Phytochemical Screening and in Vitro Antioxidant Activity of Parkia biglobosa Extract

Parkia biglobosa leaves have popular folkloric ethnomedicinal use in the treatment of many diseases especially among the South-Western people of Nigeria. The present study was undertaken to find the antioxidant value of aqeous-methanolic extract of Parkia biglobosa leaf by investigating its phytochemicals and invitro antioxidant potentials. Antioxidant activity of extract was screened for by measuring its total flavonoid and total phenol content, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing property. Phytochemical screening was carried out on extract by standard method. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of saponins, flavonoids, tannins and cardiac glycosides. The total phenol and flavonoid contents are 144.18 mg gallic acid equivalent/g extract and 256.858mg Quercetin equivalent/g extract respectively. The extract showed considerably high and dose-dependent DPPH radical scavenging and ferric reducing property comparable with the respective standards, Quercetin and Ascorbic acid. The results of this study reveal that Parkia biglobosa leaf extract possess significant antioxidant properties and could be exploited as source of antioxidant additives. Keywords: Parkia biglobosa, phytochemicals, Antioxidant activit

Comparative Studies on Some Anti-Nutritional Factors in Seeds of Mucuna Pruriens (Velvet Beans) and Sphenostylis Stenocarpa (African Yam Beans)

The concentrations of some anti-nutritional factors present in seeds of Mucuna pruriens (velvet beans) and those of Sphenostylis stenocarpa (african yam beans) were determined.  The seeds of Mucuna pruriens were found to contain Saponin: 0.30mg/100g, Phytate: 8.33mg/100g, Oxalate: 28.79mg/100g, Cyanogenic glucoside: 9.80mg/100g, Tannin:0.26mg/100g while the seed of Sphenostylis stenocarpa were found to contain Saponin: 0.17mg/100g, Phytate: 6.63mg/100g, Oxalate: 16.33mg/100g, Cyanogenic glucoside: 17.80mg/100g and Tannin: 1.22mg/100g.  Consequently, Mucuna pruriens seeds have lower concentration of Cyanogenic glucoside (9.80mg/100g) than Sphenostylis stenocarpa (17.80mg/100g) and this may make the seeds of Mucuna pruriens (velvet beans) more fit for consumption because cyanogenic glucoside appears to be the most toxic of all the anti-nutrients studied. Keywords: Sphenostylis stenocarpa, Mucuna pruriens, Saponin, Oxalate, Phytate, Cyanogenic glucoside, Tannin

Synthesis, spectroscopic, and density functional theory studies of the corrosion inhibitive behaviour of n-(1,4-dihydro-1,4-dioxonaphthalene-3-yl)pyrazine-2-carboxamide chelator-ligand

The inhibitory effect of N-(1,4-dihydro-1,4-dioxonaphthalene-3-yl) pyrazine-2-carboxamide (HL chelator) on the corrosion of mild steel (Ms) in 1M HCl remained appraised via weight loss (WL) estimations, atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and computational studies. The adsorption of the appraised ligand remained found to conform to Langmuir adsorption isotherm (LAI). The data acquired for ΔGads denotes chemisorption adsorption mechanism for the inhibitor while acquired AAS analysis results revealed that the concentration of iron in the inhibited corrosive medium is less than the concentration of iron in the uninhibited solution after immersion with Ms at the same contact time and was also observed to reduce with upsurge in concentration of the inhibitor. SEM micrographs acquired revealed that the existence of the studied compound lessened the degree of corrosion in addition to decreased surface roughness signifying establishment of protective inhibitor film at the Ms surface. The energy of highest occupied molecular orbital (EHOMO) as well as energy of lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (ELUMO) remained estimated via density functional theory (DFT) method from which other parameters were determined. The results acquired from computational studies were in conformity with those from experimental studies and both validate the use of HL chelator as an excellent and efficient inhibitor for the corrosion of Ms in 1 M HCl

Barriers to utilization of cervical cancer screening services among non-medical female personnel in tertiary hospitals in south west Nigeria.

Context: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women and contributes significantly to cancer related deaths among women worldwide. Women knowledge and practice of screening for pre malignant lesions vary significantly. Studies on this subject had focused mostly on either medically informed health care workers or lay community persons but hardly on non-medically informed hospital workers who forms the bulk of health workers and influences health behaviors equally or even more.Objectives: To assess women's knowledge, attitude and practices towards cervical cancer screening and the barriers to utilizing cervical cancer screening services among non-medical female personnel in two tertiary centers in South West NigeriaStudy Design. Setting and Subjects: The study is a deseriptive cross-sectional study among female nonmedical personnel in OOUTH Sagamu and LAUTECH Ogbomosho in southwestern Nigeria. A self administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 280 women, which was analyzed using SPSS 21 statistical software.Main Outcome Measures: The study measured knowledge, practices and barriers to utilization of screening services.Results: Awareness is 84.3% and knowledge of screening is 77.5%. Utilization rate is low at 15%; indecision, 32 .4% feeling of good health, 28.2% and fear of positive results, 18.1 % are the main reasons for not screening. Low level of education and poor knowledge orthe disease are discovered as the most significant barriers and determinants of utilization Conclusion and Recommendation: Women education in context specific terms is recommended as the intervention to improve screening practices amongst women of reproductive age group

