Bullying is an unexpressed part and parcel of medical education but it is largely unexplored in physiotherapy. This study assessed the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of bullying in ...physiotherapy education in Nigeria.
Two hundred and nineteen clinical physiotherapy students from three purposively selected Federal Universities in Nigeria participated in this study. Following a cross-sectional design, the Students Perception of Professor Bullying Questionnaire (SPPBQ) was used to obtain information on bullying. The SPPBQ includes a working definition of lecturer bullying followed by other sections inquiring about lecturers bullying experiences. Data was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, bullying experiences and availability of adequate policy and support on bullying. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used analyze data. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05.
Lifetime and point prevalence of bullying in physiotherapy education were 98.6 and 99.1%. 94.5% of the respondents had witnessed physiotherapy students bullying and there was a 100% rate of 'no attempt' to stop a physiotherapy lecturer from bullying. 38.4 and 44.7% of the respondents believed there was adequate school policy and support available on bullying. There was no significant association between bullying and each of age (휒2 = 0.117, p = 0.943), gender (휒2 = 0.001, p = 0.974), level of study (휒2 = 0.000, p = 0.995) and any specific university (휒2 = 1.343, p = 0.511).
There is high lifetime and point prevalence of bullying in physiotherapy education in Nigeria, which are largely unchallenged or redressed. Being a clinical physiotherapy student ordinarily predisposes to bullying without necessary contributions of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
This study assess how well diclofenac (DCF) can be separated from aqueous solution using potassium permanganate–modified eggshell biosorbent (MEB). The MEB produced was characterised using XRD, FTIR, ...and SEM. Batch experiments were conducted to examine and assess the impact of contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration, and temperature on the adsorption capacity of the MEB in the DCF sequestration. The best parameters to obtained 95.64% DCF removal from liquid environment were 0.05 g MEB weight, 50 mg/L initial concentration, and 60 min contact time at room temperature. The maximum DCF sequestration capacity was found to be 159.57 mg/g with 0.05 g of MEB at 298 K. The adsorption isotherm data were more accurately predicted by the Freundlich model, indicating a process of heterogeneous multilayer adsorption. The results of the kinetic study indicated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic models best matched the experimental data. The findings revealed that the dynamic of DCF entrapment is largely chemisorption and diffusion controlled. Based on the values of thermodynamic parameters, the process is both spontaneous and endothermic. The primary processes of DCF sorption mechanism onto the MEB were chemical surface complexation, hydrogen bonding, π‐π stacking, and electrostatic interactions. The produced MEB showed effective DCF separation from the aqueous solution and continued to have maximal adsorption capability even after five regeneration cycles. These findings suggest that MEB could be highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of DCF from pharmaceutical wastewater.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has extensively spread worldwide with high mortality. Besides vaccination, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved only one oral medication as a ...treatment. Medicinal plants with antiviral and immunomodulatory properties could be explored as complementary treatments for COVID-19. Ogbomosho is home to such plants traditionally used to treat infectious diseases in Nigeria, making it relevant in complementary medicine. An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used to treat COVID-19 and related ailments, including cough and flu in Ogbomosho South and North Local Government Areas, Nigeria, was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire. Information was obtained from 56 participants, consisting of different groups of individuals with native knowledge of medicinal plants, and ethnobotanical indices, including the frequency of citation (FC), relative frequency of citation (RFC), and fidelity level (FL) were computed. Twenty-six medicinal plants (17 families) were used to treat COVID-19, 31 (20 families) for cough, and 29 (19 families) for flu. The most cited plant was Zingiber officinale (FC = 10; RFC = 0.18; FL = 18%) for treating COVID-19, Citrus limon (FC = 13; RFC = 0.23; FL = 23%) for cough, and Zingiber officinale (FC = 9; RFC = 0.16; FL = 16%) for flu. Leaves were the most used plant part for treating COVID-19 and flu, while the bark was the most used for cough. Trees and herbs were the most cited plant growth forms. The herbal remedies were mostly prepared by decoction and infusion and were mainly administered orally. Further research should be conducted on the identified species for the scientific validation of their antiviral and immunomodulatory efficacies and safety for use.
