The significance of camel production in Nigeria

No Abstract

Macro-anatomical investigations on the appendicular skeleton of the Barn owl (Tyto alba) found in Nigeria

No AbstractKeywords: Tyto alba, appendicular skeleton, foramina, domestication, Nigeri

Anatomical and histological study of the kidneys in golden eagles, racing pigeon and common bulbul

The present study was carried on Thirty apparently healthy birds (ten Golden Eagles, ten Racing pigeon and ten Common Bulbul ),a tool for determining the anatomy significant variations in the kidneys' histology Histological research (5-7)µm. paraffin section stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin stain were prepared .In both birds, the kidneys were, dorso-ventrally flattened, extended from the caudal end of the lungs to the synsacrum bone's end, as well as the kidneys' dorsal half were sink deep in the synsacrum fosse and divided into three incomplete parts. In adult racing pigeon, the kidney was red to red brown in color flattened retroperitoneal fragile organs embedded in ventral surface of synsacrum bone. It has three lobes (cranial, middle and caudal), the caudal lobe was the largest and wider than the other two lobes. In golden eagles, had paired kidneys. Each kidney was flattened and extra-peritoneal organs. Also each kidney in Common Bulbul consists of three lobes were cranial, middle and caudal. The cranial lobe was longer and broader than the other two lobes, whereas the caudal lobe was similar in shape but smaller in size than the middle lobe

Antiskin Cancer and Antioxidant Activities of Formulated Agar from Brown Seaweed Laminaria digitata (Hudson) in Dimethyl Benzanthracene-Induced Swiss Albino Mice

This study explores the antiskin cancer effect of formulated agar (FA) from Laminaria digitata on dimethyl benzanthracene- (DMBA-) induced skin cancer mice. The agar was extracted and formulated (emulgel), and FA was biochemically characterized. The in vitro cytotoxicity of FA was tested using NTT 3T3 mice fibroblast cells. The mice were divided into 5 groups: group 1 served as control mice, group 2 mice were considered as DMBA-induced cancer control, group 3 mice were FA pretreated (low dose) + DMBA-induced mice, group 4 mice were FA pretreated (high dose) + DMBA-induced mice, and group 5 were positive control + DMBA-induced mice. The behaviour and biochemical markers of cancer were significantly decreased in group 2 (DMBA-induced) mice, which were brought to near normalcy by FA pretreated mice (groups 3 and 4). The levels of p53 and keratin were significantly elevated in group 2 mice and these levels were decreased in 3 and 4 mice as well. The histopathological examination of DMBA-induced mice was shown degenerated cervical patches in the skin, cirrhosis in liver, oedema in the renal tissue, and swollen and damage in cardiac tissue, which were reduced for the mice applied with FA. This confirms that FA pretreatment offered potential antiskin cancer property

Anticancer effect of dentatin and dentatin-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin complex on human colon cancer (HT-29) cell line

Ashwaq Shakir AL-Abboodi,1,2 Abdullah Rasedee,3 Ahmad Bustamam Abdul,1,4 Yun Hin Taufiq-Yap,5 Wafaa Abd Alwahed Alkaby,6 Mostafa Saddam Ghaji,7 Peter M Waziri,1,8 Mothanna Sadiq Al-Qubaisi1 1MAKNA-UPM, Cancer Research Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; 2Basic Science Branch, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Al-Qadisiyah, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq; 3Department of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosis, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; 4Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; 5Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia; 6Department of Biomedical, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of AL-Qadisiyah, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq; 7Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq; 8Department of Biochemistry, Kaduna State University, Main Campus,  Kaduna, Nigeria Introduction: Dentatin (DEN) (5-methoxy-2, 2-dimethyl-10-(1, 1-dimethyl-2propenyl) dipyran-2-one), a natural compound present in the roots of Clausena excavata Burm f, possesses pro-apoptotic and antiproliferative effects in various cancer cells. Because of its hydrophobicity, it is believed that its complexation with hydroxy-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) will make it a potent inhibitor of cancer cell growth. In the current work, the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis induced by DEN and DEN-HPβCD complex were demonstrated in human colon HT-29 cancer cells.Materials and methods: After the human colon HT-29 cancer cells were treated with DEN and DEN-HPβCD complex, their effects on the expression of apoptotic-regulated gene markers in mitochondria-mediated apoptotic and death receptor pathways were detected by Western blot analysis and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. These markers included caspases-9, 3, and 8, cytochrome c, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, p53, p21, cyclin A as well as the Bcl-2 family of proteins.Results: At 3, 6, 12, and 24 µg/mL exposure, DEN and DEN-HPβCD complex significantly affected apoptosis in HT-29 cells through the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and cyclin A in turn, and up-regulation of Bax, p53, p21, cytochrome c at both protein and mRNA levels. DEN and DEN-HPβCD complex also decreased cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and induced caspases-3, -8, and -9.Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that the apoptotic pathway caused by DEN and DEN-HPβCD complex are mediated by the regulation of caspases and Bcl-2 families in human colon HT-29 cancer cells. The results also suggest that DEN-HPβCD complex may have chemotherapeutic benefits for colon cancer patients. Keywords: natural products, HPβCD, apoptosis, pro-apoptotic proteins, anti-apoptotic protein