Anti-Diarrheal Activity Of The Leaf Extracts Of Daniellia oliveri Hutch And Dalz (Fabaceae) And Ficus sycomorus Miq (Moraceae)

The leaves of the plants Daniellia oliveri (Fabaceae) and Ficus sycomorus (Moraceae) used in diarrhea treatment in Hausa ethnomedicine of Northern Nigeria were investigated. The study was carried out on parfused isolated rabbit jejunum and castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. The n-butanol extracts: NBD and NBF (0.16- 3.2mg/ml) caused a dose-dependent relaxation of isolated rabbit jejunum. The acute toxicity test for NBD and NBT in mice established an i.p LD50 of > 4000mg/kg for D. oliveri and 1131.4mg/kg for F. sycomorus . In castor oilinduced diarrhea, 80% protection was observed for D. oliveri at doses of 200mg/kg and 60% protection was observed at 100mg/kg and 50mg/kg respectively. For F. sycomorus 100% protection was observed at doses of 120mg/kg and 60mg/kg, for the n-butanol extract. The antidiarrheal activity was comparable to loperamide 5mg/kg. The result revealed that the extracts have pharmacological activity against diarrhea. Keywords: Anti-diarrhea,castor oil,n-butanol extracts,tissue relaxation.African Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Vol. 4 (4) 2007: pp. 524-52

A comparative evaluation of pentazocine and dipyrone on diazepam-induced sleep in mice

This work reports on the evaluation of pentazocine and dipyrone analgesics on diazepam-induced sleep in mice. Diazepam (10 mg/kg) administered intraperitoneally (ip) was used to determine the onset and duration of sleep in mice and the mean of both set values were calculated and recorded. Pentazocine 20, 30 and 50 mg/kg administered (ip) was found to significantly decrease the onset of diazepam (10 mg/kg) induced sleep dose dependently (

Two decades of neuroscience publication trends in Africa.

Neuroscience research in Africa remains sparse. Devising new policies to boost Africa's neuroscience landscape is imperative, but these must be based on accurate data on research outputs which is largely lacking. Such data must reflect the heterogeneity of research environments across the continent's 54 countries. Here, we analyse neuroscience publications affiliated with African institutions between 1996 and 2017. Of 12,326 PubMed indexed publications, 5,219 show clear evidence that the work was performed in Africa and led by African-based researchers - on average ~5 per country and year. From here, we extract information on journals and citations, funding, international coauthorships and techniques used. For reference, we also extract the same metrics from 220 randomly selected publications each from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Our dataset provides insights into the current state of African neuroscience research in a global context

A Phase II, Randomized Study on an Investigational DTPw-HBV/Hib-MenAC Conjugate Vaccine Administered to Infants in Northern Ghana

BACKGROUND: Combining meningococcal vaccination with routine immunization in infancy may reduce the burden of meningococcal meningitis, especially in the meningitis belt of Africa. We have evaluated the immunogenicity, persistence of immune response, immune memory and safety of an investigational DTPw-HBV/Hib-MenAC conjugate vaccine given to infants in Northern Ghana. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In this phase II, double blind, randomized, controlled study, 280 infants were primed with DTPw-HBV/Hib-MenAC or DTPw-HBV/Hib vaccines at 6, 10 and 14 weeks of age. At 12 months of age, children in each group received a challenge dose of serogroup A+C polysaccharides. Antibody responses were assessed pre, and one month-post dose 3 of the priming schedule and pre and 1 month after administration of the challenge dose. One month post-dose 3, 87.8% and 88.2% of subjects in the study group had bactericidal meningococcal serogroup A (SBA-MenA) and meningococcal serogroup C (SBA-MenC) antibody titres > or = 1:8 respectively. Seroprotection/seropositivity rates to the 5 antigens administered in the routine EPI schedule were non-inferior in children in the study group compared to those in the control group. The percentages of subjects in the study group with persisting SBA-MenA titres > or = 1:8 or SBA-MenC titres > or = 1:8 at the age of 12 months prior to challenge were significantly higher than in control group (47.7% vs 25.7% and 56.4% vs 5.1% respectively). The administration of 10 microg of serogroup A polysaccharide increased the SBA-MenA GMT by 14.0-fold in the DTPW-HBV/HibMenAC-group compared to a 3.8 fold increase in the control-group. Corresponding fold-increases in SBA-MenC titres following challenge with 10 microg of group C polysaccharide were 18.8 and 1.9 respectively. Reactogenicity following primary vaccination or the administration of the challenge dose was similar in both groups, except for swelling (Grade 3) after primary vaccination which was more frequent in children in the vaccine than in the control group (23.7%; 95%CI [19.6-28.1] of doses vs 14.1%; 95% CI [10.9-17.8] of doses). Fifty-nine SAEs (including 8 deaths), none of them related to vaccination, were reported during the entire study. CONCLUSIONS: Three dose primary vaccination with DTPw-HBV/Hib-MenAC was non-inferior to DTPw-HBV/Hib for the 5 common antigens used in the routine EPI schedule and induced bactericidal antibodies against Neisseria meningitidis of serogroups A and C in the majority of infants. Serogroup A and C bactericidal antibody levels had fallen below titres associated with protection in nearly half of the infants by the age of 12 months confirming that a booster dose is required at about that age. An enhanced memory response was shown after polysaccharide challenge. This vaccine could provide protection against 7 important childhood diseases (including meningococcal A and C) and be of particular value in countries of the African meningitis belt. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN35754083

The attitude of medical students towards otorhinolaryngology

Background: Otorhinolaryngology is under-represented in most undergraduate curricula. This work aims to determine the interest and attitude of medical students towards otorhinolaryngology both as a contribution to medical practice and as a specialty.Methods: A questionnaire based cross-sectional study in which validated questionnaires were administered to medical students who have gone through postings in otorhinolaryngology eliciting information regarding demographic data and attitude towards the specialty and postgraduate career choices.Results: One hundred and fifty six students aged 20 to 34 years (mean=25.4; SD= +/-2.3) were studied (constituting 113 males and 43 females with a male to female ratio of 2.6:1). Seventy-eight (50%) students found otolaryngology interesting as a course with 8 (5.5%) students opting to specialize in it comprising 2 (1.3%) as second career choice and 6 (4.2%) as third career choice while 49 (31.6%) were still undecided. One hundred and nineteen (76.3%) students agreed their postings were beneficial to their training with 68 (43.6%) agreeing the present mode of teaching otorhinolaryngology was adequate.Conclusion: Medical students find otorhinolaryngology beneficial to their training but would not opt for it as a postgraduate career choice. Efforts should be made to improve the current mode of undergraduate otorhinolaryngology training to improve its interest amongst medical students invariably improving the number of otorhinolaryngologists in Nigeria.Keywords: Otorhinolaryngology; Medical students; Attitudes; Jo

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the saponins extract of Carissa edulis root in rodents

The saponins extract of Carissa edulis Vahl family Apocynaceae was investigated for analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The analgesic activity was studied using hot-plate and acetic acid-induced writhing tests in mice while the anti-inflammatory activity was studied using carrageenan-induced paw oedema test in rats. The saponins extract at all the doses tested showed statistically significant analgesic activity (