Global Warming and Stomatal Complex Types

World leaders, public health specialists, engineers, atmospheric chemists, hydrologists, quantum physicists, mathematicians, botanists, zoologists, have all being striving to stop further release of more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and in the occurrence of these gases, they are trying to purifying or cleansing them. One of the cleaners or purifiers that can be employed is stomata. Stomata are microscopic openings or pores located majorly on the abaxial or lower, and adaxial or upper surfaces of leaves of plants

Assessment of Protective Effect of Turmeric on Aspirin Induced Gastric Injury on Wistar Rats

Turmeric (from Zingiberaceae family) is highly regarded as a universal panacea in the herbal medicine with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities. Forty eight adult rats (150g-200g body weight) were randomly divided into six (control, treatment, 3 post treatment and recovery) groups of eight rats each. Gastric injury were induced with the administration of different concentration of Aspirin and co treated with different concentration of Turmeric for a period of 14-28 days. It was histologically revealed that Aspirin can induced gastric injury and Turmeric protect gastric layers. There is need for more research work on the protective effect of Turmeric on gastric layers against gastric injury

Ethnobotanical Study of Economic Trees: Uses of Trees as Timbers and Fuelwoods in Ilorin Emirate of Kwara State, Nigeria

A survey of the five local government areas that make up Ilorin Emirate in Kwara State, Nigeria, revealed extensive use of economic trees as timber woods and fuel woods. The forest resources are indiscriminately exploited by the poor inhabitants who solely depend on the forest to earn their livelihood. Tree species such as Pterocarpus erinaceus, Parkia biglobosa, Prosobis africana, Trichilia emetica, Anogeissus leiocarpus, Danielia oliveri, Khaya senegalensis, Tectonia grandis, Milicia excelsa and Vitellaria paradoxa are popular among the inhabitants as fuelwoods, with Vitellaria paradoxa being the most frequently used. Among timber woods, Pterocarpus erinaceus is the most highly demanded by artists, casket builders and furniture workers. The hitherto harmonious relationships between the people and the plants whereby the people of a particular culture use plant to cure many inherent diseases and for other natural benefits have been defeated. Presently, the relationships have turned to destruction of many forests and endangering of many species of trees. Thus many forests have been turned to mere woodlands in the study areas

Impact of Religiosity and Life Orientation on Attitude of Youths towards Suicide in Lagos, Nigeria: A Religious-Community Based Study

Suicidal behavior is a growing public health problem in Nigeria. More disturbing is the recent rise in reports of suicide cases involving youths. Attitude towards suicide remains one of the strongest indicators of suicide. There is however, paucity of studies addressing this phenomenon among Nigerian young population. The present study therefore investigated the predictive impact of religiosity and life orientation on attitude towards suicide among youths in Lagos, Nigeria. A correlational design was utilized. Four hundred purposively selected young individuals from Christian and Muslim communities comprising of 220 males and 180 females whose ages ranged between 14 and 31 years participated in the study. A structured questionnaire consisting of demographic information, Religious Activity Scale (RAS), Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R) and Attitude towards Suicide Scale (ATTS) was utilized for data collection. Descriptive statistics and independent sample t-test were used to test the hypotheses using SPSS (v. 20). We found a significant gender difference on attitude towards suicide among the participants (t (398) = 25.83; p < 0.01). High degree of religiosity was found as a protective factor against suicidal tendencies as individuals with high religious belief reported unfavourable attitude towards suicide. It was concluded that attitude towards suicide among Nigerian youths is closely linked with their religious belief. We recommend that practitioners implementing suicide prevention programmes should incorporate measures that are appealing to people’s religious beliefs to improve the effectiveness of their programmes. We also recommend future studies to further investigate the relationship between life orientation and suicide among youths in Nigeria

Impact of Abandoned Structures on Residents in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

The increasing incidence of abandoned structures coupled with the associated seemly insurmountable environmental, psychosocial and economic risks in a developing country like Nigeria is a nerve racking problem of concern to the government and the communities. The study therefore, within the context of the three residential densities the study examined the incidence, causes and impacts of abandoned structures with a view to providing information on the extents and effects of abandoned structures on residents in Ilorin. The study utilized primary data obtained with the aid of questionnaire from 428 residents collected in the ratio 3:2:1 in high, medium and low density residential areas. Four indices were developed: ‘Environmental Impact of Abandonment’ (EIAI), ‘Psycho-Social Impact of Abandoned Structures’ (PSIASI), ‘Economic Impact of Abandonment’ (EcIAI) and ‘Suggested Solutions to Abandonment’ (SSA). It is observed that the incidence of abandoned structures varies significantly among the residential neighbourhoods of Ilorin metropolis (F = 9.458 and p = 0.036 at 95% confidence level). The magnitude of the six categories of abandonment in Ilorin metropolis is more in the high density area then in medium and low density. Residents of different residential densities of Ilorin do not have the same or similar views about the environmental effect of abandonment in their areas (F= 4.604 and p= 0.0160. The study recommends as suggested by respondents increase in basic salary (SSA =, 4.31) local planning authority should work on blight control (SSA = 4.29) and there should be proper site selection before commencement of building projects (SSA =.4.28). DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/9-18-08 Publication date:September 30th 201

