New trend of drugs abused by secondary school students in Nigeria

BackgroundIt appears that there is a new trend in the types of drugs abused by secondary school students in Nigeria that makes it difficult to identify current drug abusers.ObjectivesThis study was conducted to reveal the trends with regards to the types of drugs abused by these students in the country.MethodsThis is an online and desktop review of published articles about the types of drugs abused by secondary school students during the period that spanned from 2010–2020.ResultsIn all, 17 research reports were identified as having data on the types of drugs abused by secondary students in the Nigeria. It was found that 18 different drugs were empirically identified as being abused by secondary school students in 9 different states of Nigeria. The observed trend is that alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and cigarettes are the most abused drugs, while drugs that were least abused were cocaine, caffeine, glue, heroine, energy drinks, miraa, rohypnol and tramadol.ConclusionIt was concluded that studies of drug abuse by secondary school students in Nigeria are not yet robust enough to reveal the types of drugs that are currently being abused.     

Ferulic Acid Modulates Dysfunctional Metabolic Pathways and Purinergic Activities,While Stalling Redox Imbalance and Cholinergic Activities in Oxidative Brain Injury

Neurotoxicity Research - The neuroprotective activities of phenolics have been demonstrated in several studies, with their antioxidant properties playing an influential role. In this study, the...     

Correction to: Casein micelles from bovine Milk exerts Neuroprotection by stalling metabolic complications linked to oxidative brain injury

Metabolic Brain Disease - Author “Shahidul Islam” should be “Md. Shahidul Islam”.     

Casein micelles from bovine Milk exerts Neuroprotection by stalling metabolic complications linked to oxidative brain injury

Metabolic Brain Disease - Caseins are the most abundant milk proteins in mammalian species and are assembled in supra-macromolecular structures called micelles. In this study, the microstructural...     

Suitability of sugar alcohols as antidiabetic supplements: A review

The major goals in the management of diabetes are to maintain optimum control of high blood glucose level or hyperglycemia. Dietary modification is one of the most recommended treatment modalities for diabetic patients. The use of foods sweetened with sugar alcohols (also known as polyols) such as xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, lactitol, isomalt and erythritol has brought an escalating interest in the recent years since some sugar alcohols do not rise plasma glucose, as they are partially digested and metabolised. Diet composition and adequacy may be altered by replacing carbohydrates with sugar alcohols. It has been established that these polyols are appropriate sugar substitutes for a healthy lifestyle and diabetic foods. The present review focuses on the evidence supporting the use of sugar alcohols in the management of diabetes, by evaluating their physical and chemical properties, metabolism, absorption, glycemic and insulinemic responses. Although documentation on the glycaemic and insulinemic response of polyols is evident that these compounds have beneficial effects on the better management of hyperglycemia, the possible side effects associated with their normal or higher dosages warned their use according to the relevant Food & Drug Administration guidelines. For the same reason, future studies should also focus on the possible toxicity and side effects associated with the consumption of sugar alcohols in order to define their safety.     

Protective effect of pineapple (Ananas cosmosus) peel extract on alcohol–induced oxidative stress in brain tissues of male albino rats

ObjectiveTo investigate the ability of pineapple peels to protect against alcohol-induced oxidative stress in brain tissues using male albino rat models.MethodsResponse surface methodology (RSM) was used to design a series of experiments to optimize treatment conditions with the aim of investigating the protective effect of pineapple peel extract on alcohol-induced oxidative stress in brain tissues. Oxidative stress was induced by oral administration of ethanol (20% w/v) at a dosage of 5 mL/kg bw. The treatment lasted for 28 days. At the end of the treatment, the rats were fasted overnight and sacrificed by cervical dislocation. Tissue homogenates were used for the assessment of protein concentration, reduced glutathione (GSH) content, catalase, and SOD.ResultsAlcohol administration caused a significant decrease (P>0.05) in GSH level in the group which was only fed alcohol. Treatment with pineapple peel extracts caused increase in GSH level in alcohol fed groups. No significant difference (P<0.05) was observed in SOD levels of the negative control and group fed on only pineapple peel extract. Elevated level of catalase was observed in the negative control but pineapple peel extract significantly reduced the levels.ConclusionsThis study indicates the protective effect of pineapple peel against alcohol-induced oxidative stress in brain tissues.     

Dietary Fatty Acids from Leaves of Clerodendrum Volubile Induce Cell Cycle Arrest,Downregulate Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression,and Modulate Redox Status in Human Breast Cancer

The antiproliferative effect of the fatty acid components of Clerodendrum volubile leaves as well as its antioxidant effect on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines were investigated. Fatty acids extracted from C. volubile leaf oil were subjected to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. The cells were cultured and treated with the fatty acids for 48 h, after which the antiproliferation effect was ascertained via MTT assay and cell viability analysis using BD fluorescence activated cells sorting (FACS) Calibur. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry on FACS Calibur. Western blotting was used in determining expression of proteins in the cell lines. The treated cell lines were assessed for reduced glutathione level, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and lipid peroxidation. The fatty acids significantly inhibited cell proliferation, arrested G0/G1 phase, downregulated the expression of MMP-9, and attenuated oxidative stress in of MCF-7 cell lines but had little or no effect on MDA-MB-231 cell lines. These results indicate the therapeutic potential of the fatty acids components of the leaves of C. volubile on human breast cancer, which may be explored further in drug development.     

Ocimum tenuiflorum mitigates iron-induced testicular toxicity via modulation of redox imbalance,cholinergic and purinergic dysfunctions,and glucose metabolizing enzymes activities

Oxidative stress is a primary culprit in the pathophysiology of infertility conditions in males. This study investigated the effects of Ocimum tenuiflorum on redox imbalance, cholinergic and purinergic dysfunctions and glucose dysmetabolism in oxidative-mediated testicular toxicity using in vitro, ex vivo and in silico models. Induction of oxidative testicular injury was carried out by incubating normal testicular tissue with 0.1 mM FeSO₄ and treated by co-incubating with different concentrations of O. tenuiflorum infusion for 30 min at 37°C. O. tenuiflorum displayed significant ferric reducing power activity while scavenging DPPH and hydroxyl (OH ˙ ) free radicals in vitro. Oxidative testicular injury significantly reduced the glutathione level and superoxide dismutase and catalase activities with concomitant elevation of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels and acetylcholinesterase, ATPase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase and glycogen phosphorylase (GlyP) activities. Incubation with the infusion significantly reversed these levels and activities. The phytochemical constituent of the infusion was detected by gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy analysis and revealed favourable binding energies when docked with some of the studied proteins. These results suggest O. tenuiflorum exerts a protective effect against Fe²⁺ induced testicular toxicity via mitigation of redox imbalance while modulating metabolic dysfunctions linked to male infertility.