A time course study on dose-response relationship between alcohol exposure and its effects on lipid profile and biomarkers of tissue damage

This present research investigated variations in lipid profiles and important biomarkers of tissue damage in response to graded concentrations of alcohol administration in male Wistar rats. Group A (control) received distilled water while group B, C and D received 30%, 40% and 50% (v/v) alcohol respectively. Five rats each from groups A-D were sacrificed after day(s) 1, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of administration. A significant increase was observed at day 28 for serum cholesterol by 79% (group B), 78% (group C) and 47% (group D) together with serum phospholipid 58% (group B), 50% (group C) and 92% (group D). Serum triacylglycerol increased by 71% (group B), 43% (group C) and 16% (group D) at day 21, while concentration of serum albumin decreased at day 28 by 40.9% (group B), 50.2% (group C), 53.3% (group D) respectively when compared with control (group A). Serum aminotransferases and alkaline phosphatase specific activities, as well as creatinine and uric acid concentration increased in a concentration-dependent manner, following alcohol administration. Though most of these effects induced by alcohol were time- and concentration-dependent, 40% alcohol appear to be more stable, giving results consistent with alcohol-induced damages, with minimal mortality. This study therefore further validated dyslipidemia and imbalance in clinical biomarkers as hallmarks of tissue damage induced by excessive alcohol consumption with an insight on the time- and concentration-response relationship between alcohol consumption and its toxicity.     

Airborne pollen grains in Nsukka,Nigeria

A study of the airborne pollen grains in Nsukka, Nigeria, has been carried out at two different sampling heights (1.8?m and 15?m) from February 1993 to January 1994. Twenty‐six plant families (40 genera) were identified at the lower sampling height, whilst thirty‐eight families (58 genera) were identified at the height of 15?m. A total of nine and eighteen fern spore types were observed at 1.80?m and 15?m, respectively. The quantitative results indicate that the number of pollen observed at 15?m sampling height was statistically different (p<0.05) from that observed at the height of 1.80?m. The analysis of airborne pollen grains indicates three different periods: (1) dry season, (2) rainy season, and (3) late rainy season to early dry season/Harmattan. The highest pollen abundance was recorded during the late rainy season – early dry season/Harmattan followed by that of the dry season. The predominant pollen grains and fern spores trapped at both heights include Poaceae, Casuarina equisetifolia, Milicia excelsa, Elaeis guineensis, Celtis integrifolia, Alchornea cordifolia, Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae, Combretaceae/Melastomataceae, Nephrolepis biserrata, Thelypteris totta, and Dryopteris spp.     

Steroids and triterpenoids from Eastern Nigeria mistletoe, Loranthus micranthus Linn. (Loranthaceae) parasitic on Kola acuminata with immunomodulatory potentials

In search of immunomodulatory constituents from the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe, Loranthus micranthus Linn, two new stigmastane steroids: stigmast-7,20 (21)-diene-3β-hydroxy-6-one (1) and 3β-hydroxy-stigmast-23-ene (2); three (two new and one known) lupeol-based triterpenoid esters: 7β,15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)-ene-3β-palmitate (3), 7β,15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)-ene-3β-stearate (4) and 7β,15α-dihydroxyl-lup-20(29)-ene-3β-eicosanoate (5) were isolated and characterized following bioactivity-guided fractionation. The new compounds, 1, 2, 4 and 5 at concentrations of 10, 25 and 100 μg/ml were subjected to cell proliferation and early activation marker (CD69) expression studies in C57Bl/6 mice splenocytes using flow cytometry techniques against Lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 μg/ml) and Concanavalin A (ConA; 2 μg/ml) standards. The stigmastane steroids (1 and 2) at the highest concentration of 100 μg/ml showed statistically significantly (p < 0.05) stimulatory activity on the C57B1/6 splenocytes compared to the controls with values of 46 ± 0.76% and 43 ± 0.46% compared to 7.69 ± 0.41% recorded for the negative control. The novel lupeol esters, 4 and 5 at same concentration of 100 μg/ml exhibited lower stimulations of 30 ± 0.41% and 29 ± 0.17% respectively compared to the controls above. The CD69 expression assay at the above doses showed that all the compounds have minimal stimulation. The present study supports the observed immunomodulatory property of the Eastern Nigeria mistletoe and thus confirms the efficacy of this plant in mitigating against wide array of disease conditions orchestrated by immunodeficiency.     

