FACULTY OF SCHOOL AND BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES

Background: Sports injuries were a major concern among amateur footballers, often leading to reduced performance, loss of participation time, and long-term complications. Effective injury prevention depended largely on athletes’ knowledge and attitudes toward preventive measures. However, limited research existed on these variables among amateur footballers in Nigerian universities, particularly within the University of Benin (UNIBEN). Aim: This study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitudes towards injury prevention among amateur footballers in the Faculty of Basic Medical Science, University of Benin. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was employed involving 92 male and female amateur footballers aged 18 years and above from the Faculty of Basic Medical Science, UNIBEN. Participants were selected using a stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using an adapted self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, and attitudes towards injury prevention. Descriptive statistics summarized participants’ characteristics, while Chi-square tests and independent t-tests determined associations between sociodemographic variables, knowledge, and attitude levels at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Participants were predominantly male (63%) and aged 18–25 years (78.3%). The majority (58.7%) demonstrated fair knowledge of injury prevention, while 28.3% had good knowledge and 13.0% had poor knowledge. Most participants (71.7%) displayed positive attitudes towards injury prevention. There was no significant association between gender, department, or BMI and knowledge or attitude levels (p > 0.05), but years of experience showed a weak positive relationship with knowledge scores. Conclusion: Amateur footballers in UNIBEN generally exhibited fair knowledge and positive attitudes towards injury prevention, although certain misconceptions persisted. Targeted educational interventions and physiotherapist-led prevention programs are recommended to enhance injury prevention awareness and promote safer sporting practices among university footballers.

This study determined the precision of X-ray reporting in detecting lung abnormalities in children at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State. Lung diseases such as pneumonia remain major causes of morbidity and mortality among children in developing countries, making accurate and prompt diagnosis essential. A retrospective quantitative study design was used to analyze chest X-ray findings of children aged 0–18 years examined between May and December 2024. Data were collected using a structured checklist including age, gender, clinical indication, radiological findings, and confirmed diagnosis, and analyzed using descriptive statistics with SPSS software. The results showed that pneumonia was the most common lung abnormality, followed by bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and tuberculosis. Most X-ray reports were accurately interpreted, though some errors were linked to poor image quality and varying levels of radiologist experience. Overall, X-ray reporting at UBTH was effective in detecting pediatric lung abnormalities. The study concludes that regular training, standardized reporting formats, and continuous quality assurance would further improve diagnostic accuracy and pediatric patient care.

Cola nitida, commonly known as kola nut, is widely recognized for its stimulant and medicinal properties. This study investigates the antioxidant potential of its ethanol extract, highlighting its significance as a natural source of bioactive compounds. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the onset of chronic diseases, thereby increasing the need for effective and safe antioxidants. Ethanol extraction, widely regarded for its ability to isolate phytochemicals, was utilized to obtain the active constituents of Cola nitida.
Through various invitro assays such as determination of DPPH radical scavenging ability, determination of the ferric-reducing antioxidant property (FRAP), determination of Fe chelating ability, determination of hydroxyl radical (OH•2+) scavenging ability and
determination of nitric oxide (NO•) scavenging ability with quercetin as the control. Theresult disclosed DPPH radical scavenging capacity of the extract (EC₅₀ = 0.539 ± 0.010mg/mL) was lower than that of Quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.453 ± 0.010 mg/mL). Similarly, the Fe²⁺chelating ability (EC₅₀ = 0.162 ± 0.010 mg/mL) and nitric oxide scavenging activity (EC₅₀ =0.107 ± 0.05 mg/mL) were slightly lower than those of Quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.147 ± 0.009mg/mL and EC₅₀ = 0.103 ± 0.05 mg/mL, respectively). The FRAP assay indicated nonsignificant difference between the extract and the control. However, the extract demonstrated significant hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (EC₅₀ = 0.062 ± 0.008 mg/mL), which was more potent than quercetin (EC₅₀ = 0.086 ± 0.009 mg/mL) The ethanol extract exhibited strong free radical scavenging properties and lipid peroxidation inhibition, demonstrating its potential in combating oxidative stress. This research highlights Cola nitida as a promising natural antioxidant source with potential applications in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and functional foods.

