A Review on the Antidiabetic Potential of Medicinal Plants

Diabetes mellitus has long been seen as a substantial economic burden on patients, their families, and society. Impairment in blood sugar regulation has major health repercussions. Furthermore, untreated diabetes causes major chronic complications like blindness, renal failure, and heart failure, as well as an increase in associated mortality. New anti-diabetic medicines are being researched to help alleviate this issue. Conventional Anti-diabetic medications are beneficial, several synthetic drugs are available in the market to treat diabetes, but they are costly and come with inevitable adverse effects. Medicinal plants, on the other hand, may serve as an alternate source of anti-diabetic agents. According to the World Health Organization, 80 % of the population in underdeveloped nations still relies on traditional medicines or folk medicines, which are largely made from plants, for disease prevention or treatment. For instance, anti- proliferative, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-hyperglycemic effects. In order to find a natural anti-diabetic source that comes with less side effects, several studies have been conducted. The aim of this work is to review these studies and highlight the potential of plants when it comes to their anti-diabetic effect.

The Incidence of Bacterial Isolates Among Dental Caries Patients Attending Clinic At Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria

Despite the global public health importance of dental caries, it is greatly understudied. This study investigates the incidence and prevalent bacteria species in dental carries among patients attending dental clinic in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Nigeria. Patients presenting with signs, symptoms and suspected cases of dental caries attending dental clinic in the hospital between May and July 2017 were recruited. Following standard laboratory procedures, swabs were obtained, morphologically and biochemically analyzed and data subjected to simple statistical analysis. Of the 340 suspected cases, 65.59% were positive for bacteria (25.11% in children and 74.89% in adult). Females were more likely (1.23 times) to be affected and 2.98 times more common in adults than children. The prevalent bacteria isolated was Streptococcus mutans (151; 67.7%), Streptococcus sobrinus (36; 16.4%), Lactobacillus acidophilus (22; 9.9%), Streptococcus salivarius (10; 4.5%) and lastly Streptococcus mitis (4; 1.8%). Biochemical characterization showed isolated Streptococus and Lactobacillus species were non-motile and negative to catalase, citrate, oxidase, indole and urease tests. This study showed the incidence of dental caries is high in the study area and that Streptococcus mutans is the most causative bacteria.

Oral Cancer Lethality in the Dental Department of Kinshasa University Hospital, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Background: Despite the scientific advances achieved during this century in cancer management, nevertheless, the cancer disease remains one of the most fatal sickens globally and little data are available on oral cancer mortality in most low-income countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Aim: To assess the frequency of oral cancer mortality in the Department of Dental medicine at the Kinshasa University Hospital. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study based on the records of patients who died from oral cancer was conducted in the Department of Dental Medicine, Kinshasa University Hospital spanning over a period of 20 years (2000 to 2019). The data were collected from the records of patients with a histologically proven diagnosis of cancer. Pertinent parameters included Age, sex, stage of disease, histological type of tumor and probability of survival of patients were evaluated. Results: During the study, 889 patients were hospitalized in the Department. Out of 91 patients who died while in hospital, 49 deaths (53.8%) were from oral cancer in 57% males. Median age was 46.02±19.6 years and sex ratio of male/female of 1.3. The epidermoid or squamous cell carcinoma (63.3%) was the most frequent histological type of malignancy, and the majority of deaths (96%) occurred at and advanced cT4NM clinical stage with 90% having less than 200 days prognostic survival chance. Conclusion: The frequency of lethality in the present study was high and constitutes a health problem concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study emphasizes the primary role devoted to oral health professionals in education, population, prevention, early detection and early management of oral cancer.

