Volume 10, Number 1, Year 2019

Hyperprolactinaemia affects about one-third of infertile women worldwide. The major hormonal implication seen during hyperprolactinaemia is low production of estrogen as prolactin is reported to inhibit follicular estradiol production in the ovary. The water from an immature green coconut fruit contains sterol which is known to be involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones in vivo. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate the serum level of some reproductive hormones in hyperprolactin-induced infertile rats treated with green coconut water. One hundred and twenty-five cyclic female Sprague-Dawley rats were used for this study. The experiment was divided into 6 experimental study groups (I- VI). In experimental study group I, animals were induced with hyperprolactinaemia and withdrawn to check for natural recovery. Experimental study group II animals were posttreated with green coconut water and group III animals were the co-administered group. In experimental group IV, animals were pre-treated prior to the induction of infertility and group V animals received green coconut water only. Experiment VI is the control group and the animals received distilled water only. The result showed that green coconut water causes significant decrease in serum prolactin level and increases in serum estrogen, luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone levels in the post-treated group. The findings from this study depict clearly that green coconut water is a promising substance in regulating endocrine secretion of reproductive hormones in hyperprolactin female Sprague-Dawley rat....

Body adiposity measures and the ratio of the second-to-fourth digit (2D:4D) of the hand is documented to exhibit strong relationship with cardio-metabolic risk factors (CMRF). High blood pressure is a hall mark of CMRF. Globally, the predictors of CMRF do not demonstrate universal validity across ethnic groups. This cross-sectional study was therefore aimed at determining the cut-off values (COV) of the anthropometric indices adiposity and 2D:4D for HBP among the Hausas of Kano. The study included 465 (266 males and 199 females) subjects, with a mean age of 34.4 years and 32.0 years for males and females respectively. Systematic random sampling technique was employed. Adiposity indices and 2D:4D were measured using standard anthropometric techniques. Systemic blood pressure was measured following standard clinical procedures. SPSS version 20 (IBM Corporation, NY) software was used for statistical analysis and Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the COV of 2D:4D and adiposity indices for HBP. The COV of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), neck circumference (NC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to- height ratio (WHtR), body adiposity index (BAI), right digit ratio (R2D:4D) and left digit ratio (L2D:4D) for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in males and females were 23.24 kg/m2, 79.45cm, 88.05cm, 34.95cm, 0.87, 0.47, 18.20, 0.97, 0.97 and 23.32 kg/m2, 72.15cm, 88.05cm, 31.32cm, 0.87, 0.43, 27.52, 0.98, 0.99 respectively. While COV of BMI, WC, HC, NC, WHR, WHtR, BAI, R2D:4D and L2D:4D for systolic blood pressure (SBP) in males and females were 24.10 kg/m2, 76.65cm, 89.30cm, 35.05cm, 0.89, 0.45, 26.15, 0.97, 0.98 and 23.32 kg/m2, 71.95cm, 88.05cm, 31.05cm, 0.87, 0.43, 27.52, 0.97, 0.98 respectively. Conclusively, Digit ratio has a threshold for HBP and the COV of adiposity indices for HBP in Hausas are slightly different from the commonly adopted values....

Male reproductive capacity continues to be adversely affected by environmental, industrial and pharmaceutical toxins. The producing power of sperm cells in the testis and the sperm modification activities in the epididymis are fundamental in establishing male capacity to reproduce itself. Medicinal plants are of immense value in the field of prevention and treatment of diseases. The use of plant extracts as fertility enhancer in human is now in the increase because of the shifting of attention from synthetic drugs to natural plant. Thus, the focus of the present study is to examine the fertility enhancing properties of the leave extract of Annona Squamosa in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Twenty-one rats were divided equally into three groups of seven rats each. Group 1, the control group received distilled water, Group 2 received 300mg of Annona squamosa methanol leaves extract and group 3 received 400mg of Annona squamosa aqueous leaves extract. The administration was done orally for 21 days. There was a significant increase in the percentage of progressive sperm motility and sperm counts in the aqueous and methanol extract treated rats when compared with the control.There were no damage to the seminiferous tubules in the treated rats with a well outlined tubules interspersed with seminiferous epithelium. There was consistent presence of numerous sperm cells in the lumen of the epididymis of the treated groups which was comparable with the control. There is structural evidence that aqueous and methanol leaves extracts of the Annona squamosa enhanced sperm morphology and function in both the testis and epididymis in rat....

