Background: General belief of preventive and beneficial effect of vegetable consumption on cardiovascular diseases requires scientific investigation. Objective: To investigate the effect of five selected vegetables (Basella. alba, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Launaea taraxacifolia, Senecio biafrae and Solanum nigrum) on blood pressure and cardiac functions in isoproterenol-treated myocardial infarction male rats. Materials and Methods: Dried ground leaves (350 g of each vegetable) were extracted at room temperature (26oC) with 3 L of water via maceration. Rats (150-200 g) were randomly divided into 14 groups of 6 rats each. Groups 1 and 8 served as normal and isoproterenol controls respectively, Groups 2 to 6 received 200 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.) of each extract, Groups 9 to 14 were pretreated with each extract (200 mg/kg b.wt.) and then isoproterenol (20 mg/kg b.wt.; subcutaneously) to induce myocardial infarction (days 29 and 30). Group 7 was administered mixture of all the extracts in ratio 1:1:1:1:1, while Group 14 received extracts mixture and isoproterenol. Vegetable extracts were administered for 28 days. Blood pressure (BP) was measured via arterial cannulation under urethane and alpha-chloralose anaesthasia. C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured in cardiac puncture-collected blood samples using commercially available kits. Results: Pretreatment of the rats with vegetable extracts significantly reduced (p<0.05) BP and the plasma levels of CRP, LDH, CK, AST in isoproterenol-treated rats. Conclusion: Findings from this study suggest that selected vegetables extract reduced BP and improved cardiac functions in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction male rats. Keywords: Basella alba, Crassocephalum crepidioides, Launaea taraxacifolia, Senecio biafrae, Solanum nigrum, blood pressure, C-reactive protein, myocardial infarction.
AimsTo determine the relationship between bullying victimization and PTSD among students attending public Junior Secondary Schools in Abeokuta. The Prevalence of Bullying victimization and PTSD as well as some socio-demographic correlates were also assessed.MethodAbout 411 junior students from five randomly selected public secondary schools were approached for the study and given consent forms to take home to their parents/guardians. Those who subsequently returned signed consent forms and who gave assent to participate in the study were administered the Socio-demographic questionnaire and the Multidimensional Peer Victimisation Scale (MDPVS). They were thereafter interviewed with the PTSD module of the MINI KID.ResultA total of 351 students completed the study to yield a response rate of 85.4%. The age range of the respondents was 9–17 years with mean (SD) of 12.48 (1.50) years. The gender distribution was 49.3% males and 50.7% females. 68.7% of the respondents were from a monogamous home, 22.2% had divorced parents, 74.3% lived with both parents, and 6% reported being an only child. 14.8% of the respondents reported having experienced higher levels (moderate & high) of victimization by peers. The mean score of the overall bullying victimization level was 9.6 (±6.5). Verbal victimization subscale had the highest mean score of 3.2 (±2.0), while physical victimization had the lowest mean of 1.9 (±2.1). Seventy (19.9%) students admitted to the experience of a significant traumatic event, with only 7.1% of these meeting the current diagnosis of PTSD in the past month. There was no statistically significant association between bullying victimization and PTSD (χ2 = 2.666; df = 2; p = 0.261). Traumatic event experience was however significantly associated with high levels of bullying victimization experience (χ2 = 4.266; p = 0.039). None of the assessed socio-demographic, familial or self-perceptual factors was found to be significantly associated with either bullying victimization or PTSD.ConclusionThe experience of bullying victimization among secondary school students remains a prevailing problem in our local setting, as it is across the globe. Verbal bullying is the most common while physical bullying is the least common peer victimization experience in this study. The study points out that PTSD among high school students in our environment may be more prevalent than had previously been reported. Given the high rates of peer victimization experiences reported by students, there is a need for policy changes to make the school environment safer for students, thereby promoting their mental health.
Vegetables constitute a substantial portion of most daily diet and also a part of an overall healthy diet worldwide. This present study examined five leafy vegetables generally eaten in some parts of South Western, Nigerian and include L. taraxacifolia (Wild lettuce), C. crepidioides (Fireweed), S. nigrum (Black nightshade), B. alba (Indian spinach) and S. biafrae (English spinach). The vegetables were air dried in the laboratory for two weeks and extracted with water using maceration techniques. The effect of the extract on isoproterenol‐induced (ISO) myocardial infarction model was evaluated in male Wistar rats (150‐200 g).The rats were randomized into eight groups of six rats each. Groups A and B served as normal and ISO controls and were fed with rat pellet and water ad libitium. Groups C, D, E, F, G and H were the experimental groups pre‐treated orally with 200 mg kg‐1bw‐1 of each extract respectively for 28 days. Group H however, received a combination of all the extracts in ratio 1:1:1:1:1. On day 29 and 30, groups B to H excluding group A received ISO subcutaneously at a dose of 20 mg kg‐1 bw‐1 to induce myocardial infarction based on the preliminary results from our laboratory.The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and reduced glutathione were significantly elevated (P<0.05) in all the pre‐treated groups compared to the ISO control while the malondialdehyde levels decreased significantly (P<0.05) in all the groups including normal control compared to ISO group.We therefore, suggest that these vegetables extract may be effective in the management and prevention of myocardial infarction and so could be formulated into food supplements
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