Criminal Justice Interventions for Individuals with Mental Health Disabilities: A Systematic Literature Review

In the criminal law, with few exceptions, for a finding of guilt, the physical act and the state of mind to commit the offense must be present at the time of the commission of the offense. People with mental disabilities often lack the state of mind required to commit the offense for which they are eventually charged for and or convicted. This paper examines the effectiveness of some past and present criminal justice system interventions that addresses the mental health disabilities of criminal offenders pre-adjudicative proceedings. A systematic review of the literature was used to examine past and present criminal justice system crisis interventions either by itself or in collaboration with other mental health agencies. The literature review shows no strong body of evidence to support that interventions have been very effective but some progress has been made in certain areas. There is a need to continue to make improvements to present criminal justice interventions to meet up with the developments in the mental health arena. Further inquiry and research in this area is suggested

Implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine in normal experimental rabbits

The leaves of Acalypha wilkesiana are eaten as vegetables as part of the traditional management of hypertension in Nigeria. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves, on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine, in normal experimental rabbits. A total of eighteen (18) rabbits were randomized into three groups (A, B and C) of six animals each and treated with aqueous (A) and ethanol (B) extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves. The extracts were administered orally at a dose of 300mg/kg body weight for a period of twenty one (21) days. Group C animals served as control. Administration of the aqueous or ethanol extract, at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight, to normal rabbits resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum creatinine. Treatment with the aqueous or ethanol extract also resulted in a non-significantly (P > 0.05) lower serum urea, chloride, sodium and potassium, as compared with the control, in normal rabbits. Also, treatment with the aqueous extract resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) higher, while administration of the ethanol extract resulted in lower (P > 0.05) serum calcium levels of the normal rabbits, as compared with the control.Keywords: Acalypha wilkesiana, Ethanol extract, Aqueous extract, Electrolytes, Urea, Normal Rabbit

Phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Diodia sarmentosa swartz leaves

This research studied proximate, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of Diodia sarmentosa leaves. The ethanol and aqueous extracts of the leaves significantly inhibited 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPHo) radical formation with IC50 values of 10.994 and 10.121 μg/mL respectively, compared to the ascorbic acid standard (IC50 value = 17.916 μg/mL).The aqueous extract exhibited more inhibitory effect on thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS) with IC50 values of 2.657 μg/mL while the ethanol extract had an IC50 value of 8.53 μg/mL compared to butylated hydroxytoluene standard (IC50 = 2.142 μg/mL). For the total antioxidant capacity assay, the aqueous extract had higher ascorbic acid equivalent values than the ethanol extract. However, the two solvent extracts showed antioxidant activity. Diodia sarmentosa leaves possess useful phytochemicals which are indicative of its antioxidant properties

Effect of Soaking Time and Volume of Water on the Ascorbic Acid Content of Three Nigerian Green Leafy Vegetables

Freshly harvested leaves (Heinsia crinata, Talinum triangulare, and Venonia amygdalina) were subjected to different pre-processing treatments; slicing, slicing with salt and squeeze-washing; a portion of whole leaves was used as control. Each sample was soaked twice; in 1 litre and 2 litres of distilled water for 480 min. The 2, 6-dichlorophenol-indophenol Titrimetric method was used to determine the ascorbic acid (AA) content of the fresh leaves. During soaking, the trend of loss was monitored for each treatment every 120 min. The AA content of fresh H. crinata was 73.42 mg/100 g of which 49.7–71.9% was lost; fresh T. triangulare had 337.30 mg/100 g of which 54.9–93.2% was lost and fresh V. amydalina had 121.00 mg/100 g of which 49.9–89.1% was lost during soaking. The pre-processing treatments increased the degree of AA loss in the three leafy vegetables and the higher the soaking time, the higher the AA loss. Keywords: Ascorbic acid, soaking, Heinsia crinata, Talinum triangulare, Vernonia amygdalin

Selected Chemical Composition and Acceptability Assessment of Pre-treated Dehydrated Telfairia Leaves