The objective of this study was to derive a population-specific normogram for Achilles tendon in Nigeria and to determine its variation with age, gender and body mass index (BMI). This was a prospective cross sectional study of 154 subjects in a health facility in Lagos, South West Nigeria. With each subject in the prone position each Achilles tendon was scanned in the longitudinal and transverse planes using a 5MHz linear transducer. The thickness and cross sectional area (CSA) of the tendon were measured at the level of the medial malleolus. Each individual's weight and height were measured and Body Mass Index calculated. Data were analysed using SPSS software version 20. The mean Achilles tendon antero-posterior diameter (AT-AP) for both legs is 11.76 ± 1.71 mm, mean width, 12.95 ± 1.67mm and mean cross sectional area (CSA) is 120.93 ± 31.18mm2.The right Achilles tendon mean (AT-AP) diameter is11.95 ± 1.78 mm, width, 13.11 + 1.77 mm and CSA is 124.61mm2. For the left Achilles tendon the corresponding dimensions are11.57 + 1.63 mm, 12.80 + 1.56 mm and 117.25mm2 + 27.43 respectively. There is a significant difference in the tendon CSA between the right and left tendons (p...

Acute pancreatitis has been reported during and after malaria treatment. This study characterized the effects of six artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) on the blood glucose, pancreas histology and insulin immunolocalization in a curative malaria model. Forty male Swiss adult mice were divided into 8 groups of 5 animals each. Murine malaria was induced in groups 2 – 8 via intraperitoneal injection of 0.2 ml containing 1 x 106Plasmodium berghei ANKA parasites. Groups 1 and 2 representing negative and positive controls (NC and PC), received 5 ml/kg distilled water only, groups 3 to 8 received oral therapeutic doses of 5.7 mg of artesunate-amodiaquine (AA), 6.43 mg artesunate-mefloquine (AM), 25.36 mg artesunate-sulfadoxine-pyramethamine (ASP), 12.5 mg artemisininpiperaquine (AP), 5.14 mg dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine (DP) and 8 mg arthemeter-lumefantrine (AL) respectively standard regimen of 2-3 days, and 24 hours after the last treatment, animals were sacrificed under chloroform inhalation. The pancreases were carefully harvested, rinsed in normal saline and fixed in 10 % buffered formalin for tissue processing. Final parasitemia, blood glucose levels, pancreas histology and insulin immunolocalization were determinedby standard protocols. Results showed all the ACTs were effective against hyperparasitemia except ASP, and AM appeared the most effective. Blood glucose was not significantly altered, and this correlated with strong insulin expression across all groups, there was mild edema and inflammation in the test groups compared to NC. In conclusion murine malaria and hyperparasitemia clearance with the six ACT may cause acute pancreatitis but does not alter blood glucose levels, and strongly demonstrated insulin expression....

The histological and immunohistochemical assessment of the effects of co-administration of Allium sativum ethanolic extract and Vitamin C on the medial prefrontal cortex of mercuric chloride induced neurotoxicity model Wistar rats was investigated. Thirty-five adult Wistar rats weighing 150 - 180 g randomized into 7 groups of 5 animals each were used for this study. Group 1 served as negative control and received 1 ml distilled water daily, group 2 served as positive control and received mercuric chloride 49.8 mg/kg body weight, group 3 received Allium sativum ethanolic extract 500 mg/kg body weight. Groups 4, 5, 6 and 7 were initially administered with mercuric chloride 49.8 mg/kg body weight, and treated for 14 days with Allium sativum 250 mg per kg body weight, Vitamin C 100 mg per kg body weight, Allium sativum 250 mg + Vitamin C 100 mg per kg body weight, and Allium sativum 500 mg + Vitamin C 100 mg per kg body weight respectively. Administrations were by orogastric intubation. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, the rats were sacrificed under chloroform anaesthetic. The brains were harvested, processed for histological studies using H&E for general morphology, Cresyl fast violet for Nissl substance and immunohistochemical method for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody expression. Results of H&E sections indicated intact pyramidal and granule cells of the prefrontal cortex in groups 6 and 7 compared to group 2. Nissl substance expression was higher in combined treated groups 6 and 7 compared to groups 3 and 4. GFAP-immunopositive astrocytes was mild in combined treated group compared to groups 2, 3 and 4. In conclusion combined administration of ethanolic extract of A. sativum and Vitamin C reduced the damaging effects of mercuric chloride on the medial prefrontal cortex of the Wistar rats....

