Integrated Marketing Communication Tools and Customers’ Perception and Attitudes to the Brands of Selected Nigerian Banks

Previous studies have established that Africa has been largely silent on the theoretical and practical conversation on integrated marketing communication (IMC) and its deployment in various industries. As a matter of fact, such studies have noted that this silence is especially noticeable in research on IMC and the banking industry. This study sought to bridge this gap by examining the deployment of IMC tools by four banks in reaching their customers, providing information and ensuring that customers have a positive perception and attitude to the banks and their products and services. Findings of the study show that these banks use IMC media and tools to communicate with their customers and this deployment is positively influencing how customers see and engage with their banks. The positive correlation between IMC media and tools and customers’ perception and attitude to the four banks has extended the conversation on the usefulness and currency of IMC in the banking industry in Nigeria

Antioxidative and Chemopreventive Properties of Vernonia amygdalina and Garcinia biflavonoid

Recently, considerable attention has been focused on dietary and medicinal phytochemicals that inhibit, reverse or retard diseases caused by oxidative and inflammatory processes. Vernonia amygdalina is a perennial herb belonging to the Asteraceae family. Extracts of the plant have been used in various folk medicines as remedies against helminthic, protozoal and bacterial infections with scientific support for these claims. Phytochemicals such as saponins and alkaloids, terpenes, steroids, coumarins, flavonoids, phenolic acids, lignans, xanthones, anthraquinones, edotides and sesquiterpenes have been extracted and isolated from Vernonia amygdalina. These compounds elicit various biological effects including cancer chemoprevention. Garcinia kola (Guttiferae) seed, known as “bitter kola”, plays an important role in African ethnomedicine and traditional hospitality. It is used locally to treat illnesses like colds, bronchitis, bacterial and viral infections and liver diseases. A number of useful phytochemicals have been isolated from the seed and the most prominent of them is the Garcinia bioflavonoids mixture called kolaviron. It has well-defined structure and an array of biological activities including antioxidant, antidiabetic, antigenotoxic and hepatoprotective properties. The chemopreventive properties of Vernonia amygdalina and Garcinia biflavonoids have been attributed to their abilities to scavenge free radicals, induce detoxification, inhibit stress response proteins and interfere with DNA binding activities of some transcription factors

In Vitro Antioxidant Properties of Methanolic Leaf Extract of Vernonia Amygdalina Del

Various methods employed in evaluating antioxidant activities of various samples gives varying results depending on the specificity of the free radical or oxidant used as a reactant. This study investigated the antioxidant /radical scavenging properties of the methanolic extract of Vernonia amygdalina (MEVA) leaves and studied the relationship between the assay methods. Antioxidant capacity of MEVA was evaluated by measuring the radical scavenging activity (RSA) of MEVA on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•), nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (HP), hydroxyl radical (OH•) scavenging activity (HRSA), lipid peroxidation inhibition activity (LPIA) against 2,2,-azobis(2-amidinopropane) hydrochloride (AAPH) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC) of MEVA against 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS+) radicals as well as the reducing power (RP). Assay methods were subjected to regression analysis and their correlation coefficients calculated. Results were analysed using student‟s t-test and ANOVA. MEVA exhibited highest percentage RSA of 85.8% on HP, followed by DPPH• (29.6%), OH• (26.4%) and least on NO• (21.8%). MEVA inhibited AAPH-induced lipid peroxidation by 30.0% and ABTS-induced radical by 1489% with a marked RP of 0.242±0.01. DPPH correlated excellently with RP (r2 = 0.86), TEAC (r2 = 0.94) and HRSA (r2 = 0.89), the four having good relationship with each other, while LPIA correlated moderately with HP (r2 = 0.48 and NO (r2 = 0.34). MEVA exhibited significant free radical scavenging and antioxidant activities. The assay methods correlates very well and could therefore be employed for investigating and understanding antioxidant properties and scavenging activities of plant materials.Keywords: Antioxidants, assay methods, correlation coefficient, free radicals, radical scavenging activity, Vernonia amygdalin

Evaluation of toxic effects of metformin hydrochloride and glibenclamide on some organs of male rats

Summary: Metformin hydrochloride (MET) and glibenclamide (GB) are used in the management of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). This study was designed to investigate the toxic effect of MET and GB in the Liver, kidney and testis of rats. Twenty one rats were divided into three groups of seven rats each; group 1 served as control, groups 2 and 3 received GB and MET at doses of 5 and 30 mg/kg, respectively, for 21 days by oral gavage. Results indicate that MET and GB treatment did not affect body weight-gain in the rats. Also, there were no treatment-related changes in the absolute and relative weights of liver, kidney, and testis in MET and GB-treated rats relative to controls. However, significant increase (p<0.05) in testicular lipid peroxidation levels were accompanied by reduction in epididymal sperm count and motility in MET and GB-treated rats, whereas sperm live/dead ratio was unaffected. Specifically, MET and GB decreased sperm count and motility by 34%, 31% and 25%, 28%, respectively. Activities of hepatic and renal superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), serum alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase and alanine aminotransferase were not significantly (p>0.05) affected in MET and GB-treated rats, whereas testicular SOD, CAT, glutathione, serum aspartate aminotransferase and conjugated bilirubin were markedly affected by MET treatment. Histopathological results showed marked necrosis, degeneration of seminiferous tubules and defoliation of spermatocytes in testis of MET-treated rats. Taken together, MET and GB induced lipid peroxidation, affected seminal qualities and decreased antioxidant status. These drugs may interfere with normal biochemical processes in testis and liver of the rats.Keywords: Toxicity, Diabetes, Glibenclamide, Metformin

Enhanced production of succinic acid from methanol-organosolv pretreated Strophanthus preussii by recombinant Escherichia coli

A biorefinery process for high yield production of succinic acid from biomass sugars was investigated using recombinant Escherichia coli. The major problem been addressed is utilization of waste biomass for the production of succinic acid using metabolic engineering strategy. Here, methanol extract of Strophanthus preussii was used for fermentation. The process parameters were ptimized. Glucose (9 g/L), galactose (4 g/L), xylose (6 g/L) and arabinose (0.5 g/L) were the major sugars present in the methanol extract of S. preussii. E. coli K3OS with overexpression of soluble nucleotide pyridine transhydrogenase sthA and mutation of lactate dehydrogenase A (ldhA), phosphotransacetylase acetate kinase A (pta-ackA), pyruvate formate lyase B (pflB), pyruvate oxidase B (poxB), produced a final succinic acid concentration of 14.40 g/L and yield of 1.10 mol/mol total sugars after 72 h dual-phase fermentation in M9 medium. Here, we show that the maximum theoretical yield using methanol extracts of S. preussii was 64%. Hence, methanol extract of S. preussii could be used for the production of biochemicals such as succinate, malate and pyruvate