Oxytocic effects of the water extract of Musanga cecropioides R. Brown (Moraceae) stem bark

Musanga cecropioides (Umbrella tree) is one of the medicinal plants used in tropical parts of Africa for its oxytocic, hypotensive and antidiabetic activities. This work examined the effect of the water extractof the stem bark on rat uterus pre-treated with 1 mg/kg stilboesterol for 24 h. The effects of oxytocin-a uterine contraction agonist, antagonists like atropine (1-2 mg) and salbutamol (2 ìg) on the uterinecontractile effect of the water extract as well as its acute toxic effect were investigated. The water extract of M. cecropioides produced a dose related increase in the force of uterine contraction. An equivalent force of uterine contraction of 1.10 ± 0.15 g produced by 12.5 mg of the extract wasincreased to 2.53 ± 0.6 g when 1600 mg of the extract was administered. Oxytocin at 0.08 i.u. was observed to elicit a similar force of contraction with 400 mg of the water extract. The drug was observed to potentiate the uterine contractile activity of the extract while pre-treating the tissue with either atropine or salbutamol before administering the water extract showed the inhibitory effects of the drugs on the activity of the extract. The inhibition effect showed by atropine suggests the probable stimulation of the muscarinic receptors of the uterus by the extract. Between doses of 1-4 g/kg, the water extract of M. cecropioides was observed to be well tolerated in mice as no obvious signs of toxicity were observed on the animal

Pharmacognostic evaluation of the leaves of Mitracarpus scaber Zucc (Rubiaceae)

Purpose: The methanolic extract and isolated constituents of Mitracarpus scaber Zucc have been reported to exhibit hepatoprotective, antibacterial and antimycotic activities. Establishment of Pharmacognostic profile of the leaves will assist in standardization for quality, purity and sample identification. Method: Evaluation of the fresh, powdered and anatomical sections of the leaves were carried out to determine the macromorphological, micromorphological, chemomicroscopic, numerical and phytochemical profiles. Results: Macro - and microscopical studies indicated presence of simple leaf whorled arrangement, an entire margin with lanceolate shape, acute apex and base, parallel venation, thin and wavy anticlinal walls with numerous calcium oxalate crystals. Stomata arrangement was anomocytic with numerous covering trichomes on both surfaces. Chemomicroscopic characters present include lignin, starch, cellulose, mucilage and calcium oxalate crystals while phytochemical evaluation revealed the presence of alkaloids, tannins, cardiac glycosides and saponins. The investigations also included numerical and quantitative leaf microscopy. Conclusion: These findings should be suitable for inclusion in the proposed Pharmacopoeia of Nigerian Medicinal plants. Keywords: Mitracarpus scaber, Pharmacognostic evaluation, Pharmacopoeia. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 6 (4) 2007: pp. 849-85

Assessing the Effectiveness of Illustrations in Print Media Advert of Home Appliances

In this study, attempts were made to ascertain the attention getting power of illustrations in print media advert of home appliances, the interrelatedness of the illustrations to the advert messages, clarity and the ability to create buying interest. Survey research design method was adopted for the study and questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. In this study it was discovered that, though, the illustrations attract attention to an advert they are not too related to the message of the advert and very difficult for the audience to decode at the first contact and at the same time does not propel buying interest in the audience. As a result, it was recommended that relevant illustrations should be used or be entirely left out. The illustrations should bring out the benefit of the product as the case may be. Simplicity should also be employed for clarity purposes. Keywords: Illustrations, Advertising, Print Media, Home Appliance

Understanding food safety challenges through a gender and social lens in low‐ and middle‐income countries

Food safety is crucial for ensuring the quality and safety of the global food supply. However, the gender and social dimensions of food safety are often overlooked and undervalued. Women, who are primary caretakers in households, play a vital role in food preparation, storage, and consumption. Gender inequality can result in limited access to resources and information needed for safe food handling and storage, increasing women's vulnerability to foodborne illnesses. Cultural practices, education, and income levels also impact food safety. These factors can contribute to disparities in food safety and increase the risk of foodborne illnesses among certain populations. Promoting gender equality, cultural sensitivity, and addressing income inequality are essential to ensure safe and secure food for all. Addressing these issues can lead to a more equitable and sustainable food system

Understanding food safety challenges through a gender and social lens in low‐ and middle‐income countries

Food safety is crucial for ensuring the quality and safety of the global food supply. However, the gender and social dimensions of food safety are often overlooked and undervalued. Women, who are primary caretakers in households, play a vital role in food preparation, storage, and consumption. Gender inequality can result in limited access to resources and information needed for safe food handling and storage, increasing women's vulnerability to foodborne illnesses. Cultural practices, education, and income levels also impact food safety. These factors can contribute to disparities in food safety and increase the risk of foodborne illnesses among certain populations. Promoting gender equality, cultural sensitivity, and addressing income inequality are essential to ensure safe and secure food for all. Addressing these issues can lead to a more equitable and sustainable food system

