Anti-malarial activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Piliostigma thonningii Schum. (Caesalpiniacea) in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei berghei

Piliostigma thonningii Schum. (Caesalpiniacea) is used traditionally in the management of fever, cough, wounds and various ulceration. Oral acute toxicity of the ethanolic leaf extract of Piliostigma thorningii was evaluated in mice using modified Lorke’s method. The ethanolic leaf extract was evaluated for in vivo anti plasmodial activity against chloroquine sensitive strain of Plasmodium berghei berghei NK65 in mice. Four day suppressive, curative effect against established infection and prophylactic models of anti plasmodial studies were carried out. The oral median lethal dose was determined to be 3807.89 mg/kg body weight. The extract (100,200 and 400 mg/kg) exerted dose dependent chemo suppressive effects at the different levels of the infections tested. However the anti-plasmodial effect of chloroquine at 5 mg/kg body weight was higher than the extract in all the test models. Thi

Attitudes and Acceptance of Nigerians Towards Vasectomy- A Comparison of Married Men and Women in Lagos

Background: Nigeria with a growth rate of 28%, accounts for over two thirds of the West African population. It also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with contraceptive prevalence among married couples less than 10%. Despite its safety and efficacy vasectomy appears to be unpopular in our environment.Objective: To assess the perception and acceptance of married men and women towards vasectomy and the influence of the spouse on the man’s decision to accept or reject vasectomy.Design: A cross sectional questionnaire based study.Setting: With an estimated population of 20 million, Lagos is the most cosmopolitan and urbanised city in Nigeria and accounts for 65% of all commercial activities in the country. Virtually all the tribes in Nigeria are represented in the city.Subjects: Literate pregnant women recruited from the antenatal clinics and literate new fathers. All subjects were recruited from three health facilities in the Lagos metropolis.Results: Twenty seven point five and twenty one percent of the men and women respectively had a good Knowledge of vasectomy while 49.1% and 19% of all men and women respectively with good knowledge would accept vasectomy (or agree for their spouses to have the procedure). Overall acceptance rates for men and women were 26 and 13.5% respectively while 92% of men who can opt for vasectomy will only do so if their spouses agree. Knowledge about vasectomy was the strongest single factor  influencing the acceptance of vasectomy (p= 0.013) with stronger  correlation among men than women (p=0.005 vrs p=.0.023).Conclusion: Knowledge and acceptance of vasectomy is significantly better in males than female Nigerians living in Lagos

Antipyretic and analgesic activities of aqueous extract of Acacia nilotica root

This study was designed to investigate the scientific basis for the use of Acacia nilotica root extract for treatment of fever and pain in traditional medical practice. Anti-Pyretic study was carried out using Brewerʼs yeast suspension to induce pyrexia. The hot plate, tail immersion and acetic acid-induced writhing tests were the nociceptive models used for analgesic study. Anti-pyretic and analgesic activity of the extract was compared with acetaminophen that was used as control drug. Five groups comprising five animals per group were used for each study. Group 1 was administered 10 ml/kg body weight of distilled water, Group 2 was administered 150 mg/kg body weight of acetaminophen while groups 3, 4 and 5 were administered 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of extract respectively as single oral dose. The extract produced significant dose-dependent reduction in rectal temperature of rats at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight. Significant analgesic activities were also observed in the hot plate, tail immersion and acetic acid induced writhing, after administration of 200 and 400 mg/kg b.w of extract which is comparable to the control drug, acetaminophen. The results from this study showed that aqueous extract of Acacia nilotica root at 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight possess significant antipyretic and analgesic activities. This provides scientific support for its traditional medical use in the treatment of fever and pain.Keywords: Antipyrexia, Analgesia, Acacia nilotica, Brewerʼs yeast

Identification and Characterisation of Major Hydrocarbons in Thermally Degraded Low Density Polyethylene Films

The vast application of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) in packaging, greenhouses, homes etc has led to its huge accumulation as a municipal solid waste with monumental health, economic and environmental consequences. Since these are non-biodegradable and their photodegradation occurs only over a very long period, their economic conversion to energy products through pyrolysis is the thrust of this study. LDPE sample collected from the University of Ilorin Community was thermally degraded in a pyrolyser at temperatures ranging from 203 – 400 oC. The products of pyrolysis were in three (3) states of matter and both the liquid and solid products were analysed using FTIR to determine the functional groups and GC- MS for the hydrocarbons present in the products. For the GC-MS analysis, the peaks that had 90% above quality when compared with the compounds in the installed NIST11 library were reported. There were alkanes, alkenes, halogenated alkanes, and very few aromatics in the liquid product and, the hydrocarbons were observed to range between C10 - C27. The FTIR and GC-MS results show the potential of the oil obtained as renewable source of energy while that for residue shows its inherent energy content. The liquid product was refluxed over molecular sieve catalyst (US 2882244A) and the calorific value was found to increase from 13,974 kJ/kg to 15,815.52 kJ/kg and this is found to be comparable to the range for lignite and dry wood. Key words: environmental pollution, solid wastes, LDPE, pyrolysis, hydrocarbons, Calorific value

Influence of Anti-Plasmodial Metal Complex on Rumen Microbial Populations and Serum Parameters in Sheep

