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Medicinal plants extracts are now generally considered as effective medicines that play a major role in modern pharmacy. The plant Fadogia andersonii belonging to the Family Rubiaceae, which is used in ethno-medicine was studied. Preliminary phytochemical analyses of the whole plant revealed the presence of the following metabolites: Saponins, terpenes, steroids, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides and carbohydrates. Anthraquinones was found to be absent. Antimicrobial screening of the methanol plant’s extract carried out (in vitro) on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Candida albican and Aspergillus flavus showed that the extract has activity on the tested microorganisms. However, it showed no inhibitory effect against Escherichia coli. The extract was found to inhibit the growth of S. aureus, B. cereus, S. pyogenes and C. albican at 25mg/ml with a corresponding MBC at 50mg/ml. S. typhi and S. pneumonia were inhibited at 50mg/ml with a corresponding MBC at 100mg/ml. It also inhibited the growth of P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia and A. flavus at 100mg/ml with a corresponding MBC at 200mg/ml. The observed antimicrobial effects were believed to be due to the presence of active principles which were detected in the phytochemical screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unemployment and poverty are serious problems facing urban areas in developing countries. To combat these problems, urban residents have devised a way of employing themselves in the informal sector. However, these informal sector entrepreneurs have continually experienced harassment and stigmatization in the eyes of the urban management agencies. This study aimed at assessing the livelihood impacts of the implications of informal urban entrepreneurship in Kaduna, Nigeria. The objectives are to estimate the income of the informal urban entrepreneurs in line with the minimum wage of Nigeria and establish the relationship between the socio-demographic characteristics of the informal entrepreneurs and their income. Purposive sampling was adopted to sample 384 informal respondents for the study and questionnaires were distributed accordingly. However, only 300 copies of the questionnaire were duly filled and returned, representing 78.13% of the total questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). It was discovered that men tend to participate more in informal entrepreneurship. More so, the study revealed that the informal urban entrepreneurs in Kaduna are taxpayers. Furthermore, inferential statistical tests revealed that gender and educational attainment are statistically significant determinants of the income of the informal urban entrepreneurs in Kaduna. It was therefore recommended that organized marketing space should be provided to these entrepreneurs and they should also be encouraged to acquire formal education. The need to study the impacts of location on informal entrepreneurship was also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internal displacement is a global social and political issue. Although violence-induced internal displacement in Nigeria is traceable to the civil war, the phenomenon has assumed a worrisome dimension and proportion with the increasing rate of insurgency, armed banditry, and farmer-herdsmen crises. This study aimed at assessing service deprivation in internally displaced person camps in Nigeria, using Abuja as a case study. The objectives were to identify the types of services delivered to internally displaced persons; investigate the internally displaced persons' level of satisfaction services provided, and evaluate the relationship between gender and wellbeing deprivation among the internally displaced persons. Systematic random sampling technique was used to administer 375 copies structured questionnaire to the internally displaced persons in Abuja out of which 287 were completed and successfully retrieved. Data analysis was carried out with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and it was discovered that more than 63% of the displaced persons are not educated beyond primary school, indicating low literacy level. It was also discovered that internally displaced persons experience severe housing, water, and energy poverty. Chi-Square test revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between gender of the internally displaced persons and their wellbeing, X² (2, n = 287) = 4.674, p = .097. The study recommended that quality schools and housing should be provided to the internally displaced persons' camps. The provision of potable water and clean domestic energy to the internally displaced persons' camps were also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress affects monoamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system such as GABA (a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain). GABAA receptor is hetero-oligomeric Cl-channel that is elective blocked by the alkaloid, bicuculline and modulated by steroids, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. The anticonvulsant activity of Diazepam may be mediated by enhancement of inhibition involving gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Combretum micranthum is one of the maximum effective medicinal plants of therapeutic importance. Thus this study is to examine the effect of Combretum micranthum methanol leaf extract on GABAA Receptor via In-Silico analysis. Combretum micranthum methanol leaf extract was found using GC-MS to contain bioactive