Ethnobotany of raffia palm (Raphia hookeri), productivity assessment and characterization of raffia palm oil from the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Raffia palm (Raphia sp) occurs abundantly in the wild in the freshwater zone of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. This study was carried out to assess the use, biomass productivity and characterization of raffia palm oil. Ripe raffia palm fruits were sampled from the three core Niger Delta States (Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers). The oil was extracted using mechanical method and was characterized. Results show that the relative density of the oil was 0.8700 – 0.9039, free fatty acid (FFA) content of 1.13% (Delta), 6.92% (Bayelsa) and 9.74% (Rivers), acidity value of 2.26% in Delta state, 13.94% in Bayelsa state and 19.48% in Rivers state (P<0.05), iodine value of 26.79% was recorded in the raffia palm oil from Rivers state, 28.60% from Bayelsa and 31.10% from Delta state. The peroxide value of the raffia oil was 5.58 mg KOH/g (Rivers state), 7.22 mg/KOH/g (Delta state) and 7.68mg/KOH/g (Bayelsa state) (P<0.05). The saponification number was 25.16 mgKOH/g in the oil from Bayelsa, 32.72 mgKOH/g from Delta and 213.18 mgKOH/g for Rivers state (P<0.05). The parameters fairly fell within the Nigerian standard for vegetable oil. The wild palm has a biomass productivity of 933 trees/ha in Bayelsa and Delta states and 1066 trees/ha in Rivers, but the apparent differences was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Raffia palm is currently underutilized by indigenous people for building construction, production of brooms, basket, ropes and constriction of fish, crab and turtle traps. Edible insect larva is obtained from the palm. Palm wine and locally fermented gin are the major uses of raffia palm. We conclude that raffia palm can be utilized as second generation biofuel feed stock to mitigate food versus fuel conflicts

HAND2 Mutation Detection in Tricuspid Atresia Patients

poster abstractTricuspid Atresia (TA) is a congenital heart disease in which the tricuspid valve is missing or abnormally developed. The defect blocks blood in the right atrium from flowing directly into the right ventricle. It is an uncommon form of congenital heart disease that affects about 5 in every 100,000 live births. While the cause of TA is unknown, the lab data shows that in mice loss of transcription factor Hand2 function within a population of cells that line the inside of the heart (the endocardium) results in a TA phenotype. Hand2 is a protein that belongs to the basic helix-loop-helix family of transcription factors, and has been shown to play many different roles in embryonic development. To test whether loss of Hand2 function in humans results in TA, sequencing the HAND2 gene in 25 TA patients. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to amplify the TA patient Hand2 alleles. A TOPO reaction was then performed to insert the amplicons into a sequencing plasmid, followed by a transformation and minipreps to isolate individual clones. Isolated Hand2 alleles within the TOPO sequencing plasmid were sent to a sequencing core facility. In this manner the Hand2 DNA sequence for several patients was obtained and analyzed for mutations. This project will shed light on the cause of TA. Further research is currently in progress in Dr. Firulli’s Lab

Effect of Vernonia amygdalina Ethanolic Root Extract on the Hepato- and Nephro-Protective Properties of Albino Rats (Rattus novergicus)

The hepato- and nephro-protective potentials of Vernonia amygdalina ethanolic root extract was evaluated for 14 days using standard bioassay in 45 normal male albino rats. The rats were divided into four treatment groups I – IV and a control group V. Groups I – IV were given 100mg.kg-1, 200mg.kg-1, 400mg.kg-1 and 600mg.kg-1 body weight, respectively while the control (group V) was given equal volume of feed and water. The extracts were administered orally to the animals for 14 days. Blood samples were collected using the ocular puncture method before and weekly after administration to evaluate the extracts’ effects on aspartate transaminase (AST), acid phosphatase (ACP), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bilirubin, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels. The mean serum levels of the liver marker enzymes AST, ACP, ALT, ALP, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin ranged from 10.00±0.53 to 11.44±0.44, 31.29±0.64 to 33.14±0.56, 27.22±0.94 to 29.67±0.37 and 37.83±0.59 to 40.57±1.02, 3.42±0.08 to 3.61±0.07 and 2.06±0.11 to 2.51±0.05 respectively. The mean levels of the nephrotic enzymes, creatinine and BUN also ranged from 39.87±1.79 to 43.04±1.57 and 6.62±0.21 to 15.98±0.17 accordingly. Although no significant difference (p>0.05) was observed in the serum levels of the liver marker enzymes and creatinine when compared with the control, a dose and duration dependent significant increase (p<0.05) occurred in the BUN level. This tends to suggest that the ethanolic root extract of Vernonia amygdalina on a short term basis has some hepato-protective property while its nephro-protective ability is still doubtful. Keywords: Vernonia amygdalina, Ethanolic root extract, Liver maker enzymes, Nephrotic enzymes, Albino rat