Hepatoprotective Potential and Histological Studies of Effects of Celosia Argentea L. on Paracetamol-Induced Liver Damage

Celosia argentea L. is a common vegetable known to possess anti-oxidative and other therapeutic properties. This study evaluates the hepatoprotective activities and histological effects of aqueous extract of Celosia argentea L. on acetaminophen-induced liver damage in rats, compared to the effects of a standard drug –silymarin. Twenty-five male rats were used in this study. These were divided into five groups of five animals each. Animals in group 1 were given 1ml/kg body weight (b.w)distilled water (control [C]), group 2 were given 100mg/kg b.w silymarin for 4 days plus acetaminophen for 3 days [SL], groups 3 and 4 were given 250 and 500mg/kg b.w aqueous extract of C. argentea for 4 days plus acetaminophen for 3 days (CA1 and CA2, respectively) and group 5 were given 1 ml/kg b.w. distilled water for 4 days and 1g/kg b.w acetaminophen (PCM) for 3 days. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and total bilirubin activities were assessed on day 8, values of mean and standard error were compared at significance level of p 0.05). Mean values in control group were similar to CA2 but significantly lower than PCM and CA1. Total bilirubin was higher but not significantly different compared to C group, suggesting a lack of effect on total bilirubin. C. argentea ameliorates and protects against acetaminophen-induced liver damage in rats, with a comparable effect with silymarin at a dose of 500mg/kg b.w. A regular consumption of the vegetable can play a role in sustaining health and can be used in place of long term therapy in individuals with compromised liver or actively exposed to chemotherapeutic drugs with adverse effects on liver

Medical ethics in sub-Sahara Africa: closing the gaps

Background: Health care providers are expected to have the skills and knowledge relevant to their field and should also be familiar with the ethical and legal expectations that arise out of the standard practices. Objectives: To elucidate the practice of the health care providers in relation to healthcare ethics in Nigeria. Methods: A self-administered structured questionnaire was devised and distributed to staff of two tertiary health care facilities in Northern Nigeria. The questionnaire comprised of detailed questions regarding day-to-day aspects of Medical ethical issues. Results: A total of 307(76.2% ) out of 403 health care providers responded to the questionnaire. The median age of the respondents was 34 years. More than half 168(54.7%) of the respondents disagreed as to whether \u201cEthical conduct is important only to avoid legal action. Many respondents 135 (44.0%) agreed to adhering to \u201cpatient\u2019s wishes\u201d, on the other hand over two-third of the respondents 211 (68.7%) agreed that \u201cdoctor should do what is best\u201d irrespective of the patient\u2019s opinion. There were significant differences (p&lt;0.05) between the perception of physicians and non-physicians on many ethical issues. Conclusion: This study has shown gap in knowledge and practice of healthcare ethics among health care providers. There is a need for periodic education on clinical ethics in our hospitals

Paediatric brought-in-dead at a tertiary health facility in South western Nigeria: Patterns and drivers

Background: ‘Brought- in-dead’ (BID) refers to the demise of an individual before presentation to a health facility. This study assessed the pattern of paediatric BID cases seen at a tertiary health facility in southwest Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was done at the Children Emergency Ward (CEW) of the hospital between January 2014 and December 2018. The patterns of BID cases and presumed causes of death were determined using a standardized checklist adapted from the WHO verbal autopsy instrument. Results: Ninety-eight BID cases were seen during the study, constituting 2.5% of total patients seen during the period. The median (IQR) age of cases was 24.0 (8.75 – 63.0) months and 72.4% were under-fives. Most had symptoms related to the haematologic (36.7%), respiratory (24.5%) or digestive (20.4%) systems. Severe anaemia 31(31.6%), gastroenteritis 19 (19.4) and aspiration 17 (17.3%) were the most common causes of death. The median (IQR) duration of illness before presentation was 3.0 (1.0 – 7.0) days but most presented from 4 – 7 days of illness. A significant relationship was found between the duration of illness and whether or not pre-hospital treatment was received (p &lt; 0.0001). Unprescribed drugs purchased over the counter were the most commonly used treatment in 79.1% of cases (p &lt; 0.0001). Conclusion: This study has highlighted the prevalence and pattern of paediatric BID in a tertiary health facility in southwest Nigeria and the factors that were associated with it. More efforts need to be geared towards community sensitization and pediatric health care to prevent factors drivingits menace