Garcinia cambogia ethanolic extract protects the liver from ciprofloxacin-induced hepatoxicity

Objective: This study investigated the effects of the ethanolic extract of Garcinia cambogia on ciprofloxacin – induced hepatotoxicity.Method: Twenty (20) adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups; Group A were given ciprofloxacin only (150 mg/kg b.w), Group B were given ciprofloxacin (150 mg/kg b.w) and extract (400 mg/kg b.w) simultaneously, Group C were given extract only (400 mg/kg b.w) and Group D served as control and received 1.5ml of distilled water as placebo. Serum and liver tissue were collected and processed for biochemical and histological studies respectively.Results: The result of this work showed significantly elevated levels of aspartate transaminase (ASP), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine transaminase (ALT) in ciprofloxacin-treated rats compared to the Garcinia cambogia-treated and control groups. The histological analysis also showed distortion of the lobular architecture and presence of inflammatory cells within the sinusoids and hepatocellular apoptosis in Group A.Conclusion: The results showed that Garcinia cambogia attenuates the toxic effects of ciprofloxacine on the liver.Keywords: hepatoxicity, lobular architecture, Garcinia cambogia, serum, enzyme marker

Congenital unilateral hydrocele: a sonographic finding

Foetal hydrocoele is a condition diagnosed in utero in male foetus. It is characterised by a half-moon fluid image around the testis. We describe a case of ultrasound diagnosis of hydrocele in a woman at 35 weeks of gestation. Diagnosis was confirmed at birth, distinguishing this from the transient cases usually encountered. This finding during a routine obstetrics scan further highlights the relevance of ultrasound to obstetricians and neonatologists.Keywords: Foetus, congenital, hydrocoele, testis, ultrasoun

Gastro-Pancreatic and Gastro-Duodenopancreatic Ligaments: A Case of Two Unusual Inhabitants of the Omental bursa and their Clinical Implications

This paper reports a cadaveric case of two unusual peritoneal structures; namely, the gastro-pancreatic and gastro-duodeno-pancreatic ligaments. The gastropancreatic ligament is a broad peritoneal structure that holds the stomach and the pancreas together and has occasionally been reported while gastro-duodeno-pancreatic ligament is our new finding. It attaches the stomach, duodenum and the pancreas. The existence of these ligaments may create clinical conditions such as internal herniation or viscera kinking and they limit the movement easing function of the omenta bursa. It is important that such anatomical variations be brought to the knowledge of anatomists, surgeons and radiologists.Key words: gastro-pancreatic ligament, gastro-duodeno-pancreatic ligament, omenta bursa, peritoneum, variation, omental foramen, cystoduodenal  ligamen

Assessing the severity of intraabdominal Infections; the value of APACHE II Scoring System

Intra -abdominal infection continues to defy advances in surgical care with considerable mortality. It is characterized by a spectrum of presentations of varying disease severity. The need to ensure standards for comparing studies and antibiotic trials on intraabdominal infection led to the emergence of several scoring systems. There is paucity of information on this subject in local literature, even though a Nigerian scientist pioneered one of the earliest stratification systems. This is a review of literature on one of the scoring systems that has made an impact in the standardization of intraabdominal sepsis:the APACHE II scoring system. This study will review the genesis, bedside application, uses, limitations and alternatives as a scoring system for intraabdominal infection. Over two decades of use, it is simple and continues to be a reliable indicator of severity of intraabdominal infection

Colorectal cancer in pregnancy: a rapid progressive disease

To The Editor: Colorectal cancer during pregnancy is uncommon and most patients present in late pregnancy. This report describes unusual presentations of colorectal cancer in relation to pregnancy in three patients

Acute administration of co-artesiane induces oxidative stress in the testes of adult male Wistar rats

Co-artesiane is an artemether-lumefantrine combination therapy that is used in the treatment of malaria. In this work we studied the toxicological effect of this drug with reference to seminal and biochemical parameters of the male reproductive system of wistar rats. Twenty (20) adult male rats were divided into four groups of five rats per group. Group A was administered a single dose (4 mg/kg/bw) of Co-artesiane, Group B was administered double dose (8 mg/kg/bw) of Co-artesiane and Group C received 10 mg/kg/bw of the drug for a period of 3 days. Group D served as control and received physiologic saline. In each group body weight, testicular weight, sperm count, motility and viability as well as oxidative stress status were assessed by evaluating the activities of reduced glutathione, Glutathione S-transferase, catalase, super oxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA). The mean sperm count, motility and viability in rats treated with Co-artesiane were reduced when compared with controls. Biochemical analyses showed increase in the activities of oxidative stress markers in a dose-dependent manner. The results suggest that the graded dose of Co-artesiane® elicit depletion of antioxidant defense system and induced oxidative stress in the rats

