AN ASSESSMENT OF PRE-PRIMARY SCHOOL PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

In the current National Policy on Education (NPE, 2004) Pre-primary education or early childhood education has taken a centre stage as a process of educating young children in educational institutions prior to their entry into primary schools. This study thus assesses Preprimary schools programme activities across Kwara State, Nigeria. The objective is to determine the extent to which the programme on the ground has met with the stipulated policy statement as contained in the National Policy on Education. The study used a descriptive survey design and used researchers’ design questionnaire (design along likert-type) to collect its data. Using a simple random technique, the study sampled responses from 265 teachers (males and females) drawn from the three senatorial districts of Kwara State, Nigeria. It answered four (4) research questions. The findings revealed the jeopardy due to: the lack of government adherence to the objectives of the policy in respect of adequate funding, infrastructural development, material and non – material resources and standard curriculum guidelines as stipulated in the policy statement. It thus recommended that the Federal, State and Local governments should be more committed and proactive to contribute positively to the implementation and enforcement of the policy in Kwara State, Nigeria. The findings in this study would thus serve as a yardstick for success or otherwise of the policy statement as contained in the National Policy on Pre-primary education which would serve in facilitating actions toward improving Pre-primary education in Kwara State and in Nigeria in general

Protective effect of leptin against ischemia-reperfusion injury in the rat small intestine

BACKGROUND: The small intestine is extremely sensitive to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and a range of microcirculatory disturbances which contribute to tissue damage. Previous studies have shown that leptin plays an important physiological role in the microvasculature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effects of leptin in I/R – induced mucosal injury in the small intestine. METHODS: Forty rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 8). Group I was subjected to a sham operation. Following mesenteric ischemia in group II (control); physiologic saline 1 cm(3), in group III; leptin 100 μg/kg, and physiologic saline 1 cm(3), in group IV; N(G)-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 20 mg/kg, and physiologic saline 1 cm(3), in group V; leptin 100 μg/kg, L-NAME 20 mg/kg, and physiologic saline 1 cm(3 )were given intra-peritoneally. In these groups, an I/R procedure was performed by occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery for 45 min followed by 120 min reperfusion. After reperfusion, the small intestines were resected for malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) concentration and histopathologic properties. Mucosal lesions were scored between 0 and 5. Tissue MDA and NO concentration and histopathologic grades were compared statistically. RESULTS: Tissue MDA level significantly increased (P < 0.05), tissue NO level significantly decreased in group V animals, compared to group III animals respectively (P < 0.001). Histopathologically, intestinal injury significantly decreased in the leptin treated ischemic group. CONCLUSION: Leptin can be used safely in mesenteric occlusive diseases, since it induces NO formation and release in mesenteric vessels

Marketing performance measurement: marketing metrics in Turkish firms

This study explores which metrics are considered important in measuring marketing performance in Turkish firms. In addition, the study examines the effects of sectoral differences and market dynamism, and the relationship between the importance attached to metrics and firm performance. The data collected from a sample of 145 Turkish firms via a structured questionnaire derived from the literature reveals that the most importance is attached to consumers’ attitudes metrics. Economic value added and customer lifetime value are the least important metrics in performance evaluation. No significant relationship occurs between the importance that executives attach to metrics and firm performance. Managerial implications and future research opportunities will be presented at the end. The study is, as far as is known, the first attempt at aiming to explore marketing metrics in Turkey, and one of a limited number of studies in emerging economies

Ex Vivo Investigation of Bexarotene and Nicotinamide Function as a Protective Agent on Rat Synaptosomes Treated with A beta(1-42)

