Journal of Biology and Medicine: Open Access

The climacteric is a physiological period of the female reproductive cycle, characterised by a decrease in the levels of sex hormones, mainly oestrogen. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can improve the symptoms of female reproductive senescence. However, as with any drug treatment, HRT may trigger undesirable side effects, posing risks to the lives of women who adopt this therapeutic approach. Phytotherapy is an interesting alternative to HRT for treating climacteric syndrome, without the risks inherent to HRT. This review aims to analyse phytotherapy as an alternative to HRT, since hypoestrogenism and other climacteric symptoms may be treated by phytoestrogens, as well as other phytotherapeutics.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdown in several countries which resulted into economic challenges. This article investigated the impact of the lockdown on the health of residents of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, with emphasis on malaria and intestinal helminth infections and anxiety. This research was questionnaire based. Consent of respondents was sought before the questionnaires were administered. Descriptive statistics was used for data analyses. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed out of which 187 were returned. Respondents were comprised of 71 males and 102 females. Out of the 187 returned questionnaires, 148 (79.1%) reported to have suffered ill-health during the lockdown. Results showed that 28% of the respondents suffered malaria only, 25% malaria and anxiety, 20% malaria and intestinal helminths, 18% malaria, intestinal helminths and anxiety, while 3% suffered only intestinal helminth infections, 3% only anxiety, and 3% intestinal helminth and anxiety, respectively. Student ttests showed that the number that reported sick were significantly higher than those that reported to have been healthy throughout the lockdown (p=0.03). It was concluded that the lockdown significantly affected the health of respondents. It is therefore recommended that other strategies that would reduce the transmission of COVID-19 while enabling economic activities without adversely affecting the health of the populace should be advanced.

Background: The clinical significance of hyponatremia in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unclear. Objective: To clarify the frequency, mechanisms, and clinical implications of hyponatremia in patients admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. Methods: PUBMED search until January 15, 2021. Search terms include COVID-19, hyponatremia, interleukin-6, anti-diuretic hormone, severity, mortality, retrospective, prospective studies, and meta-analyses are included. Results: Several large retrospective studies and one prospective investigation indicate that prevalence of hyponatremia in patients with COVID-19 ranges from 9.9% to 35.8%. In most studies, hyponatremia represents the most common electrolyte abnormality in patients admitted with COVID-19 and is mostly mild in severity biochemically. Hyponatremia is associated with severe picture of COVID-19 as reflected by increased need for intensive care and mechanical ventilation. Hyponatremia on hospital admission is an independent factor implicated in increased mortality of patients with COVID-19. Mechanisms of hyponatremia in COVID-19 may include inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone activity, increased interleukin-6 (IL-6), and less frequently concomitant adrenal insufficiency. Conclusions: Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte abnormality in patients with COVID-19 that is linked to poor prognosis. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether hyponatremia plays a causative role in worsening outcomes of COVID-19 or it is a marker of bad prognosis.