Afang (Gnetum africanum) leaves are largely consumed as vegetable in Africa. The present study explore the hepatotoxicity of aqueous extract of Gnetum africanum on the liver and liver enzymes of adult Wistar rats. Fifteen (15) adult wistar rats weighing between 120 -150g were assigned into 3 groups of 5 rats each. Group 1 was the control group administered with normal rat feed and 0.3ml of normal saline, group 2 was the low dose group treated orally with 0.3ml of gnetum africanum and rat feed and group 3 the high dose group was fed with 0.5ml of gnetum africanum, normal rat feed with water. The treatment lasted for (14days). After the end of the administration, the weight were taking before sacrificed the next day under chloroform anesthesia. Blood was collected from the left ventricle through cardiac puncture and liver excised and fixed in 10% formal saline, then processed for rapid routine paraffin embedding. Tissues were stained with routine Haematoxylin and Eosin stain, Observed under a digital light microscope and micrograph were taken. Result of the study revealed a dose dependent significant (p...

The consumption of nicotine through smoking is a serious public health issue. Nicotine is associated with infertility and the alteration of spermatogenesis and metabolism of male reproductive hormones. Testosterone propionate is a testosterone ester with great potency relative to testosterone. This study was initiated to investigate the protective role of testosterone in nicotine-induced testicular toxicity. Eighteen (18) adult Wistar were randomly divided into three (3) groups as follows: Group A: Nicotine only (N); Group B: Nicotine + Testosterone (NT); and Group C: Normal Control (NC). 0.8 mg/kg body weight of nicotine and 2.5 mg/kg of testosterone were administered respectively for a period of 30 days after which the rats were sacrificed and the testes fixed for histological and histomorphometrical analysis. The reproductive hormones, FSH, LH and testosterone were also assayed. Histological sections of the testes of N rats revealed desquamated cells, atrophic germinal epithelium, thickened basement membrane, congested blood vessels, depleted lumina and reduced tubular diameter as well as increased luminal diameter compared to the normal control. The reproductive hormones were also significantly reduced compared to the NT and control groups. These deleterious effects were however mitigated in the treated rats. These findings indicate that testosterone ameliorates the severity of toxicity induced by nicotine in rat testes....

There are a myriad of energy drink brands and this depicts both their popularity and the size of the available market. However, numerous adverse effects have come to be associated with their consumption. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of the consumption of energy drinks on the heart and blood vessels of adult Wistar rats. The experiment involved the use of twenty-five (25) Wistar rats of either sexes and they were randomly assigned into five (5) groups (A, B, C, D and E) of five (5) adult wistar rats each. Lucozade Boost and Red Bull energy drinks were the agents of study. Group A was the control group. Group B was treated with high dose of Lucozade Boost, Group C was treated with low dose Red Bull, Group D was treated with a moderate dose of Red Bull while Group E was treated with high dose of Red Bull energy drink. At the completion of the experiment, Group A showed no pathology, while the other experimental groups showed a number of pathological changes. In conclusion, energy drinks scarcely have therapeutic benefits. The consumption of these energy drinks will seriously harm the body. Those planning to consume energy drinks should be warned....

C-line termination patterns have been found to be of great importance in population studies. However, recent studies also revealed its usefulness in the diagnosis of some genetic diseases. This study aimed at evaluating the C-line termination patterns of autistic subjects in Nigeria as compared with the control group. Digital scanning method was used. One hundred (100) autistic subjects (82 males and 18 females) and one hundred (100) control subjects (65 males and 35 females) were recruited for the study. Autistic subjects were selected from special schools in Nigeria while the control subjects were selected from University of Port Harcourt Demonstration Secondary School. Chisquare statistical tool was used to test the data. The result revealed that absent termination (AT), proximal termination (PT) and radial termination (RT) have higher percentage frequencies in autistic subjects when compared with the control subjects for both sexes bilaterally while control subjects have the highest percentage frequency of ulnar termination, (Right autism: AT-8%, PT-9%, RT-47%, UT-36%; right control: AT-6%, PT-5%, RT- 41%, UT-48%) and (left autism: AT-16%, PT-9%, RT-29%, UT-46%; left control: AT-15%, PT-5%, RT-23%, UT- 57%). However, there was no significant difference in the distribution of the c-line patterns between autistic and control subjects for both sexes on both hands (p>0.05). Both the male and female of autistic and control subjects showed no significant differences when compared (p>0.05). The results of this study suggest that C-line patterns are population specific. For Nigerians, it might not be a good dermatoglyphic screening tool for diagnosis of autism. However, further studies with greater sample size are recommended....

