Interview with the Local PGF Conference Organizers Katerina Steffan and Lujain Youssef

To get a better idea of what it takes to organize an academic conference, students from the seminar interviewed local organizers Katerina Steffan and Lujain Youssef

KNOWLEDGE DISCOVERY IN ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS AND REGRESSION MODELS

In this paper, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Regression Analysis models were considered to determine which ofthem performs better. Prediction was done using one hidden layer and three processing elements in the ANN model.Furthermore, prediction was done using regression analysis. The parameters of regression model were estimated using LeastSquare method. To determine the better prediction, mean square errors (MSE) attached to ANN and regression models wereused. Seven real series were fitted and predicted with in both models. It was found out that the mean square error attached to ANNmodel was smaller than regression model which made ANN a better model in prediction.Keywords: Artificial Neural Networks, Regression, Least Square, Processing Element, Hidden Layer, Mean Square Error.

EFFECTS OF ALSTONIA BOONEIEXSTRACT ON HEMATOLOGICAL INDICES OF MALE WISTER RAT

DDVP(O,O-dimethyl-O-2,2-dichlorovinylphosphate)isanorgano-phosphateinsecticideusedincropandfoodstorageareas,greenhouses,barnsandinworkplaces.ThepresentstudyexaminedhematologyofAlstoniabooneistembarkextractinDDVP-inducedexperimentalrats.Twentymalerats’weightranges100-190gdividedintofourgroupsoffiveratseach.GroupAwerecontrolrats,groupBreceivedDDVPonly,groupCreceivedDDVPand200mg/kgdosageofextractandgroupDreceivedDDVPand400mg/kgdosageofextract.Increasingdoses(200and400mg/kgbodyweight)ofAlstoniabooneiethanolstembarkextractwereadministeredbyoralgavagetotheothertwotreatmentgroupCandDfor21days.Theanimalsweresacrificedusingdiethylether,andtheirbloodsamplecollectedintoEDTAbottles,forassessinghemoglobin(Hb),redbloodcell(RBC),packedcellvolume(PCV),whitebloodcell(WBC),lymphocyte(L),monocytes(M),eosinophils(E),neutrophils(N),Meancorpuscularvolume(MCV),meancorpuscularhemoglobin(MCH)andmeancorpuscularhemoglobinconcentration(MCHC).StatisticalanalysesoftheresultsshowssignificantdecreaseinthehemoglobinandreverseallabnormalitiesinthehematologicalparameterswhencomparedDDVPcontrolwiththeextractstreatedgroups.Inconclusion,AlstoniabooneiethanolicstembarkhasaprotectiveeffectonbloodprofileagainsttheDDVPtoxicity

Interview with PGF Conference Keynote Speaker Anne Potjans (HU Berlin)

Anne Potjans from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin talks about her experience as the Keynote Speaker at the 2023 PGF Conference “Spaces of Affect in the Americas.

Antioxidant and Inhibitory Effect of Scent Leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) on Fe2+ and Sodium Nitroprusside Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Rat Brain In vitro

Neurodegenerative diseases have been linked to oxidative stress arising from peroxidation of membrane biomolecules and high levels of Fe and Sodium nitroprusside have been reported to play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases and other brain disorder. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the inhibitory effect of aqueous, ethanolic and ethyl acetate extract of Ocimum gratissimum leaves on FeSO4 and Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) induced lipid peroxidation in rat brain in vitro. Incubation of the brain tissue homogenate in the presence of FeSO4 and SNP showed both pro-oxidants [Fe and sodium 2+ nitroprusside (SNP)] caused a significantly reduction in (p<0.05) the accumulation of lipid peroxides in a concentration dependent manner. However, the ethyl acetate fraction significantly (P < 0.05) inhibited Fe2+ induced oxidative stress in the rat brain tissue homogenates than the aqueous and ethanolic extract respectively. This higher inhibitory effect of Ocimum gratissimum could be attributed to its significantly higher phytochemical content, Fe2+ chelating ability, hydroxyl scavenging ability, total phenolic content and reducing power. However, part of the mechanisms through which the extractable phytochemicals in Ocimum gratissimum protect the brain may be through their antioxidant activity, Fe2+ chelating, 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and OH scavenging ability. Therefore, oxidative stress in the brain could be potentially managed/prevented by dietary intake of Ocimum gratissimum

Validation of the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale in Nigeria: Impact on Patients’ Cognitive Capacity

Self-management programmes targeted at enhanced self-efficacy are progressively being emphasized as a cost-effective way of alleviating patients’ chronic illnesses. However, no measure of self-efficacy has been validated for chronic disease patients with varied cognitive failures. Chronic disease patients with complete data on cognitive failures and the SEMCD at their assessment between March and April 2016 in the southwest of Nigeria were used. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the factor structure of the SEMCD scale. Reliability and parameter estimates of the scale were established using traditional Cronbach’s alpha and item response theory (IRT) analyses. A total of 1214 patients were included. CFA supported the single factor structure of the SEMCD scale (Fit index= 1.00, comparative fit index = 1.00, root mean square error of approximation = 0.00). Internal consistency was high (α=0.94). A unidimensional graded response model also supported a single scale scoring process for the survey and showed all items as worthy contributors to the measuring scale. Significant negative relationships of the scale with cognitive failures (r = -0.10, p&lt;0.01) and for the construct validity, with measures of health status (r = -0.26 - -0.10; p&lt;0.01) and health care utilization (r = -0.24 ─ -0.12; p&lt;0.001) were found. Scores from the SEMCD scale are valid for measuring self-efficacy in chronic disease patients with varied cognitive failures. Results support the scale as an outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of self-management programmes in patients with diverse cognitive capacities

