Random blood glucose analysis by the use of the Trinder's method was carried out to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Nigerians in Port Harcourt. The study population were randomly selected and classified into two socio-economic status as high or low based on affluent diet, occupation, income and access to medical care. The mean blood glucose concentration for the high socio-economic group -staff of the oil industries was 7.42 ±0.25mmol/L and significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that for the low socio-economic class -the non-oil industrial workers, 5.33±0.45mmol/L. The prevalence of diabetes was found to be as high as 23.4% among the high socio-economic group and 16% among the low socio-economic group. Undiagonised diabetes occurred in 18.9% of the population studied and were not aware of their diabetic problem. Diabetic -awareness programmes are to be promoted with acion to identify people with diabetes early enough with the arm of providing appropriate medical treatment. @ JASEM

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Poorly controlled diabetes has been implicated in lipoprotein abnormalities and hypertriglyceridemia in both human and experimental animals, which increase the risk of artherogenicity. The effect of annona muricata seed extract was studied in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats for 30 days in order to evaluate its anti-atherogenic property by investigating lipid profile malondialdehyde and histology of the aorta. The animals were divided into four groups (I-IV). Groups II-IV received a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) dissolved in a citrate buffer (pH 4.5). Group I (control) received citrate buffer only. Groups III and IV received 500 and 750 mg/kg of extract orally, whereas group I and II received rat chow. Result showed that treatment with high dose of extract (750 mg/kg) significantly increased anti-atherogenic percentage (70.7 %), whereas total cholesterol, low density lipoproteincholesterol, triglycerides and malondialdehydewere significantly reduced after treatment with 500 and 750 mg/kg respectively. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) was significantly elevated. Histological assessment of the aorta showed widely dilated, moderately thickened wallin extract treated groups. Data showed that biochemical parameters were greatly improved without significant effect on endothelial thickness.

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Tetrapleura tetraptera stem bark has been reported to cause inhibition of luteinizing hormone release in cultured rat pituitary cells. Hence, we investigated the effects of Tetraptera tetrapleura pod extract on follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, cortisol, progesterone and estrogen. Thirty non-pregnant female wistar albino rats were divided into group A - D. Group A rats were used as Control. Group B rats were administered 1 mg/kg/day of clomiphene citrate orally. Group C rats were administered 200 mg/kg of extract only, whereas group D rats were administered 1 mg/kg /day of Clomiphene citrate plus 200 mg/kg of extract. At the end of 14 days experiment, group A, B and D were found in proestrus phase and group C in diestrus phase. FSH and cortisol levels remained unchanged. Group C and D rats produced significant reduction (P < 0.05) in LH and estrogen levels in prolonged proestrus and normal diestrus respectively. Progesterone level was significantly high (P < 0.05) in the group C rats. The reduced LH level could be due to the anti-estrogenic effect of extract during proestrus when LH secretion is expected to surge. But co-administration resulted in high progesterone secretion, suggesting extract may have influenced progesterone secretion in group D rats simultaneously administered with clomiphene citrate and extract. The above findings indicated that Tetrapleura tetraptera pod extracts inhibited luteinizing hormone and estrogen even when co-administered with clomiphene citrate.

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