This study investigated the effect of Garcinia kola seed on the mammary gland of adult female Wistar rats. Twenty five adult female Wistar rats with average weight of 170g were used for this study. They were divided into five groups (A-E) of five animals each; all animals were given rat feed and water ad libitum. Group A served as the control and received distilled water, groups B, C and D received ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed at 30mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 1000mg/kg respectively, group E served as the standard control and was given 2.5mg of bromocriptine orally for a period of 20days. The animals were weighted weekly and their gestational weights were recorded. On the 20th day, Animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the mammary glands harvested for histological assessment. The results showed no significant (p?0.05) increase in gestational weight of the treated groups. The histological sections of the mammary gland showed a massive decline in the size and number of lactiferous ducts in group B, C, D and E when compared to group A. The results therefore infer that ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed reduces the lactation efficiency of the mammary glands in adult female wistar rats by reducing the sizes of the lactiferous ducts....

Dermatoglyphic studied epidermal configurations on the fingers and palms of the hands; the toes and the soles of the feet. Once these skin ridges are formed in the mother's womb, remain persistent until decomposition in the tomb. This study therefore, aimed at analyzing the qualitative dermatoglyphic characteristics in cadaveric specimens in the Department of Anatomy to estimate the persistent character of the finger prints in cadaveric specimen and compare them with the previously reported observations in live-ssubjects. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out on Sixty (60) Cadaveric Specimens (Ten (10) fetuses and Fifty (50) Adult Cadavers). Consents were obtained from the Heads of Department and Ethical approval was obtained from the University Ethical Committee. The cadaveric digital skin was dissected out and analyzed under a magnification of x50 using a dissecting microscope. Arches, Ulnar Loops, Radial Loops, Whorls and Twinned Loops are among the digital patterns observed on the Two Hundred and Forty (240) Cadaveric Digits; Thumbs (n=120) and Index Fingers (n=120) and the dermatoglyphics details of each of the patterns were maintained similar to the live subjects and were fully described. In view of the similarities between these cadaveric dermatoglyphs and those of the live subjects in previous studies; great importance must be attached to the preservation, growth and development of human resources. The observations in this study will be an eye-opener to the Governments in Nigeria to make them work harder on security of lives and the safety on the roads, since most of the Cadavers were unclaimed accident victims and armed condemned criminals....

Insulin is not just a peripheral hormone but it's present in the brain and has its receptors distributed unevenly throughout the brain. It crosses the Blood Brain Barrier-BBB through a saturable transport mechanism. It has independent functions in the periphery and brain & leads parallel lives. It's basically a metabolic regulatory hormone in the periphery but affects feeding, cognition amongst others in the brain. Host of its cerebral functions in the brain is mediated through the Phosphoinositide-3-kinase P1(3)K and Ras/Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades. An impairment in these signal transductions is mostly evident as Alzheimer's disease and obesity. A neuron-based insulin therapy is being proposed as a replacement to insulin beta cells in the pancreas....

Background: Sex, age, stature, and ancestry are considered the pillars of identity and primary characteristics determined to establish the biological profile of an individual. Forensic podiatry, a novel research area of anthropometry involving identification of human subjects and artifacts such as foot through measurement of the morphological shapes and dimensions of the foot is of great application during calamity and disasters involving large number of human casualties as well as our day to day life. The application of podiatry for identity of individuals peculiar to a unique population when collating census data occasioned in times of controversies gives it a demographic relevance due to the individuality and infinite morphological variation of the human foot. Aims: The aim of the study is to anthropologically evaluate the foot shape dimensions with a view to the determination of ancestry origin of South-east Nigerians. Methods: The research was carried on 1200 adult population comprising of 662 male and 572 female of age range from 18 to 30 year structured according to US Anthropometric reference data and chosen randomly from South-east geopolitical zone of Nigeria in two geographical Ancestral divisions of the – uplander ancestral tribe and the plateau ancestral tribe predominantly across inhabitants of rural communities of the region. Measurements of foot length (FL) and foot breadth (FB) were done, while two parameters were calculated as: Foot Index calculated as Foot breadth / Foot lengthx100; and Foot shape was determined by calculation of foot index as Slender type: FI*...

