Breastfeeding provides the ideal food during the first 6 months of life. Complementary feeding starts when breast milk is no longer sufficient by itself, where the target age is for 6–23 months. The gap between nutritional requirement and amount obtained from breast milk increases with age. For energy, 200, 300, and 550 kcal per day is expected to be covered by complementary foods at 6–8, 9–11, and 12–23 months, respectively. In addition, the complementary foods must provide relatively large proportions of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and vitamin B6. In several parts of the developing world, complementary feeding continues as a challenge to good nutrition in children. In Ethiopia, only 4.2% of breastfed children of 6–23 months of age have a minimum acceptable diet. The gaps are mostly attributed to either poor dietary quality or poor feeding practices, if not both. Commercial fortified foods are often beyond the reach of the poor. Thus, homemade complementary foods remain commonly used. Even when based on an improved recipe, however, unfortified plant-based complementary foods provide insufficient key micronutrients (especially, iron, zinc, and calcium) during the age of 6–23 months. Thus, this review assessed complementary feeding practice and recommendation and reviewed the level of adequacy of homemade complementary foods.

Pancreatic cancer (PaCa) is characterized by dense stroma that hinders treatment efficacy, with pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) being a major contributor to this stromal barrier and PaCa progression. Activated PSCs release hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) that induce PaCa proliferation, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy. We demonstrate for the first time that the metastasis suppressor, N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1), is a potent inhibitor of the PaCa-PSC cross-talk, leading to inhibition of HGF and IGF-1 signaling. NDRG1 also potently reduced the key driver of PaCa metastasis, namely GLI1, leading to reduced PSC-mediated cell migration. The novel clinically trialed anticancer agent, di-2-pyridylketone 4-cyclohexyl-4-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone (DpC), which upregulates NDRG1, potently de-sensitized PaCa cells to ligands secreted by activated PSCs. DpC and NDRG1 also inhibited the PaCa-mediated activation of PSCs via inhibition of sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling. In vivo, DpC markedly reduced PaCa tumor growth and metastasis more avidly than the standard chemotherapy for this 2 of 19 | GELETA ET AL.

Plant medicine is the oldest form of health care known to mankind. Syzygium guineense is one of the many species of Ethiopian medicinal plants which has a long history of use as remedies for various ailments such as dysentery, diarrhea, and hypertension. In many countries, herbal medicines and related products are introduced into the market without safety or toxicological evaluation. The aim of this study was to investigate the histopathological effect of 80% methanol extract of S. guineense on liver and kidney and blood parameters of rats. For acute toxicity study, rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=4). The control group received distilled water, while the experimental groups received a single dose of 2000 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg 80% methanolic extract of S. guineense leaves per oral. For subacute toxicity study, the rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=6). The control group received distilled water, while the experimental groups received 500 mg/kg and 1500 mg/kg 80% methanol extract of S. guineense leaves orally for 28 days. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected for hematology and clinical chemistry evaluations. Gross pathology and histopathology of liver and kidneys were assessed. In the acute toxicity study, rats treated with 2000 mg/kg and 5000 mg/kg showed no toxicological signs observed on behavior, gross pathology, and body weight of rats. In the subacute toxicity study rats have showed no significant changes on behavior, gross pathology, body weight, and hematological and biochemical parameters, whereas both experimental groups had a lower blood glucose level compared with the control group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the gross and histopathology of the liver and kidneys of experimental animals in extract exposed groups and their counterpart control. The 80% methanol extract of S. guineense does not produce adverse effects in rats after acute and subacute treatment. Before marketing a S. guineense leaf based remedy, subchronic and chronic toxicity evaluations need to be done.

Background: Moringa stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. is a medicinal plant that has been used in Ethiopian traditional medicine as a remedy for treatment of hypertension and diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic effect in fructose induced hypertensive rats.Methods: Rats were randomly divided into control and treatment groups (n = 6). Treatment groups were given daily extracts (250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg) orally with fructose. Whereas, positive, negative and normal control groups were received captopril (20 mg/kg/day with fructose), only fructose (66% w/v ad libitum) and distilled water ad libitum for 15 days, respectively. The blood pressure was measured every 5th day using tail cuff blood pressure analyzer, and on the 16th day the blood was sampled to evaluate antihyperlipidemic effect using clinical chemistry analyzer.Results: The study showed that aqueous and 70% ethanol extracts significantly prevented blood pressure increment in a dose dependent manner comparable to that of the standard drug. Similarly, the extracts suppressed increment in lipid profile (cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides) compared with negative control. The biochemical test revealed that extracts produced a rise in liver but no effect on kidney function indicators compared with normal control.Conclusion: These findings revealed that both crude extracts of M. stenopetala (Baker f.) Cufod. possess antihypertensive and antihyperlipidemic effect.