Introduction: Moringa oleifera and related species are commonly used in folk medicine for various human diseases.
Aim: The study was undertaken to establish the thrombocytopenic effect of the aqueous leaf extract of moringa oleifera and to find the utilization of platelet parameters in determining the cause of the thrombocytopenia.
Methodology: Fresh leaves of moringa were dried and extracted with water. Thirty (30) male albino Wistar rats, weighing between 150-250 g, which were kept under uniform laboratory conditions, were randomly divided into five (5) groups (A-E), based on their weights. The control group (group A) was orally given 0.5 ml of distilled water while the treatment groups (groups B to E) were orally given 250 mg/kg, 450 mg/kg,650 mg/kg and 850 mg/kg body weight respectively of the extract, once a day, for 56days and then sacrificed. At the end of the administration, blood samples were collected from each rat and examined for platelet indices. The effects of treatment with aqueous leaf extract of moringa oleifera on the platelet parameters were compared with the control group.
Result: The rats treated with the extract, showed a decrease in platelet count and platelet crit while there was a significant increase in the platelet distribution width, mean platelet volume and immature platelet fraction, concerning the control.
Conclusion: The aqueous leaf extract of moringa oleifera is therefore shown to modulate the immune system and cause thrombocytopaenia, through platelet destruction.
Introduction: Menopause simply refers to the time when a woman stops having monthly period. There have been numerous systematic studies into the age at onset of menopause and the factors affecting it, in different parts of the world. However, the establishment of this age and factors affecting it in Rivers state has been scanty.
Aim: This research was therefore undertaken to ascertain the age at onset of menopause in women of Rivers state, residing in Port Harcourt and the effect of parity, age at last child birth and form of birth control on it.
Methodology: This study used data from over 380 postmenopausal women from populations in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. Different ages specified by the respondents through structural questionnaires were used. The data was collected and analyzed using the ANOVA method. It was used to obtain a percentage frequency which was presented in a table.
Results: The result shows the mean menopausal age among Rivers state women to be 49.1 years. It was also found that menopausal age was affected by subjects’ parity, age at last child birth and form of birth control.
Conclusion: The mean menopausal age of women of Rivers State, living in Port Harcourt has been found to be 49.1 years. This age has also been found to be positively affected by a woman’s parity, age at last child birth and form of birth control.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) refers to the presence of small, benign and painless cysts in the ovaries, usually manifested clinically by a faction of symptoms and changes in hormonal levels. Despite the fact that its prevalence is global, the knowledge of its etiology and management is still grossly inadequate even among women who are affected in various parts of the world. The study therefore investigated the level of knowledge of women of reproductive age group about polycystic ovarian syndrome and its effect on the reproductive hormones. A sample of ninety-four (94) subjects, consisting of forty-seven (47) PCOS women and forty-seven (47) non-PCOS women with age ranging from 15-50 years was used for the study, to evaluate their knowledge of PCOS and its effect on their reproductive hormones. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. The results showed that PCOS is mainly found among married women within the age of 21 to 30 years. The knowledge of the respondents about PCOS was also found to be very poor with only about 40.43% of them indicating having knowledge about the condition. Finally, PCOS was found to significantly elevate the concentrations of LH and FSH, significantly reduced the concentration of Progesterone, with an insignificant effect on prolactin, with respect to the non-PCOS patients. It was therefore concluded that the women in this study generally have a poor knowledge about the existence of PCOS and that PCOS has the capacity to cause hormonal imbalance.
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