Phytochemical Analysis and Antiviral Potential of Aqueous Leaf Extract of Psidium guajava Against Newcastle Disease Virus in ovo.

Leaf extract of Psidium guajava were subjected to phytochemical screening and in ovo antiviral assay against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of pharmacologically active and nutritionally relevant compounds. Nine-day-old embryonated chicken eggs were divided into ten groups of fives and received various treatments. Groups 1-6 received 100EID50/0.1ml NDV pre-treated with P. guajava leaf extracts at final concentrations of 250, 200, 100, 50, 25 and 10mg/ml in that order. Controls were included. Embryo survival was observed daily. Allantoic fluid from treated eggs and serum from hatched chicks were collected for spot hemagglutination (HA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests to detect NDV in the eggs and antibodies against NDV in the hatched chicks respectively. Results showed that embryo survival was higher with higher extract concentrations.. Just as increase in extract concentration was directly proportional to virus death and inversely proportional to production of antibody against NDV in hatched chicks. The current findings have clearly demonstrated that P. guajava leaf extract has nutritional value as well as great antiviral potential against NDV in ovo. In vivo trials are needed to validate the use of the tree in controlling Newcastle disease in chickens.

Reproductive Health Knowledge and Practices among Junior Secondary School Grade one Students in Enugu State: Threat to Achieving Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria

Objective: This was designed to provide background information for the implementation of family life and HIV/AIDS education in post primary schools in the Enugu State. Methods: A cross sectional survey of the reproductive health knowledge and practices of 412 junior secondary school pupils from 12 schools in Enugu State; Nigeria was undertaken using a uniform set of structured self-administered questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that while the pupils demonstrated fair knowledge of human biology; they lacked knowledge of selfprotective mechanisms as it related to sexual health. About (50) of the participants reported that they have had sex; at the age of less than 11 years when they must have been in the primary school and most (89.3) at age 11-14 years. Half (50.9) of the respondents hold the belief that a girl would not get pregnant in her first sexual encounter. Statistically more of those who have ever had sex were betrayed this ignorance (p=0.004). The boys were less certain about what constitutes the wrong ideas about reproductive health systems than the girls (p=0.042). In the same vein; there was a difference (p0.0001) in the proportion of the rural residents; vis-a-vis their urban counterparts that could correctly identify the wrong ideas about human reproduction. Conclusion: This situation urgently calls for concerted efforts at addressing the poor reproductive health knowledge of these sexually active young people; for the millennium development goals (MDGs) target to be realized in Nigeria