Effect of the Golden Liquid from Honeybees and Refined Granulated Sugar on the Blood Glucose and Serum Iron Levels of Albino Rats.

Honey is a naturally sweet substance produced by honeybees from water, pollen, and nectar. Due to its unique nutritional and therapeutic benefits, which are ascribed to the interaction of the various chemical groups it contains, natural honey is one of the most popular consumed products. Modern-day individuals consume a lot of refined granulated sugar, either directly through foods or indirectly from other sources. The consumption of large amounts of refined granulated sugar alters hematological and physiological changes in the body. According to several scientific studies, honey can be a healthier alternative to refined granulated sugar because it does not threaten human health. Consuming natural honey raises serum iron levels and red blood cell counts since it is known that the iron in honey serves as a precursor to hemoglobin. Overconsumption of refined granulated sugar has been identified as a risk factor for metabolic disorders such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of the golden liquid from honeybees (natural honey) and refined granulated sugar on the blood glucose and serum iron levels of 25 Wistar albino rats. The experimental animals used in this study were grouped into five treatments based on the dose of natural honey and refined granulated sugar administered namely: T1 (1.02 g of honey /kg BW), T2 (1.40g of honey /kg BW), T3 (1.02 g of refined granulated sugar /kg BW), T4 (1.40g of refined granulated sugar /kg BW), rats in T5 were not administered honey, and refined granulated sugar served as the control. The blood glucose concentration of the albino rats was measured using the glucose strips with a glucometer while the serum iron analysis was conducted using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The result revealed that the mean blood glucose level of the rats was highest in T3 (112.95mg/dl), followed by T5 (92.20mg/dl) while the least value was recorded in T2 (74.86mg/dl). There was a significant difference in the blood glucose levels of albino rats orally administered natural honey and refined granulated sugar at varying levels (P0.05) among treatments. It was found that the highest serum iron level was recorded in T5 (1.31±0.395 ppm) followed by T2 (1.22± 0.115 ppm), while the least serum iron level was recorded in T1 (0.88±1.319ppm). It was observed that there were no significant differences in the serum iron levels of the albino rats (p\u3e0.05) among treatments The use of natural honey is recommended since albino rats orally administered honey at varying doses had lower blood glucose levels than those given refined granulated sugar. This work will be a useful tool for understanding the role of honey over granulated sugars, especially among prediabetic and diabetic patients in order to control their sugar levels using diet as a source. This implies that the consumption of natural honey did not significantly increase blood glucose levels. It was therefore recommended that physicians and dietitians should advocate for natural honey use over refined granulated sugar which could be safe for consumption by diabetic patients

Global patient outcomes after elective surgery: prospective cohort study in 27 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: As global initiatives increase patient access to surgical treatments, there remains a need to understand the adverse effects of surgery and define appropriate levels of perioperative care. METHODS: We designed a prospective international 7-day cohort study of outcomes following elective adult inpatient surgery in 27 countries. The primary outcome was in-hospital complications. Secondary outcomes were death following a complication (failure to rescue) and death in hospital. Process measures were admission to critical care immediately after surgery or to treat a complication and duration of hospital stay. A single definition of critical care was used for all countries. RESULTS: A total of 474 hospitals in 19 high-, 7 middle- and 1 low-income country were included in the primary analysis. Data included 44 814 patients with a median hospital stay of 4 (range 2-7) days. A total of 7508 patients (16.8%) developed one or more postoperative complication and 207 died (0.5%). The overall mortality among patients who developed complications was 2.8%. Mortality following complications ranged from 2.4% for pulmonary embolism to 43.9% for cardiac arrest. A total of 4360 (9.7%) patients were admitted to a critical care unit as routine immediately after surgery, of whom 2198 (50.4%) developed a complication, with 105 (2.4%) deaths. A total of 1233 patients (16.4%) were admitted to a critical care unit to treat complications, with 119 (9.7%) deaths. Despite lower baseline risk, outcomes were similar in low- and middle-income compared with high-income countries. CONCLUSIONS: Poor patient outcomes are common after inpatient surgery. Global initiatives to increase access to surgical treatments should also address the need for safe perioperative care. STUDY REGISTRATION: ISRCTN5181700

Phytochemical profile of some green leafy vegetables in South East, Nigeria

The potential of eight common green leafy vegetables (GLV) in the raw and cooked forms as natural source of phytochemicals was assessed. The vegetables studied were the common ones found in southeast Nigeria and they included Ugu, Nchanwu, Okazi, Utazi, Oha, Nturukpa, Ahihara, and Onugbo. The vegetables were assessed for the following phytochemicals: alkaloid, steroid, tannin, anthocyanin, carotenoids and flavonoid. The phytochemical content of the vegetables varied significantly (p=0.05) among the GLV. Onugbo had the highest steroid content of 0.27g/100g while nchanwu had the lowest (0.07g/100g). Oha followed by ahihara was the most enriched with respect to the tested phytochemicals. Differences in phytochemical content between raw and cooked GLV were not significant (p=0.05), with the exception of flavonoid and alkaloids. Generally the GLV showed a low content of anthocyanin andcarotenoidswhilealkaloidwasmostabundantinthem. Alkaloid content of the GLV in raw and cooked forms were 1.28 -2.96g/100g and 0.30 –0.84g/100g respectively. The assessed GLV offer a cheap but rich source of a number of phytochemicals having health protective properties. The production and consumption of a mixture of GLV is recommended