Perception to dissection among undergraduate students in a Nigerian medical school

Cadaveric dissection has always been an integral part of undergraduate medical education. In recent times, this traditional method of anatomy education has either been relegated or replaced by other modes of teaching. We used a structured questionnaire with Likert-scale questions ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree on the quality of the cadavers, state of the dissection room, emotional impact of dissection, anxiety, alternatives to dissection and supervision of dissection classes by lecturers. This study was carried out among 30 second- and 40 third-year medical students of the Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Majority of the students strongly disagree with the notion of the cadaver as frightening but also deemed the cadaver a stressor. Majority of the respondents (65.7%) agreed that the preservative used on the cadaver causes eye irritation. The quality of the cadaver used for dissection matters to a majority of the students and 51.4% considered the dissection room stressful. There was no overwhelming support for the replacement of dissection with computer assisted learning (CAL) multimedia while most favoured the combination of both methods. A good number of the students supported lecturer’s supervision of dissection classes. The present findings demonstrate that though students find dissection stressful, they also find it very critical to the study of anatomy. There is need to establish a body bequest program in the department to facilitate the acquisition of cadavers. Traditional dissection should also be complemented with the use of CAL to promote students’ comprehension.Keywords: Cadaver, anatomy, body bequest, dissectio

Variability of the lateral ligamentous complex of the knee

The current study examined the prevalence and morphometric values of three extracapsular ligaments on the lateral aspect of the knee namely lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral and triradiate collateral ligaments in human cadavers. Twenty knees were used. The lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral and triradiate collateral ligaments were present in 70%, 5% and 25% of the cases respectively. The triradiate collateral ligament had three parts namely femoral, tibial and fibular arms with average lengths of 20.03mm, 18.14mm and 16.20mm respectively. The lateral collateral ligament was attached on the lateral condyle of femur and the apex of head of fibula. The anterolateral ligament was attached on the lateral epicondyle of femur anterior to the origin of the lateral collateral ligament and both posterior to the Gerdy’s tubercle and on the lateral meniscus. The triradiate collateral ligament attached on the lateral condyle of femur, descends as the femoral arm and divides at the joint line as the tibial arm (anteriorly) and fibular arm (posteriorly). The tibial arm was attached on the posterior aspect of the Gerdy’s tubercle while the fibular arm was attached on the anterior aspect of head of fibula. The triradiate collateral ligament and the anterolateral ligaments possessed internal attachment to the lateral meniscus and could potentiate meniscal damage. There are considerable ligament variations at the lateral side of knee which should be brought to the knowledge of surgeons and radiologists.Keywords: Knee, Lateral complex, lateral collateral ligament, anterolateral ligament, triradiate collateral ligamen

Variability of the morphology of gastrocnemius muscle in an African population

Gastrocnemius morphological status is often designated as being bipennate. Its robustness in humans is a feature that accompanies the human mode of locomotion. The three-headed variant has often been reported, but paucity of information exists within the Nigerian population as regards gastrocnemius morphological variability. We therefore currently aim to determine the pattern of occurrence of variations of the muscle in both legs of thirty cadavers in four Anatomy laboratories of Universities in Southwestern part of Nigeria. Our current study shows that the multi-headed variants (three and four-headed) are more dominant. A minority (35%) of the legs had two-headed gastrocnemius muscle, 13.3% had three-headed gastrocnemius while 51.7% had four-headed gastrocnemius muscle. This study provides a careful description of the gastrocnemius muscle in the studied population and also sheds light on the embryological and clinical implications of the findings. The knowledge of variant gastrocnemius anatomy will aid understanding of popliteal surface anatomy, palpation of popliteal arterial pulse, popliteal nerve block and the assessment of gastrocnemius muscle for autografting. The additional variant heads also bear evolutionary importance.Keywords: Gastrocnemius; Multi-Pinnate; Popliteal Entrapment Syndrome; Variations; Four-Headed, Third Head Of Gastrocnemiu

Supracondylar and infratubercular processes observed in the humeri of Nigerians

We present the first recorded supracondylar and infratubercular processes of humerus among Nigerians of the West African nation. Morphometrical analyses of 40 humeri (20 left and 20 rights) were conducted. One of the humeri possesses the supracondylar spine which measures 1.6 cm and stands at 100o on the anteromedial surface 5.5 cm above the medial epicondyle and exactly midway between the medial epicondyle and nutrient foramen. We also report the first infratubercular process ever