the number of hearing problems in individuals at high risk.