A preliminary assessment of some markers of bone turnover amongst pre and post-menopausal females in Aba, south east Nigeria

Background: Previous studies on the values of common biochemical indices of bone turnover amongst pre and post-menopausal female subjects in Nigeria are relatively scanty.Aim: To establish baseline values for these indices amongst pre-menopausal and post-menopausal female subjects and to further determine the relative effects of body mass index (BMI) and years since menopause (YSM) on these biochemical parameters amongst post-menopausal female subjects.Methods: Thirty-three pre-menopausal and 67 post-menopausal female Nigerian subjects resident in Aba, south eastern Nigeria were recruited into the study. The age, body mass index and last menstrual period of each subject were determined and the years since menopause calculated as appropriate. Five milliliters of venous blood was collected from each subject for determination of serum calcium, inorganic phosphate, alkaline phosphate, total protein, albumin and globulin by spectophotometry.Results: Post-menopausal subjects were significantly older and had higher BMI  (P<0.05). Post-menopausal subjects had significantly higher mean values of all studied biochemical indices of bone turnover: calcium, inorganic phosphate and alkaline phosphatase  (p<0.05). For the serum proteins, only values of serum globulin were  significantly higher in post-menopausal subjects (p<0.05) as values of total serum protein and albumin did not show any significant differences between the two groups (p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between any of the studied biochemical indices of bone turnover and either years since YSM or BMI among post-menopausal subjects (p>0.05).Conclusion: This study provides baseline normative values for biochemical indices of bone turnover in post-menopausal females in Aba. Keywords: Menopause, Calcium, Body mass index, Alkaline phosphatase, Inorganic phosphat

The hypoglycemic effect of aqueous leaf extract of aloes in alloxan-induced diabetic albino rats

The hypoglycemic effect of aqueous leaf extract of aloes was studied in alloxan-induced diabetic albino winster rats. Twenty five mature rats used in the study were randomly divided into five groups with five rats in each group. Group C served as the control and received no drug. Group 1was treated with water; group 2 was treated with the plant extract at 1000 mg/kg; group 3 was treated with the drug glibenclamide (10 mg/kg) and group 4 with a combination therapy (500 mg/kg aloes extract and 5 mg/kg Glibenclamide). The rats were fed ad libitum in 14 day experiment. At 3 days intervals, the blood sample was collected to determine the glucose level in all the different groups. When compared with the standard drug gluburide, the glucose lowering effect of aqueous extract of aloes was significantly at p<0.05. The oral treatment with 1000 mg/kg/day of Aloe extract for 14 consecutive days significantly lowered the fasting blood glucose level (p<0.05) in the diabetic rats indicative of the fact that the extract contains active phytochemicals with potent hypoglycaemic property.Keywords: Aloes, alloxan, diabetic, glyburide, hypoglycemic effect, albino ra

Effects of tahitian noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice on some hematological and biochemical parameters of male albino wistar rats

This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of Tahitian Noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) juice on some hematological and biochemical parameters of male albino wistar rats. Forty rats weighing between 150 and 200 g, divided into two groups (test and control) of 20 each were used. Each rat in the test group received 2 ml of noni juice orally, while those in the control group received normal saline, daily for 42 days. Blood samples were collected at the end of the experiment and analyzed for red blood cell counts (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell counts (WBC), platelet count (PLT), hemoglobin concentration (HCB) and lymphocyte counts, sodium, calcium, magnesium and chloride. The results showed significant increases in red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, mean cell volume, mean cell hemoglobin concentration, white blood cell count, lymphocytes count, platelet count and sodium ion concentration (p< 0.05) in the test group compared to the control. It also showed that calcium ion concentration was significantly lower in the test group compared to the control (p<0.05). In conclusion, Tahitian noni juice may have positive hematopoietic effects on male albino wistar rats.Keywords: Tahitian noni, Morinda citrifolia, hematological, biochemical parameters, albino rats International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(3): 377-381, 201