The Modulatory Activity of Justicia carnea in Plasmodium Infected Mice

The study investigated the antiplasmodial potency of Justicia carnea in plasmodium infected mice. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea was subjected to phytochemical screening using GC-FID. The suppressive, prophylactic and curative activity of the studied plant was accessed after oral administration of standard drugs (5mgkg-1 choroquine and 4mgkg-1 artesunate) and 400-800mgkg-1 of the extract. The effect of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant was also explored in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and hematological indices of plasmodium infected mice using spectrophotomertic methods and a hematology auto analyzer (BC 5300 Mindray England) respectively. The aqueous leaf extract of Justicia carnea showed considerable dose dependent antiplasmodial activity in the suppressive, prophylactic and curative test conducted. The suppressive activity of (92%) of the aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant at 800mgkg-1 was comparable to the standard drugs used while the mean survival time of plasmodium infected mice at 800mgkg-1 was beyond the mean survival time of the infected untreated group. The aqueous leaf extract of the studied plant also exhibited significant improvements in the activities of liver enzymes, oxidative stress markers and some hematological parameters at 800mgkg-1 of the extract when compared with the infected and untreated group. The results of the study exhibited the antiplasmodial activity of the studied plant, nonetheless, the crude extracts of the studied plant can be further purified for synergistic use with other potent antimalarial drugs to combat and achieve total clearance of plasmodium resistant infections

Making of an Entrepreneurial University in the 21st Century - Global Universities as a Role Model

This paper looks at what it takes to make a university entrepreneurial in the 21st century, especially with the global trend of Entrepreneurship Education.  Universities need to be entrepreneurial so as to churn out graduates who will create, rather than seek jobs.  The high rate of unemployment globally, calls for this.  The paper focuses on the concept of and economic perspective of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship Education as well as portraying universities as role model in teaching entrepreneurship in the 21st century. The paper finally suggested establishment of Entrepreneurship Centre in each university, fully equipped with resources; internet connectivity and a globally friendly delivery system and assessment for the teaching of Entrepreneurship Education in universities. Keywords: Entrepreneurship Education, Entrepreneurial University, 21st Century, Global universities, Entrepreneurship concepts, Economic perspective, Entrepreneurship Centre, Internet connectivity, Self-employment, Delivery system and assessment

African traditional abdominal massage in pregnancy resulting in antepartum uterine rupture, abruptio placenta and foetal demise – a case report

The practice of abdominal massage dates to years ago and associated with foetal and maternal morbidity and mortality when undertaken by untrained traditional birth attendants in our setting. We present a 30-year old G3P2+0 with uterine rupture and intra-uterine foetal death following abdominal massage. She was resuscitated and had emergency exploratory laparotomy and repair of uterine rupture

The Effect of Cd4 Count Level on the Middle Ear Dynamics of Hiv Infected Patients

Background: HIV infection, a multi systemic disease has been identified as one of the causes of hearing loss in man. Objectives: To compare the effect of HIV infection on the middle ear dynamics of HIV infected and non-HIV infected individuals using tympanometry. Design: A prospective cross sectional study Setting: HIV Clinic at University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in 2010. Subjects: Tympanometry was done on adults (18-45year old) patients with confirmed retroviral disease (RVD) infection and confirmed non-HIV infected adults (18-45year old) as the control group. All the patients certified the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Main Outcome Measures: More women were found with HIV infection than men at a ratio of 1:3.7(men = 21% and females = 79%). There was preponderance of type “B” tympanogram among HIV-infected individuals. Result: There was a significant correlation between CD4 cell count and type “B” tympanogram (P=0.03). The CD4 cell count measured severity of HIV infection while the type “B” tympanogram detected middle ear effusion. Conclusions: Middle ear effusion is the genesis of middle ear pathology in HIV infected population

Structure and diversity of fish communities in man-made ponds of the Niger Delta (southern Nigeria)

1. A survey of eight local earthen hand-dug ponds located within the freshwater swamps of a Niger Delta area (southern Nigeria) was conducted over a period of 3 months. A total of 4,313 fishes representing 19 species from 12 families were recorded.2. The most abundant species was Xenomystus nigri (905 individuals), whereas the least common was Protopterus annectens (13). Cichlidae and Clariidae counted three species each, whereas Anabantidae, Hepsetidae, Mochokidae, Protopteridae, Phractolaemidae, Malapteruridae and Gymnarchidae were represented by a single species each.3. A lotic species, Synodontis sp., was recorded possibly as a result of the episodic flood of 2012.4. The Engenni swamps harbour a moderately diverse ichthyofauna. Regulations should be put in place to further enhance the fisheries potential of these local ponds

