Introduction: Anatomy is currently a basic medical science bachelor program in Nigerian universities. The roles of anatomists in the Nigeria health, education and other relevant sectors are vaguely defined. Career prospects have been perceived to be very limited. Materials and Methods: This study was a total population survey of all Nigerian private university students that were enrolled in the Anatomy programs. Structured questionnaires were distributed to the students after securing their written informed consent. Data were obtained about the structure of their training and the program, knowledge of career prospects, motivation, potential career paths and employment prospects, as well as general opinions of the program. The target population was estimated at 1000 [N=1000]. Results: A total of 902 [n=902] properly completed and returned questionnaires were considered suitable for analysis. The results showed that 55% of the respondents were female. Half of the respondents (50.8%) had a moderate interest in Anatomy as a career while others had an interest in alternative careers. Training was found to include intensive classroom teaching and laboratory work mainly in the Gross Anatomy and Histology. Hands-on training in forms of clinical, field and industrial experiences was limited. Furthermore, slightly more than half of the respondents (51.7%) had poor attitudes towards the bachelor's degree in Anatomy. They also perceived their job or career prospects in Anatomy as poor, citing perceived unfavorable governmental policies and very limited professional opportunities in relevant sectors including health, research, education and the public as the major influencing factors. Conclusion: These results showed that the students had a moderate interest in pursuing a career in Anatomy. Their training was however limited in the aspects of practical and experiential learning. Their attitude was also negatively influenced by their perception of limited career prospects. Training was therefore robust in the cognitive domain but limited in psychomotor and affective. Curricular review and strategic restructuring of training methods in line with the competencies that are expected of the Anatomy program graduates would help.

Vitellaria paraodoxa (shea tree) is the source of shea seed from which the well-known shea butter is derived. The methanol extract of shea seed was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities using diclofenac sodium and ascorbic acid as standard respectively in in vitro methods. The anti-inflammatory activity was determined by inhibition of protein denaturation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and erythrocyte membrane stabilization of human red blood cell. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays. The results showed that methanol extract of V. paradoxa seed at different concentration protects the heat induced protein denaturation with the maximum percentage inhibition of 27% (IC50=303.0 µg/mL, p<0.05) at 500µg/mL compared to the standard drug which induced maximum inhibition of 45% (IC50=261.4 µg/mL, p<0.05) at 500 µg/mL and the control. The percentage inhibition of the methanol extract and standard drug in erythrocyte stabilization assay increased in a concentration dependent manner with maximum inhibitory activity of 96.9% (IC50=31.47 µg/mL, p<0.05) and 95% (IC50=33.89 µg/mL, p<0.05) at 2000 µg/ml respectively, which indicates that methanol extract stabilized erythrocyte membrane against hypotonic induced hemolysis in a blood sample better than the standard drug. The maximum percentage inhibition of methanol extract and standard drug in DPPH assay were found to be at 97% (IC50=8.95 µg/mL, p<0.05) and 98% (IC50=6.72 µg/mL, p<0.05) respectively at 100 µg/ml. The absorbance of the reductive capacities in FRAP assay indicates that the methanol extract has higher reducing potency in a concentration dependent manner. The methanol extract exhibited total antioxidant capacity of 0.25 ± 0.04 µg/(AAE/g) when compared to the standard drug 0.87 ± 0.03 µg/(AAE/g) at highest concentration of 100 µg/ml. For TBARS assay, low absorbance value indicate a high level of inhibition of lipid peroxidation. The maximum percentage inhibition of methanol extract was 97.5 % (IC50=51.79 µg/mL, p<0.05) and ascorbic acid was 99% (IC50=52.30 µg/mL, p<0.05) at concentration of 20 µg/ml. The assay indicates that the methanol extract has higher inhibiting potency in a reverse concentration dependent manner. In conclusion, V. paradoxa seed may possess strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities which could constitute a potential source for development of new therapy.

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Diabetes mellitus is a complex multifarious metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia that requires non-stop treatment with multiple factors that will reduce the risk of long-term complications and drug side effects. Streptozotocin is well known for its selective pancreatic islet β-cell cytotoxicity used to induce diabetes mellitus in animals. It also interferes with cellular metabolic oxidative mechanisms. Phytomedicine has been in existence since the primitive age and has proven to be effective in treating this condition. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of Gangaria de flush (Gdf) herbal mixture on lipid profile in streptozotocin (STZ) (60mg/kg) induced diabetic rat. The diabetic rats were treated with Gangaria de flush (0.3ml/kg body weight) and Glibenclamide (5mg/kg body weight) for 7days. The effects of both Gangaria de flush herbal mixture and glibenclamide were analyzed. Gangaria de flush showed a reduction in the lipid profile with a significant percentage reduction of 45.9% for the total cholesterol, 65.7% for the total triglyceride, 63.5% for the low-density lipoprotein, 65.8% for the very low-density lipoprotein as against the negative control and a 7.6% significant increase in the high density lipoprotein. Gangaria de flush showed a significant (p<0.05) positive effect on the lipid profile. Hence, it can be suggested that Gangaria de flush herbal mixture has a significant effect in maintaining the lipid level.