Hypolipidemic Activity of Solvents Extracts of Khaya senegalensis Stem Bark in Diet Induced Hyperlipidemic Rats

Introduction: Hyperlipidemia is a modifiable risk factor of an important killer disease “cardiovascular diseases”, which account for as much mortality as infectious disease, nutritional deficiency and maternal and prenatal disease combined together. Aim: To investigate the effect of oral administration of Aqueous-methanol stem bark extract of Khaya senegalensis and its solvents (hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate) extracts on lipid profile of hyperlipidemic rats. Methodology: Hyperlipidemia was induced in rats via feeding on high lipid diet (HLD) for 6 weeks. A total of fifty five (55) rats were divided into two phases: For phase one, twenty five (25) rats were placed into five groups (GI - GV) of five rats each. GI served as normal control, GII serves as hyperlipidemic control group, while GIII, GIV and GV were hyperlipidemic and administered with crude extract (E1) at a dose of 250mg/kg, 350mg/kg and 450mg/kg body weight respectively for two weeks. For the second phase, thirty (30) rats were placed into six (6) groups of five (5) rats. GI served as normal control, GII served as hyperlipidemic control group, while GIII, GIV GV and GVI were hyperlipidemic and administered with hexane extract (E2), chloroform extract (E3), ethyl acetate extract (E4) and the residue (E5) at a dose of 250mg/kg body weight respectively for two weeks. The animals from each group were euthanized and serum was collected for analysis lipid profile (Total Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol and Triglyceride). Results: The research found that aqueous methanol extract of Khaya senegalensis possess hypolipidemic ability with the ethyl acetate extract showing the highest potency with a significant (p<0.01) decrease in serum total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-cholesterol level when compared to hyperlipidemic control. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the ethyl acetate extract from the crude extract possesses the highest hypolipidemic activity. Keywords: High lipid diets; hyperlipidemia; lipid profile; Khaya senegalensis; sequential extraction

Effect of Aqueous-Methanol Leaves Extract of Cassia occidentalis on Carbon Tetrachloride Induced Hepatotoxic Rat

The indiscriminate usage of different parts of Cassia occidentalis in the management and/or treatment of several diseases has lead to several researches about the plant’s safety, efficacy and probable mode of action. This research investigates the effects of aqueous-methanol leaves extract of Cassia occidentalis on liver function indices (ALT, AST, ALP, Total protein, Albumin, Bilirubin and Globulin) in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity. A total of twenty five rats divided into five groups of five rats each were used. Group I served as normal control, Group II-V were induced with hepatotoxicity using CCl4 (120mg/kg bodyweight). Group II served as test control, group III and IV were administered with the extract at a dose of 50mg/kg and 100mg/kg while group V were acdministered with standard drug (10mg/kg of livolin), per day for two weeks. The animals were euthanized after 24 hours of last extract administration and liver function indices (ALT, AST, ALP, total protein, Albumin, Bilirubin and Globulin) were assayed A significant increase (p<0.05) in ALT, AST, ALP, Total protein and Globulin was observed in test control group compared to normal control. Administration of the extract lead to a significant decrease (p<0.05) in ALT, AST, ALP, total protein and Globulin in a dose dependent manner compared to test control group. The observed hepatocurative effect of the plant may be due to the presence of phytochemicals. Keywords: Cassia occidentalis;  leaves; carbon tetrachloride and hepatocurative

Effects of Aqueous and Chloroform Stem Bark Extracts of Alstonia boonei on Liver Function Indices of Plasmodium Berghei Induced Albino Mice

In a preliminary research, authors reported that solvents extracts of Alstonia boonei possess strong antimalarial activity against NK-65 Chloroquine sensitive Plasmodium berghei infected mice with aqueous extract having the highest decrease in mean percentage parasitaemia. This research was therefore aimed at evaluating the effects of most active stem bark extracts (aqueous and chloroform) of Alstonia boonei on liver function indices of Plasmodium Berghei-induced mice. A total of 42 albino mice were inoculated with Plasmodium berghei and left for 7 days for optimum parasitaemia development after which they were screened for malarial parasites using thin blood film. They were then randomly divided into 7 groups of 6 mice per cage. Group 1 served as normal control, Groups 2 served as negative control (malaria infected but untreated), group 3 were administered with Chloroquine, groups 4 and 5 animals were administered with aqueous extract at a dose of 150 and 250mgkg-1 per day for four weeks, Groups 6 and 7 animals were administered with chloroform extract at a dose of 150 and 200mgkg-1 per day for four weeks. On the 29th day, the mice were euthanized and blood sample was collected and centrifuged for analysis of Liver function indices (AST, ALT, ALP, DB, TB, TP and ALB), the animals were dissected and liver tissues were collected for histological analysis. A significant (p<0.05) increase in mean serum of ALT, AST, ALP, and total bilirubin was observed in both negative and positive control compared to normal control. On the other hand, a significant (p<0.05) decrease in mean serum of ALT, AST, ALP and total bilirubin was seen in extracts administered groups compared to negative control. Histopathological examination of the liver showed unremarkable liver architecture with a vein containing red blood cells and some malarial pigments and parasites in infected but untreated group (negative control) while no malarial pigment or parasite was seen in either the normal control group or groups administered with extracts, confirming the antimalarial activity of the plant extract. Keywords: Alstonia boonei, toxicity, malaria, liver Function Indices and histopathology

