RESUMEN
Objective: The study was aimed at investigating the hypoglycemic, antioxidant and Hepatoprotective effects of Chrysophyllum albidum in diabetes induced male Wistar rats. Methods: Ethanol root bark extract was administered to thirty rats of six groups A, B, C, D, E and F of five rats each, weighing between 150-170g. Diabetes was induced in Groups B, C, D, E and F using a single intraperitoneal injection of 140mg/kg of Alloxan after an overnight fast. Group A served as the normal control while Group B served as the diabetic control. Group C had metformin of 500mg while Groups D, E and F received 50, 100 and 200mg/kg / bw/ day of the plant extract respectively through orogastric intubation. All the animals were given normal rat chow and water freely. Blood glucose level was determined and the experiment lasted for 3 weeks. On day 21 after an overnight fast, animal were anaesthetized and blood samples were collected by cardiac puncture under inhaled chloroform for the determination of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and malondialdehyde (MDA) assays. The liver function test, ALT, AST and ALP was determined. Result: This showed that C. albidum and metformin significantly (p < 0.05) lowered the Fasting blood glucose (FBS), the activities of SOD and CAT was dosedependently increase when compared to the diabetic control and there was also a reduction of MDA in the treated groups. There was decrease in the activity of ALT, AST and ALP, which was also dosedependent. Conclusion: The results showed that the plant has significant antidiabetic activity and could therefore be employed for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in which free radicals are implicated.
RESUMEN
Objectives: The present study aimed at measuring the length and width of the head and face of children under the age of six years in Anambra state, a South Eastern state of Nigeria. Data obtained was used to calculate their respective craniofacial indices. Methods: Four hundred and fifty four children (226 males and 228 females) below the age of six were randomly sampled from pre-nursery and nursery schools. Subjects with signs of deformities or history of head and facial injuries and mental retardations were excluded from the study. Measuring tape and spreading callipers were used to measure the length and width of the head and face. Results: Results indicated that the mean head length and breadth, face length and breadth, cephalic index and facial index did not indicate significant gender differences. Mesocephalic head type was the predominant, accounting for 39.9% of the study population; brachycephalic, dolicocephalic, hyperbrachycephalic heads accounted for 35.9%, 12.1% and 7.7% respectively, while ultrabrachycephalic was the least prevalent (4.4%). The dominant type of face was found to be hypereuryprosopic accounting for about 44.5% of the study population. Euryprosopic, mesoprosopic, and leptoprosopic types of face accounted for 39.2%, 11.2%, and 4% of the sampled population respectively, while the rare type was found to be hyperleptoprosopic with 1.1%. Conclusion: This study indicates no significant gender differences in the craniofacial variables in a cross-section of Nigerian children under 6 years of age. The most prevalent type of head was the mesocephalic type while the most dominant type of face shape was hypereuryprosopic in both male and female subjects.