Effects of Aqueous Extract of Moringa oleifera on Phenylhydrazine-induced Liver Toxicity in Wistar Rats

Moringa oleifera has been shown to have a variety of medicinal benefits, including hepatoprotective effects. Phenylhydrazine has been used to cause hepatotoxicity in experimental models. In this study, an aqueous extract of Moringa oleifera was used to evaluate the ameliorating properties of phenylhydrazine-induced liver damage by assessing liver enzymes and histoarchitecture employing twenty-five (25) mature Wistar rats were divided into five (5) groups. Group A received 1 ml distilled water, Group B received 50 mg/kg phenylhydrazine twice in 48 hours, Group C received 500 mg/kg body weight of Moringa oleifera aqueous extract for four (4) weeks, Group D received 50 mg/kg phenylhydrazine twice in 48 hours and 500 mg/kg body weight of Moringa oleifera aqueous extract for four (4) weeks, and Group E received 50 mg/kg of phenylhydrazine twice in forty-eight (48) hours and 70 mg/kg body weight of Silymarin for four (4) weeks.  After the administration of phenylhydrazine, significant increases (P<0.05) in the mean concentrations of liver enzymes (ALP, AST, ALT) and total protein were observed, whereas treatment with Moringa oleifera resulted in a reversal of those parameters to values comparable to the control and the standard drug - Silymarin. Overall, the results showed that Moringa oleifera aqueous extract had considerable hepatoprotective capability against phenylhydrazine-induced hepatotoxicity

Adaptation, Further Elaboration, and Validation of a Scale to Measure Hope as Perceived by People: Discriminant Value and Predictive Utility Vis-à-Vis Dispositional Hope

International audienceAgainst the background of different psychological conceptualizations of hope, this article elaborates and validates a measure to assess hope as perceived by the general public adapting it from the hope and optimism subscale of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs Questionnaire. The results presented here are part of a yearly Internet-based cross-sectional survey in Germany and Switzerland called Hope-Barometer, from which 4 samples of 3 different years with about 17,500 participants have been used. Following the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as convergent validity, discriminant value, and predictive utility, our findings suggest that the six items of the resulting Perceived Hope Scale exhibits robust psychometric properties, and that perceived hope is distinct and broader than dispositional hope, in which it relates not only to cognitive but also to spiritual, religious, and altruistic dimensions