SCHOOL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES, COLLEGE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES

Salvia species have been traditionally used in the treatment of colds, aches and pains, infections, wounds, bronchitis, flu, tuberculosis, haemorrhage, insomnia, some cardiovascular and
menstrual disorders, stomach, liver, and rheumatism pain. This is due to their bioactive
constituents such as terpenoids, phenolics, essential oils, and fatty acids) that give them their
medicinal properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anti-obesity of Salvia hispanica
seeds (chia seeds) by investigating the anti-pancreatic lipase activity of the seed. The objective of
the study was to determine the anti-pancreatic lipase activity of Salvia hispanica. The standard
anti-obesity drug (Orlistat) was used as a control. The data obtained was analysed using a
Graphpad prisim version 8.0.3.The results showed that the ethanol extract had a greater anti- pancreatic lipase activity (IC50:870.47µg/ml) when compared to the aqueous extract (IC50:
2866.58µg/ml) and the standard (Orlistat) (IC50:2338µg/ml) making it a viable management
option for obesity and related metabolic syndrome.

Justicia carnea (Jacobinia or Jehovah’s witness plant in Nigeria) is a medicinal plant used
widely in Nigeria and reported to have blood-boosting ability. It is also reported to have diverse
antimicrobial functions. The plant, Justicia carnea was subjected to the soxhlet method of extraction. The aqueous and
ethanol extracts were screened for antimicrobial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis. Antimicrobial activity was
determined using agar well diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and
minimum bacteriocidal concentration (MBC) were determined by broth microdilution method. Phytochemical constituents were also evaluated. Toxicity of the extracts was done by evaluating
the haematological and histopathological effects on Wistar albino rats. The animals were
randomly grouped into seven groups of three rats with each group receiving distilled water
(control), MIC of aqueous and ethanol extract, MBC of aqueous and ethanol extract, four times
the MIC of aqueous extract and four times MIC of ethanol extract respectively. The ethanol extract was seen to be the most active against all the species. Zones of inhibition for
the aqueous extract ranged from 8.1mm to 21.4mm, while that of the ethanol extract ranged from
10.2mm to 21.8mm. The lowest MIC and MBC were observed against Proteus mirabilis. Phytochemicals present were alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides, anthraquinones, phenolics, tannins and steroids. There was a slight increase in red blood cells, platelet counts, and packed cell volume of blood, but however not significant. A decrease was
observed with the white blood cells. Histopathological examination of the liver and kidney
showed an adverse pathological effect. The result of the study suggests that both extracts of
Justicia carnea have high antimicrobial activity.

Salvia species have been traditionally used in the treatment of colds, aches and pains, infections, wounds, bronchitis, flu, tuberculosis, haemorrhage, insomnia, some cardiovascular and
menstrual disorders, stomach, liver, and rheumatism pain. This is due to their bioactive
constituents such as terpenoids, phenolics, essential oils, and fatty acids) that give them their
medicinal properties. The aim of the study was to evaluate the anti-obesity of Salvia hispanica
seeds (chia seeds) by investigating the anti-pancreatic lipase activity of the seed. The objective of
the study was to determine the anti-pancreatic lipase activity of Salvia hispanica. The standard
anti-obesity drug (Orlistat) was used as a control. The data obtained was analysed using a
Graphpad prisim version 8.0.3.The results showed that the ethanol extract had a greater anti- pancreatic lipase activity (IC50:870.47µg/ml) when compared to the aqueous extract (IC50:
2866.58µg/ml) and the standard (Orlistat) (IC50:2338µg/ml) making it a viable management
option for obesity and related metabolic syndrome.

ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus is a degenerative disease that has deleterious effects on male reproductive function, possibly through an increase in oxidative stress and protection against this damage can be offered by antioxidant supplementation. This study investigated the effects of oral administration of Tetrapluera tetraptera saponins (TTS) on concentrations of lipid peroxide (as malondialdehyde; MDA) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the testes of rats with diabetes induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Six groups were used (7 animals each) and these animals were allocated to different groups: normal control group, diabetic group. The diabetic group was subdivided into five groups as follows: diabetic control (DC), metformin treated group, 10mg TTS treated group, 20mg TTS treated group and 40mg TTS treated group. The metformin and TTS were also administered for 12 consecutive weeks. The MDA and GSH levels in the harvested testes were determined with comparison made between groups. Although MDA concentration in the testes increased in diabetic control, the TTS administered significantly reduced the pro-oxidant levels (P<0.05) to normal levels.. However, in the testes and serum, the reduced glutathione significantly (p<0.05) decreased in the diabetic treated groups compared to the diabetic untreated group. The results indicated that increased lipid oxidation may compromise the oxidant-antioxidant balance in the experimental animals.

Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) pose a significant risk to the safety of blood transfusions and public health. This therefore, underscores the need for stringent blood safety measures to mitigate potential infection transmission risks. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence and types of transfusion-transmissible infections among prospective donors in the blood bank of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. This study utilized a retrospective study design to investigate the seroprevalence of TTIs over a 12-month period. Coordination was established with the blood bank staff and hospital administration to gain access to the required blood bank records. Specific variables were identified for analysis, including donor ID, donation date, and test results for HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and VDRL, and demographic information such as age and gender. During the initial laboratory investigations, Donor samples were subjected to rapid testing kits and the ABBOTT machine was used to re-affirm positive cases. During the 12 month study period from July 2022 to June 2023, a total of 3241 blood donors were registered. Testing showed an infection-positive test of 248, which gives an overall prevalence of 7.65%. The seroprevalence of Transfusion-Transmissible infections were found to be 0.93%, 2.35%, 1.85% and 2.53%, for HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis as respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the trend of donors over the months. Of the 2707 male donors recorded the seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis were found to be 0.99%, 2.11%, 1.81%, and 2.66% respectively. While 534 female donors recorded, the prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was found to be 0.75%, 3.56%, 2.05%, and 1.87% respectively. Correlation analysis showed no statistically significant association between TTI rates and Gender groups (p>0.05). Correlation Analysis shows a significant association (p = 0.01) between the prevalence of TTI and donor categories considered to be replacement donors and voluntary donors. The findings underscore the importance of continuous vigilance in maintaining blood safety standards and highlight the variable prevalence rates of HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and syphilis among different demographic groups. This study emphasizes the critical role of targeted interventions to mitigate infection transmission, ensuring the safety of the blood supply and the well-being of recipients. Efforts should be continually intensified in ensuring maximum safety of blood for transfusion. This can be achieved by screening, counselling and creating awareness on the need for regular testing of TTIs to reduce transmission among prospective donors





Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) pose a significant risk to the safety of blood transfusions and public health. This therefore, underscores the need for stringent blood safety measures to mitigate potential infection transmission risks. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence and types of transfusion-transmissible infections among prospective donors in the blood bank of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. This study utilized a retrospective study design to investigate the seroprevalence of TTIs over a 12-month period. Coordination was established with the blood bank staff and hospital administration to gain access to the required blood bank records. Specific variables were identified for analysis, including donor ID, donation date, and test results for HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and VDRL, and demographic information such as age and gender. During the initial laboratory investigations, Donor samples were subjected to rapid testing kits and the ABBOTT machine was used to re-affirm positive cases. During the 12 month study period from July 2022 to June 2023, a total of 3241 blood donors were registered. Testing showed an infection-positive test of 248, which gives an overall prevalence of 7.65%. The seroprevalence of Transfusion-Transmissible infections were found to be 0.93%, 2.35%, 1.85% and 2.53%, for HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis as respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the trend of donors over the months. Of the 2707 male donors recorded the seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis were found to be 0.99%, 2.11%, 1.81%, and 2.66% respectively. While 534 female donors recorded, the prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was found to be 0.75%, 3.56%, 2.05%, and 1.87% respectively. Correlation analysis showed no statistically significant association between TTI rates and Gender groups (p>0.05). Correlation Analysis shows a significant association (p = 0.01) between the prevalence of TTI and donor categories considered to be replacement donors and voluntary donors. The findings underscore the importance of continuous vigilance in maintaining blood safety standards and highlight the variable prevalence rates of HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and syphilis among different demographic groups. This study emphasizes the critical role of targeted interventions to mitigate infection transmission, ensuring the safety of the blood supply and the well-being of recipients. Efforts should be continually intensified in ensuring maximum safety of blood for transfusion. This can be achieved by screening, counselling and creating awareness on the need for regular testing of TTIs to reduce transmission among prospective donors





