An Exploratory Study of the Impact of Government Policies on the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises in Developing Countries

This paper explores the effects of government policies on the development of Small and Medium Enterprises in developing countries through the examination of the case of Nigeria. Many research studies reported that SMEs in Nigeria have not benefited from the policies formulated by the government. This paper investigates the impediments to manufacturing SMEs growth and the needed pre-requisite environment for SMEs to benefit from government specific policies. The study adopted a qualitative methodology depending on face to face interviews with 20 SME owners and/or managers in five of the six geographical arears of Nigeria, 20 bank managers in the capital city of Lagos and 20 government officials located in the federal capital city of Abuja. The study unveils unique contextually novel insights, including particularly the distinctive processes and different relationships related to lenders decision. The research findings are consistent with those reported by other scholars in the field, and confirm that government policies and support in the areas of technology, infrastructure and finance affects the performance of SMEs to a great extent in Nigeria

Vitamins C and E attenuate lipid dystrophy in tissues of rats administered aluminium

To investigate the effects of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) in the deviation of tissue lipid profiles and ways to reduce its effect using antioxidant vitamins C and E, thirty-six male albino rats (120-150g) were divided into six groups with six rats each. Group (1) received normal saline and served as control, Group (2) was administered with AlCl3 (20mg/kg body weight b.wt)), Group (3) was administered with vitamin C (200mg/kg b.wt), Group (4) was administered with vitamin E (200mg/kg b.wt), Groups (5) and (6) were administered aluminium (20mg/kg b.wt) along with vitamins C and E (200mg/kg b.wt) respectively. At the end of the experiment, blood samples and organs (liver, testis, heart, kidney and brain) were harvested and used for lipid profile determination. The results showed that oral administration of aluminum significantly (p<0.05) increased cholesterol level in plasma and VLDL+LDL and significantly decreased in erythrocyte, HDL and testis. Cholesterogenesis was induced in the brain, liver, kidney and heart. Plasma and VLDL+LDL triglyceride were significantly (p<0.05) increased while erythrocyte and brain triglyceride were significantly decreased. Plasma, VLDL+LDL and brain phospholipid levels were significantly (p<0.05) decreased and that of erythrocyte significantly increased. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in rats supplemented with vitamin C and vitamin E compared with control. The vitamins significantly attenuated the affected lipid levels in the tissues affected. It was concluded that administration of vitamin C and vitamin E supplements may be used as therapies against the effects of Aluminium exposure on lipids.Keywords: Aluminium exposure, lipid dystrophy, vitamin C, vitamin E, tissue

Implications of Cannabis sativa on serotonin receptors 1B (HTR1B) and 7 (HTR7) genes in modulation of aggression and depression

The use of Cannabis sativa L. is rampant in the young generation and it induces diverse psychological disturbances, hence the correlation between cannabinoids and expression of serotonin receptors in modulation of depression tendencies. Alterations in the expression of serotonin receptors 1B (HTR1B) and 7 (HTR7) genes in the brain of Wistar rats after oral administration of graded doses of C. sativa extract was investigated for different durations of daily administration to establish a correlation between dose, duration of exposure and modulation of aggression/depression. C. sativa was extracted using petroleum ether as the solvent and constituents analyzed through gas chromatography. We orally administered doses of cannabis extract (12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg) daily for 4, 8, and 12 weeks to male Wistar rats divided into 12 groups of six animals. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to quantify the expressions of genes. Expression of HTR1B was upregulated after 4 and 8-weeks’ exposure to 50 mg/kg dose with relative expressions of 0.68 and 0.91 as compared to 0.48 and 0.52 of the control group, resulting in 41.7% and 75% upregulation. However, results got at 12 weeks revealed a downregulation in the lower doses group by 76% and 71% while the 50 mg/kg dose produced a downregulation of the gene. This suggests a reversal of effect because of prolonged exposure. The extract successfully upregulated HTR7 only after 12 weeks of exposure to 25 and 50 mg/kg doses by 22% and over 100% respectively. Cannabis sativa alters the expression of HTR1B and HTR7 and accounts for the mechanism through which users exhibit depression/aggression attributes, as well as modulation of cognitive ability