Analgesic activity of leaf extracts of Culcasia scandens P. Beauv

Analgesic activity of methanol leaf extract of C. scandens obtained by column chromatography and its graded solvent fractions, was evaluated in mice using acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing and formalin-induced paw licking. The extract and fractions significantly inhibited abdominal writhing and two phases of formalin-induced paw licking in mice, indicating that antinociceptive activity may involve inhibition of pain by peripheral and central mechanisms.     

Review article: Colour and the American system of justice

A. Leon Higginbotham, In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process ‐the Colonial Period; New York, Oxford University Press, 1978. 536 pp. £8.50.     

Resolving mismatches in the flexible production of ethanol and butanol from eucalyptus wood with vacuum fermentation

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - In flexible ethanol-butanol plants, low tolerance to butanol by solventogenic clostridia (and resulting dilute fermentation) results in considerable number...     

Behavioral and hematological responses of broiler chickens administered with betaine and ascorbic acid during hot-dry season

Heat stress is a major problem in poultry production in tropical regions. Assessing the impact of thermally stressful environmental conditions on the welfare of broiler chickens is of great importance. Behavioral responses in a novel environment and hematology of broiler chickens administered with betaine and/or ascorbic acid (AA) during the hot-dry season were evaluated. Broiler chickens were randomly divided into four groups: Group I (control) was given sterile water, Group II was given betaine, Group III was given AA, and Group IV received betaine + AA orally and daily for 42 days. An open-field test was used to assess behavior. Hematological parameters were obtained using a hematology auto-analyzer. The natural environmental conditions were predominantly outside the thermoneutral zone for broiler chickens. Results demonstrated that treated groups exhibited improved ability to adjust faster to a new environment and better hematological responses than controls, evidenced by enhanced behavioral responses, oxygen-carrying capacity, and immune responses of broiler chickens under unfavorable environmental conditions. Betaine and/or AA administration to broiler chickens improved some behavioral responses, hemoglobin concentrations, packed cell volume, and total leukocyte count during the hot-dry season.     

Exploring spatio-temporal patterns of plankton diversity and community structure as correlates of water quality in a tropical stream

Ecology of plankton in the downstream reaches of Kaduna River, Zungeru, Niger state, Nigeria was investigated between April and August 2015. Plankton and surface water samples were collected monthly from three stations for analysis of plankton diversity and physico-chemical parameters respectively. Station 1 is relatively unperturbed station located at the outskirts of Zungeru town, station 2 with moderate human activity located in Zungeru town while station 3 with minimal level of anthropogenic activities was located in Wushishi town about 7 km from station 2. The result revealed that the minimum and maximum values for pH water temperature, air temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen (DO) biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), phosphate, Nitrate, and secchi disc transparency were 5.38–6.79, 25–31 °C, 26–31 °C, 32–72 μs/cm, 3.50–8.20 mg/l, 1.00–5.00 mg/l, 0.06–1.13 mg/l 0.44–1.31 mg/l, 39.140 cm respectively. A total of 26 species of zooplankton and 24 species of phytoplankton were encountered in the study. The highest number of plankton (20 taxa) was recorded at station 2 while station 1 with 18 taxa and station 3 with 13 representative taxa. For zooplankton, the highest number of taxa was recorded at station 1 (20 taxa), followed by station 3 (14 taxa) and 10 taxa in station 2 were identified. Copepoda of the order cyclopidae dominated all the three stations while Bacillariophyta dominated the three stations for phytoplankton diversity. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) ordination was used to determine phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance in relation to the physico-chemical parameters. Nitrate, phosphate and dissolved oxygen had over riding influence on the distribution of the plankton in the water body which indicate that the river is still very productive in terms of providing starter food organisms for higher aquatic life. However, care should be taken to protect the river from further deterioration due to various degrees of human activities.