Transfusion Transmissible Infections (TTIs) pose a significant risk to the safety of blood transfusions and public health. This therefore, underscores the need for stringent blood safety measures to mitigate potential infection transmission risks. The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence and types of transfusion-transmissible infections among prospective donors in the blood bank of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. This study utilized a retrospective study design to investigate the seroprevalence of TTIs over a 12-month period. Coordination was established with the blood bank staff and hospital administration to gain access to the required blood bank records. Specific variables were identified for analysis, including donor ID, donation date, and test results for HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and VDRL, and demographic information such as age and gender. During the initial laboratory investigations, Donor samples were subjected to rapid testing kits and the ABBOTT machine was used to re-affirm positive cases. During the 12 month study period from July 2022 to June 2023, a total of 3241 blood donors were registered. Testing showed an infection-positive test of 248, which gives an overall prevalence of 7.65%. The seroprevalence of Transfusion-Transmissible infections were found to be 0.93%, 2.35%, 1.85% and 2.53%, for HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis as respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the trend of donors over the months. Of the 2707 male donors recorded the seroprevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis were found to be 0.99%, 2.11%, 1.81%, and 2.66% respectively. While 534 female donors recorded, the prevalence of HIV, HBsAg, HCV and syphilis was found to be 0.75%, 3.56%, 2.05%, and 1.87% respectively. Correlation analysis showed no statistically significant association between TTI rates and Gender groups (p>0.05). Correlation Analysis shows a significant association (p = 0.01) between the prevalence of TTI and donor categories considered to be replacement donors and voluntary donors. The findings underscore the importance of continuous vigilance in maintaining blood safety standards and highlight the variable prevalence rates of HIV, HBsAg, HCV, and syphilis among different demographic groups. This study emphasizes the critical role of targeted interventions to mitigate infection transmission, ensuring the safety of the blood supply and the well-being of recipients. Efforts should be continually intensified in ensuring maximum safety of blood for transfusion. This can be achieved by screening, counselling and creating awareness on the need for regular testing of TTIs to reduce transmission among prospective donors

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among undergraduate students in the school of basic medical sciences, university of benin, benin city, edo state. The study employed the correlational survey research design. After calculating the sample size of three hundred and thirty nine (339), a multi stage sampling technique was used in selecting respondents for the study. The instrument for data collection consists of two standardized instruments: beck depression inventory (bdi), suicide ideation scale; while the other parts consist of the demographic characteristics and the factors associated with depression. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics after the data has been captured into the ibm statistical package for social sciences (spss) version 24.0 software. The result shows that the respondents have low prevalence of suicide ideation and few proportion having depressive symptoms. The study also established that there is a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and suicide ideation.

KEYWORDS: Depression, Suicide Ideation, University students

Background: Low back pain (LBP) remains a significant global health challenge, impacting individuals across all agegroups and socioeconomic strata. Despite advancements in physiotherapeutic interventions, the debate persists on the preference for manual therapy (MT) versus electrotherapy (ET) as adjuvants in managing LBP. This study evaluates the preferences of physiotherapists for MT or ET in the treatment of LBP within a tertiary health institution. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate physiotherapists' intervention preferences for manual therapy or electrotherapy in the treatment of low back pain. In addition, it also seeks to identify the factors that influence their intervention preference and to assess the implication of these intervention preferences on patients’ outcome and clinical practice in general Method: Utilizing a purposive sampling technique, data for this study was collected using the self-administered questionnaire adapted from the Pain Attitudes and Belief Scale for Physiotherapy (PABS-PT) questionnaire. 45 physiotherapists (57% female and 42% male) were recruited from seven (7) units completed the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics of mean, frequency and standard deviation were used to summarize the data. Result: 57.8% were female, while 42.2% were male .Most respondents (73.3%) were aged 18–29 years, indicating a young workforce with 91.1% having a Bachelor’s degree. 64.4% had less than one year of clinical experience, with only 8.9% practicing for more than 10 years. 55.6% reported frequent use of MT, 46.7% often used ET, while 26.7% always used it. 68.9% consistently utilized exercise therapy alongside MT and ET. 37.8% believed MT was the most effective for LBP, 51.1% considered ET an essential treatment component and majority (55.6%) factored clinical reasoning into their choice of therapy. The main barriers of utilization were, lack of equipment reported 80%., lack of time cited 54.5%, patients with iv comorbidities Identified by 66.7% and insufficient training noted by 57.8%. Treatment Approaches for LBP Only 15.6% preferred MT alone, while 13.3% favored ET alone treatment. The majority (55.6%) preferred combining MT and ET for better outcomes. Conclusion: The study highlighted that physiotherapists recognize the benefits of integrating MT and ET to address the multifactorial nature of LBP effectively. However, barriers such as lack of equipment and insufficient training limit optimal utilization.