37 research outputs found
Long-term continuous administration of a hydro-ethanolic extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn in male Sprague-Dawley rats: biochemical, haematological and histopathological changes
No full textBackground: Conflicting reports about the toxicity of Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn (family Asteraceae), a plant traditionally used in Ghana for the management of epilepsy, abound in literature. The present study evaluates the effect of a 90-day continuous oral administration of a hydro-ethanolic whole plant extract of Synedrella nodiflora (SNE) in male Sprague-Dawley rats.Methods: The toxicological evaluation of the extract (100, 300 and 1000 mgkg-1) was focused on haematological, serum biochemical parameters and histopathological changes of some isolated organs.Results: The extract produced no mortality in the rats treated during the study period. Only SNE 100 mgkg-1 produced significant decrease in white blood cell and neutrophil counts and an increase in albumin, globulin, total bilirubin, total protein and potassium levels. The higher doses (SNE 300 and 1000 mgkg-1) had no significant effect on all the haematological and biochemical parameters measured. Histopathological assessment of the liver, kidney and heart revealed no abnormalities in rats treated with the extracts. Only the SNE 1000 mgkg-1 produced distortions of the branching arrangements of the myocardial fibres and a congested vessel which indicates a healed infarction.Conclusions: The findings suggest hydro-ethanolic extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn generally has a low toxicity profile following a 90-day continuous oral administration in male Sprague-Dawley rats under the present laboratory conditions. However patients with renal or cardiac problems should use the plant with caution.Funding: Jointly supported by the International Foundation for Science, Stockholm, Sweden, through a grant (# F/5191-1) to Dr. Patrick Amoateng and the Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID), University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana, grant awarded to Dr. Patrick Amoateng (reference number: URF/6/ILG-002/2012-2013)Keywords: : Synedrella nodiflora, Sprague-Dawley rats, histopathological, haematologica
Anticonvulsant and related neuropharmacological effects of the whole plant extract of Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn (Asteraceae)
No full textPurpose: The plant Synedrella nodiflora (L) Gaertn is traditionally used by some Ghanaian communities to treat epilepsy. To determine if this use has merit, we studied the anticonvulsant and other neuropharmacological effects of a hydro-ethanolic extract of the whole plant using murine models. Materials and Methods: The anticonvulsant effect of the extract (10-1000 mg/kg) was tested on the pentylenetetrazole-, picrotoxin-, and pilocarpine-induced seizure models and PTZ-kindling in mice/rats. The effect of the extract was also tested on motor coordination using the rota-rod. Results: The results obtained revealed that the extract possesses anticonvulsant effects in all the experimental models of seizures tested as it significantly reduced the latencies to myoclonic jerks and seizures as well as seizure duration and the percentage severity. The extract was also found to cause motor incoordination at the higher dose of 1000 mg/kg. Conclusions: In summary, the hydro-ethanolic extract of the whole plant of S. nodiflora possesses anticonvulsant effects, possibly through an interaction with GABAergic transmission and antioxidant mechanisms and muscle relaxant effects. These findings thus provide scientific evidence in support of the traditional use of the plant in the management of epilepsy
Immunomodulatory and erythropoietic effects of aqueous extract of the fruits of Solanum torvum Swartz (Solanaceae)
No full textAfrica’s urbanisation: Implications for sustainable development
No full textSustainable development remains one of the most advocated development concepts worldwide, yet, there continues to be limited signs of progress towards its achievement in Africa. Recent studies identify rapid and unplanned urbanisation as a major threat. With Africa expected to become a home to nearly quarter (1.3 billion) of the world’s urban population in 2050, research into the ramifications of urbanisation on the functionality of the region’s urban environment is urgent and tenable. This paper fleshes out and teases apart the implications of rapid urbanisation on sustainable development of Africa
Well monitoring: World Vision's experience in Ghana
No full textThis paper discusses some observations of a pilot-monitoring
programme initiated by GRWP in the ’Overseas’
area of West Mamprusi (WMO) District and some communities
in the Gushiegu-Karaga (G/K) Districts from May
1999 to May 2002
Well monitoring: World Vision's experience in Ghana
No full textThis paper discusses some observations of a pilot-monitoring
programme initiated by GRWP in the ’Overseas’
area of West Mamprusi (WMO) District and some communities
in the Gushiegu-Karaga (G/K) Districts from May
1999 to May 2002
Free Radical Scavenging and Anti-lipid Peroxidative Effects of a Hydro-ethanolic Extract of the Whole Plant of Synedrella nodiflora (L.) Gaertn (Asteraceae)
No full textRethinking sustainable development within the framework of poverty and urbanisation in developing countries
No full textSince its emergence in the 1980s, the ideology underpinning sustainable development has become a metaphor for describing human welfare and environmental management. However, previous studies have overly focused on environmental aspects with little known about poverty-urbanisation implications on sustainable development. Given the magnitude of urbanisation and the pervasiveness of poverty in developing countries, this paper advocates for a poverty-urbanisation analytical approach to sustainable development in developing countries. First, the article provides an overview of sustainable development discourse. Second, the paper looks at the concepts of poverty and urbanisation and their ramifications on sustainable development. Third, examples of sustainable development policy initiatives and their associated poverty-urbanisation threats are presented. Fourth, the paper discusses the policy implications of these two phenomena on sustainable development. The paper concludes with some key issues necessary to make sustainable development a reality in developing countries
MANAGING PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN PERI-URBAN AREAS OF KUMASI, GHANA: A CASE OF ABUAKWA
No full textA remarkable trait of the 21st century has been the high rate of urbanization which has characterized the growth and development of cities especially in developing countries. This situation has fuelled the rapid and unguided development and expansion of peri-urban areas as urban dwellers relocate to cities’ peripheries. Focusing on Abuakwa a peri-urban area in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana, this paper assesses the nature and extent of physical development in peri-urban areas, and identifies the factors contributing to the rapid development of peri-urban areas. The paper further examines the effects of the increasing physical growth on the development of peri-urban Abuakwa. Using a case study approach, both primary and secondary sources of data were collected from decentralized government institutions of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Atwima Nwabiagya District Assembly (ANDA), as well as the indigenous residents and relocated urban dwellers in Abuakwa. The paper reveals that the outward drift has manifested itself in an increased scramble for land for residential and commercial purposes in the peri-urban area. The resultant effect has been the fast and spontaneous physical development in the urban periphery which has significantly altered the peri-urban morphology. The paper recommends the establishment of Customary Land Secretariat (CLS) and the application of settlement growth management approaches to ensure the creation of functional city and liveable peri-urban areas
