Antioxidant Properties of Phenolic Extracts of African Mistletoes (Loranthus begwensis L.) from Kolanut and Breadfruit Trees

Mistletoe (Loranthus begwensis L.) has been used ethno-botanically for the management of several tropical diseases for centuries; and the medicinal properties have been associated with their host plant. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the antioxidant properties of mistletoe from two host plants (breadfruit and kolanut trees). The result of the study revealed that mistletoe from kolanut tree (0.69 mg/g) had higher total phenol content than that of breadfruit tree (0.49 mg/g). Furthermore, the extracts chelate Fe2+ and scavenge DPPH radicals in a dose-dependent (0 – 30 mg/ml) pattern. Nevertheless, the EC50 revealed mistletoes from kolanut as having higher DPPH scavenging (15.77mg/ml) than that of breadfruit (16.29mg/ml), while L.begwensis from Breadfruit tree had higher Fe2+ chelating ability (1.97mg/ml) than that of Kolanut tree (2.23mg/ml). Likewise, mistletoe from kolanut (27.5mg/AAE g) had higher ferric reducing ability (FRAP) than that of breadfruit (22.0mg/AAE g). Although both mistletoe extracts showed promise as good antioxidant sources, the total phenol content and the antioxidant capacity pattern of the extracts suggest host dependency. Keywords: antioxidant, breadfruit tree, kolanut tree, Loranthus begwensis L

Behavioral and Biochemical Indices of Neurotoxicity in Jimson weed Administered Rats

This study examined the effect of alkaloid extracts from leaf and fruit of Jimson weed (Datura stramonium L; a toxic food contaminant of global reputation) on cognitive function, antioxidant status and activities of critical enzymes of monoaminergic and cholinergic systems of neurotransmission in rats. Alkaloid extracts were prepared by solvent extraction method. The gas chromatograph coupled with mass spectroscopic (GC-MS) characterization of the extracts was also carried out. Thereafter, rats were administered 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight (p.o) of extracts for thirty days. Prior to termination of the experiment, the rats were subjected to spontaneous alternation and hole-board behavioral tests. Thereafter, rats were sacrificed and activities of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), monoamine oxidase (MAO) and antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and catalase), as well as malondialdehyde (MDA) and total thiol (TSH) contents of their brain homogenates were determined. The results showed that rats administered the extracts exhibited reduced memory index and also exhibited increased level of anxiety-like behavior. Furthermore, rats administered the extracts exhibited significantly reduced levels of brain AChE, MAO, SOD, catalase and GST activities, reduced amount of brain TSH and elevated brain MDA content compared to control. Results from the GC-MS characterization revealed the presence of hyoscyamine (atropine), scopolamine, amphetamine, cathine, phenlyephirine and Tropine trifluoroacetate among others in the extracts. Therefore, the alterations in cholinergic, monoaminergic and antioxidant systems in brain of rats administered fruit and leaf alkaloid extracts of Jimson weed could be one of the major biochemical mechanisms underlying their ability to induce impairment of cognitive functions which could be significantly linked to their constituent alkaloids

EFFECTS OF DRYING METHODS ON THE ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF PHENOLIC-RICH EXTRACTS OF AFRICAN MISTLETOE (LORANTHUS BEGWENSIS L.) LEAVES FROM ALMOND AND KOLANUT HOST TREES.

Staff PublicationAfrican mistletoe (Loranthus begwensis L.) has been employed in sub-Sahara African folklore for the treatment of many degenerative diseases owing to its strong antioxidant properties. It has been reported that drying methods play an important role in herbs production. This study sought to investigate the most appropriate drying method by assessing the influence of these drying methods on the antioxidant properties of the leaves. Fresh leaves obtained from almond and kolanut host trees were subjected to oven drying, sun drying and air drying respectively after which the phenolic extraction was carried out. The influence of these drying methods on the total phenol and total flavonoid content as well as antioxidant properties (NO*, OH*, DPPH* scavenging and Fe2+ Chelating abilities) were assessed using standard methods. The total phenol ranged from 19.38 mg.GAE/100 g (Kolanut air-dried) to 39.47 mg.GAE/100 g (Almond oven-dried), while the flavonoid content ranged from 8.70 mg.QUE/100 g (Almond air-dried) to 21.81 mg.QUE/100 g (Almond oven-dried). In addition, all extracts scavenged DPPH [786.16 µg/ml (Almond oven-dried) to 1179.25 µg/ml (Kolanut air-dried)], NO [584.11 µg/ml (Almond oven-dried) to 1054.85 µg/ml (Kolanut air-dried)] and OH [404.86 µg/ml (Almond oven-dried) to 784.93 µg/ml (Kolanut air-dried)] radicals in dose-dependent manner as well as chelate Fe2+[377.64 µg/ml (Almond oven-dried) to 593.82 µg/ml (Kolanut air-dried)]. This study revealed that oven drying is the best method for mistletoe leaves obtained from almond host tree while sun drying is the best for mistletoe leaves obtained from Kolanut host tree as exemplified by their radical scavenging abilities and total phenolic compounds. Thus, diversity in drying methods leads to different loss of phenolic compounds and antioxidant property, suggesting that each plant family needs a special drying meth

Comparative Physiognomies of Crude Oil and Petroleum Products from Kwale in Delta State, Nembe, and Kula in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

