An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Application of geophysical method to delineate Kaolin deposit at Kankara, Northwestern Nigeria

Area around Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, which lies within the Northern Nigerian Basement complex, is considered as one of the most prospective regions for Kaolin mineralization in Nigeria. A geophysical survey involving aeromagnetic and electrical resistivity survey was employed to delineate the fault and features that may be related to the mineralization. The aeromagnetic map results which included the first and second vertical derivatives and analytical signal map, revealed that a continuous linear feature trends Northwest to Southeast direction and Northeast to Southwest direction with a few traces along East-West and North-South. The electrical resistivity tomography was taken at a mining site along which the fault line passes through. It revealed that the Kaolin mineral lies within the overburden and weathered layer, with depth approximately 10-15m, extending from East -West

Analytical solutions of the N-dimensional Schrödinger equation with modified screened Kratzer plus inversely quadratic Yukawa potential and thermodynamic properties of selected diatomic molecules

In this study, we presented approximate analytical solutions to the N-dimensional Schrödinger equation with the screened modified Kratzer plus inversely quadratic Yukawa potential (SMKIQYP) by adopting the Nikiforov-Uvarov method and using the Greene-Aldrich approximation scheme for the inverse square term. The obtained energy eigenvalues were used to investigate four diatomic molecules: Hydrogen (H2), Iodine (I2), Nitrogen monoxide (NO), and Carbon monoxide (CO). The numerical results of the energy spectrum for the NO and CO molecules based on some of the deduced potentials such as modified Kratzer and screened modified Kratzer potentials were also determined. Then, using the obtained partition function, we calculated the thermodynamic properties such as the mean energy, specific heat, entropy, and free energy of the aforementioned diatomic molecules. The partition function of the H2, CO, and I2 diatomic molecules was computed for various temperatures. The results show that the partition function of the three diatomic molecules increased with increasing temperature. To validate our results, the numerical results of the energy spectrum for a few recovered potentials were compared with the results available in the literature, and we observed that our results are in excellent agreement

Primary stroke prevention worldwide: translating evidence into action

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of disability worldwide and its burden is increasing rapidly in low-income and middle-income countries, many of which are unable to face the challenges it imposes. In this Health Policy paper on primary stroke prevention, we provide an overview of the current situation regarding primary prevention services, estimate the cost of stroke and stroke prevention, and identify deficiencies in existing guidelines and gaps in primary prevention. We also offer a set of pragmatic solutions for implementation of primary stroke prevention, with an emphasis on the role of governments and population-wide strategies, including task-shifting and sharing and health system re-engineering. Implementation of primary stroke prevention involves patients, health professionals, funders, policy makers, implementation partners, and the entire population along the life course