Caffeine is widely consumed by the world population because its presence in major constitute of beverages like coffee and tea. This study was aimed at determining the biochemical effect on caffeine consumption in male wistar rats. This was a case-control study of the effect of exposing 180gram-220gram male wistar rats to caffeine for 3 days. Blood cortisol, FBG and FBC were measured in all the animals. Serum cortisol was significantly lower in the control group (P<0.001) and there was a significant weight loss in the caffeine-treated rats (P<0.001). Caffeine consumption had a significant direct correlation with weight (r-0.88 p<0.001). Similarly, increase cortisol level was significantly associated with increase in caffeine consumption (P>0.002).

Avicennia marina is a commonly found mangrove species in coastal regions, and is known for its medicinal properties. In this study, the antibacterial and antifungal activities of ethanolic extract of Avicennia marina leaves were evaluated against MDR microorganisms. The antimicrobial activity of the extract was assessed against a range of bacterial strains, including Salmonella sp. (MDR), Klebsiella sp. (MDR), Pseudomonas sp. (MDR), Acinetobacter sp. (MDR), Staphylococcus aureus as well as the fungal strain Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), Candida parapsilosis (ATCC 22019). The results showed that the leaf extracts of Avicennia marina exhibited significant antimicrobial activity against all tested MDR microorganisms. The phytochemical content of the plant includes many bioactive compounds - flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids, which may be responsible for the observed antimicrobial activities. These findings suggest that Avicennia marina may be a potential source of natural antimicrobial agents, which could be used to develop new drugs for the treatment of resistant bacterial and fungal infections. Further studies are needed to identify and isolate the active compounds responsible for the observed activity and to evaluate their efficacy and safety in vivo.

The study investigated the acute and sub-chronic effects of the n-hexane seed extract of RICOM-1013-J in biochemical and haematological parameters of mature adult female Wistar rats with an average weight of 110 g. The objective of the study was to determine the immediate, short-term and prolonged toxicological profile of the extract. Thirty-four (34) adult female rats were randomly divided into three groups (n=8) of rats. Two animals (group I) and coded A received 0.2 ml/100 g rat of vegetable oil, and served as control. Two other animals (group II) coded B received 5 mg/kg, subcut. of the extract, a third set of animals (group III) code C was administered 20 mg/kg, subcut. The last two animals (group IV) coded D were injected with 30 mg/kg, subcut. of the extract. The same dosage regimen was administered to a different set of animals of equal number in groups II and III in pairs, and coded accordingly. SGOT, SGPT, urea, total protein, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin and haematological assays were carried out at weeks I, IV and VIII in groups I, II and III respectively. Findings from the experiment showed no significant (P>0.05) differences in the mean values of the biochemical parameters and haematological indices test groups relative to control. The study concluded that the n-hexane seed extract of RICOM-1013-J is relatively safe in rats when administered subcutaneously.

Breast milk is a natural liquid’s food given to babies who are between one-day old to about 2 years old depending on mothers and locations. The aim of this study is to investigate Pattern of Breastfeeding amongst Mothers and its Physiological Effects on Infants in Rural Areas of Rivers State. This is a cross-sectional study involving 111 lactating mothers who are within the age of 18 to 42 years. A well-structured questionnaire was administered to participants. Each participant had one questionnaire to fill appropriately and independently after instructions were given to them by the researchers. The study lasted for a period of 9 weeks. The study revealed that 17(15.30%) had primary education, 64(57.70%) had secondary education while 30(27.00%) had tertiary education. Occupational distribution of respondents shows that 10(9.00%) were civil servants, 61(55.00%) business class while 40(36.00%) were farmers. The results also, shows that 98(88.30%) were nursing mothers while 13(11.70%) were not. The results of breastfeeding pattern of respondents show that 11(9.90%) used breast milk alone, 32(28.80%) breast milk +water, 2(1.80%) breast milk + pap, 31(27.90%) breast milk +NAN or others in this category +30(27.00%) breast milk + solid food while 5(4.50%) employed pap alone. The level of awareness of the respondents about exclusive breastfeeding revealed that 78(70.30%) said YES while 33(29.70%) said NO, that they do not know about exclusive breastfeeding. 90(81.1%) of the respondents do not carry out exclusive breastfeeding and 21(18.9%) carried out exclusive breastfeeding. The duration for breastfeeding among mothers are 5.4% (6 months), 13.5% (5 m0nths), 37.8% (3 months), 43.2% (none).