Papers by Lowell Dilworth
Introduction Urolith formation is quite heterogeneous and current investigations have alluded tha... more Introduction Urolith formation is quite heterogeneous and current investigations have alluded that this is due to the interplay between genetic, dietary, environmental and hormonal factors [1,2]. Urolithiasis is a fairly common disorder across the globe with lifetime prevalence between 510%. [3,4,5,6]. The incidence has gradually increased in the past decade and the common clinical presentation of the disease, “renal colic”, currently accounts for up to 0.1% of all hospital admissions internationally [7]. Urolithiasis has a predilection for males, with a male to female ratio of approximately 3:1[1,3]. The disease usually affects the working age group, between the ages of 15-60 years, with younger aged patients usually having inborn errors of metabolism or protein decient diet, therefore, a more specic chemical composition of the stones [8].
Diabetes, 2020
Abstract Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder of deranged carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. I... more Abstract Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder of deranged carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. It may be classified as type 1, type 2, or gestational, all associated with diminished insulin production, secretion, or activity. Any mechanism that leads to hypoinsulinemia results in suppression of enzyme activities related to glycolysis, lipogenesis, and the pentose phosphate pathways while promoting gluconeogenic, glycogenolytic, and lipolytic enzyme activities. Oxidative stress perpetuated by free radical production is vital in the pathogenesis of diabetes. The combination of increased ROS and inflammatory markers results in cellular damage, especially of pancreatic beta cells, along with tissue and end-organ damage. Highly reactive superoxide radicals are routinely produced by cells and detoxified by superoxide dismutase (SOD). Alternatively, low SOD levels and other antioxidant enzymes predispose tissues to pathological damage resulting from oxidative stress. The effectiveness of SOD as an antioxidant makes it useful in treating diabetes by enhancing pancreatic beta cell antioxidant capacity.
Medicines, 2021
Background: The 24-hour (24-h) creatinine clearance (CrCl) is the most common method for measurin... more Background: The 24-hour (24-h) creatinine clearance (CrCl) is the most common method for measuring GFR in clinical laboratories. However, the limitations of CrCl have resulted in the widespread acceptance of mathematically derived estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using Cockcroft-Gault (CG), Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) and the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations in predicting eGFR. The aim of the study was to compare 24-h CrCl with eGFR derived from these formulae and to identify which could be the best alternative. Method: A prospective study was conducted involving 140 CKD patients. Creatinine and cystatin C concentrations were determined using the cobas 6000 analyzer. The eGFR was calculated using the CG formula, 4-variable MDRD and CKD-EPI equations, and Bland-Alman plots bias was determined. Results: The CG and MDRD formulas had mean eGFR values similar to CrCl and correlation coefficients (r) were highest for CG (0.9...
PLOS ONE, 2019
Understanding determinants associated with dropout from sport is important for talent development... more Understanding determinants associated with dropout from sport is important for talent development. This study aimed (i) to determine dropout rates for Jamaican track and field athletes and (ii) to examine contextual factors (i.e., relative age effect and place of development) as potential determinants of junior athletes progressing to the senior level. A sample of 1552 track and field athletes (mean age 18.57±0.41 years) who were finalists at the national high school (junior) championships in Jamaica between 2000 and 2017 were evaluated from the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association database. The database provided birth date, school attendance and performance results. A retrospective analysis was completed to investigate the relationship between junior and senior successes and dropout rates. Chisquare analyses were conducted to examine the distribution of birth date quartiles based on the selection year. Using the Jamaican census information, the population size of regions where participants attended school were categorized and used as a proxy for athletes' place of development. Results showed that the majority of the participants did not progress to senior levels (81%). The relative age effect was evident for athletes who progressed to the senior level but was not evident for athletes who did not progress. There was a bias towards participants who attended school in regions with a population size between 5000-29 999. This study illuminates some of the contextual factors that may influence the likelihood of progressing from junior to senior levels which may help to inform talent identification, selection and development in the sport of track and field.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, 2017
Introduction: The Chemical Pathology Laboratory at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UH... more Introduction: The Chemical Pathology Laboratory at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) processes specimens received from inpatients, the outpatient department and other medical facilities in Jamaica. Specific rejection criteria are used to determine samples unsuitable for analysis. It has been noted that despite efforts to reduce the number of unacceptable samples received in the laboratory, the problem persists. Aim: The study seeks to provide empirical evidence of the inadequacies from which improvements can be formulated. Materials and Methods: Errors recorded in the rejection log in the Chemical Pathology laboratory at the University Hospital of the West Indies for the period were assessed. The types and frequency of errors were determined manually. The yearly rejection ratios over a four-year period were evaluated. Results: The most common causes for rejection were unlabelled samples (37%), incorrectly labelled specimens (23%), samples submitted in an inappropriate tube (14%) and incomplete or inaccurately completed requisition forms (14%). The rejection ratio for 2015-2016 was 2.1%. Conclusion: The laboratory must initiate programmes directed at improving the preanalytical process in order to ensure patient safety.