In this study, we were aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of bexarotene and nicotinamide in synaptosomes incubated with amyloid-beta (A beta). Our study consists of 2 parts, in vivo and in vitro. In the in vivo section, twenty-four Wistar albino male rats were divided into 4 groups (control, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), nicotinamide and bexarotene) with six animals in each group. DMSO(1%), nicotinamide(100 mg/kg) and bexarotene(0.1 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally to animals in the experimental groups for seven days. In the in vitro part of our study, three different isolation methods were used to obtain the synaptosomes from the brain tissue. Total antioxidant capacity(TAS), total oxidant capacity(TOS), cleaved caspase 3(CASP3), cytochrome c(Cyt c), sirtuin 1(SIRT1), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma(PPAR gamma) and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1(PARP-1) levels in the synaptosomes incubated with a concentration of 10 mu M A beta(1-42) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Biochemical analysis and histopathological examinations in serum and brain samples showed that DMSO, nicotinamide and bexarotene treatments did not cause any damage to the rat brain tissue. We found that in vitro A beta(1-42) administration decreased TAS, SIRT1 and PPAR gamma levels in synaptosomes while increasing TOS, CASP3, Cyt c, and PARP1 levels. Nicotinamide treatment suppressed oxidative stress and apoptosis by supporting antioxidant capacity and increased PPAR gamma through SIRT1 activation, causing PARP1 to decrease. On the other hand, bexarotene caused a moderate increase in SIRT1 levels with PPAR gamma activation. Consequently, we found that nicotinamide can be more effective than bexarotene in AD pathogenesis by regulating mitochondrial functions in synaptosomes.Eskisehir Osmangazi University Scientific Research CommissionEskisehir Osmangazi University [201811D21]This study was supported by Eskisehir Osmangazi University Scientific Research Commission with grant number 201811D21.WOS:0006070288000022-s2.0-85099087207PubMed: 3342809

Reproductive Effects of Nicotinamide on Testicular Function and Structure in Old Male Rats: Oxidative, Apoptotic, Hormonal, and Morphological Analyses.

Aging is a natural process in which morphological and functional abnormalities in living organisms increase irreversibly. Nicotinamide (NAM) acts both as a precursor of many metabolites and as a cofactor of many enzymes involved in cell energy metabolism, homeostasis of redox balance, and regulation of signaling pathways. In this study, we investigated the effects of NAM treatment on morphological and biochemical changes in testis of old rats. The rats were treated with 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg NAM doses as a gavage for 1 month. As a result, we determined the dose-dependent therapeutic effects of NAM on testicular tissues of aged rats. We found that NAM treatment decreased total oxidant status (TOS), caspase 3 (CASP3) and cytochrome c (CYC) levels and increased total antioxidant status (TAS), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and testosterone levels (P<0.05). NAM treatment significantly reduced the age-related histopathological parameters such as cellular loss, necrotic tissue, interstitial edema, tubular damage, and vascular congestion in aged rat testicular tissue compared to the control group. Moreover, based on histomorphological analysis, we detected that NAM treatment resulted in a dose-dependent improvement in testicular tissue damage of old rats. Consequently, the results showed that the reproductive decline caused by aging could be ameliorated with NAM treatment.WOS:0006590244000032-s2.0-85107816162PubMed: 3410114

Concanavalin A induces apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner by modulating thiol/disulfide homeostasis in C6 glioblastoma cells.

Glioma is the most common brain tumor. C6 rat glioblastoma cells provide thepossibility to the scientist to study brain cancer. Concanavalin A (Con A) has a lot ofantitumoral effects, especially over oxidative stress. In the present study, it wasaimed to decide the impacts of various doses of Con A on C6 glioblastoma cellsregarding cytotoxicity, thiol/disulfide homeostasis, apoptosis, and inflammation. Wedetected the cytotoxic activity of Con A (from 7.8 to 500 µg/ml) in C6 cells byutilizing 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) anddetermined the toxic concentration of Con A. Once the optimal doses were found,the thiol–disulfide homeostasis, levels of total antioxidant and oxidant status (TASand TOS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione (GSH), pro‐inflammatory cytokines as tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α) and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), apoptoticproteins as cytochrome c (CYCS), and caspase 3 (CASP3) were measured. Apoptoticand morphological changes in the C6 cells were examined with an inverted microscope and flow cytometry technique. Dose‐dependent Con A triggered oxidativedamage in the C6 cells, affecting the inflammatory pathway, so reducing proliferation with apoptotic proteins and morphological changes. But especially, Con A increased disulfide formation by disrupting the thiol/disulfide balance in C6 cells. Thisstudy revealed that Con A, known as carbohydrate‐binding protein, generatedoxidative damage, inflammation, and apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner bymodulating thiol/disulfide homeostasis in C6 glioblastoma cells.</p

Effects of Curcumin and Boric Acid Against Neurodegenerative Damage Induced by Amyloid Beta (1-42)