Senna fistula
(commonly called golden shower tree) is a tropical plant renowned for its established medicinal properties. Additionally, it serves as a popular ornamental tree for homesteads and ...roadside plantings. But previous phytochemical studies on the plant adopted the conventional methods of extraction without optimal yield of the plant extract. This study investigated on the phytochemistry of
S. fistula
leaf, stem bark and flower using ethanol, aqueous and palm wine extracts. Also, optimization of extraction with the aid of design expert was carried out to determine the extraction condition that would give the optimum yield using different solvent. Result of qualitative analysis on phytochemicals showed presence of anthraquinones, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, phenols, cardiac glycosides and tannins. An extraction of 10 g of
S. fistula
for 24 h at 300 rpm, with an orbital shaker time of 30 min, gave an optimal yield of 3.6 g. The bio-active compounds found in
S. fistula
are subjects of more exploratory research with usable products that can benefit mankind as the focus.
Highlights
Phytochemical analysis of
S. fistula
flower revealed the present of bioactive phytochemicals which can be further harnessed for pharmaceutical purposes.
Orbital shaking time of 29 min at 300 rpm gave an optimum yield of 3.4 g in
S. fistula
.
Dichloromethane and ethyl acetate solvents produced the best retention factor for
S. fistula
.
The effect of Editan (Lasianthera africana) leaf inclusive diet (ELD) on neuronal cholinesterases (ChE), ecto‐5'‐nucleotidase, and endogenous antioxidant indices superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase ...(CAT), glutathione (GSH) in cyclophosphamide (CYP)‐administered albino rats were investigated. Thirty male albino Wistar rats were dissevered appropriately (n = 6). Group I—normal control rats (NC), II–untreated CYP‐administered rats, III‐CYP‐administered rats pre‐treated with donepezil (DON), group IV–CYP‐administered rats fed ELD, and V‐normal rats fed with ELD for 21 days. Results obtained revealed that CYP‐administered rats significantly (p < .05) had elevated activities of ChE, ecto‐5'‐nucleotidase and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), and concomitantly decreased in the antioxidant indices. However, pre‐treatment with either DON or ELD reversed these effects, thereby eliciting a therapeutic effect which could be linked to the rich polyphenol and alkaloid constituents in the studied leaf, and could be responsible for the potential ethnopharmacological actions of the ELD in the management neurodegeneration.
Practical applications
Currently, the use of plant‐food to control diseased conditions due to their phytochemicals has been explored, most especially, the indigenous edible vegetables from the Southwestern part of Nigeria. “Editan” leafy vegetable scientifically known as Lasianthera africana is commonly used in soups preparation and in folklore for the management of some human ailments. Editan leaf is a rich source of alkaloid and phenolic compounds, which could be used to treat and or manage neurological diseases. This study, therefore, unravels the fact that the studied leafy vegetable possesses therapeutic potentials toward the management of neurological disorders.
Editan leaf‐inclusive diet significantly regulates the activities of neuronal ChEs, ecto‐5'‐nucleotidase and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS), and improved antioxidant indices distorted by CYP‐administered rats, thereby eliciting a neuroprotective effect which could be linked to the rich polyphenol and alkaloid constituents in the Editan leaf. The finding concluded that consumption of Editan leaf‐inclusive diet could be useful in the management neurodegeneration.