Impact of Excessive Screen Time and the Mediating Effect of Physical Exercise on Sleep in Physiotherapy Students During Covid-19

Aim: The science of today is the technology of tomorrow. The 21st century has witnessed a great development in the field of technology. Whether we love it or loathe it, technology affects everything we do today and influences almost everything we plan for our tomorrow. It has advanced everywhere making people access various types of devices. Sleep is fundamental to optimal functioning including health and behavior. This paper describes the interrelations between sleep and screen use. The purpose of this study was to identify technology use hence exploring the screen time of the individual and its impact on sleep and the mediating effect of physical exercise. Method: A representative sample of 150 Physiotherapy students was surveyed using an online questionnaire to analyze their technology use and sleep patterns. Results: A total number of 150 completed forms were analyzed. 94.7% students screen time use had increased during the lockdown. 43.3% of student participants spent more than 6 hours on digital devices on a daily basis. 73.3% of the population agreed that screen time did affect their sleeping pattern in the lockdown. 64% students encountered sleeping problems. 52% people admitted that excessive screen use has affected their sleep quality. 65.3% of the students have been taking part in physical exercises regularly, out of which 65.27 % reported decreased sleeping complaints. Conclusion: This study shows that use of screen based digital devices and media use has significantly increased during COVID-19 pandemic lock down in Physiotherapy students and provides scientific evidence for its negative impact on sleep. Physical exercises were associated with a positive effect on sleep disorders.

Determinants of Stress and Effects on Performance in Part of Lebanese University Medical Residents During Fourth Quarter of 2019

Background and Objective: Medical residents face challenges that expose them to high risk of developing stress. Stress could reach burnout levels and become harmful to residents and patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of stress in current Lebanese University (LU) residents and assessing correlations with some risk factors and consequences. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 130 current LU residents who filled out a questionnaire concerning their demographic data, residency specialty and year, workload, special habits, depression, stress, and frequency of medical errors. Depression and stress scores were obtained using DASS-21 scale. Collected data was analyzed using ANOVA and chi- Square tests in SPSS to find descriptive statistics and correlations. Results: Out of the enrolled residents, 70% had stress ranging between mild and extreme severity. The mean age of the residents was 27.2 years. Females had higher stress than males and gender accounted for 14.1% of variance in stress among residents. Our results implied that internal medicine specialty imposes higher stress than surgery specialty with a significant difference of 4.04 points and working more than 50 hours per week which accounts for 7.6% of variance in stress. Residents had, on average, 4.38 hours of sleep per night and a negative association was found between sleep and stress. Depression was prevalent; 18.5% had severe depression, 3.1% had extremely severe depression, and stress was significantly correlated with it. Similarly, stress was associated with medical errors. No significant correlation was detected between age, marital status, parenting, and residency year, on call duties, or special habits and stress. Conclusion: Stress among medical residents is high due to the different challenges at the personal and occupational level. Stress should be managed especially that it could lead to harmful consequences on the resident’s health and patient’s safety.

COVID-19 in the Indian Territory of Lakshadweep – Role of MMR Vaccination in the Management of COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, is a contagious disease which has spread across the entire world within one year and four months of its first appearance in Wuhan, China. Since then new mutated strains of SARS-CoV-2 have been detected in most of the countries including India; the first variant being detected in the United Kingdom (B 7.1.1). We had reported earlier that some regions of Indian Territory had minimal spread of COVID-19 in the population. Among them, one exception was territory of Lakshadweep which did not have even a single case of COVID-19 until December, 2020. However, the first case of COVID-19 emerged in Lakshadweep in January, 2021. The significance of spread of COVID-19 in the population which were previously immunized with MMR (Mumps Measles Rubella) vaccine with plausible role of MMR vaccination in management of COVID-19 has been evaluated in this article.

Assessment of Electrolytes, Urea and Creatinine in Patients with Renal Impairment Attending Yobe State Specialist Hospital Damaturu

Electrolytes, urea and creatinine are major factor in the determining a healthy kidney performance. Renal impairment is one of the kidney stages that can alter the concentration of these electrolytes. This study was carried out in order to access the biochemical concentrations of urea, electrolytes and creatinine in patients with renal impairment attending Yobe state specialist hospital Damaturu. One hundred (100) blood samples were collected randomly from the patients. Automated chemistry analyzer (Selectra proS) was used for determination of urea and creatinine. For the determination of concentration of electrolytes in blood samples, electrolytes analyzer known as Ion selective electrolyte (ISE) was used. Electrolytes determined and compare with normal values includes: bicarbonate (HCO3-) 20-30 mmol/l, potassium (K+) 2.5-5.0 mmol/l, chloride (Cl-) 95-110 mmol/l, and sodium (Na+) 135-145 mmol/l. The results obtained was distributed into three (3) groups depending on the age categories; group 1 (1-30years), group 2 (31-60 years), and group 3(60-90 years). The gender ratio male to female patients examined was 52:48. Generally, the obtained result showed that females age 31-60 years are the most affected by the renal impairment, and this called for Government intervention in order to solve the causes of kidney impairment in the society.

