No abstract

The use of chemicals such as calcium carbide to ripen fruits instigates toxicity; inclusion of the chemically ripened fruits in the preparation of juices may induce blood cells depletion by altering hematopoiesis via declined functionality of erythropoietin, leukopoietin, thrombopoietin, interleukin-3, prostaglandins, hematopoietic stem cells; resulting to reduction in cellular components of blood. The blood cell depletion potentials of chemically ripened banana juice were investigated in 20 male Wistar rats categorized into four; Group A (control), Group B (administered naturally ripened banana juice), Group C & D (administered juices composed of 15mg/kg and 25mg/kg of calcium carbide ripened banana) (n=5). Following the administration protocol of the banana juice for 28days, data was obtained and statistically analyzed using GraphPad prism (version 8). Chemically ripened banana juices significantly decreased erythropoietin, leukopoietin, thrombopoietin, interleukin-3, prostaglandins (PGE2), hematopoietic stem cells and cellular components of blood in a dose-dependent manner. Reduction in packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration and increase in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR); which suggests indication of anemia and red blood cell inflammation were also observed. The study suggests that chronic consumption of calcium carbide ripened banana juices induces alteration of hematopoiesis which results to depletion of blood cells.

Background: Students are usually exposed to all kinds of injury in schools and with inadequate health care services in most schools; administering first aid is important in such emergency situations. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the awareness, knowledge and behavioral perception of first aid among medical students of a tertiary institution in South-eastern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 medical students of Gregory University Uturu, Abia state, Nigeria. A structured pre-tested validated questionnaire assessing their awareness, knowledge and attitude was used to collect the data. Data was analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. Chi-squared test were used to test for associations between socio-demographics, knowledge and attitude of respondents. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Out of the respondents, 98.4% have heard about first aid before the survey, (52.8%; n=132) have good knowledge of first aid skills, and 94% (n=235) have good attitude towards first aid. 91.2% said they are willing to help if trained while 94% of the respondents felt it was necessary to incorporate first aid in the school curriculum. Conclusion: Although the students showed good awareness and attitude towards the concept of first aid, there is a gap in their knowledge and application of basic emergency first aid skills. There is a need to incorporate the training of basic first aid skills and basic life support skills in the school’s curriculum to bridge the gap.

The abuse of Acetaminophen (over-the-counter drug) is rapidly increasing globally, thus inducing physiological alterations and toxicity. In this study, it was hypothesized that overdose of acetaminophen may induce certain type of anemia; hence the type of anemia induced by oral exposure to toxic dose of acetaminophen was evaluated. Fifteen (15) Wistar rats weighing approximately 160 g were grouped into three (3) groups; Group 1 (control) received 2ml of distilled water, Group 2 received 200 mg/kg of acetaminophen and Group 3 received 700 mg/kg of acetaminophen for 14 days. After administration, the rats were dissected on anesthesia (chloroform); blood was collected via cardiac puncture. The samples collected were assayed for Red Blood cell (RBC) Count, Hemoglobin concentration (HB), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC). The data was statistically analyzed using Graph Pad Prism (version 8). Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. Results showed that acetaminophen (200 mg/kg and 700 mg/kg) significantly increased MCV, MCH and decreased RBC and HB in a dose dependent manner with no significant effect on MCHC when compared to group 1 (control) (P<0.05). In conclusion, Acetaminophen (700 mg/kg) decreases RBC, HB and increases MCV, MCH and MCHC which suggests that toxic dose of acetaminophen can cause macrocytic anemia in Wistar rats.

Background: Studies suggest that the use of traditional medicine during pregnancy could be dangerous and may predispose to herb-induced heartburn, premature labor, allergic reaction, miscarriage and abortion; but its input in the treatment of malaria among pregnant women is not well established.  In this study, practical matter associated with the use of herbs in the treatment of malaria and the perception of its dangers among pregnant women was evaluated. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 189 volunteered pregnant women of Ahoada town in their first trimester. The pregnant women were sampled randomly and interviewed with a structured questionnaire. SPSS version 16.0 was used for data analysis. Results: Greater proportion (51.3%) used herbal medicine for malaria treatment during pregnancy; most of them (60.3%) have not used herbal medicine until the time of pregnancy and 54% were persuaded by family members to use traditional medicine with the perception that traditional medicine is safe as 51.3% agrees that herbal medicines are more effective than modern medicines for malaria treatment. 51.9% disagree that traditional medicine cannot cause any side effects to a pregnant woman or her baby. Higher proportion (61.9%) disagree that traditional medicine can cause premature birth and 75.1% disagree that herbal medicine can cause sudden contractions or miscarriages in a pregnant woman. Although, 59.8% disagree that herbal medicine makes the fetus (baby) healthy and 50.8% agree herbal medicines can cause deformities in babies. Conclusion: Herbal medicine may be beneficial for the treatment of malaria among pregnant women, but there is a controversy of information on the dangers of its use. Thus, health care providers are encouraged to provide proper care, health education and counseling to help educate expectant mothers on the potential danger of the use of traditional medicine during pregnancy.