Structural Changes in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Anterior Cingulate Cortex of Dehydroepiandrosterone-Induced Wistar Rat Model of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder in women that is associated with an increased risk of infertility. This study aims to evaluate the neurobehavioral and neurochemical changes along with the associated changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of the dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-induced PCOS model rats.

Methods: A total of 12 female juvenile Wistar rats (30 to 50 g) about 22 to 44 days old were divided into 2 groups.

The synergistic ameliorative activity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha and gamma agonists, fenofibrate and pioglitazone, on hippocampal neurodegeneration in a rat model of insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a risk factor for metabolic disorders and neurodegeneration. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonists have been proven to mitigate the neuronal pathology associated with IR. However, the synergetic efficacy of these agonists is yet to be fully described.

Hippocampal cellular changes in androgen deprived insulin resistant rats.

Androgen deprivation can be achieved through testosterone antagonists (chemical castration) with or without orchidectomy. We use a rat model to characterize hippocampal structural and functional changes that might be associated with a subset population of androgen deprived insulin-resistant patients. Adult male Wistar rats assigned into six (6) groups: control group (distilled water/sham), orchiectomy group (bilateral orchiectomy), flutamide group (oral flutamide; 11 mg/kg body weight), diabetes group (multiple low-dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 30 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally), orchiectomy and diabetic group (bilateral orchiectomy with 30 mg/kg body weight of STZ), and orchiectomy/diabetic/flutamide group (bilateral orchiectomy with 30 mg/kg body weight of STZ with 11 mg/kg body weight of flutamide).

Low testicular zinc level, p53 expression and impairment of Sertoli cell phagocytosis of residual bodies in rat subjected to psychological stress.

Psychological stress is a known aetiology of infertility. However, the mechanisms translating it to reproductive dysfunction are not fully elucidated. Three experiments were performed on Wistar rats were designed to evaluate Sertoli cell function under stress.

Western diet-induced fear memory impairment is attenuated by 6-shogaol in C57BL/6N mice.

Dementia is a progressive cognitive diminution impeding with normal daily activities that is constantly on the increase. Currently, the estimated prevalence is 50 million affected people worldwide, a figure expected to triple within the next 30 years. While the pathophysiology of the different types of dementia is complex, likely involving the interplay between multiple genetic and environmental factors, strong evidence points towards an important link between diet and cognitive health.

Distribution and Cellular Localization of KCC2 in the Ferret Neocortex.

KCC2 (a brain-specific potassium-chloride cotransporter) affects development of the cerebral cortex, including aspects of neuronal migration and cellular maturation and differentiation. KCC2 also modulates chloride homeostasis by influencing the switch of GABA from depolarizing in young neurons to hyperpolarizing in mature neurons. We describe the expression pattern, regional distribution, and cellular colocalization of KCC2 in the ferret cortex in normal kits and those treated with methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM).

Short Wavelength Cone Opsin Is Not Expressed in the Retina of Arboreal African Pangolin (Manis tricuspis).

This paper reports a study of cone photoreceptors present in the retina of Manis tricuspis. Specifically, the LWS (L-) opsin expressed in longwave-sensitive cones and SWS1 (S-) opsin shortwave-sensitive cones were targeted. Vertical sections revealed reactivity to a cone marker, peanut agglutinin (PNA), and to an LWS antibody, but not to an SWS1 antibody.

Characterization of prefrontal cortex microstructure and antioxidant status in a rat model of neurodegeneration induced by aluminium chloride and multiple low-dose streptozotocin.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and several individuals with AD are diabetic. Most non-transgenic animal models of AD make use of oral treatment with aluminium chloride (AlCl(3)) to induce brain lesions pathognomonic of the disease. Moreover, streptozotocin (STZ) can induce pathological features of either AD or DM depending on the mode of treatment.

Kolaviron was protective against sodium azide (NaN3) induced oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex.

Kolaviron is a phytochemical isolated from Garcina kola (G. kola); a common oral masticatory agent in Nigeria (West Africa). It is a bioflavonoid used--as an antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant--in relieving the symptoms of several diseases and infections.

In vivo antimalarial activity and toxicological effects of methanolic extract of Cocos nucifera (Dwarf red variety) husk fibre.

Objective: Phytochemical constituents as well as antimalarial and toxicity potentials of the methanolic extract of the husk fibre of Dwarf Red variety of Cocos nucifera were evaluated in this study.

Methods: The dried powdered husk fibre was exhaustively extracted with hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol successively and the methanolic extract was screened for flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, triterpenes, phlobatannins, anthraquinones and glycosides. A 4-day suppressive antimalarial test was carried out using Plasmodium berghei NK65-infected mice, to which the extract was administered at doses of 31.

Effects of combined leaf extract of Vernonia amygdalina and Azadirachta indica on hepatic morphology and hepatotoxicity markers in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Objectives: In this work, we studied liver morphology, markers of hepatic oxidative stress and some liver enzymes in diabetic rats treated with the combined leaf extract (CLE) of Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) and Azadirachta indica (neem).

Methods: Diabetes was induced in fasted male Wistar rats with intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Oral CLE (500 mg/kg body weight) and metformin (150 mg/kg body weight) were administered to different groups of diabetic rats for eight weeks.

Should complementary and alternative medicine familiarisation modules be taught in African medical schools?

Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are household sources of therapy in African communities. A large percentage of the African population uses CAMs as an alternative to mainstream medicine. This is partly due to tradition, and partly because of inability to afford conventional treatments.

Formal body bequest program in Nigerian medical schools: when do we start?

Human body dissection is a prerequisite for the training of health professionals and the conduct of medical research. However, most Nigerian medical schools experience difficulty obtaining an adequate and regular supply of human tissue. Presently, the major source of anatomical material comes from unclaimed bodies collected from hospital mortuaries.