Low-threshold optically pumped lasing in highly strained Ge nanowires

The integration of efficient, miniaturized group IV lasers into CMOS architecture holds the key to the realization of fully functional photonic-integrated circuits. Despite several years of progress, however, all group IV lasers reported to date exhibit impractically high thresholds owing to their unfavorable bandstructures. Highly strained germanium with its fundamentally altered bandstructure has emerged as a potential low-threshold gain medium, but there has yet to be any successful demonstration of lasing from this seemingly promising material system. Here, we demonstrate a low-threshold, compact group IV laser that employs germanium nanowire under a 1.6% uniaxial tensile strain as the gain medium. The amplified material gain in strained germanium can sufficiently surmount optical losses at 83 K, thus allowing the first observation of multimode lasing with an optical pumping threshold density of ~3.0 kW cm^-^2. Our demonstration opens up a new horizon of group IV lasers for photonic-integrated circuits.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figure

The Effect of Active Fractions of the Roots of Nauclea Latifolia Smith (Rubiaceae) on Blood Pressure of Normotensive Rabbits

Abstract: Nauclea latifolia has been found to lower blood pressure of both normotensive and hypertensive rats. The chloroform fractrion of this plant was subjected to column chromatography and five fractions were obtained, CF1-CF5. All the fractions were active in lowering blood pressure of normotensive rabbits. Fraction CF1, CF3 ,CF4 and CF5 were active at a dose range of 2.5 -10 mg/kg. At 10 mg/kg, CF1 reduced the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) from 97.6 ± 5.6 to 61.6 ± 8.6 mmHg , CF3 reduced the MAP from 95.3 ±5.1 to 68.3 ±3. mmHg, CF4 reduced the MAP from 84.8 ± 4.7 to 58.6 ± 5.0 mmHg while CF5 reduced the MAP from 78.6 ± 7.5 to 53.0 ± 4.6 mmHg. CF2 was effective at the dose range of 0.2 -0.6 mg/kg. At 0.6 mg/kg CF2 reduced the MAP from 79.0 ± 3.1 to 48.4 ± 3.7. It was thus concluded that Nauclea latifolia can be partitioned into 5 major fractions all of which are active in lowering blood pressure, but CF2 was most poten

Understanding food safety challenges through a gender and social lens in low‐ and middle‐income countries

Food safety is crucial for ensuring the quality and safety of the global food supply. However, the gender and social dimensions of food safety are often overlooked and undervalued. Women, who are primary caretakers in households, play a vital role in food preparation, storage, and consumption. Gender inequality can result in limited access to resources and information needed for safe food handling and storage, increasing women's vulnerability to foodborne illnesses. Cultural practices, education, and income levels also impact food safety. These factors can contribute to disparities in food safety and increase the risk of foodborne illnesses among certain populations. Promoting gender equality, cultural sensitivity, and addressing income inequality are essential to ensure safe and secure food for all. Addressing these issues can lead to a more equitable and sustainable food system

MOLLUSCICIDAL AND LARVICIDAL ACTIVITIES OF Atriplex inflata AERIAL PARTS AGAINST THE MOLLUSK Galba truncatula, INTERMEDIATE HOST OF Fasciola hepatica

Fasciolosis is a widespread parasitosis of farm live-stock in many developing countries. For this reason, it is necessary to search for new substances against parasitic diseases caused by flukes. Indeed, a wide variety of terrestrial plants have been subjected to chemical and pharmacological screening in order to discover their potential for human medicinal use. The molluscicidal and larvicidal activities of Atriplex inflata were tested on Galba truncatula and Fasciola hepatica larval stages infecting this snail in Tunisia. Phytochemical tests were conducted on extracts in order to establish a meaningful relationship with molluscicidal and larvicidal activities. The molluscicidal activity was evaluated by subjecting snails to sample aqueous solutions. Accordingly, hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and methanol-water (8:2, v-v) were used as extraction solvents. As a result, hexane and ethyl acetate extracts showed potent activity, according to the World Health Organization, giving LC50 = 7.59 mg/L and 6.69 mg/L for hexane extracts of leaves and fruits, respectively. Ethyl acetate extracts gave LC50 = 5.90 mg/L and 7.32 mg/L for leaves and fruits, successively. Molluscicidal activities of powders were less potent on snails, but active according to the World Health Organization. Hexane and ethyl acetate extracts from leaves and fruits gave potent larvicidal activities with a delay rate exceeding 45.50% (45.50- 98.92%). Phytochemical tests showed that these activities may be attributed to the presence of triterpenoids and/or sterols