A Study on Sources, Availability and Accessibility of Potable Water in Imo State, Nigeria

Sources, availability and accessibility of potable water were studied in the three geopolitical zones; Okigwe, Owerri, Orlu zones of Imo State, Nigeria. A total of 800 pretested and randomly distributed questionnaires were used on adult respondents in the three zones. Results identified borehole water as the major (65.4%) source of drinking water among the respondents. More than half (53.8%) of the respondents have their water source located less than 50m from their houses, of which 33% have their boreholes located within their compounds. About half of the respondents visit water bodies daily. The highest total rating of supply of water by the respondents was on “poor” supply. The poor rating was more in Okigwe zone where 107 (64.7%) gave poor rating for supply of potable water. The study has shown that although there is availability and accessibility of water, there is need to monitor sitting of water sources and create awareness as well as lay emphasis on purification since what is available and accessible is not potable

Minerals, Amino Acids and Essential Oil Contents of Ethanol Extracts from Seeds and Pulps of Artocarpus Heterophyllus

Artocarpus heterophyllus is shown to be one amongst several plants shown to be blindly used by locals as nutritional supplements and for therapeutic purposes. This study examined comparatively the nutritional potentials of the seeds and pulps of Artocarpus heterophyllus. The minerals, amino acids and essential oil contents of ethanol extracts from seed and pulp of Artocarpus heterophyllus was evaluated using standard laboratory methods. Results shows that, the seed has the highest amino acid content, with glutamine being the highest in the seed (23.24g/100g) as compared to the pulp (21.74g/100g). The mineral content analysis shows that the pulp is rich in manganese (0.66mg/kg) while the seed is richest in potassium (0.6mg/kg). Iron (0.42mg/kg) and Calcium (0.42mg/kg) were observed to be higher also in the pulp. The totality of the mineral content is however, greater in the pulp than in the seed. The seed and the pulp of A. heterophyllus were found to contain almost the same quantity of essential oils, with the seed having higher varieties of essential oils. The study revealed that the ethanol extracts of the seed and pulp of A. heterophyllus are of high nutritional values as essentials minerals, oils and amino acids were seen present in the samples. Keywords: Artocarpus Heterophyllus, Minerals contents, essential oils, amino acids, Ethanol Extract DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/14-1-07 Publication date: April 30th 202

Maternal exposure to carbon monoxide in the first trimester (7-13+6 weeks) of pregnancy in the core Niger Delta

Background: Irrespective of the fact that the Niger Delta was known for its environmental pollution, neither organized environmental assessment nor human biomonitoring, including that of carbon monoxide (CO) had been performed in the region. The aim of the study therefore was to establish the severity of maternal impact on exposure to CO in the first trimester of pregnancy by quantifying the exhaled CO concentrations (ECOC) and to assess the effect of maternal age, body mass index (BMI) and parity on the severity of the impact.Methods: The study was of cross-sectional design carried out at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) in Rivers State. 490 consecutive pregnant women in the first trimester were recruited from the antenatal clinic from January 2021 to January 2022. Gestational age was estimated with the aid of ultrasound scan. Demographic, social and obstetric characteristics were taken. Exhaled carbon monoxide concentration (ECOC) was measured with the aid of a smokerlyzer. Data was analyzed, using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (Armonk, NY) software. Ethical approval was obtained from the RSUTH ethics committee.Results: The mean value of ECOC 3.25±2.51 ppm was more than that obtained in other studies. Out of the total 490 patients that were assessed, 335 (68.37%) had mild impact from CO exposure (ECOC=1-3 ppm), 129 (26.33%) – moderate impact (ECOC=4-6 ppm) and 26 (5.31%) had severe impact (ECOC=more than 6 ppm). Moderate and severe impacts were more prominent in women of age groups 25-39 years and the differences in various age groups were statistically significant [X2=20.671, p<0.036, 95% CI (0.032, 0.040)]. Patients with higher BMI were more likely to have moderate and severe impact than those with lower BMI- 6 (33.33%) and 4 (22.22%) out of the 18 patients with class III obesity had moderate and severe impacts respectively. The differences in the impact at various BMI were statistically significant [X2=20.671, p<0.001, 95% CI (0.001, 0.002)]. There was inverse relationship between parity and the severity of the impact and the differences in various parity groups were statistically significant [X2=10.580, p<0.012, 95% CI (0.101, 0.113)]. There was also a paradoxical finding of 3 smokers having only mild impact.Conclusions: The mean value of ECOC 3.25±2.51 ppm was more than that obtained in other studies in non-pregnant women. Mild, moderate and severe impact from maternal CO exposure were established with the moderate and severe impact more prominent at maternal ages of 25-39 years, at higher BMI and at lower parity