Cissus populnea has been reported to have high antioxidant content which is beneficial to health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects aqueous extract of Cissus pulpolnae on the liver of Wistar rats. Twenty (20) male Wistar rats were allowed to acclimatize for two weeks under standard laboratory conditions (temperature 24-28°C and 12 hour light-dark cycle) before commencement of the experiment. The rats in each group were allowed access to standard rat chow and water ad libitum throughout the experimental period. The rats were randomly assigned into a control group and three treatment groups (5) rats each. The rats in Group A served as control and received feed and water ad libitum only. The treatment groups B received intraperitoneal injection of 30% CCl4 only; group C received 500 mg/kg body weight of aqueous extract of Cissus populnea only; group D received 500 mg/kg body weight of aqueous extract of Cissus populnea and intraperitoneal injection of 30% CCl4. The experimental period lasted for 14 days. At the end of the experimental period, the rats were sacrificed under chloroform anaesthesia. Blood samples were collected, in plain bottles, from the Inferior vena cava of each rat for biochemical assay. The liver was excised and fixed in 10% buffered formalsaline for routine histological processing. The data generated were subjected to statistical analysis. Significant difference in the means of all parameters was determined using one way analysis of variance (ANOVA; 95% confidence interval). The result obtained showed that CCL4 induced some pathologies on the liver tissue ranging from formation of lipid vacuoles (steatosis) to degeneration of the hepatocyte and obliteration of the sinusoids. Cissus populnea ameliorated the pathologies induced by CCL4 on the liver tissue. It is concluded however that Cissus populnea possess hepatoprotective potential against CCL4 insult.

Sphenocentrum jollyanum Pierre is a medicinal plant widely used across West Africa for the treatment of various ailments, yet the chemical constituents responsible for many of its reported therapeutic effects remain underexplored in scientific literature. This study aimed to identify the major fatty acids and ester compounds present in the aqueous stem extract of S. jollyanum using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), with the goal of contributing to phytochemical profiling and supporting the plant’s ethnomedicinal applications. Fresh stems were cleaned, air-dried, pulverized, and extracted by cold maceration. The resulting filtrates were freeze-dried and the crude aqueous extract was subjected to GC-MS analysis under optimized chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions. The GC-MS scan revealed a spectrum of bioactive constituents including compounds known for antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic regulatory activities. This study provides scientific support for the medicinal uses of S. jollyanum and establish a biochemical basis for its reported bioactivities. It further highlights the importance of GC-MS as a robust analytical tool for identifying volatile and semi-volatile compounds in medicinal plant extracts. Overall, the results strengthen the pharmacognostic understanding of S. jollyanum and lay groundwork for future studies on its biological mechanisms, safety, and potential drug development applications.

The three major stains used in combination to stain cervical smears was discovered by Nicholas Papanicolaou and referred to as Pap stain. One of the stains is Eosin – Azure which is made up of Eosin Y, Light Green SF and Bismarck brown. Curcuma longa extract was applied in place of Eosin Y as a constituent of EA50. Cervical smears from premenopausal women were collected and stained with papanicolaou’s stain as control, while modified papanicolaou’s stain with Curcuma longa extract replacing Eosin Y in EA50 was also used to stain cervical smear. The staining ability of the modified stain was examined from the result. Superficial cells were well stained and demonstrated with the modified stain (T.A-extract) while the Zingiber Officinale extract (Z.A) stained the nuclei and cytoplasm of superficial cells poorly. The staining ability of the extract is 100% when compared to smears stained with Papanicolaou’s stain. The major purpose of staining is to demonstrate cellular components to aid diagnosis. Most of the stains available are age long discoveries which require modifications for better application. Local alternative will help boost availability and affordability. Curcuma Longa is readily available and from our findings, it can be used in place of Eosin Y as a component of Eosin Azure. The dye component of herbal products and their staining ability should be researched to create cheaper and readily available local alternative to imported stains.

Herbal products, derived from plant sources, have been integrated into traditional medicine systems and are gaining widespread popularity in contemporary health practices. This study seeks to examine the phyto-chemical compositions of Long Jack and Sperm Boom herbal products sold in Nigerian markets. This is important to identify the presence of synthetic adulterant in the products. The herbal products were dissolved in appropriate diluents and analyzed using High Performance Liquid Chromatographic technique with Ultra Violet radiation. Long Jack contains twelve phyto-chemical constituents (ppm) which are: Eurycomanone (255.3), Canthin-6-one (130.9), Niloticin (66.8), Scopoletin (266.7), Eurylene (98.4), Eurycomalide A(209.2), Pasakbumin A(466.4), Pasakbumin C (103.0), Longilactone (133.0), 4-hydroxyglaucarubol (74.3), Laurycolactone (116.1) and Beta-Carboline (136.9). Maca sperm boom contains eleven phyto-chemical constituents (ppm): Macaene (31.4), Macaridine (222.3), Gingerol (104.4), Beta-Sitosterol (197.4), Stigmasterol (248.8), Testosterone Decanoate (36.0), Paraxytriol (56.2), Rotundifolioside (56.0), Lanatoside (63.3), Kuwanon G (64.2) and Laricitrin (80.2). No synthetic chemical substance was identified using this method.These identified bioactive compounds are associated with various health benefits, such as enhancing sexual stamina, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and adaptogenic properties. Quality assurance measures, including analytical techniques like High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), are crucial in ensuring the authenticity and safety of herbal products. Understanding their phytoconstituent composition and implementing robust quality control measures are imperative for ensuring efficacy and safety.