The use of imagery in global health: an analysis of infectious disease documents and a framework to guide practice

We report an empirical analysis of the use of imagery by the key actors in global health who set policy and strategy, and we provide a comprehensive overview, particularly related to images used in reports on vaccination and antimicrobial resistance. The narrative currently depicted in imagery is one of power imbalances, depicting women and children from low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) with less dignity, respect, and power than those from high-income countries. The absence of any evidence of consent for using intrusive and out-of-context images, particularly of children in LMICs, is concerning. The framework we have developed provides a platform for global health actors to redefine their intentions and recommission appropriate images that are relevant to the topic, respect the integrity of all individuals depicted, are accompanied by evidence of consent, and are equitable in representation. Adhering to these standards will help to avoid inherent biases that lead to insensitive content and misrepresentation, stigmatisation, and racial stereotyping

Typhoid and paratyphoid cost of illness in Pakistan: Patient and health facility costs from the surveillance for enteric fever in Asia project II

Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the cost of illness from enteric fever (typhoid and paratyphoid) at selected sites in Pakistan.Methods: We implemented a cost-of-illness study in 4 hospitals as part of the Surveillance for Enteric Fever in Asia Project (SEAP) II in Pakistan. From the patient and caregiver perspective, we collected direct medical, nonmedical, and indirect costs per case of enteric fever incurred since illness onset by phone after enrollment and 6 weeks later. From the health care provider perspective, we collected data on quantities and prices of resources used at 3 of the hospitals, to estimate the direct medical economic costs to treat a case of enteric fever. We collected costs in Pakistani rupees and converted them into 2018 US dollars. We multiplied the unit cost per procedure by the frequency of procedures in the surveillance case cohort to calculate the average cost per case.Results: We collected patient and caregiver information for 1029 patients with blood culture-confirmed enteric fever or with a nontraumatic terminal ileal perforation, with a median cost of illness per case of US $196.37 (IQR, US$72.89-496.40). The median direct medical and nonmedical costs represented 8.2% of the annual labor income. From the health care provider perspective, the estimated average direct medical cost per case was US $50.88 at Hospital A, US$52.24 at Hospital B, and US $11.73 at Hospital C.Conclusions: Enteric fever can impose a considerable economic burden in Pakistan. These new estimates of the cost of illness of enteric fever can improve evaluation and modeling of the costs and benefits of enteric fever prevention and control measures, including typhoid conjugate vaccines

Health Systems Global, the new international society for health systems research

I see starting a new international society for health systems research as a step towards renewing our collective commitment to global health goals; in particular I see the proposed society as marking a commitment to equitable universal health care. From my perspective it is important that we are clear on the values that underpin the development of this new society. In addition, the society needs a clear strategy to help achieve this goal, in particular we need to first identify who is the target audience or constituency for the society; and second, the tools through which the society will work and how the society will engage with its audience.Fil: Kraushaar, D.. No especifíca;Fil: Kieny, M. P.. Organizacion Mundial de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Lazarus, J. V.. Health Systems Global; Estados UnidosFil: Bermejo, R.. University Of The Philippines; FilipinasFil: Abimbola, S.. National Primary Health Care Development Agency; NigeriaFil: Prashanth, N.. Institute Of Public Health; IndiaFil: Flores, W.. Center For The Study Of Equity And Governance In Health; GuatemalaFil: Freddie Ssengooba. Makerere University School Of Public Health; UgandaFil: Maceira, Daniel Alejandro. Centro de Estudios de Estado y Sociedad; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Interrelationships Between Pituitary Hormones as Assessed From 24-hour Serum Concentrations in Healthy Older Subjects

Context: Hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-target gland axes are mostly investigated separately, whereas the interplay between hormones might be as important as each separate hormonal axis.Objective: Our aim is to determine the interrelationships between GH, TSH, ACTH, and cortisol in healthy older individuals.Design: We made use of 24-hour hormone serum concentrations assessed with intervals of 10 minutes from 38 healthy older individuals with a mean age (SD) of 65.1 (5.1) years from the Leiden Longevity Study. Cross-correlation analyses were performed to assess the relative strength between 2 24-hour hormone serum concentration series for all possible time shifts. Cross-approximate entropy was used to assess pattern synchronicity between 2 24-hour hormone serum concentration series.Results: Within an interlinked hormonal axis, ACTH and cortisol were positively correlated with a mean (95% confidence interval) correlation coefficient of 0.78 (0.74-0.81) with cortisol following ACTH concentrations with a delay of 10 minutes. Between different hormonal axes, we observed a negative correlation coefficient between cortisol and TSH of -0.30 (-0.36 to -0.25) with TSH following cortisol concentrations with a delay of 170 minutes. Furthermore, a positive mean (95% confidence interval) correlation coefficient of 0.29 (0.22-0.37) was found between TSH and GH concentrations without any delay. Moreover, cross-approximate entropy analyses showed that GH and cortisol exhibit synchronous serum concentration patterns.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that interrelations between hormones from interlinked as well as different hypothalamic-pituitary-target gland axes are observed in healthy older individuals. More research is needed to determine the biological meaning and clinical consequences of these observations.Pathophysiology, epidemiology and therapy of agein