Objective:Increased oxidative stress is associated with the progression of diabetic mellitus. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the ethanolic extract of Nigerian propolis (N. propolis) on markers of oxidative stress, histology of the liver and pancreas and glycaemia in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.Materials and Methods:Alloxan-induced hyperglycemic Wistar rats were treated with either metformin (150 mg/kg/d) or N. propolis (200 mg/kg/d and 300 mg/kg/d) for 28 days. At the end of the treatment period, the rats were sacrificed; blood was collected for biochemical analysis while their pancreases and liver were excised and processed for histological studies.Results:Serum oxidative stress markers and blood glucose concentration were compared between the treated and control rats. In contrast to the non-treated diabetic rats, blood glucose concentration were not significantly different between treated rats and control (P < 0.05) at 28 days of treatment with N. propolis and metformin. Serum malondialdehyde levels was reduced while superoxide dismutase levels were elevated in the N. propolis group; these levels were converse in the diabetic group, these differences are statistically significant (P<0.05) when compared with the control. Histologically, there was improvement in the treated group compared to the untreated group.Conclusion:These findings suggest that the N. propolis confers protection against hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in both liver and pancreas of adult Wistar rats.

Despite the availability of anticancer drugs, breast cancer remains the most death-causing tumor-related disease in women. Hence, there is a need for discovery and development of efficient alternative drugs, and sources such as plants need to be explored. In this study, antioxidant capacities and inhibitory effects against MCF7 cells of the extracts of stem bark of three Nigerian medicinal plants (Detarium microcarpum, Guiera senegalensis, and Cassia siamea) were investigated. The D. microcarpum extracts had the highest antioxidant and antiproliferative effects, followed by that of G. senegalensis, and the C. siamea extracts had minimal effects. The IC50 values of the methanol and aqueous extracts from the three plants that inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells ranged from 78–> 500 μg/ml. Moreover, all the plant extracts but the aqueous extract of Cassia siamea exhibited antimetastatic action and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in MCF7 cells. Liquid chromatography/time-of-flight/mass spectrometry profiling revealed that the five potent extracts contain many phenols and omega-6 fatty acids, and some of the identified compounds (isorhamnetin, eupatorin, alpinumisoflavone, procyanidin B3, syringin, and gallic acid) have been reported to have antiproliferative effects on cancer cells. Hence, the stem bark of these plants could be potential sources of antibreast cancer agents.

Anatomy education forms the foundation of a successful medical education. This has necessitated the development of innovative ideas to meet up with current realities. Despite these innovative ideas, there are challenges facing anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. Problems such as inadequate teaching experts and outdated curricula have made anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa uninviting and disinteresting. Several interventions have been suggested, such as the procurement of teaching tools and upgrading of teaching infrastructure. However, in this age of information technology; anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa could benefit from the integration of electronic tools and resources. This article explores the electronic tools and resources such as three‐dimensional printing, educational games, and short videos that are readily available for the teaching of anatomy in sub‐Saharan Africa. The author concludes by discussing how these electronic tools and resources can be used to address many of the challenges facing anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa.

The science of the brain and nervous system cuts across almost all aspects of human life and is one of the fastest growing scientific fields worldwide. This necessitates the demand for pragmatic investment by all nations to ensure improved education and quality of research in Neurosciences. Although obvious efforts are being made in advancing the field in developed societies, there is limited data addressing the state of neuroscience in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we review the state of neuroscience development in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and its largest economy, critically evaluating the history, the current situation and future projections. This review specifically addresses trends in clinical and basic neuroscience research and education. We conclude by highlighting potentially helpful strategies that will catalyse development in neuroscience education and research in Nigeria, among which are an increase in research funding, provision of tools and equipment for training and research, and upgrading of the infrastructure at hand.

Our findings suggest that calcium mediated toxicity is primary to the cause and progression of Parkinsonism and targeting receptors that primarily modulates calcium reduces the morphological and behavioral deficits in drug induced Parkinsonism. VDR activation was more effective than NMDAR inhibition and a combined intervention. We conclude that targeting VDR is key for controlling calcium toxicity in drug/chemotoxin induced Parkinsonism.

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Abstract

Africa is faced with an increasing underrepresentation of her research progress in many fields of science including neuroscience. This underrepresentation stems from the very low investments directed towards research by African governments as these are thought to be high-priced. Scientists and researchers within the continent are left to compete highly for the very limited research grants or choose to fund research from their personal purse. Therefore, presenting a need for all possible strategies to make science and research approaches more affordable in Africa. This paper presents one of such strategy, which advocates the use of invertebrate animal models for neuroscience research in place of the commonly used vertebrate models. Invertebrates are cheaper, more available and easy to handle options and their use is on the rise, even in the developed societies of the world. Here, we investigate the current state of invertebrate neuroscience research in Africa looking at countries and institutions conducting neuroscience research with invertebrates and their publication output. We discuss the factors which impede invertebrate neuroscience research in Africa like lack of research infrastructure and adequate expert scientists and conclude by suggesting solutions to these challenges.