Antioxidants, minerals and bioactive compounds in tropical staples
Molecules, 2020
Inositol, or myo-inositol, and associated analog molecules, including myo-inositol hexakisphospha... more Inositol, or myo-inositol, and associated analog molecules, including myo-inositol hexakisphosphate, are known to possess beneficial biomedical properties and are now being widely studied. The impact of these compounds in improving diabetic indices is significant, especially in light of the high cost of treating diabetes mellitus and associated disorders globally. It is theorized that, within ten years, the global population of people with the disease will reach 578 million individuals, with the cost of care projected to be approximately 2.5 trillion dollars. Natural alternatives to pharmaceuticals are being sought, and this has led to studies involving inositol, and myo-inositol-hexakisphosphate, also referred to as IP6. It has been reported that IP6 can improve diabetic indices and regulate the activities of some metabolic enzymes involved in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Current research activities have been focusing on the mechanisms of action of inositol and IP6 in the ame...
West Indian Medical Journal, 2005
In this study, six groups of rats were fed as follows: Groups 1 and 2 were fed formulated diets s... more In this study, six groups of rats were fed as follows: Groups 1 and 2 were fed formulated diets supplemented with zinc or without zinc respectively. Groups 3 and 4 were fed formulated diets supplemented with zinc plus phytic acid extracted from sweet potato (Ipomea batatas) or commercial phytic acid respectively. Groups 5 and 6 were fed formulated diets supplemented with phytic acid extract from sweet potato or commercial phytic acid respectively. The animals were fed for three weeks and then sacrificed. The activities of key enzymes of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism as well as transaminases in the liver were determined. Blood glucose level was also assessed. Phytic acid extract consumption from sweet potato and commercial phytic acid plus zinc supplement lowered blood glucose levels. There was no significant change in the activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase among the groups. Similarly, phytic acid supplementation showed no significant decrease in the activity of pyruvate kinase compared to the group fed formulated diets. There was a significant increase in the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the groups fed phytic extract from sweet potato compared to the other groups. The activities of malic enzyme and ATP-citrate lyase in this study were not significantly altered among the groups. There is a lowering of blood glucose levels which is desirable for diabetics who consume sweet potato diets. The changes in some of the hepatic metabolic enzymes are geared towards compensating for the decreased glycolytic responses.
Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2013
The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ortanique peel polymethoxylated f... more The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Ortanique peel polymethoxylated flavones extract (PMF(ort)) on organ function parameters in the serum of hypercholesterolemic and normal rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high cholesterol diets supplemented with 1.5% PMF(ort) and niacin respectively for 49days. Hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF(ort) had significant reductions in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase (69.12±3.34 and 87.22±8.42U/L respectively) compared to the untreated hypercholesterolemic group (118.61±4.85 and 132.62±10.62U/L respectively, p<0.05). Supplementation of the diet with niacin or PMF(ort) resulted in no significant differences in the serum levels of creatinine or urea in any of the groups. Total bilirubin was highest in the untreated hypercholesterolemic group. Supplementation of the diets of hypercholesterolemic rats with PMF(ort) resulted in significant reductions in the activities of serum creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase (119.3±25.3; 222.5±50.3U/L, p<0.05) respectively relative to the untreated hypercholesterolemic group (257.2±48.3; 648.8±103U/L, p<0.05). The results would suggest that PMF(ort) modulates hypercholesterolemia-associated organ injury in rats. PMF(ort) could therefore be a suitable candidate for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of hypercholesterolemia-associated organ injury.
J Appl Biomed, 2012
The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ortanique peel polymethoxylated f... more The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ortanique peel polymethoxylated flavones extract (PMF ort) on antioxidant enzymes activities and lipid peroxide levels in organs of hypercholesterolemic and normal rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were fed high cholesterol diets supplemented with 1.5% PMF ort and niacin respectively for 49 days. Hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF ort had significant reductions in malondialdehyde levels in the liver and brain compared to untreated hypercholesterolemic control rats. This reduction also occurred in the brain of the rats fed niacin. The activities of catalase, glutathione reductase, transferase and peroxidase were significantly reduced in the spleen, brain and liver of hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF ort compared to control. The activities of these enzymes were only reduced in the brain and liver of rats fed niacin. The results would suggest that PMF ort modulates hypercholesterolemia-associated organ injury and oxidative stress in rat organs. PMF ort could therefore be a suitable candidate of natural origin for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of hypercholesterolemia-associated oxidative stress and organ injury.
Basic and Applied Pathology, 2011
Background and aim: Studies have shown that polymethoxylated flavones have potent hypolipidemic p... more Background and aim: Studies have shown that polymethoxylated flavones have potent hypolipidemic properties. There are, however, gaps in the literature on their effects on organ structures. This study evaluated the histopathological effects of Ortanique peel polymethoxylated flavones extract (PMF ort ) on the organ structures of diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rats. Methods: Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were fed normal rat chow as well as high cholesterol diets supplemented with PMF ort and niacin, respectively. Light microscopic evaluation of the liver, spleen, kidney and bowel of hypercholesterolemic rats fed PMF ort and niacin was performed to determine possible morphologic alterations, compared to untreated hypercholesterolemic rats. Results: Untreated hypercholesterolemic rats showed significantly altered intestinal morphology, with an increase in the number of absorptive cells and in villus length when compared to untreated normal rats. They also exhibited hepatic steatosis (100%) and inflammation (20%) and lymphoid hyperplasia of the spleen (33%). Hypercholesterolemic rats treated with 1.5% PMF ort showed reductions in absorptive cell number, villus length and hepatic steatosis compared to the untreated hypercholesterolemic rats. They also showed significant reduction in splenic lymphoid hyperplasia. Conclusions: The current results would suggest that PMF ort consumption has no toxic effects on the organs of hypercholesterolemic rats but may ameliorate hypercholesterolemia-associated alterations in organ structures.
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Papers by Lowell Dilworth