ACUTE TOXICITY STUDIES AND ANTIDOTAL THERAPY OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF JATROPHA CURCAS SEEDS IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

In spite of the myriad of ethno medical uses and agro-feed potential of Jatropha curcas (JC) seeds and the potential for production of biodiesel, toxic properties have been adduced to the plant, especially the seeds. Thus, the current study was done with the aim of investigating the toxicity of the ethanol seed extract of JC in rats, mice, and chicks; and also to use conventional antidotes to treat intoxication in rats due to JC poisoning.The LD50 of the ethanol extract of the JC seed was determined by the method initially described by Lorke. In addition, acute behavioral and CNS toxicity studies of JC including antidotal therapy against JC poisoning were done. The data was analysed using SPSS and results were expressed as mean ± SEM. p < 0.05 was considered significant.The LD50 of IPJC extract ranged from 177.48 to 288.53 mg/kg (moderately toxic) for the adult female rat, adult male mouse, and young male rat. For the adult male rats, the LD50 values were 565.69 mg/kg (IP, slightly toxic) and >5000 mg/kg (oral, slightly toxic) and the LD50 of the JC extract for the chicks was 28.28 mg/kg (IP, highly toxic). JC produced a fairly dose-dependent behavioral and CNS depressant effects which were reduced by atropine, EDTA and a combination of atropine, sodium nitrite & sodium thiosulphate, and EDTA. Also, these antidotes either singly or in combination reduced mortality among the rats by 25-50%.In conclusion, the ethanol extract of JC seeds produces behavioral changes in experimental animals possibly in part by CNS depression which were ameliorated by atropine or EDTA and a combination of antidotes. Thus, these antidotes particularly atropine, may be exploited in the management of JC poisoning

Fungal Contamination of Some Poultry Houses in Kaduna State, Nigeria

The study was conducted to assess the level of fungal contamination of poultry houses with emphasis on Aspergillus species contamination of litter, feeders, drinkers and the housing materials. Ten swabs each from ten locations and materials (100) of the 10 poultry houses were collected for fungal isolation. A total of 126 fungi belonging to 5 genera were isolated from the different parts of the poultry environment viz; Aspergillus, Mucor, Candida, Rhizopusand Penecillium species with Aspergillus and Candida species having the highest frequency of isolation, 69 (54.76%) and 27 (20.93%) respectively. Three species of Aspergillus were isolated A. fumigatus (22), A. flavus (22) and A. niger (18). Fungi were isolated from all parts of the poultry sampled with a higher rate of isolation from the doors, window nets, roof and feeders. The presence of Aspergillus and Candida species which are important poultry pathogens i.e causing Aspergillosis, mycotoxicosis and Candidaisis indicates an economic threat the farmers as well as to the health of the bird

Preliminary studies on the behavioural effects of the methanol extract of Leonotis nepetifolia Linn stem in mice

Background: Leonotis nepetifolia Linn (Lamiaceae) is used in traditional medicine for its calming (tranquilizing) effects. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any scientific justification for this use. To achieve this purpose, we investigated the behavioural effects of the methanol extract of Leonotis nepetifolia stem (37.5, 75 and 150 mg/kg) in mice.Methods: Acute toxicity studies were carried out on the methanol stem extract of Leonotis nepetifolia to determine the LD50. The behavioural tests employed were diazepam-induced sleep onset and duration, hole board assay for exploratory activity, mouse beam walk assay for motor coordination, and the staircase test for the detection of anxiolytic compounds. Preliminary phytochemical screening was also carried out on the extract.Results: The intraperitoneal LD50 value was found to be 3.8 g/kg. The results showed that the extract significantly prolonged the duration of diazepam-induced sleep at the highest dose (150 mg/kg). There was no observable effect on exploratory activity and motor coordination at the doses tested (37.5, 75 and 150 mg/kg). The extract, however, at 150 mg/kg elicited a significant decrease in the number of rearings in the staircase test, an effect also observed in the group of mice injected with an anxiolytic dose of diazepam. The preliminary phytochemical  screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides and   triterpenoids.Conclusion: The results obtained suggest that the crude methanol extract of Leonotis nepetifolia stem possesses some biologically active constituents with potential anxiolytic activity and thus may justify its traditional use as a tranquilizer.Keywords: behavioural; exploratory; Leonotis nepetifolia; motor coordination; anxiolyti

Integer programming methods for special college admissions problems

We develop Integer Programming (IP) solutions for some special college admission problems arising from the Hungarian higher education admission scheme. We focus on four special features, namely the solution concept of stable score-limits, the presence of lower and common quotas, and paired applications. We note that each of the latter three special feature makes the college admissions problem NP-hard to solve. Currently, a heuristic based on the Gale-Shapley algorithm is being used in the application. The IP methods that we propose are not only interesting theoretically, but may also serve as an alternative solution concept for this practical application, and also for other ones

PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE BEHAVIOURAL EFFECTS OF THE METHANOL EXTRACT OF LEONOTIS NEPETIFOLIA LINN STEM IN MICE