A locally synthesized transition metal complex, cobalt-lumefantrine was assessed through laboratory and feeding trials to ascertain its usefulness as an agent for manipulation of the rumen in sheep grazing tropical pasture. The antimicrobial properties of the metal complex were examined on fresh rumen fluids at different concentrations (0, 0.010, 0.025 and 0.050 mg metal complex/50 ml) to estimate the optimum dosage for the sheep. Thereafter, twelve adult male sheep (11.27 ± 0.62 kg, initial body weight) were divided into three similar treatment groups. Sheep were drenched individually with 2.5 mg metal complex/head dissolved in 10 ml distilled water, either once or at two-week interval over 28 days. The control group received water without the metal complex. Total protozoa population was lowest (P < 0.05) when 50 ml rumen sample was incubated with 0.025 mg cobaltlumefantrine metal complex. Serum alanine amino transferase, ALT (23.73 and 18.16 vs. 16.92 μg/L) and cholesterol (0.94 and 1.18 vs. 1.40 mmol/L) levels were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by the antiplasmodial metal complex treatments (single and repeated treatments vs. the control). It was concluded that 2.5 mg cobalt-lumefantrine complex treatment had no adverse effects on rumen pH, favourably modified rumen microbial populations and improved serum cholesterol level in the sheep.Keywords: Antiplasmodial, metal-complex, rumen, sheep

Generation of light-producing somatic-transgenic mice using adeno-associated virus vectors

© 2020, The Author(s). We have previously designed a library of lentiviral vectors to generate somatic-transgenic rodents to monitor signalling pathways in diseased organs using whole-body bioluminescence imaging, in conscious, freely moving rodents. We have now expanded this technology to adeno-associated viral vectors. We first explored bio-distribution by assessing GFP expression after neonatal intravenous delivery of AAV8. We observed widespread gene expression in, central and peripheral nervous system, liver, kidney and skeletal muscle. Next, we selected a constitutive SFFV promoter and NFκB binding sequence for bioluminescence and biosensor evaluation. An intravenous injection of AAV8 containing firefly luciferase and eGFP under transcriptional control of either element resulted in strong and persistent widespread luciferase expression. A single dose of LPS-induced a 10-fold increase in luciferase expression in AAV8-NFκB mice and immunohistochemistry revealed GFP expression in cells of astrocytic and neuronal morphology. Importantly, whole-body bioluminescence persisted up to 240 days. We have validated a novel biosensor technology in an AAV system by using an NFκB response element and revealed its potential to monitor signalling pathway in a non-invasive manner in a model of LPS-induced inflammation. This technology complements existing germline-transgenic models and may be applicable to other rodent disease models

Cancer mortality patterns in Ghana: a 10-year review of autopsies and hospital mortality

BACKGROUND: Cancer mortality pattern in Ghana has not been reviewed since 1953, and there are no population-based data available for cancer morbidity and mortality patterns in Ghana due to the absence of a population-based cancer registry anywhere in the country. METHODS: A retrospective review of autopsy records of Department of Pathology, and medical certificate of cause of death books from all the wards of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Accra, Ghana during the 10-year period 1991–2000 was done. RESULTS: The present study reviews 3659 cancer deaths at the KBTH over the 10-year period. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1. The mean age for females was 46.5 [Standard Deviation (SD), 20.8] years, whilst that of males was 47.8 (SD, 22.2) years. The median age was 48 years for females and 50 years for males.Both sexes showed a first peak in childhood, a drop in adolescence and young adulthood, and a second peak in the middle ages followed by a fall in the elderly, with the second peak occurring a decade earlier in females than in males. The commonest cause of cancer death in females was malignancies of the breast [Age-Standardized Cancer Ratio (ASCAR), 17.24%], followed closely by haematopoietic organs (14.69%), liver (10.97%) and cervix (8.47%). Whilst in males, the highest mortality was from the liver (21.15%), followed by prostate (17.35%), haematopoietic organs (15.57%), and stomach (7.26%). CONCLUSION: Considering the little information available on cancer patterns in Ghana, this combined autopsy and death certification data from the largest tertiary hospital is of considerable value in providing reliable information on the cancer patterns in Ghana

Treatment of persistent organic pollutants in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation in synergy with advanced oxidation process

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are very tenacious wastewater contaminants. The consequences of their existence have been acknowledged for negatively affecting the ecosystem with specific impact upon endocrine disruption and hormonal diseases in humans. Their recalcitrance and circumvention of nearly all the known wastewater treatment procedures are also well documented. The reported successes of POPs treatment using various advanced technologies are not without setbacks such as low degradation efficiency, generation of toxic intermediates, massive sludge production, and high energy expenditure and operational cost. However, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have recently recorded successes in the treatment of POPs in wastewater. AOPs are technologies which involve the generation of OH radicals for the purpose of oxidising recalcitrant organic contaminants to their inert end products. This review provides information on the existence of POPs and their effects on humans. Besides, the merits and demerits of various advanced treatment technologies as well as the synergistic efficiency of combined AOPs in the treatment of wastewater containing POPs was reported. A concise review of recently published studies on successful treatment of POPs in wastewater using hydrodynamic cavitation technology in combination with other advanced oxidation processes is presented with the highlight of direction for future research focus

Neurotoxic Effects of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Cannabis Sativa on the Visual Cortex of Adult Wistar Rats

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