Effects of Long-term Antiepileptic Drugs (AED) on Serum Copper Level in Children with Epilepsy | Chapter 1 | Pharmaceutical Research - Recent Advances and Trends Vol. 3

Background: Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder in which brain activity becomes irregular, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Serum copper level may change due to long-term use of antiepileptic drugs. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases with a prevalence rate varying from 2.8 to 19.5 per 1000 general population and it prevails more especially among school children.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess the serum copper level in childhood epilepsy treated with long-term Anti-Epileptic drugs (AED).

Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Pediatric Neurology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) from March to August 2013. The sample size was one hundred, among these fifty were case (epileptic children who had received anti-epileptic drugs (Carbamazepine and/or Valproic acid) for more than three months) and the rest fifty were control (newly diagnosed epileptic children, who had yet not received antiepileptic drug). Serum copper (Cu) was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. After collecting all the data, analysis has been done by using SPSS and the results are displayed in tables and diagrams.

Results: The mean copper level was 1.11±0.32 µg/ml in case group and 0.96±0.20 µg/ml in the control group, which was statistically significant (p<0.05). In this study, epileptic group had a 34% family history of epilepsy, while in control group it was 16% and that was statistically significant (p<0.05).

This study also indicated that 78% generalized tonic clonic seizures were in the epileptic group and 70% were in the control group. Serum levels of copper in patients with epilepsy on treatment (particularly with sodium valproate and carbamazepine) were high.

Conclusion: The use of one drug or multiple drugs in the treatment of epileptic patients may play a significant role in increasing copper serum levels.

 

Author (s) Details

 

Md. Ranzu Ahmed
Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS), Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Israt Jahan
Bangladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS), Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Shamim-Ara-Sarkar
Consultant in Dermatology and Venereology, Praava Health, Banani, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Habibur Rahman
Institute of Health Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Mohammad Jahangir Alam Sarker
BIHS General Hospital, Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Faridul Alam
angladesh University of Health Sciences (BUHS), Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/prrat/v3/60

Investigating the Effect of Fertility Management on Plant Parasitic Nematodes and Maize Yield under Long-Term Continuous Cropping in Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria | Chapter 3 | Cutting-edge Research in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 5

Increased production of maize, a major staple in Nigeria, has adversely affected soil quality, especially in the mono-cropped savannah ecology of Northern Guinea. In the Northern Guinea savannah of Nigeria, continuous intensive cropping has adversely affected soil quality and crop yield, thus threatening the sustainability of intensified maize-based systems. In a long-term maize trial set up in 1997, a field study was carried out in Zaria to assess the impact of changes in soil fertility on plant parasitic nematodes and maize yield. In a randomised complete block configuration, the experiment was laid out. The treatments were made of urea fertiliser, animal manure, Centrosema pascuorum, Vigna unguiculata and were applied as single or mixed fertiliser treatments to make 45 and 90 kg N ha-1. The results obtained showed that the incidence of plant parasitic nematode infection was significantly reduced by mixed application of urea fertiliser and animal manure to 90 kg N ha-1 in soil by between 3.4 and 80 percent compared to single application of urea. With the application of 45 kg N urea + 45 kg N animal manure (7.5 tonnes ha-1 cow dung or 1.5 tonnes ha-1 poultry litter), the yield of maize was not substantially different from the yields obtained with the application of 90 kg N single urea fertiliser, suggesting that manure increased the consistency of the soil, decreased the use of urea fertiliser and produced statistically comparable yields with 90 kg N sole urea fertiliser. The key component research showed that the plant genera of parasitic nematodes Pratylenchus and Aphelenchoides sp. Grain yield was negatively affected, but its dominance in the soil was established as one of the variables that reduced yield. The study showed that the parasitic nematodes of Pratylenchus and Aphelenchoides contributed significantly to the decline in grain yield, and this was indicated in the main component review. Higher numbers of Aphelenchoides illustrate the fact that Aphelenchoides is a legume-parasitic nematode in legume-amended treatments. The adoption of "balanced" fertilisation that combines urea fertiliser with animal manure to restore or sustain optimal crop yield for long-term soil productivity is recommended to optimise maize productivity in the Northern Guinea savanna of Nigeria.

Author (s) Details

Eche N. Mary
Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Iwuafor E. N. Oyema
Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Amapu I. Yo'ila
Department of Soil Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

Bruns M. Victoria
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Penn State University, United States.

View Book :- https://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/362