Background: Leonotis nepetifolia Linn (Lamiaceae) is used in traditional medicine for its calming (tranquilizing) effects. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is any scientific justification for this use. To achieve this purpose, we investigated the behavioural effects of the methanol extract of Leonotis nepetifolia stem (37.5, 75 and 150 mg/kg) in mice. Methods: Acute toxicity studies were carried out on the methanol stem extract of Leonotis nepetifolia to determine the LD50. The behavioural tests employed were diazepam-induced sleep onset and duration, hole board assay for exploratory activity, mouse beam walk assay for motor coordination, and the staircase test for the detection of anxiolytic compounds. Preliminary phytochemical screening was also carried out on the extract. Results: The intraperitoneal LD50 value was found to be 3.8 g/kg. The results showed that the extract significantly prolonged the duration of diazepam-induced sleep at the highest dose (150 mg/kg). There was no observable effect on exploratory activity and motor coordination at the doses tested (37.5, 75 and 150 mg/kg). The extract, however, at 150 mg/kg elicited a significant decrease in the number of rearings in the staircase test, an effect also observed in the group of mice injected with an anxiolytic dose of diazepam. The preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, saponins, glycosides and triterpenoids. Conclusion: The results obtained suggest that the crude methanol extract of Leonotis nepetifolia stem possesses some biologically active constituents with potential anxiolytic activity and thus may justify its traditional use as a tranquilize

An Algorithm for Strong Stability in the Student-Project Allocation Problem With Ties

We study a variant of the Student-Project Allocation problem with lecturer preferences over Students where ties are allowed in the preference lists of students and lecturers (spa-st). We investigate the concept of strong stability in this context. Informally, a matching is strongly stable if there is no student and lecturer l such that if they decide to form a private arrangement outside of the matching via one of l’s proposed projects, then neither party would be worse off and at least one of them would strictly improve. We describe the first polynomial-time algorithm to find a strongly stable matching or report that no such matching exists, given an instance of spa-st. Our algorithm runs in O(m2) time, where m is the total length of the students’ preference lists

Toxicological Assessment of Lamivudine-Artesunate Treatment on Renal Function, Renal Histology and Some Biomarkers in Parasitized and Immunosuppressed Rodents

The endemic nature of malaria and the prevalence of the viral infections of HIV and HBV in Africa necessitate concurrent lamivudine and artesunate therapy, and these drugs are amongst first line agents in management of these diseases. This study investigated the safety of lamivudine-artesunate co-administration in a rodent model of Plasmodium berghei infection in cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression. Thirty Wistar rats divided into five groups were used for the study with intraperitoneal drug administration for 21 days. Group 1 served as healthy controls while group 2 was disease control (Plasmodium berghei and cylcophosphamide inmmunosuppression). Group 3 and 4 received lamivudine 20mgkg-1, with group 4 receiving artesunate 10mg kg-1 in addition. Group 5 received only artesunate. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally and artesunate was from day 15 while groups 2-5 were also diseased. Electrolytes and urea levels did not differ significantly between treated and disease controls. Relative kidney weights were within close range of each other in all groups including the vehicle group. While lymphocytes were significantly lower in the lamivudine group, PCV levels were significantly decreased with artesunate in the disease group. Histological observations however did not show much difference and correlated the electrolytes and urea data from serum analysis. Data from this study suggests that concurrent administration of lamivudine and artesunate in the diseased state of malaria in immunosuppression may not pose severe renal consequences if administration is not intravascular in nature. Further safety studies with longer co administration of lamivudine and artesunate is recommended.Keywords: Drug safety, drug interaction, antimalarial-antiviral interaction, lamivudine, artesunat

A risk assessment study of the occurrence and distribution of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 in dairy cattle feeds in a central northern state, Nigeria

Nigeria, being a tropical nation, characterized by favorable climatic conditions, may display high chances of feed contaminations due to aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus with the consequences of health risks associated with the consumption of dairy products. A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the risks of occurrence and distribution of aflatoxigenic Aspergillus flavus (A. flavus) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) contamination levels based on the European Union (EU) and United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) set limits. Feeds (n = 144) were collected from selected conventional and traditional dairy herds; prepared and analyzed using immuno-affinity column (IAC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) respectively. Forty eight (55.8%) isolates were identified as A. flavus of the isolated Aspergilli (n = 86). Of this proportion, 12 (25.0%) were aflatoxigenic strains. An outrageous number of the tested feeds (86.8%, n = 144) were positive for AFB1 contamination. Detectable AFB1 concentrations ranged between (0.5 and 24.8) μgKg−1 and were distributed variously according to many factors of distribution. Eighty three (66.4%, n = 125) of the AFB1 contaminated feed samples showed AFB1 concentrations between 5 and ≥20 μgKg-1. All-inclusive policies are key to reducing the health risks posed to the consumers of dairy products. Keywords: Aspergillus flavus, Aflatoxin B1, Occurrence, Dairy feeds, Risk, Nigeri