Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2017 in |
There is no doubt that quite a number of obstacles are stumbling blocks to students’ practical skill acquisition. Such impediments could either be as a result of factors directly related to students, their lecturers or the institutions where the students are undergoing their training. This study identified the hindrances to practical skill development among the students in Kaduna Polytechnic, Nigeria. Four research questions and a null-hypothesis guided the study. 840 Academic staff and 18000 students of the polytechnic form the population, out of which proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to draw a sample of I68 lecturers and 900 students for the study. A 52-item questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents, while mean statistics and z-test were used for data analysis and testing of hypothesis respectively. The study revealed that there is no significant difference in the mean response of lecturers and student on obstacles to practical skill development among the students in Kaduna Polytechnic. The major findings include students’ lack of sound technical background,...
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Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2017 in |
Objective: The present study was designed to evaluate the pharmacognostical and quality control parameters of Tribulus terrestris L. whole plant except fruits. Method: The plant was collected from the university campus and was got authenticated from NBPGR, Delhi. Various standardization parameters viz. loss on drying, ash values, extractives values, swelling index, foaming index etc. were determined as per the procedure laid down in Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India and WHO Guidelines. Macroscopic and microscopic studies were also performed. Results: The present study provided pharmacognostical, physicochemical details, elemental analysis and microbial contamination of the plant which will help in designing the pharmacopoeial monograph. The microscopic studies established that the leaves are of dorsiventral type having single celled trichomes all over the stem and leaves. The plant extracts contained safe pesticides as revealed by the GCMS analysis. The phytochemical screening establishes the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, phenol, flavonoids, saponins and phytosteroids. Conclusions: The monograph of the plant can be established for pharmacognostical parameters, thereby confirming the credibility of the plant as a...
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Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2017 in |
Danio rerio is one of the best model organisms to study various kinds of disorders. Their genome is fully sequenced and they possess easily detectable developmental properties. The development of their embryo is quite rapid. This is important as the embryos are formed by external fertilization, are large and transparent. Abortifacient is a substance that induces abortion. It can be used in the form of a herbal extract or a synthetic drug. This study was conducted by treating Danio rerio embryos with a well-known plant having abortifacient activity like Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) seeds. A methanolic seed extract of Foaeniculum vulgare was prepared and subjected to the embryos at different post fertilization periods and at different concentrations. The compounds in the extract were characterized by GC-MS and docking studies were done to identify the compound showing maximum activity. The fertilized embryos were observed at regular intervals. The fertilized embryos are surrounded by an acellular envelope called chorion. Hence, the embryos that were treated with different concentrations of the plant extract...
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Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2017 in |
Arsenic has become a major problem in arsenic contaminated areas today. Its consequences on human health have been increasing with an alarming rate. Apart from toxicological effects caused by arsenic accumulation in the body, it causes several disorders including male infertility. Arsenic has been implicated to expedite the generation of ROS and hence lipid per-oxidation leading to DNA damage, apoptosis, and malfunction of several proteins and enzymes. Reduced number of sperm cells and testosterone level is evident in myriad of literatures. Swiss albino mice were grouped as control and arsenic treated. Weight of testes of mice after arsenic treatment was found to be lower than that of control group with p-value <0.0001. Similarly, sperm count and testosterone levels were also lower in arsenic administered group as compared to control group with significance < 0.0001. Unlikely, MDA level in arsenic treated mice was higher than control mice (p-value<0.0001). Moreover, histological sections unravels significant issues related to arsenic toxicity and DNA damage can easily be traced in testes of arsenic treated...
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Posted by admin on Feb 28, 2017 in |
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic activity of methanolic extract of whole plant of Aristolochia bracteolata (MEAB) against streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rat model. Glibenclamide was used as standard drug. The MEAB was administered orally at a dose of 200 & 400 mg/kg bd. wt and blood glucose levels were determined on 0th, 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th day. MEAB was found to significantly reduce blood glucose levels in streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Reduction in blood glucose levels were observed from 7th day onwards, after continuous administration of the extract. The effect of MEAB on serum lipid profile like total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were also measured on 28th day in the diabetic rats. There was significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol and improvement in HDL cholesterol in diabetic rats. The results indicated that Aristolochia bracteolata possesses significant anti-diabetic and hypolipidemic...
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