The use of plants in the traditional management of diabetes in Nigeria: Pharmacological and toxicological considerations

Ethnopharmacological relevance: The prevalence of diabetes is on a steady increase worldwide and it is now identified as one of the main threats to human health in the 21st century. In Nigeria, the use of herbal medicine alone or alongside prescription drugs for its management is quite common. We hereby carry out a review of medicinal plants traditionally used for diabetes management in Nigeria. Based on the available evidence on the species׳ pharmacology and safety, we highlight ways in which their therapeutic potential can be properly harnessed for possible integration into the country׳s healthcare system. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical information was obtained from a literature search of electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Pubmed and Scopus up to 2013 for publications on medicinal plants used in diabetes management, in which the place of use and/or sample collection was identified as Nigeria. ‘Diabetes’ and ‘Nigeria’ were used as keywords for the primary searches; and then ‘Plant name – accepted or synonyms’, ‘Constituents’, ‘Drug interaction’ and/or ‘Toxicity’ for the secondary searches. Results: The hypoglycemic effect of over a hundred out of the 115 plants reviewed in this paper is backed by preclinical experimental evidence, either in vivo or in vitro. One-third of the plants have been studied for their mechanism of action, while isolation of the bioactive constituent(s) has been accomplished for twenty three plants. Some plants showed specific organ toxicity, mostly nephrotoxic or hepatotoxic, with direct effects on the levels of some liver function enzymes. Twenty eight plants have been identified as in vitro modulators of P-glycoprotein and/or one or more of the cytochrome P450 enzymes, while eleven plants altered the levels of phase 2 metabolic enzymes, chiefly glutathione, with the potential to alter the pharmacokinetics of co-administered drugs. Conclusion: This review, therefore, provides a useful resource to enable a thorough assessment of the profile of plants used in diabetes management so as to ensure a more rational use. By anticipating potential toxicities or possible herb–drug interactions, significant risks which would otherwise represent a burden on the country׳s healthcare system can be avoided

Bradford's law: Part 1- an explanatory approach for librarians

This paper is the first in a series of two papers on Bradford's Law. This paper reviews the law in a simplified manner for the benefit of library and information science students and researchers, who might otherwise be put off by the usually highly mathematical exposition of the Law. The explanation is intended to set the stage for an interdisciplinary explanation of the Law in the second paper. West African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science Vol. 16(2) 2006: 109-12

Bradford's law: Part 11- an alternative explanation from the field of economics

Attempts to explain the Bradford's Law have failed to provide sufficient explanations on the reasons the most and least productive journals could not be predicted by the Bradford's curve. Nevertheless those segments of the curve not conforming to Bradford distribution are accepted as part of the same Law. This paper suggests an alternative explanation from the field of Economics. The proposition questions the straight line fit and supports the existence of an inflection point where the curve changes from concave to convex. The Groos Droop and the crash activity zone in this alternative explanation are predictable from the economic theory perspective. West African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science Vol. 16(2) 2006: 123-12

Cognitive styles match and mismatch in autotutorial computer-based instruction: Effects of paired learning on flowcharting achievement by individuals.

Students learn with innate cognitive attributes which have been proven to differ significantly among them. This study aims at determining which cognitive attributes should be composed in a dyad, in order for effective learning to take place. Based on their scores on the Thurstone and Jeffrey closure flexibility test, 158 graduate students at the University of Michigan were classified as field dependent (FD), field independent (FI) or average (the latter students played the role of control group). 30 FDs, 30 FIs, and 20 Average subjects were randomly selected. FDs and FIs were randomly assigned to matched or mismatched learning condition. Students in all groups learned flowcharting materials as pairs through a microcomputer-based flowcharting program using Hypercard, and later, took a flowcharting performance test individually. The learning time per dyad and the flowcharting scores were recorded. Seven hypotheses are made: (1) There is significant evidence that the dyad composition strategy based upon cognitive styles in learning affects statistically subjects' flowcharting performance. (2) There is significant evidence that FI subjects perform better on flowcharting tasks than FD, regardless of their learning condition. (3) FI subjects from group-1 (FI-FI) perform better on flowcharting tasks than any other FI from group-2 (FI-FD). (4) FD subjects from group-2 score higher in flowcharting tasks than any FD from group-3. (5) There is significant evidence that the composition of pairs based upon their cognitive styles on learning, affects statistically the speed of pairs on learning tasks. (6) Matched pairs FI-FI, spend less time on autotutorial instruction than any other pairing strategy. (7) Matched pairs FD-FD (group-3) spend less time on autotutorial instruction than mismatched dyads. Results confirmed the prediction of hypotheses 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7, suggesting, that group composition based upon cognitive style is a determinant factor in learning. FI-FI scored higher than FI-FD, followed by the control group, then group-3, FI-FI followed by FD-FD turned out to be the best groups for the transfer of learning from dyads to individuals. A regression analysis on flowcharting (Y) and closure flexibility scores (X) showed a significant correlation characterized by Y =.182X + 16.242, and r\sp2 =.256.Ph.D.Information and Library StudiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/104782/1/9116126.pdfDescription of 9116126.pdf : Restricted to UM users only