Objectives: Lead (Pb) is a neurotoxicant heavy metal ubiquitously present in the eco-system. The precise mechanism by which Pb confers its deleterious effects on the cellular profile of the central nervous system remains unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Pb on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using histological, immunohistological and morphological techniques.Methods: Thirthy juvenile male Wistar rats were used in this study. The rats were randomly assigned into three groups. Group A served as the control group, Group B received 5 mg/kg Pb-nitrate (PbNO3) orally for 21 days, and Group C received 5 mg/kg PbNO3 and left for an additional 21 days to recover.Results: There was a significant decrease in the number of normal neurons in the mPFC of the PbNO3-treated rats. The number of degenerating neurons significantly increased in the PbNO3-treated groups compared with the control group. A marked increase was observed in the number of astrocytic cell count in the PbNO3-treated groups compared with the control. The neuronal cells in the cytoarchitectural profile of the mPFC of the rats receiving PbNO3 showed marked neurodegenerative modification with features of distorted morphology, swollen and vacuolized cytoplasm, and features of either pyknotic or karyorrhectic nuclei. The cytoarchitecture of the mPFC of the rats in the control group preserved the normal histological outline suggestive of a normal and functional mPFC. Conclusion:Exposure to Pb ingestion can result in significant inflammatory responses in the cytoarchitectural profile of the mPFC. Furthermore, 21 days of cessation of exposure to PbNO3 did not halt or reverse the deleterious effects of Pb on the mPFC of the rats, suggesting that Pb persists in the central nervous system of the rats.

In the developed and developing world, opioid consumption in combination with alcohol has become one of the substances abused. In this experiment, we examined the effects of alcohol, morphine, and morphine+alcohol combination on cognitive functions and neuroinflammatory responses in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of juvenile male rats. Alcohol (1.0 ml of 15% v/v ethanol twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart), morphine (0.5 ml/kg of 0.4 mg/kg morphine chlorate twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart), morphine+alcohol co-treatment (0.5 ml/kg of 0.4 mg/kg morphine chlorate+1.0 ml of 15% v/v ethanol twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart) were administered for 21 days. Treatment with morphine+alcohol significantly impairs cognition functions in the Morris water maze, passive avoidance, and novel object recognition tests, furthermore, the treatment significantly increased the quantitative count of astrocytic cells and also conferred marked neuronal cell death in the mPFC, which were studied by glial fibrillary acidic protein immunochemistry for astrocytes and Cresyl violet for Nissl's substance distribution in neurons respectively. These results suggest that alcohol, morphine, and morphine+alcohol co-treatment may trigger cognitive deficits and neuroinflammatory responses in the brain.

Background:Cyanide is one of the major environmental pollutants termed thyroid disruptor. Regardless of its origin, it is a primary toxic agent. This study was designed to understand the impact of prolonged low dose cyanide exposure on the structure and function of the thyroid gland.Materials and Methods:Twelve F1 male Wistar rats were used for this study. They were divided into two groups of six animals each. The first group served as the control group and received 0.25M sucrose while the second group being the treated group received 2 mg/kg body weight (BW) potassium hexacyanoferrate III solution. The treatment duration was 56 days following which the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Blood samples were drawn to determine serum FT3, FT4 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. The thyroid gland was also excised and processed for light microscopic studies.Result:An increase in serum FT3 and FT4 with decrease serum TSH was obtained in the treated group. Application of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical analysis showed that there were highly significant differences (P < 0.05) in the activities of FT3, FT4 and TSH when compared with those of the control group. Light microscopic examination of thyroid gland from the treated group revealed marked epithelial hyperplasia with cellular degeneration and scanty cytoplasm while the control group revealed normal thyroid architecture.Conclusion:Results obtained revealed that hyperthyroidism was induced by cyanide.

Gross anatomy laboratories technologists are directly responsible for the management of laboratory facilities and the human cadavers used during Gross Anatomy instruction classes. It is important to state that this investigation is the first effort to examine this aspect of anatomical education and career in Nigeria. This study considered the recruitment pattern of technical staff in gross anatomy laboratories of universities in South West Nigeria. The technical staff in the gross anatomy laboratories of the twelve (12) universities in Southwestern Nigeria that were accredited for the award of either Bachelor of Science degree in Anatomy or Bachelor of Medicine and