Farro 57 Rice Cultivar: A Comparative Study of the Nutritional Composition of its Parboiled Milled Rice, Brown Rice and Germinated Brown Rice

This work analyzed the nutritional composition of germinated brown rice (GBR)  produced from FARRO 57 rice cultivar and compared it with that of ungerminated brown rice (UBR) and ungerminated parboiled milled/white rice (UWR) from the same cultivar which were used as controls. The aim was to evaluate and compare the nutritional composition of UBR, UWR and GBR of the rice cultivar. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design. GBR was produced by soaking brown rice grains in distilled water for 24 h and then made to germinate in a laboratory incubator at 35° C for 12, 24 and 36 h. The parameters determined included proximate composition, energy value, minerals, vitamins, total starch, amylose and total reducing sugar contents and they were determined in triplicates. It was found that GBR had significantly higher contents of protein (14.54-15.01%), ash (3.36.98%), total dietary fibre (9.23-9.31), phosphorus (130.55-187.15 mg/100 g), iron (6.22-9.94 mg/100 g), calcium (455.0-560.0 mg/100 g), zinc (2.51-2.72 mg/100 g), selenium (92.10-107.50 µg/100 g), vitamin B2 (2.35-2.92 mg/100 g) and vitamin E (1.82-2.68 mg/100g) than UBR and UWR. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the contents of vitamins A (19.45-19.72 IU), B1 (0.33-0.34 mg/100g) and B6 (1.00-1.10 mg/100g) of GBR and UBR samples, however they were all significantly higher than that of UWR. The GBR also had significantly lower amount of total carbohydrate (64.21-71.09%), total starch (54.91-60.92%), amylose (22.05-28.14%), and total reducing sugar (5.14-11.23%) than UBR and UWR. Amongst the GBR samples, the ash, protein, and the minerals increased with increase in duration of germination while the total carbohydrate, starch and amylose decreased with increase in duration of germination. GBR was recommended over UBR and UWR due to its optimum levels of the nutrients

Price Forecast Of Selected Staple Foodstuff In Borno State, Nigeria

The study attempted to forecast the prices of some selected foodstuff in Borno state, Nigeria using a database of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture Ibadan. These data were on the monthly prices of selected foodstuff in Borno state, which covered a period of nine years (1992-2000). Projection was made by running a regression using exponential functional form; Theil's inequality test was used to test the perfection of the projected prices. Empirical' evidence from the analysis shows that 55% of the staple foodstuff prices were rightly predicted while 45% were wrongly predicted in the urban market. Also in the rural market, 73% of the prices were rightly predicted while 27% were wrongly predicted. The knowledge of this projection will help the policy makers in Borno state towards the achievement of efficient marketing strategies. Journal of Agriculture and Social Research Vol. 4 (2) 2004: 90-9

Herbal medicine: a survey of use in Nigerian presurgical patients booked for ambulatory anaesthesia

Abstract Background Utilization of herbal medicines in the preoperative period by Nigerian patients booked for day case surgery has not been explored. Methods Cross-sectional survey of 60 patients presenting for day-case surgery at a tertiary healthcare institution over a 3-week period in August 2011 was conducted. Using a structured questionnaire, inquiries were made concerning use of herbal medicines in the immediate preoperative period. Socio-demographic characteristics, information on use of concurrent medical prescriptions, types of herbs used, reasons for use, perceived side effects and perceived efficacy were obtained. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics and Chi-square. Results Fifty-two (86.7%) were American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class 1 while 8 (13%) were ASA 2. Most patients (86.7%) had their procedures done under local infiltration with monitored anaesthesia care (MAC), while 5.0% and 8.3% had their procedures done under regional and general anaesthesia, respectively. About 48.3% of respondents were on concurrent medical prescriptions while 51.7% were not. Forty percent (40%) of patients admitted to use of herbal medicine, all by the oral route, in the immediate perioperative period; 87.5% did not inform their doctor of their herbal use. Types of herbs used included ‘dogonyaro’, ‘agbo’, ‘nchanwu’, and Tahitian noni. Treatment of malaria was commonest reason for use in 29.2% of patients, while cough and concurrent surgical condition were reasons given by 12.5% of patients, respectively. Seventy-nine percent (79.2%) of patients considered their herbal medications effective. Perceived side effects of herbal medication (16.6%) included fever, waist pain and intoxication. There were no variations in use between ASA 1 and ASA 2 patients and none between respondents on conventional medication against those that were not. Variables such as age less than 35 years, female gender, being married and being an urban dweller did not show any significant difference in use. Conclusion This survey revealed many patients were on one or more herbal preparations in the immediate preoperative period. In consideration of possible untoward drug interactions between conventional medication, herbal preparations and anaesthesia, doctors (especially anaesthetists) should routinely assess all patients booked to be anaesthetized, especially those for day case surgery. The authors recommend surveys with larger respondent numbers to determine prevalence of use and possible interactions between indigenous Nigerian herbs and anaesthesia.</p