SCHOOL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCE COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder with variable airway obstruction and bronchial hyper-responsiveness that results in recurrent episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath in asthmatics. Asthma is caused by heterogenic gene-environment interactions that are not fully understood.

Chest x-ray remains a major tool for the diagnosis and management of many diseases ravaging mankind. The aim of this study is to assess the chest x-ray requests and findings in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo. A retrospective study of 1,624 patients who underwent chest x-ray examination at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Edo. The results showed that more females, (58%, n = 943) were referred for chest x-ray than the males, (42%, n = 681). The highest indication for chest x-rays in the University of Benin Teaching Hospital is Other, (47%, n = 762). Patients between the age bracket of (36– 50) have the highest referral for chest x-ray. Most of the chest x-ray referrals are from GPC (33% n = 542). More than half of the chest x-ray referrals (65.1%, n = ) appear radiologically normal while the remainder (34.9%, n = 174) were abnormal. The chest radiographs of 100% of those for medical exam/Routine check appeared radiologically normal. In conclusion, conventional chest x-ray remains the primary diagnostic tool for most diseases of the chest region. However appropriate clinical diagnosis should always be conducted to reduce the number of normal chest-x-rays diagnosed. Routine chest X-rays should be discouraged as they almost amount to unnecessary irradiation of patients with low diagnostic yield.

There has been a notable increase in the use of herbal medicine over the past twenty years. Moreover, there is still a tremendous lap of proper research data in the field of traditional herbal medicine. Enantiachloranthais a plant belonging to the Annonacoae family. Its common name is Africa Yellow Wood. It contains some phytochemicals which confer anti-diabetic properties. The aim of this study is to evaluate the anti-diabetic and anti- inflammatory effects ofEnantiachlorantha stem bark on STZ induced type 2 diabetes in adult wistar rats. Forty-nine (49) male Wister rats of 170-180g weight were used for this experiment. They were grouped into seven groups; Group 1 (Normal control), Group 2 (HFD+STZ), Group 3(HFD+STZ+ metformin 500mg/kg bwt), Group 4 (HFD +STZ+ 200mg/kg bwt crude hydro-ethanol extract), Group 5 (HFD + STZ+ 400mg/kg bwt crude hydro-ethanol extract), Group 6 (HFD + STZ+ 200mg/kg bwt ethyl-acetate fraction),Group 7 (HFD+STZ+ 400mg/kg bwt ethyl-acetate fraction). The results showed a marked decrease in blood glucose level in thr treated groups. Rats administered the extract crude and ethyl acetate fractions showed high expression ofNrf-2.In group 4, at 200 mg/kg body weight of thereextract crude and ethyl acetate fractions was increased activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme.This study concluded that Enantiachloranthahas positive anti-diabetic and anti- inflammatory effects.