In vivo evaluation of antiplasmodial activity of hydroethanolic stem extract of Baphia pubescens in Plasmodium berghei infected albino mice

Introduction: Malaria is a global concern especially with the emergence of multidrug resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. The need exist for newer and effective antimalarial agents. Hydroethanolic stem extract of Baphia pubescens has been used for the treatment of malaria in traditional medical settings. This study explores the antimalarial potential of this extract. Methods: The lethal dose of hydroethanolic stem extracts of B. pubescens was determined. Phytochemical screening of the extract was done using standard methods. Experimental animals received graded doses of the extract once daily for 3 days. In vivo antiplasmodial activity was assessed by the Rane’s curative test, using P. berghei infected mice. Results: The extract demonstrated a dose-dependent curative activity at the tested doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg). Complete (100%) parasite clearance was achieved (on day 4 post-treatment) at 400 mg/kg dose, which is greater than the standard drug used (artemether-lumefantrine). The extract is considered safe since the lethal dose was higher than 5000 mg/kg. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that hydroethanolic extracts of B. pubescens has promising antimalarial activity. This supports the local use of B. pubescens as an anti-malarial agent. Further studies need to be done to identify and characterize the active principles/substances in the extract

Integration of LaTeX formula in computer-based test application for academic purposes

LaTeX is a free document preparation system that handles the typesetting of mathematical expressions smoothly and elegantly. It has become the standard format for creating and publishing research articles in mathematics and many scientific fields. Computer-based testing (CBT) has become widespread in recent years. Most establishments now use it to deliver assessments as an alternative to using the pen-paper method. To deliver an assessment, the examiner would first add a new exam or edit an existing exam using a CBT editor. Thus, the implementation of CBT should comprise both support for setting and administering questions. Existing CBT applications used in the academic space lacks the capacity to handle advanced formulas, programming codes, and tables, thereby resorting to converting them into images which takes a lot of time and storage space. In this paper, we discuss how we solvde this problem by integrating latex technology into our CBT applications. This enables seamless manipulation and accurate rendering of tables, programming codes, and equations to increase readability and clarity on both the setting and administering of questions platforms. Furthermore, this implementation has reduced drastically the sizes of system resources allocated to converting tables, codes, and equations to images. Those in mathematics, statistics, computer science, engineering, chemistry, etc. will find this application useful.Comment: 4 figure