EDXRF analysis of tantalite deposit of Mai-Kabanji, North-western Nigeria

The tantalite deposits of Mai-Kabanji area of Zamfara State Nigeria was studied for the elemental compositions by Energy dispersive x-ray fluoresce (EDXRF) spectrophotometry, physical properties and anionic composition by standard methods. The results indicated high concentrations of tantalum oxide, Ta 2 O 5 (31.990%±0.83) and other valuable oxides of niobium, Nb 2 O 5 (0.029%), titanium, TiO 2 (1.702%±0.42) and iron, Fe 2 O 3 (1.702%±0.30) were also high. Physical properties tested showed high resistance on ignition (LOI 3.00%) and low alkalinity (8.51), grey colour, specific gravity range (7.2 -8.0) and an average size of 0.12 mm. Sample was generally richer in tantalum oxide and other valuable mineral oxides of niobium, titanium, iron and manganese than other samples it was compared with, hence, it is economically valuable for exploration

A calibration protocol for population-specific accelerometer cut-points in children

PurposeTo test a field-based protocol using intermittent activities representative of children\u27s physical activity behaviours, to generate behaviourally valid, population-specific accelerometer cut-points for sedentary behaviour, moderate, and vigorous physical activity.MethodsTwenty-eight children (46% boys) aged 10&ndash;11 years wore a hip-mounted uniaxial GT1M ActiGraph and engaged in 6 activities representative of children\u27s play. A validated direct observation protocol was used as the criterion measure of physical activity. Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analyses were conducted with four semi-structured activities to determine the accelerometer cut-points. To examine classification differences, cut-points were cross-validated with free-play and DVD viewing activities.ResultsCut-points of &le;372, &gt;2160 and &gt;4806 counts&bull;min&minus;1 representing sedentary, moderate and vigorous intensity thresholds, respectively, provided the optimal balance between the related needs for sensitivity (accurately detecting activity) and specificity (limiting misclassification of the activity). Cross-validation data demonstrated that these values yielded the best overall kappa scores (0.97; 0.71; 0.62), and a high classification agreement (98.6%; 89.0%; 87.2%), respectively. Specificity values of 96&ndash;97% showed that the developed cut-points accurately detected physical activity, and sensitivity values (89&ndash;99%) indicated that minutes of activity were seldom incorrectly classified as inactivity.ConclusionThe development of an inexpensive and replicable field-based protocol to generate behaviourally valid and population-specific accelerometer cut-points may improve the classification of physical activity levels in children, which could enhance subsequent intervention and observational studies.<br /

Scalable production of large quantities of defect-free few-layer graphene by shear exfoliation in liquids

To progress from the laboratory to commercial applications, it will be necessary to develop industrially scalable methods to produce large quantities of defect-free graphene. Here we show that high-shear mixing of graphite in suitable stabilizing liquids results in large-scale exfoliation to give dispersions of graphene nanosheets. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy show the exfoliated flakes to be unoxidized and free of basal-plane defects. We have developed a simple model that shows exfoliation to occur once the local shear rate exceeds 10(4) s(-1). By fully characterizing the scaling behaviour of the graphene production rate, we show that exfoliation can be achieved in liquid volumes from hundreds of millilitres up to hundreds of litres and beyond. The graphene produced by this method performs well in applications from composites to conductive coatings. This method can be applied to exfoliate BN, MoS2 and a range of other layered crystals

Mapping subnational HIV mortality in six Latin American countries with incomplete vital registration systems

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a public health priority in Latin America. While the burden of HIV is historically concentrated in urban areas and high-risk groups, subnational estimates that cover multiple countries and years are missing. This paucity is partially due to incomplete vital registration (VR) systems and statistical challenges related to estimating mortality rates in areas with low numbers of HIV deaths. In this analysis, we address this gap and provide novel estimates of the HIV mortality rate and the number of HIV deaths by age group, sex, and municipality in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Methods: We performed an ecological study using VR data ranging from 2000 to 2017, dependent on individual country data availability. We modeled HIV mortality using a Bayesian spatially explicit mixed-effects regression model that incorporates prior information on VR completeness. We calibrated our results to the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Results: All countries displayed over a 40-fold difference in HIV mortality between municipalities with the highest and lowest age-standardized HIV mortality rate in the last year of study for men, and over a 20-fold difference for women. Despite decreases in national HIV mortality in all countries—apart from Ecuador—across the period of study, we found broad variation in relative changes in HIV mortality at the municipality level and increasing relative inequality over time in all countries. In all six countries included in this analysis, 50% or more HIV deaths were concentrated in fewer than 10% of municipalities in the latest year of study. In addition, national age patterns reflected shifts in mortality to older age groups—the median age group among decedents ranged from 30 to 45 years of age at the municipality level in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico in 2017. Conclusions: Our subnational estimates of HIV mortality revealed significant spatial variation and diverging local trends in HIV mortality over time and by age. This analysis provides a framework for incorporating data and uncertainty from incomplete VR systems and can help guide more geographically precise public health intervention to support HIV-related care and reduce HIV-related deaths

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods: Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (>= 65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0-100 based on the 2.5th and 97.5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target-1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023-we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings: Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45.8 (95% uncertainty interval 44.2-47.5) in 1990 to 60.3 (58.7-61.9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2.6% [1.9-3.3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010-2019 relative to 1990-2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0.79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388.9 million (358.6-421.3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3.1 billion (3.0-3.2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968.1 million [903.5-1040.3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation: The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people-the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close-or how far-all populations are in benefiting from UHC