Telfairia leaves were harvested fresh, sliced and subjected to different blanching pre- treatments tests - in boiling water, steam, sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate solutions before drying in a multipurpose produce drier (40-500C) for preservation. The control portion was dehydrated without any pre-treatment. All the dehydrated test portions were analyzed for proximate composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash and carbohydrate), microbial quality and sensory acceptability assessments. Dehydrated steam-blanched and water- blanched leaves had relatively lower moisture content (13.75 – 13.99%). Leaf nutrients (crude protein, crude fat and ash) concentrated relatively more in the steam blanched dehydrated leaves. No microorganism was detected in all the dehydrated treated and untreated test portions. Process treatments reduced the sensory acceptability rating of the dehydrated leaves as the untreated control portions were better accepted by assessors. Keywords: Telfairia leaves, Blanching, Dehydration, Acceptability

Implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine in normal experimental rabbits

The leaves of Acalypha wilkesiana are eaten as vegetables as part of the traditional management of hypertension in Nigeria. This study was therefore conducted to evaluate the implications of oral administration of extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves, on serum electrolytes, urea and creatinine, in normal experimental rabbits. A total of eighteen (18) rabbits were randomized into three groups (A, B and C) of six animals each and treated with aqueous (A) and ethanol (B) extracts of Acalypha wilkesiana leaves. The extracts were administered orally at a dose of 300mg/kg body weight for a period of twenty-one (21) days. Group C animals served as control. Administration of the aqueous or ethanol extract, at a dose of 300 mg/kg body weight, to normal rabbits resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) lower serum creatinine. Treatment with the aqueous or ethanol extract also resulted in a non-significantly (P > 0.05) lower serum urea, chloride, sodium and potassium, as compared with the control, in normal rabbits. Also, treatment with the aqueous extract resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) higher, while administration of the ethanol extract resulted in lower (P > 0.05) serum calcium levels of the normal rabbits, as compared with the control

The Potential of Elephant Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum Schum), a Nigerian Indigenous Grass, in Bioethanol Production: A Decarbonization Alternative for the Maritime Industry

It is true that fossil based energy has contributed immensely to global economic growth. Unfortunately, its usage is accompanied by the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), a principal greenhouse gas. Studies using business as usual (BAU) model, has predicted that CO2 emission into the atmosphere will increase by 50-250% by the year 2050. The transportation industry has remained one of the highest contributors to this global carbonization. About 40% of all CO2 emissions by 2050 will be caused by shipping and aviation if left unregulated, a study published by the European Parliament revealed. The above scenario has heightened the interest in energy crops development as resources for alternative/renewable energy purpose. Elephant grass (Pennisetum Perpureum Schum), an African indigenous grass, is an abundant, C4 grass, investigated for its potential as a renewable energy source. Elephant grass feedstock (stem & leaves) was subjected to laboratory analysis for its total carbohydrate content (TCC) via proximate composition analysis. For ethanol production experiments, feedstock acidic hydrolysis, using 0.5M of dilute H2SO4 was adopted. The pH of the hydrolyzed supernatant was adjusted to 5.0 using 10M NaOH solution. Fermentation medium was prepared using 10g of dextrose, 0.2g yeast extract and 1g urea. The fermentation process using 0.5g of Saccharomyces cerevisae at 350C for a period of 1 to 5 days was subjected to distillation process at 78.30C. Proximate composition analysis showed a 74.2% TCC, a huge content for conversion to bioethanol. The fermentation process showed increase in ethanol yield with increase in feedstock concentration. From the foregoing, elephant grass has the potential to serve as energy crop for biofuel production for automobiles including some auxiliary engines of ships if not major ones.Papers presented at the 38th International Southern African Transport Conference on "Disruptive transport technologies - is South and Southern Africa ready?" held at CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa on 8th to 11th July 2019

Carbohydrate digestive enzyme inhibition, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antidiabetic benefits of Persea americana