Helianthus annuus Leaf Ameliorates Postprandial Hyperglycaemia by Inhibiting Carbohydrate Hydrolyzing Enzymes Associated with Type-2 Diabetes

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease. Decreasing postprandial hyperglycemia by retarding glucose absorption through inhibiting carbohydrates digesting enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase) is one of many approaches used for the management of this disease. This study was aimed at evaluating the normoglycaemic potential of Helianthus annuus leaf. Methods: The effect of the in vitro inhibitory of different extracts (acetone, ethyl acetate and hexane) of the plant was assessed on the activities of diabetes-related enzymes (α-amylase and α-glucosidase). Results: The hexane extract of H. annuus leaf displayed the best inhibitory activity against α- amylase and α-glucosidase as indicated by the IC50 values (3.92 ± 0.02 mg mL-1) and (3.29 ± 0.12 mg mL-1), respectively. Lineweaver-Burk plot of inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase by this extract showed that it was competitive and non-competitive mode, respectively. Conclusion: H. annuus leaf possesses hypoglycaemic potential which may be due to the inhibition of pancreatic α-amylase and intestinal α-glucosidase

Protective effect of Irvingia gabonensis stem bark extract on cadmiuminduced nephrotoxicity in rats.

Cadmium has been considered a risk factor for humans as it accumulates in body tissues, such as the liver, lungs, kidneys, bones, and reproductive organs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Irvingia gabonensis (IG) against cadmium (Cd)-induced nephrotoxicity. The study was performed on twenty (20) male rats divided into four groups: control group, cadmium group (4 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally), cadmium + extract (200 mg/kg body weight by oral gavage) and cadmium + extract (400 mg/kg body weight by oral gavage). Changes in the kidney biochemical markers, namely glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities and levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), urea, and creatinine were determined in serum. Histological examinations were monitored. Exposure to Cd lowered the activities of kidney antioxidants, while it increased LPO levels. Levels of all disrupted parameters were alleviated by co-administration of IG extract. The malondialdehyde concentration of the rats treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract significantly decreased (p<0.05) compared with the untreated cadmium rats. Yet the creatinine concentration decreased significantly (p<0.05) when the cadmium animals treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of the extract were compared with the cadmium control. Furthermore, histological alterations in the kidney were observed in cadmium untreated rats and these were ameliorated in cadmium treated rats by co-administration of IG extract. IG showed apparent protective and curative effect on Cd-induced nephrotoxicity

Prevalence and Outcome of Puerperal Sepsis among Mothers in Nigeria: a five-year Retrospective Study

Background Puerperal sepsis is one of the leading causes of maternal illness and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, despite advances in diagnosis, antimicrobial therapy, and medical management. Aim This study aimed to assess the prevalence and outcomes of puerperal sepsis in tertiary hospitals in Ondo State, Nigeria. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in Ondo State. Total enumerative sampling was used to select patients diagnosed with puerperal sepsis between 2016 and 2020. An adapted structured checklist was used to retrieve data from patients’ medical records. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the results. Findings Out of 7980 obstetric cases managed during the study period, 156 patients had puerperal sepsis with a prevalence rate of 2%. The majority of patients were unregistered and were referred from other health facilities (94.2%). Other significant risk factors identified were postpartum hemorrhage (60.9%), prolonged labor (14.1%), premature rupture of membranes (19.9%), and lacerations (5.1%). Of the 156 patients diagnosed with puerperal sepsis, 151 (96.8%) were treated and discharged, while five (3.2%) died due to complications. Furthermore, a strong correlation was found between the mode of delivery and outcomes of puerperal sepsis (P = 0.03). Conclusions Puerperal sepsis remains a major public health concern. Therefore, there is a need to promote prenatal care and ensure continuous supervision and monitoring of birthplaces/delivery centers in Nigeria

ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITIES AND HEMATOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF BLIGHIA SAPIDA KOENIG BARK IN ALLOXANINDUCED DIABETIC RATS

Blighia sapida(BS) has been shown to be rich sources of antioxidant, thus, we evaluated effects of B. sapida Koenig stem bark ethanol extract (BSE) on lipid metabolism and hematological indices in diabetes rats. Th irty male rats were divided into six groups of five rats each. Diabetes was elicited by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (65 mg/kg body weight) once and orally administered with glibenclamide (5 mg/kg), B. sapidaextract (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg body weight (bw) once daily for 21 days. Serum lipid profi le, markers of hepato-renal toxicity and hematological indices were examined using automated analyzer. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and p < 0.05 was considered to be statistically different. Diabetic untreated animals showed considerably elevated total cholesterol p < 0.05, also, significant increase in AST, ALT, ALP, urea and creatinine compared to control. Triglycerides, LDL-c, VLDL-c, AI and CRI decreased with extract administration and HDL-c increased considerable compared to untreated diabetic rats. Furthermore, significant lower hemoglobin (Hb) levels, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cells (RBCs) levels, white blood cells (WBCs) compared to normal animals was recorded in the untreated group. Th ese changes were returned to normal after the administration of extract 50, 100 and 150 mg/ kg body weight. Hence, these effects were most prominent in the animals treated with 150 mg/kg body weight of B. sapidabark. Th is indicates that B. sapida stem bark possess anti-hyperlipidemic activity and improved the biochemical parameters within the hematological profile of diabetic rats. Keyword: Blighia sapida, antihyperlipidemic, hematological profile, diabete