Jatropha curcas is a flowering plant used locally for treatment of skin lesions, wounds, oral candidiasis and as a purgative. This study is aimed at evaluating the systemic effects of Jatropha curcas sap on the full blood count parameters and renal function following topical application on intact and wounded skin in Wistar rats. These rats were placed in four groups (A, B, C, D) of 6 wistar rat each. A 3cm long incision was inflicted at the back of rats in group A of and were treated with the latex of Jatropha curcas. Group C had the crude sap of Jatropha curcas applied on the shaven intact skin. These were compared with groups B that had same size of wound and was treated with 0.9% normal saline and the last group (group D) had no wound nor treatment. The animals were sacrificed after four weeks. Blood samples were collected for biochemical assays. Following application of the latex of Jatropha curcas to the wound, there was formation of blood clots in 5 seconds. There was a significant decrease in the total white blood cell count in the groups treated with Jatropha curcas. There was increased neutrophil count in the groups treated with Jatropha curcas with decreased lymphocyte count when compared to the control. There was no significant difference (p...

Cranial capacity, body mass index, age of various population groups have always been estimated in numerous reports but are hardly pull together to study their relationship with academic performance of students. The study was aimed at identifying the relationship between cranial capacity, body mass index and academic performance among Nigerian undergraduate students attending Bayero University, Kano in the northern part of Nigeria. A total of 408 participants (male: 250 and female: 158) comprising of about 50 students each from eight (8) faculties that satisfied the selection criteria were randomly selected at 5 sampling interval. Pearson's correlation was employed to test for the relationship between cranial capacity with body mass index and academic performance using SPSS version 23. The result shows a non-significant relationship (p...

This work was carried out to determine the average length and mid shaft diameter of the clavicle; to determine the correlation between the Clavicular length and mid shaft diameter of the clavicle on both right and left sides of the clavicle of adults in Rivers State. This work also seeks to establish a formulae for determining the right clavicular length using the left clavicular length and to evaluate if there are sexual or ethnic variations in these parameters. 400 normal Posterior anterior chest radiographs of adult Nigerians in Rivers state between the age range of 18 and 85 years were used for this study. Two hundred and eleven (211) males and one hundred and eighty nine (189) females respectively. The mean right and left clavicular length for males were 15.44±1.05cm and 15.75±1.02cm while, for females, it was 14.45±1.01cm and 14.79±1.13cm respectively. It was observed that the males had a significantly higher clavicular length than the females (p...

This study investigated the effect of Garcinia kola seed on the mammary gland of adult female Wistar rats. Twenty five adult female Wistar rats with average weight of 170g were used for this study. They were divided into five groups (A-E) of five animals each; all animals were given rat feed and water ad libitum. Group A served as the control and received distilled water, groups B, C and D received ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed at 30mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 1000mg/kg respectively, group E served as the standard control and was given 2.5mg of bromocriptine orally for a period of 20days. On the 20th day, Animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation and the pituitary glands harvested for histological assessment. The results showed a significant (p? 0.05) decrease in the number of acidophils present in the treated groups. The histological sections of the pituitary gland showed a massive decline in the number of acidophils in groups B, C, D and E when compared to group A. The results therefore infer that ethanol extract of Garcinia kola seed reduces the lactation efficiency of the pituitary glands in adult female wistar rats by reducing the number of the acidophilic cells of the anterior pituitary gland....

Aigbogun et al. in 2018 introduced a new classification with a wide range of application in anthropological research. This study, therefore, evaluated the distribution of finger friction ridges among University of Port Harcourt students; with the aim validating the assumption of sexual dimorphism in dermatoglyphics. The study was a cross-section analytical research involving randomly selected 100 students (49 male and 51 females) from 10 faculties of the University. The dermatoglyphic characteristics were obtained using the protocol of Oghenemavwe and Osaat (2015); as modified by Aigbogun et al. (2018b). The digital dermatoglyphics patterns for the subjects were obtained and the fingers were coded as 1D (thumb) to 5D (little finger); R (right) and L (left). Galton (1988) and Aigbogun et al. (2018a) classifications were used to describe the patterns. Sex-associated pattern distribution, combination, and symmetricity were evaluated using Statistical Package for Social Science (Version 23; IBM® Armonk, New York), and Minitab® 2017 (version 18.1) at 95% confidence level (P0.05). In conclusion, the observed distributional differences in certain patterns between males and females is not an indication of sexual dimorphism, but simply variations. Therefore, to establish dimorphism, group-categorising model must prove at least 75% accuracy for sex discrimination....