Phytochemical analysis, in vitro and in silico effects from Alstonia boonei De Wild stem bark on selected digestive enzymes and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Background: Obesity is a global health issue arising from the unhealthy accumulation of fat. Medicinal plants such as Alstonia boonei stem bark has been reported to possess body weight reducing effect in obese rats. Thus, this study sought to investigate the in vitro and in silico effects of fractions from Alstonia boonei stem bark on selected obesity-related digestive enzymes and adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes.

Pharmacological activities of a novel phthalic acid ester and iridoid glycoside isolated from the root bark of Anthocleista vogelii Planch.

In this study, a novel phthalic acid ester (1) and a known iridoid glycoside (2) were isolated from the root bark of Anthocleista vogelii. The structures of the novel compound and iridoid glycoside were elucidated on the basis of their chemical and spectral data (UV, FT-IR, EI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR) and found to be phthalic acid ester, 4-ethyl-6-propyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydro3H-2,8-benzodioxacycloundecine-1,9-dione (1) and sweroside (2). The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro inhibitory activities against pancreatic lipase, α-amylase and αglucosidase, and in vivo laxative activity in rats.

Modulatory effect of crude aqueous extract of Lingzhi or Reishi Medicinal Mushroom, Ganoderma lucidum (Higher Basidiomycetes), on hematological and antioxidant indices in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice.

Hematological and antioxidant effects of the aqueous extract of fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum were evaluated in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. Extract was administered at doses of 100, 250, and 500 mg/kg body weight by an intragastric tube once daily for 14 d starting from the fourth day after parasite inoculation. At the end of treatment period, mice in each group were sacrificed and blood was collected for hematological and biochemical analyses.

The role of rotavirus associated with pediatric gastroenteritis in a general hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.

Introduction: Bacterial, viral and parasitic agents have been implicated and confirmed as causative agents of gastroenteritis in children with ages below 5 years old. The major role of rotavirus as causative agent is not widely recognized within the public health community, particularly in developing countries. This study examined the role of rotavirus as a causative agent of childhood gastroenteritis in infants and young children below 5 years of age in a General Hospital in Lagos, Nigeria.