Modulatory effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii on experimentally induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related non-neoplastic disease of the prostate gland in men that has become a global health issue in recent years. Due to the side effects of conventional treatment options, attention is now focused on phytotherapeutics for its management. We investigated the possible protective effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii in a rat model of testosterone propionate (TP) induced BPH. Rats were divided into five groups: Gr. I, untreated control group; Gr. II, TP group; Gr. III, TP + finasteride; Gr. IV, TP + S. cerevisiae var. boulardii; and Gr. V, S. cerevisiae var. boulardii group. Treatments were given daily for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, all rats were weighed and the prostatic indices, prostate specific antigen, serum testosterone concentration as well as the histological and histomorphometric changes were evaluated. Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii significantly (P <0.05) reduced prostate weight, prostatic index, serum prostate specific antigen, prostatic epithelial thickness and increased luminal diameter. Thus, the results of this study suggest that S. cerevisiae var. boulardii is a potential pharmacological candidate for management of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Delineating the topography of amyloid-associated cortical atrophy in Down syndrome

Older adults with Down syndrome (DS) often have Alzheimer's disease (AD) neuropathologies. Although positron emission tomography imaging studies of amyloid deposition (beta amyloid, Aβ) have been associated with worse clinical prognosis and cognitive impairment, their relationships with cortical thickness remain unclear in people with DS. In a sample of 44 DS adults who underwent cognitive assessments, [C]-PiB positron emission tomography, and T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo, we used mixed effect models to evaluate the spatial relationships between Aβ binding with patterns of cortical thickness. Partial Spearman correlations were used to delineate the topography of local Aβ-associated cortical thinning. [C]-PiB nondisplaceable binding potential was negatively associated with decreased cortical thickness. Locally, regional [C]-PiB retention was negatively correlated with cortical thickness in widespread cortices, predominantly in temporoparietal regions. Contrary to the prevailing evidence in established AD, we propose that our findings implicate Aβ in spatial patterns of atrophy that recapitulated the “cortical signature” of neurodegeneration in AD, conferring support to recent recommendations for earlier disease-interventions

In vitro antioxidant and antidiabetic potential of crude extracts from the seed coat and fruit pulp of Strychnos madagascariensis

Please read abstract in the article.The Research Office, University of Zululand, South Africahttps://www.phcogj.comhj2021Biochemistr

Longitudinal trajectories of amyloid deposition, cortical thickness, and tau in Down syndrome: A deep-phenotyping case report.

Introduction:Comorbid Alzheimer disease pathologies are frequently found in people with Down syndrome (DS). We report a deep phenotyping study undertaken over 7 years in a participant with DS who was nondemented at baseline but developed dementia after 5 years. Methods:Throughout the course of the study, the participant was seen 4 times (2010, 2013, 2015, and 2017). Multimodal neuroimaging, including three serial scans of [11C]-PiB-PET, four structural magnetic resonance imagings, as well as a [18F]-AV1451 scan, was interpreted alongside detailed neuropsychological assessments over the study period. Results:Amyloid beta accumulation preceded the onset of dementia and cognitive decline, which in turn corresponded to the predominant deposition of tau in temporoparietal cortices. Discussion:Until now, data on the longitudinal trajectories of amyloid accumulation, tau pathology, and brain atrophy over multiple time points remain scarce in DS. This case report highlights the potential for deep phenotyping imaging to elucidate the substrates of cognitive decline in DS, although further longitudinal studies are necessary to clarify the relative contributions of both amyloid and tau

О становлении трансплантологии в Украине: юридические аспекты

Рассмотрены основные аспекты развития трансплантологии, их положительное и отрицательное влияние на прогресс пересадки органов в странах с различным уровнем развития демократических принципов. Показано значение юридических проблем в развитии клинической и экспериментальной трансплантологии.Main aspects of transplantology development, their favorable and unfavorable influence on the process of organ transplantation in the countries with different level of democracy are featured. Significance of legal problems in clinical and experimental transplantology is shown