Abstract only One of the pathological conditions employing the heart rate variability analysis is a dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system that leads to the development of hypertension. It was ...shown that slow breathing can reduce blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive patients but not in normotensives. Very little is known if it reduces blood pressure in prehypertensives and if body weight influences the effect of slow breathing. A total of 194 men were recruited from the international student population of the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The cohort was subdivided into four groups with systolic blood pressure (SBP) 114.8±0.7 mm Hg referred as normotensive and 129.0±0.5 mm Hg as prehypertensive, with BMI 21.3±0.2kg/m 2 labelled as normal weigh and 27.7±0.3 kg/m 2 as overweight. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. After 5 minutes resting stage breathing rate was slowed to 6 breaths per minute (CardioLab CS, XAI‐Medica, Ukraine) for 5 minutes.The ECG was continually recorded, LF and HF HRV power was expressed in absolute units. The HF power was interpreted as a measure of cardiovagal outflow, LF power as an index of baroreflex activity and possibly as a sympathoinhibitory arm of baroreflex according to our hypothesis described previously. Measurements of SBP and DBP were conducted using an automatic digital sphygmomanometer (Nissei WS‐1011, Japan). Blood pressure was measured at 4.5 minute of each stage. MANOVA with Bonferroni correction was used to test for effects of slow breathing, prehypertension, and body weight on cardiovascular and HRV variables. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 22. The resting SBP was higher in overweight than in normal weight prehypertensives at rest and at the end of slow breathing stage. Slow breathing reduced significantly SBP in prehypertensives with normal weight and overweight but not in normotensive participants (Fig. ). The prehypertensives with normal weight had higher resting LnLF and LnHF than normotensives with normal weight (7.1±0.1 vs. 6.7±0.1 and 7.4±0.1 vs. 7.0±0.1 Lnms2, P =0.004 and P =0.002, respectively). Possibly young men with normal weight only developing hypertension used their resources of baroreflex (or sympathoinhibitory) and cardiovagal activity for the controlling of blood pressure. No difference in LnLF and LnHF were found between overweights. The LnLF and LnHF power increased more in normal weight normotensives than in prehypertensives indicating higher reserves of baroreflex (or sympathoinhibitory) and cardiovagal activities (Fig. ). Overweight normotensives had the increment of LnLF power significantly lower compared with normal weight normotensives (Fig. ). This finding may be explained by exhausted function of baroreflex or by depletion of resources inhibiting sympathetic nervous system activity. In conclusion, slowing the respiratory rate to 6 breaths per minute led to the significant reduction of SBP in prehypertensives with normal weight and overweight. The resting cardiovagal and baroreflex (or sympathoinhibitory) activities were more in prehypertensives than in normotensives with normal weight, but during breathing these differences were no longer significant. Between overweight normotensives and prehypertensives, no difference in HRV was found. Effect of slow breathing and body weight on SBP in normotensive (A) and prehypertensive (B) young men. *P<0.05, ** P<0.01, *** P<0.001. Data are expressed as means±SE. Figure 1 Effect of slow breathing, prehypertension, and body weight on LnLF (A) and LnHF power (B).* P<0.05, ** P<0.01. Data are expressed as means±SE. Figure 2
The bacteria
Vibrio cholerae
causes cholera, an acute diarrheal infection that can lead to dehydration and even death. Over 100,000 people die each year as a result of epidemic diseases; vaccination ...has emerged as a successful strategy for combating cholera. This study uses bioinformatics tools to create a multi-epitope vaccine against cholera infection using five structural polyproteins from the
V. cholerae
(CTB, TCPA, TCPF, OMPU, and OMPW). The antigenic retrieved protein sequence were analyzed using BCPred and IEDB bioinformatics tools to predict B cell and T cell epitopes, respectively, which were then linked with flexible linkers together with an adjuvant to boost it immunogenicity. The construct has a theoretical PI of 6.09, a molecular weight of 53.85 kDa, and an estimated half-life for mammalian reticulocytes in vitro of 4.4 h. These results demonstrate the construct’s longevity. The vaccine design was docked against the human toll-like receptor (TLR) to evaluate compatibility and effectiveness; also other additional post-vaccination assessments were carried out on the designed vaccine. Through in silico cloning, its expression was determined. The results show that it has a CAI value of 0.1 and GC contents of 58.97% which established the adequate expression and downstream processing of the vaccine construct, and our research demonstrated that the multi-epitope subunit vaccine exhibits antigenic characteristics. Additionally, we carried out an in silico immunological simulation to examine the immune reaction to an injection. Our results strongly suggest that the vaccine candidate on further validation would induce immune response against the
V. cholerae
infection.