Synaptosomes are used as an ex vivo model in the investigation of neuronal transmission and neurodegenerative processes. In this study, we aimed to determine the protective effects of boric acid (BA) and curcumin, which have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, on A beta 1-42 induced neurodegenerative damage. Synaptosomes obtained from the rat cerebral cortex were divided into five groups: control, 10 mu M A beta 1-42, 10 mu M A beta 1-42 + 25 mM BA, 10 mu M A beta 1-42 + 10 mu M curcumin, and 10 mu M A beta 1-42 + 25 mM BA+10 mu M curcumin. Synaptosomes treated with A beta 1-42 caused a significant decline in synaptophysin levels and increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities, DNA fragmentation values, and nitric oxide (NO) levels compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Synaptosomes treated with BA showed a significant reduction in MDA and NO levels against A beta 1-42 exposure (P < 0.01). In addition, curcumin treatment has been found to cause a significant reduction in AChE activities and MDA levels in synaptosomes (P < 0.05). Co-administration of BA and curcumin on synaptosomes exposed to A beta 1-42 resulted in a significant decrease in DNA fragmentation values, MDA levels, and AChE activities. Curcumin and BA + curcumin combination showed an enhancement in synaptophysin levels of A beta 1-42-induced synaptosomes (P < 0.01). The results showed that BA and curcumin had protective effects on rat brain synaptosomes against A beta 1-42 exposure. BA and curcumin treatment can have abilities to prevent the alterations of the cholinergic system and inhibit oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex synapses of A beta 1-42 exposed.WOS:0005925762000022-s2.0-85096556157PubMed: 3323749

Posaconazole micelles for ocular delivery: in vitro permeation, ocular irritation and antifungal activity studies

Posaconazole (PSC) is a triazole group anti-fungal agent with the widest spectrum. Although there is no commercially available ocular dosage form, its diluted oral suspension preparation (Noxafil (R)) is used as off-label in topical treatment of severe keratitis and sclerokeratitis in the clinic. However, ocular bioavailability of PSC suspension form is extremely low due to its highly lipophilic character. Thus, there is a clinical need to improve its ocular bioavailability and to develop novel delivery system for the treatment of ocular fungal infections. Herein, we studied ex vivo permeation, penetration, anti-fungal activity, and Hen's Egg Test-Chorioallantoic Membrane (HET-CAM) toxicity tests in order to assess ocular targeting of PSC micelles, which were optimized in our previous study. The results indicated that micellar carrier system increased the permeability of PSC to eye tissues. Micelles showed higher affinity to ocular tissues than that of commercial oral suspension of PSC (Noxafil (R)). In vitro anti-fungal activity data also confirmed the efficacy of PSC loaded micellar formulations against Candida. albicans strains. The relative safety of the optimized micelles on the ocular tissue was shown with the HET-CAM toxicity test. In conclusion, micellar systems could be a promising strategy for the effective and safe delivery of PSC in the treatment of ocular fungal infections

Curcumin and LOXblock-1 ameliorate ischemia-reperfusion induced inflammation and acute kidney injury by suppressing the semaphorin-plexin pathway

Aims: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is one of the most important causes of acute kidney injury (AKI), a clinical syndrome with kidney dysfunction and high mortality rates. New diagnostic biomarkers need to be defined to better illuminate the pathophysiology of AKI. For the first time, we aim to investigate the protective effects of Curcumin which is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and 12/15 lipoxygenase inhibitor LOXblock-1 on I/R induced AKI by modulating inflammatory processes, oxidative stress, apoptosis and semaphorin-plexin pathway. Main methods: The rats were divided into five groups, with eight animals per group: Sham, I/R, I/R + DMSO (1%, i.p.), I/R + Curcumin (100 mg/kg, i.p.), I/R + LOXblock-1 (2 mu g/kg, i.p.). Key findings: The renal function biomarkers (BUN, CREA and UA) in serum were significantly increased in the I/R group. The inflammatory (TNF-alpha, IL-6 and MCP-1), apoptotic (CYCS and CASP3) and oxidative stress parameters (MDA, MPO, TAS and TOS) measured by ELISA were significantly increased in the I/R group. In histopathological analysis, it was observed that I/R caused serious damage to kidney tissue. SEMA3A was found to increase both serum level and mRNA expression in I/R group. It was observed that curcumin and LOXblock-1 reduce inflammatory processes, oxidative stress and apoptosis via the semaphorin-plexin pathway by both measurements and histopathological analysis. Curcumin was proved more effective than LOXblock-1 with its antioxidant feature in I/R injury. Significance: The current study reveals the protective effects of Curcumin and LOXblock-1 on acute kidney injury by suppressing SEMA3A as a new biomarker.Commission of Scientific Research Projects of Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey [2019-2344, 2019-1915]This study was supported by the Commission of Scientific Research Projects of Eskisehir Osmangazi University, Eskisehir, Turkey with the grant numbers: 2019-2344 and 2019-1915.WOS:0005607654000092-s2.0-85087120412PubMed: 3260381