compounds (3,5- dichlorophenylhydrazine, guanidine and aminooxyacetic acid) with GABAergic functions. And the popular docking programs PatchDock and AutoDockVina were then used to predict computationally binding modes of these compounds with GABAA receptor. The molecular docking analyses indicated highly and effectively interactions (binding energy in kcal/mol) between GABAA receptor and the Combretum micranthum compounds (ligands): 3,5-dichlorophenylhydrazine (-193.85 and-5.6), guanidine (-87.63 and -3.3) and aminooxyacetic acid (-85.3 and -3.2) for both PatchDock and AutoDock Vina respectively. Results shows that 3,5-dichlorophenylhydrazine has a close binding energy in kcal/mol to that of Diazepam (-200.68 and -6.1 respectively). Findings of the study shows that the interaction between Combretum micranthum compounds (3,5- dichlorophenylhydrazine, guanidine and aminooxyacetic acid) with GABAA receptor can be explore for the development of new therapeutics to manage mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combretum micranthum is used traditionally for many therapeutic purposes such as fatigue, liver ailments, headache, convalescence, blood disease, weight loss among others. Studies suggested that free radical production may be one main reason behind stress induces neurochemical changes that include neurotransmitter imbalance and histopathological alterations in the brain cell. Thus this study examined the relationship between brain histopathological alterations and neurotransmitter imbalance (gamma aminobutyric acid - GABA) in lead exposure, and possible neuroprotective role of Combretum micranthum methanol leaf extract in mice. Thirty six (36) Swiss Albino mice (19 - 22g body weight) were used for the study, randomized equally into six groups and treated for the period 14days: a) Normal Control (Distilled water), b) Negative control (40 mg/kg lead acetate), c) lead acetate + 100 mg/kg b.w. extract, d) lead acetate + 50 mg/kg b.w. extract, e) lead acetate + 25 mg/kg b.w. extract and f) positive control (lead acetate + diazepam 0.5 mg/kg b.w). The study assayed for protective potential of Combretum micranthum on neuronal cell membrane through determination of the brain cells malondialdyhyde (MDA) levels, morphology and GABA levels. Result of the study showed a significantly increase level of GABA in the brain of mice administered doses of the extract with a decreased level of MDA, as compared to those mice treated with 40 mg/kg lead acetate alone, which showed decreased level in GABA (310.83pg/ml), but an increased level of MDA (30.03µmolTBARS/mg). Also the mice administered doses of the extract showed normal neurons while intensive neuronal necrosis was observed on those mice treated with 40mg/kg lead acetate alone. However, mice administered with the doses of the extract shows no any significant difference with those in the normal control and positive control treatment groups. Also the Combretum micranthum methanol leaf extract was found, using GC-MS, to contain propargylamine, a compound known to possess anti-apoptosis functions, and also those with GABAergic functions 3,4- dichlorophenylhydrazine, guanidine and aminooxyacetic acid. Findings of the present study has proven Combretum micranthum to be a potential plant in managing and preventing brain structural damage induced by lead administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional healers have successfully used several species of the genus Ficus to cure several ailments such as; diarrhea, dysentery, cuts, wounds, mumps, cholera, and jaundice. Ficus natalensis being of the same genus was screened for the presence of phytochemicals and antimicrobial effects. Phytochemical investigation of crude extracts of F. natalensis showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, saponins, tannins, glycosides, steroids, triterpenes and anthraquinones. The crude hexane, ethylacetate and methanol fractions had inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyrogenes, Escherichia coli, Candida krusei ,and Candida tropicalis. Minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentrations (MBC)/(MFC) and Minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) were carried out on the extracts using the two fold serial dilution method at concentrations of 20 mg/mL, 10 mg/mL, 5 mg/mL, 2.5 mg/mL and 0.63 mg/mL but the crude extracts did not show inhibitory effect on Methicillin resistant Staphylococcusaureus, Shigeiladysenteriae, Vancomycin resistant enterococci, and Campylobacter jejuni. The result in this work agrees with the ethno-medicinal claim on this specie of the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two flavonol glycosides; U1: naringenin-7- O -glucoside and U2: kaempferol-3- O -glucoside were isolated for the first time, from ethyl acetate fraction of the stem bark of a traditional medicinal plant called Uapaca heudelotti . IR and NMR spectroscopy were used to elucidate the structures of the isolated compound. The two compounds were active against the 7 tested microorganisms; Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. The zones of inhibition of the compounds ranged from 16 to 23 mm. The MIC value was as low as 6.25 μg/mL against Salmonella typhi, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Bacillus subtilis . The radical scavenging activity of compound U1 and U2 was 80 and 85 % at 240 μg/mL, while that of the standard drug was 98% at 240 μg/mL. The results show an existent possibility of using the plant for the treatment of microbial diseases., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)