Schistosoma haematobium has been identified as a significant cause of urogenital disease, as well as a risk factor for bladder cancer and HIV/AIDS. The parasites are obtained trans-dermally by ...swimming or wading in contaminated freshwater, and they are also transmitted to humans by freshwater snails. The organisms infect the vasculature of the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tracts. Worms live in blood vessels and lay eggs that become embedded in the bladder wall, causing chronic immune-mediated disease and squamous cell carcinoma growth. The primary goal of this research is to predict and design a novel synthetic protein containing multiple immunodominant B cell epitopes using three schistosome proteins: XP-012801068.2, XP-012801892.2, and XP-012793835.2 softwares were used to analyze the proteins' primary, secondary, and tertiary structures (BepiPred, BcPred).The B cell construct was then evaluated using I-TASSER server, and physicochemical properties, as well as homology modeling of the 3 D structure of the protein, was obtained. In silico analyses revealed regions with high immunogenicity. For XP-012801068.2, three epitopes are found between residues 292-334, 3-22, and 314-333; for XP-012801892.2, three epitopes are found in the residues 184-236, 81-100, and 329-348 for XP-012793835.2, four epitopes are found in the residues 185-222, 469-512, 649-713, and 338-357. The construct's has an average length of 308 bp, instability index of 49.96, theoretical PI of 4.2 and a C score −1.59. Furthermore, these parameters analyzed reveals that the constructed multi-epitope peptide has the potential to provide a theoretical basis for the development of a Schistosoma haematobium diagnostic kit.
Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Naja haje envenoming could activate multiple pathways linked to haematotoxic, neurological, and antioxidant systems dysfunctions. Moringa oleifera has been used in the management of different snake ...venom-induced toxicities, but there is no scientific information on its antivenom effects against Naja haje. This study thus, investigated the antivenom activities of different extract partitions of M. oleifera leaves against N. haje envenoming. Forty five male rats were divided into nine groups (n = 5). Groups 2 to 9 were envenomed with 0.025 mg/kg (LD50) of N. haje venom while group 1 was given saline. Group 2 was left untreated, while group 3 was treated with polyvalent antivenom, groups 4, 6 and 8 were treated with 300 mg/kg−1 of N-hexane, ethylacetate and ethanol partitions of M. oleifera, respectively. Groups 5, 7 and 9 were also treated with 600 mgkg−1of the partitions, respectively. Ethanol extract and ethyl acetate partition of M. oleifera significantly improved haematological indices following acute anaemia induced by the venom. Likewise, haemorrhagic, haemolytic and anti-coagulant activities of N. haje venom were best inhibited by ethanol partition. Envenoming significantly down-regulated Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) with the consequent elevation of antioxidant enzymes activities in the serum and brain. Treatment with extract partitions however, elevated Nrf2 levels while normalising antioxidant enzyme activities. Furthermore, there were reduction in levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and interleukin-1β) in tissues of treated envenomed rats. This study concludes that ethanol partition of M. oleifera was most effective against N. haje venom and could be considered as a potential source for antivenom metabolites.
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•Naja haje venom induced various toxic effects but Moringa oleifera reversed anemia.•Inhibited haemorrhagic, haemolytic and anti-coagulant activities, also, elevated.•Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 levels, normalised antioxidant enzyme.•Reduced levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and interleukin-1β and.•Ameliorated histological defects noticed on brain, liver and kidney tissues.
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