Putting Children First: New Frontiers in the Fight Against Child Poverty in Africa

Despite important strides in the fight against poverty in the past two decades, child poverty remains widespread and persistent, particularly in Africa. Poverty in all its dimensions is detrimental for early childhood development and often results in unreversed damage to the lives of girls and boys, locking children and families into intergenerational poverty. This edited volume contributes to the policy initiatives aiming to reduce child poverty and academic understanding of child poverty and its solutions by bringing together applied research from across the continent. With the Sustainable Development Goals having opened up an important space for the fight against child poverty, not least by broadening its conceptualization to be multidimensional, this collection aims to push the frontiers by challenging existing narratives and exploring alternative understandings of the complexities and dynamics underpinning child poverty. Furthermore, it examines policy options that work to address this critical challenge.Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP) at the University of Bergen.publishedVersio

Inhibitory Effect of Aqueous Extract of Stem Bark of Cissus populnea on Ferrous Sulphate- and Sodium Nitroprusside-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rat’s Testes In Vitro

Cissus populnea are plants associated with a myriad of medicinal uses in different parts of the world and are good sources of carotenoids, triterpenoids, and ascorbic acid. The antioxidant properties and inhibitory effect of water extractible phytochemicals from stembark of C. populnea on FeSO4 and sodiumnitroprusside- (SNP-) induced lipid peroxidation in rat testeswere investigated in vitro.The results revealed that the extract was able to scavenge DPPH radical, chelate Fe2+ and also had a high reducing power. Furthermore, the incubation of the testes tissue homogenate in the presence of FeSO4 and SNP, respectively, caused a significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents of the testes. However, the aqueous extract of the stem bark of C. populnea caused a significant decrease in theMDA contents of both Fe2+ (EC50 = 0.027mg/mL) and SNP- (EC50 = 0.22mg/mL) induced lipid peroxidation in the rat testes homogenates in a dose-dependent manner.The water extractible phytochemicals from C. populnea protect the testes from oxidative stress and this could be attributed to their high antioxidant activity: DPPH-scavenging ability, Fe2+-chelating and -reducing power. Therefore, oxidatively stress in testes could be potentially managed/prevented by this plant

Preliminary report on plasma homocysteine and hormonal variations in infertile women in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: The relationship between infertility and hormonal variations has been variously documented, but little has been reported on the interactions between hormonal factors, homocysteine (Hcy), and female infertility. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between plasma Hcy levels and hormonal variations in infertile women. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among eligible infertile and fertile women seeking care at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. The subjects were 100 women referred for management of infertility, and the controls were 50 fertile women who had given birth within the past year. Fasting plasma levels of Hcy were estimated using enzyme immunoassay. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, prolactin, and progesterone were measured using  Access 2 (Immunoassay systems-beckman coulter, inc.250S.Kraemer blvd.Brea, ca 92821. U.S.A). Results: Mean plasma Hcy levels for subjects and controls were 9.50 ± 1.88 μmol/L and 9.44 ± 1.85 μmol/L, respectively, with no significant variation (P = 0.952). Plasma Hcy was not significantly associated with infertility and hormone levels. The mean serum levels of LH, FSH, and prolactin were significantly higher among subjects compared to controls. Conclusion: Hormonal variations observed in infertile women did not appear to significantly alter plasma Hcy levels, and hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) may not have significantly contributed to female infertility in our environment

Putting Children First: New Frontiers in the Fight Against Child Poverty in Africa

Despite important strides in the fight against poverty in the past two decades, child poverty remains widespread and persistent, particularly in Africa. Poverty in all its dimensions is detrimental for early childhood development and often results in unreversed damage to the lives of girls and boys, locking children and families into intergenerational poverty. This edited volume contributes to the policy initiatives aiming to reduce child poverty and academic understanding of child poverty and its solutions by bringing together applied research from across the continent. With the Sustainable Development Goals having opened up an important space for the fight against child poverty, not least by broadening its conceptualization to be multidimensional, this collection aims to push the frontiers by challenging existing narratives and exploring alternative understandings of the complexities and dynamics underpinning child poverty. Furthermore, it examines policy options that work to address this critical challenge