Olea europaea subsp. africana (Oleaceae)

Background: Medicinal plants have been used as a key source for medication and they remain to provide new therapeutic remedies to date. Extracts of Olea europaea subsp. africana Oleaceae (leaf, bark and root) are used extensively in Africa to treat various diseases traditionally. Phytochemistry has identified phenols, terpenoids and coumarins in different parts of the plant. However, little pharmacological studies have been done on Olea europaea subsp. africana. The present review aims to compile available information on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Olea africana

What are the personal and public challenges facing black women in their quest for leadership roles in schools?

This mini dissertation examines the personal and public challenges facing Black women in their quest for leadership in schools. Secondary school leadership remains a male-dominated arena in many schools even after a decade of democracy in the country. This is contrary to the democratic ideals of the country, which include participation in governance, social justice and gender equity in particular. This study seeks to identify the root causes of gender imbalances and to work out strategies to redefine leadership roles in schools. This study was conducted from a critical feminist perspective. It is a qualitative case study and has used individual-based interviews, focus groups and observation in collecting data. It should be mentioned that this study involved male participants as well. They are regarded as the “significant others” who have to play a critical role in re-visioning redefining leadership within their schools. A total of six women and four male participants were included in the study. Participants were purposefully selected. A consent form was sent to all the participants, covering all ethical issues of voluntary participation, confidentiality and anonymity. The major themes that emerged in the study were: · tension between the personal and the public realms · lack of institutional support · non-adherence to policyDissertation (MPhil (Education Management and Policy Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Education Management and Policy Studiesunrestricte

Aluminium triflate catalysed O-glycosidation : temperature-switched selective Ferrier rearrangement or direct addition with alcohols

A temperature-controlled mechanism switch between the Al(OTf)3-catalysed direct addition of alcohols or the Ferrier rearrangement reactions in some glycals is presented. The scope and limitations are investigated as are the influence of the stereochemistry and nature of the protecting groups on the glycal substrate

Pharmacodynamic and cytotoxicity effects of Syzygium cordatum {S Ncik, 48 (UZ)} fruit-pulp extract in gastrointestinal tract infections

Purpose: To evaluate the pharmacodynamic effect and cytotoxicity of S. cordatum pulp extract in the treatment of gastrointestinal tract infections.Methods: The air-dried fruit pulps were ground, extracted with 100 % methanol and screened for phytochemicals. Serial microdilution method was used to determine the antibacterial activity of the extract against Bacillus cereus (ATCC 10102), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25925), Enterococcus hirae (ATCC 8043), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 700030), Klebsiella pneumonia (ATCC 4352), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 7700), Vibrio fluvialis (AL 019) and Vibrio vulnificus (AL 042). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to assess the cytotoxicity of the extract. Antidiarrheal and antimotility activities were evaluated using castor oil-induced diarrhoea model in rats.Results: The extract revealed the presence of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, flavonoids, saponins and terpenoids. Total phenolic content was 16.4 ± 1.8 μg/mg. The extract exhibited antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of as low as 3.13 mg/ml against B. cereus (ATCC 10102), S. aureus (ATCC 25925), E. hirae (ATCC 8043), P. aeruginosa (ATCC 7700) and K. pneumonia (ATCC 4352). Median inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 92 μg/ml and therapeutic index of 0.1 - 0.3 were exerted by the extract. In vivo antidiarrheal activity was 49 % at extract dose of 400 mg/kg, which was much higher than that of the control (0 %).Conclusion: The fruit-pulp extract of Syzyhium cordatum has both antibacterial, antimotility and antidiarrheal activities, and may therefore be clinically safe for use at low concentrations as an antidiarrheal agent.Keywords: Syzyhium cordatum, Antibacterial, Antidiarrheal, Antimotility, Cytotoxicit

Integrated vs. referred management of CVD risk factors for HIV positive patients on antiretroviral therapy in Swaziland

Cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRF) are prevalent in people living with HIV (PLHIV), but the optimal clinical management strategy for patients with both HIV and CVDRF in low resource settings is unknown. In some contexts, care for both HIV and CVDRF is provided in the HIV clinic (“integrated care”), which may be more convenient for patients. In others, PLHIV are referred to specialist clinics for management of their CVDRF (“referred care”) which may lead to higher quality CVDRF management. We compared integrated vs. referred strategies for patients with HIV and CVDRF at an urban health facility in Swaziland, exploring linkage to and retention in CVDRF care, intervention fidelity, and HIV and CVDRF-related health outcomes

LACTOGENIC ACTIVITY OF RATS STIMULATED BY GUNNERA PERPENSA L. (GUNNERACEAE) FROM SOUTH AFRICA

Gunnera perpensa L. (Gunneraceae) is a medicinal plant used by Zulu traditional healers to stimulate milk production. The effect of an aqueous extract of the rhizome of the plant on milk production in rats was investigated. Female lactating rats that received oral doses of the extract of G.perpensa significantly (

Therapeutic efficacy of β-sitosterol treatment on Trypanosoma congolense infection, anemia development, and trans-sialidase (TconTS1) gene expression

BackgroundAfrican animal trypanosomiasis hinders sustainable livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. About 17 million infected cattle are treated with trypanocides annually but most of the drugs are associated with drawbacks, necessitating the search for a promising chemotherapeutic agent.ObjectivesIn this study, the effects of β-sitosterol on Trypanosoma congolense infection were investigated along with its effect on the trans-sialidase gene expressions.ResultsOral treatment with β-sitosterol at 15 and 30 mg/kg body weight (BW) for 14 days significantly (p < 0.05) reduced parasitemia and ameliorated the parasite-induced anemia. Also, the parasite-induced increase in serum urea level and renal histopathological damage scores in addition to renal hypertrophy was significantly (p < 0.05) reverted following treatment with 30 mg/kg BW β-sitosterol. The compound also significantly (p < 0.05) down-regulated the expression of TconTS1 but not TconTS2, TconTS3, and TconTS4. Correlation analysis between free serum sialic acid with the TconTS1 and TconTS2 gene variants revealed negative correlations in the β-sitosterol-treated groups although they were non-significant (p > 0.05) in the group treated with 15 mg/kg BW β-sitosterol. Similarly, a non-significant negative (p > 0.05) correlation between the biomolecule and the TconTS3 and TconTS4 gene variants was observed in the β-sitosterol-treated groups while positive correlations were observed in the infected untreated control group.ConclusionThe observed effect of β-sitosterol on T. congolense infection could make the compound a possible template for the design of novel trypanocides

Risks to Birds Traded for African Traditional Medicine: A Quantitative Assessment

Few regional or continent-wide assessments of bird use for traditional medicine have been attempted anywhere in the world. Africa has the highest known diversity of bird species used for this purpose. This study assesses the vulnerability of 354 bird species used for traditional medicine in 25 African countries, from 205 genera, 70 families, and 25 orders. The orders most represented were Passeriformes (107 species), Falconiformes (45 species), and Coraciiformes (24 species), and the families Accipitridae (37 species), Ardeidae (15 species), and Bucerotidae (12 species). The Barn owl (Tyto alba) was the most widely sold species (seven countries). The similarity of avifaunal orders traded is high (analogous to ‘‘morphospecies’’, and using Sørensen’s index), which suggests opportunities for a common understanding of cultural factors driving demand. The highest similarity was between bird orders sold in markets of Benin vs. Burkina Faso (90%), but even bird orders sold in two geographically separated countries (Benin vs. South Africa and Nigeria vs. South Africa) were 87% and 81% similar, respectively. Rabinowitz’s ‘‘7 forms of rarity’’ model, used to group species according to commonness or rarity, indicated that 24% of traded bird species are very common, locally abundant in several habitats, and occur over a large geographical area, but 10% are rare, occur in low numbers in specific habitats, and over a small geographical area. The order with the highest proportion of rare species was the Musophagiformes. An analysis of species mass (as a proxy for size) indicated that large and/or conspicuous species tend to be targeted by harvesters for the traditional medicine trade. Furthermore, based on cluster analyses for species groups of similar risk, vultures, hornbills, and other large avifauna, such as bustards, are most threatened by selective harvesting and should be prioritised for conservation action.University of the Witwatersrand SPARC Prestigious and URC Postdoctoral Fellowships; National Research Foundatio