This paper investigated selected physiognomies of crude oil and petroleum products collected from Kali in Delta State, Kula in Rivers State, and Nembe in Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria using the standard procedure of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The result shows that the crude oils were different in terms of API gravity and specific gravity. API gravity of 52.17, 46.31, and 45.38 for Kwale, Kula, and Nembe respectively. This shows that they are not heavy crude oil. The low water content and low viscosity of the crude oils lower the risk of pipe and container corrosion and flow difficulty. The result of density, specific gravity, viscosity, and kinematic viscosity shows the value of those parameters increase from light fraction to heavy fraction. The pour point and flash point recorded for light fractions were lowered than that of heavy fractions, for the three samples of crude oil. The flash point is 61.30 C, -340 C, and -310 C while the pour point is 9 0 C, 20 C, and 6 0 C respectively for Kwale, Kula, and Nembe. The level of heavy metal analyzed was generally low but metals such as nickel and vanadium and other elements such as Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Sulphur were in abundance in the samples of the crude oil. The results are discussed in terms of importance and implication

Skin Cancers Among Albinos at a University Teaching Hospital in Northwestern Tanzania: A Retrospective Review of 64 Cases.

Skin cancers are a major risk associated with albinism and are thought to be a major cause of death in African albinos. The challenges associated with the care of these patients are numerous and need to be addressed. The aim of this study was to outline the pattern and treatment outcome of skin cancers among albinos treated at our centre and to highlight challenges associated with the care of these patients and proffer solutions for improved outcome. This was a retrospective study of all albinos with a histopathological diagnosis of skin cancer seen at Bugando Medical Centre from March 2001 to February 2010. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A total of 64 patients were studied. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1. The median age of patients was 30 years. The median duration of illness at presentation was 24 months. The commonest reason for late presentation was financial problem. Head and the neck was the most frequent site afflicted in 46(71.8%) patients. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common histopathological type in 75% of cases. Surgical operation was the commonest modality of treatment in 60 (93.8%) patients. Radiotherapy was given in 24(37.5%) patients. Twenty-seven (42.2%) of the patients did not complete their treatment due to lack of funds. Local recurrence following surgical treatment was recorded in 6 (30.0%) patients. Only thirty-seven (61.7%) patients were available for follow-up at 6-12 months and the remaining patients were lost to follow-up. Skin cancers are the most common cancers among albinos in our environment. Albinism and exposure to ultraviolet light appears to be the most important risk factor in the development of these cancers. Late presentation and failure to complete treatment due to financial difficulties and lack of radiotherapy services at our centre are major challenges in the care of these patients. Early institution of preventive measures, early presentation and treatment, and follow-up should be encouraged in this population for better outcome

Adaptation of a Smoking Cessation and Prevention Website for Urban American Indian/Alaska Native Youth

Tobacco use among American Indian youth is a disproportionately significant problem. We adapted and modified an existing web-based and youth-focused tobacco control program to make it appropriate for young urban American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The results of the focus group indicate that AI/AN youth were very receptive to the use of a web-based Zine-style intervention tool. They wanted the look and feel of the website to be more oriented toward their cultural images. Future research should examine if successful programs for reducing non-ceremonial tobacco use among urban AI/AN youth can keep young irregular smokers from becoming adult smokers

Changing housing policies and housing provision in Jos, Nigeria

Nigeria's housing problems have persisted regardless of changes in policy, strategies, actions and instruments. This study examines housing policy changes and factors that influence housing supply outcomes at the local level. The study reviews the state of housing provision in the national context. The focus is then turned to the city of Jos in north-central Nigeria, where institutional arrangements for the provision of housing are critically examined. Primary data was obtained through interviews with industry role players (government officers and house builders) and the views of people were sampled through a questionnaire survey. This data was then combined with secondary source material to examine financial mechanisms, subsidy provision and local-level organisational frameworks for partnership. The findings suggest that a shift from a state-led to an enabling approach for housing did stimulate the activities of private house-builders and primary mortgage institutions. However, their activities are not spread across the regions of Nigeria. The issue of equitable allocation of public housing across the regions of Nigeria by the federal agencies has not been addressed by the enabling policy framework. Further, the idea of decentralisation of housing provision was introduced but did not result in the formulation of strategies by the local authorities in Jos. The national housing policy itself appears to be ambiguous and difficult to implement by the authorities in Jos. The ambiguities arose because there is a lack of policy enforcement mechanism, political commitment, and a poor local organisation and coordination framework. These failures create uncertainties and risks for private house builders that partnered the government to access finance and subsidies for the provision of low-income housing in Jos. Also, there is limited participation of households due to lack of awareness on public policies. On the basis of the study's findings, some policy recommendations are made

Challenges and opportunities in the design and construction of a GIS-based emission inventory infrastructure for the Niger Delta region of Nigeria

© 2017, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Environmental monitoring in middle- and low-income countries is hampered by many factors which include enactment and enforcement of legislations; deficiencies in environmental data reporting and documentation; inconsistent, incomplete and unverifiable data; a lack of access to data; and technical expertise. This paper describes the processes undertaken and the major challenges encountered in the construction of the first Niger Delta Emission Inventory (NDEI) for criteria air pollutants and CO2 released from the anthropogenic activities in the region. This study focused on using publicly available government and research data. The NDEI has been designed to provide a Geographic Information System-based component of an air quality and carbon management framework. The NDEI infrastructure was designed and constructed at 1-, 10- and 20-km grid resolutions for point, line and area sources using industry standard processes and emission factors derived from activities similar to those in the Niger Delta. Due to inadequate, incomplete, potentially inaccurate and unavailable data, the infrastructure was populated with data based on a series of best possible assumptions for key emission sources. This produces outputs with variable levels of certainty, which also highlights the critical challenges in the estimation of emissions from a developing country. However, the infrastructure is functional and has the ability to produce spatially resolved emission estimates