The medicinal use of Persea americana in the treatment of some diseases like hypertension, diabetes, is often with dearth of supporting scientific proof. Thus, we evaluated its ethnomedicinal benefits for possible scientific justification. Thirty healthy Wistar rats were randomly grouped in fives. Alloxan was used to induce diabetes in the rats in groups II to VI. The diabetic rats in group II were treated with glibenclamide, while those in group III were not treated. Also, the diabetic rats in groups IV to VI were treated with the ethanol extracts of the stem bark, leaf, and root of P. americana respectively. The parts of P. americana comparatively possess highest amounts of phenols (250.50 ± 0.68—bark), saponin (436.80 ± 3.76—leaf), flavonoid (382.80 ± 0.67—leaf) and tannins (58.34 ± 0.09—root). The extracts exhibited high reducing property (FRAP and total reducing), as well as high ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging ability. The enzyme (alpha-glycosidase and alpha-amylase) inhibitory activity of P. americana increases with increasing concentration of the extracts. Administration of methanol extracts of P. americana bark, leaf and root to alloxan-induced diabetic rats resulted in significant (P < 0.05) decreases in AST, ALP, ALT, Total bilirubin, LPO, plasma glucose and significant (P < 0.05) increases in GSH, CAT and SOD. These effects were like that of glibenclamide. The enzyme inhibitory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant and antidiabetic properties of P. americana are some of the benefits derived from its consumption and ethnomedicinal use

Ascorbic acid retention of freshly harvested seven Nigerian green leafy vegetables after soaking in water

Vitamins are micronutrients needed in the body for important biologic functions. The current study examined the influence of steeping on vitamin C retention of seven Nigerian vegetable leaves after soaking for 8 h. One kilograme each was purchased and 6 lots of 100 g were sorted out, cleaned and treated as follow; whole leaf 1, whole leaf 2, sliced leaf 1, sliced leaf 2, sliced and salted leaf 1 and sliced and salted leaf 2. Each of the treatments 1 was soaked in 1 litre of distilled water while each of treatments 2 was soaked in 2 litres of distilled water. All treatments were kept for 8 h while monitoring the trend of reduction in vitamin C contents at 2 h intervals. Moisture (%) was determined following AOAC (2002) methods while dry matter content was estimated from moisture by calculating the difference. Ascorbic acid content (mg/100 g) was determined following the method of Ndawula et al. (2004). Result showed that; moisture, dry matter, and ascorbic acid contents of raw leaves ranged from 67.63–86.70%, 13.30–32.37%, and 103.00–1199.23 mg/100g respectively. During soaking, ascorbic acid retained by the seven green vegetables reduced as follows; 73.39–24.26% (Amaranthus viridis), 100.26–19.62% (Gnetum africanum), 129.05–27.72% (Gongronema latifolium), 66.84–7.55% (Ocimum gratissmum), 42.59–4.14% (Piper guinense), 77.38–10.26% (Pterocapus mildbedii) and 120.02–17.97% (Telfaria occidentalis). The study showed that ascorbic acid retention (%) of seven Nigerian green vegetable leaves decreased with increasing soaking duration

Cutaneous cancers in Nigerian albinos: a review of 22 cases

Context: Albinism is an inherited disorder of hypopigmentation involving the skin, eyes, and hair. This disorder results in the absence or reduction in melanin production. There are two main types of albinism which are ocular albinism and oculocutaneous albinism. It could also be classified as syndromic or nonsyndromic the melanin, which protects from the harmful effect of ultraviolet radiation of the sun on the normal skin, is deficient in the albino, predisposing them more, to cutaneous malignancies.Aim: This study is to highlight the epidemiology of cutaneous cancers in albinos in sub‑urban Nigeria.Methodology: This is a retrospective review of all albinos with histological diagnoses of cutaneous malignancies that presented to Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua Edo State, Nigeria between September 2010 and August 2016. The following details were extracted from the patients’ case‑notes, operation register, and the histopathology register. These data include age, gender, site of the lesion, the diagnosis, no of lesions excised, and duration of the lesion (s). These were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 22.Results: There were 22 albinos with histopathologically diagnosed cutaneous malignancies. There were 11 males and 11 females with male:female of 1. The age range is from 25 to 55 years with the mean of 34.68.Conclusion: Albinism is one of the most common causes of cutaneous malignancies, and majority of them present with locally advanced lesions that will need excision biopsy resulting in disfigurement. This problem can be prevented in many cases with proper community education, support, and free health care. There is also need for them to present early whenever they noticed any skin changes.Keywords: Albinos, cutaneous cancers, Nigeria, problems and car