Manufacture of Hard Gelatin Capsules From a Lyophilisate of the Morus Nigra Fruit

Morus nigra L. (M. nigra L.) belongs to the Moraceae family. Traditional medicine for its physicochemical properties. To evaluate the physicochemical composition and pharmaceutical stability of hard gelatin capsules of the freeze-dried fruit of M. nigra L. The content of total phenols (CFT) and antioxidant capacity (CA) were evaluated by spectrophotometry, the content of ash, moisture, protein, fat and fiber were determined according to their own standard. The CFT and CA were 25.4 mg gallic acid equivalents/g of sample, and 74.1% inhibition, respectively. On the other hand, the values of ash, moisture, protein, fat and fiber were 4.2%, 7.9%, 3.9%, 0.5% and 3.6%, respectively. Lyophilized M. nigra fruit may be a novel candidate for the development of gelatin hard capsules and other new pharmaceutical products.

Cola Acuminata Nut Show Indication of Arrhythmia Management: Laboratory Examination of Extracts of Raw Versus Heat Processed Nuts

Chewing of nuts of Cola acuminata is a cultural practice in any African countries especially Ghana and Nigeria. The current study investigated antibacterial activity and phytochemical composition of methanol and ethanol Soxhlet extracts of raw, steamed and roasted cola nut on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar well diffusion method. Amoxillin and distilled water were used as controls. The ranges of mean zones of inhibition of the methanol and ethanol extracts of raw cola nut at 200mg/ml tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 10.00±0.00 to 15.00±0.00 and 10.50±1.50 to 12.00±0.00 respectively. The ranges of the mean zones of inhibition of the methanol and ethanol extracts of steamed cola nut at 200mg/ml tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were 8.00±0.00 to 7.00±0.00 and 7.50±0.50 to 8.50±0.50 respectively. Those of the methanol and ethanol extracts against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were 6.00±0.00 to 7.00±0.00 and 5.00±0.00 to 6.00±1.00 respectively. Raw cola nut was found to be most effective against the two microbes. However, Amoxicillin at concentration 200mg/ml presented the highest mean zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (36.00±0.00) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (29.00±0.00), while distilled water had no inhibitory on the two microbes. Extract concentrations from 120–30 mg/ml had similar trends of inhibition with the 200mg/ml concentration. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids and phenols in both methanol and ethanol extracts of the raw, steamed and roasted cola nut.

First to Respond Last To Leave: The Role of Para-Military Agencies in Disaster Management: Evidence from Nigeria

Shortly after the recent fire’s disaster in Lagos, Kano, Katsina and Oyo market in Nigeria, an account of the activities and initiatives of para-military agencies in disaster management was conducted. A review of these inventories shows some significant changes in both the types of activities being undertaken by para-military agencies. The inventories document a rapid increase in the number of roles played in recovery. In building resilience to all hazards, it is necessary to better understand the roles that different para-military agencies played, not only in recovery, but across all levels of disaster risk reduction. These roles range from leading first aid through to co-producing knowledge underpinning risk management strategies and actions. Every para-military agency has the capacity to weave disaster readiness, response and recovery, and risk reduction into their core organization mandate, and therefore represent a valuable, though often underestimated and poorly understood resource. Hence, it is therefore recommended that there is need to build the collaboration of the various agencies of government and partner international organizations and also build the capacities of the implementation agencies and regulatory bodies, their influence over the lifecycle be increased and public awareness increasing around issues related to disaster risk, while promoting public participation in the processes of development. This view provides much needed guidance to decision makers to take action towards a more resilient future.