Despite the high demand for herbal medicines for treatment of health disorder, there are still concerns associated with not only their use, but their safety. This study was aimed at providing information on the potential toxicity profile of the stem bark extracts of P. biglobosa in goats. For this purpose, the stem bark parts of P. biglobosa were collected and processed. The acute toxicity, biochemical and histopathological analysis in goats were determined. The results of phytochemical constituents revealed the presence of alkaloids, anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, glycosides, oils, phlobatannins, reducing sugar, saponins and tannins (condensed and hydrolysable). The results of acute toxicity studies showed no mortality with up to 5000 mg/ kg of the body weight. The blood collected revealed that, CMSBE has no significant (p>0.05) effect on biochemical parameters of WAD goats. However, there were slight changes in glucose concentration, cholesterol and triglyceride level, though they were no statistically significant (p>0.05). The extracts did not also have deleterious effect on morphology of the tissues observed during histopathology. The study has scientifically established that, stem bark extract of P. biglobosa have LD50 that is greater than 5,000 mg/kg and it can be inferred that the plant might have a wide margin of safety typical of treatment of some diseases. It is therefore recommended that despite the non-toxicity as demonstrated in this present study, detailed toxic and pharmacological effects of the extracts of P. biglobosa stem bark in other animals should be investigated.

Dominant lethal mutation assay was carried out on rats after being treated with graded doses of ethanol extract of the seeds of Mucuna urens. Male albino rats (Wistar strain) were caged in three groups labeled, groups II, III and IV and treated with three different dosages of the ethanol extract of the seeds of M. urens; 70, 140 and 210 mg/kg body weight (BW), respectively, for 14 days. The positive control animals (group I), were treated with distilled water for the entire period. At the end of the feeding period of two weeks, they were co-habited with virgin female albino rats at a ratio of 1:1 for 3 days. 14 days after mating, the females were sacrificed for the dominant lethal mutation assay. The results of the dominant lethal mutation assay showed that only female rats in group II had implants on the uterine horn, of all the treated groups. The rats in groups III and IV did not have any implants at all. Biological evaluations (pre-implantation losses) carried out showed 0, 76, 100 and 100% lethal mutations in groups I, II, III and IV, respectively. The statistical evaluations obtained showed 8.6b ± 0.47, 6.6a ± 0.94, 0 ± 0.0 and 0 ± 0.0 in groups I, II, III and IV, respectively. Photographs of the corpora lutea were obtained using a digital camera (DCR-HC48E, KODAK). The results obtained can be attributed to the induction of dominant lethal mutations in spermatocytes and early spermatids in the male Albino rats, showing the mutagenic effect of the seeds of the plant M. urens and its potential as a male contraceptive. Key words: Mucuna urens seeds, dominant lethal mutations assay, mutagenesis, male Albino rats.

Sexual dimorphism in the local chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)-Rose Comb- in Cross River was investigated. Sixty (60) male and female Gallus gallus domesticus chickens were evaluated for the effect of sex on body weight (BW), body length (BL), body girth (BG), thigh length(TL), shank length (SL) and keel length (KL) which were measured fortnightly for twelve (12) weeks. Sexual Size Dimorphism Index (SSDI) and Sexual Dimorphism Index (SDI) were used to confirm relative contribution of each trait to total dimorphism. The values obtained for SSDI and SDI respectively were 1.61 and 61% for BW; 1.26 and 26.52% for TL; 1.23 and 23.81% for SL; 1.22 and 21.50% for BL; 1.18 and 18.20% for BG; 1.17 and 17.94% for KL. To identify the best trait for predicting sex, stepwise discriminate analysis was employed and the Wilk’s Lamda values obtained were BW(0.471); TL(0.452); SL(0.401); BL(0.283); BG(0.272) and KL(0.271). Results showed that there were significant (p<0.05) differences in all measured parameters at week 6 with mean BW, BL, BG, SL, KL and TL of 300.01 and 253.24; 22 and 18.62; 5.20 and 3.98; 4.60 and 3.50; 5.50 and 3.90; 13.10 and 11.20 for both male and female birds respectively. These results indicate that sexual dimorphism is exhibited in all morphometric traits in favor of the male with BW as the highest dimorphic trait.

Genotoxicity of Eleusine indica (Nkim enang: Efik) was investigated in the Wister strain albino rat (Rattus novergicus). Nine (9) male and nine (9) female rats were randomly assigned to three (3) groups, of which two were exposed to the aqueous extract of E.indica – Group A (control-no extract)), Group B (50 mg/kg BW of E. indica) and Group C (100 mg/kg BW of E. indica). This was administered to the rats by oral gavage for 14 days after which the peripheral blood from the tail tips were collected and assayed for the presence of micronuclei, following standard procedures. Proximate analysis and phytochemical screening of the herb extract was carried out. Results obtained showed that E. indica did not cause any significant (P > 0.05) increase in the incidence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes in rat peripheral blood at any of the doses administered. The polychromatic: normochromatic erythrocyte (PCE: NCE) ratio was found to be in the range of 0.50 ± 0.11 to 0.55 ± 0.02. Also, the aqueous herb extract is rich in Carbohydrates (76.17%) and Tannins (21.76%). Mean body weights (MBW) of rats showed normal distribution throughout the duration of the investigation. The results of this study demonstrate that E. indica does not confer any genotoxicity in mammals. Further in-depth study on its efficacy is recommended.

Genetical and biometrical analyses were carried out to investigate the variation of grain sizes in three winter varieties (namely Batko, Diya and Krasnodarskaya 99) under the influence of the growth regulator, Furolan and mineral fertilizer. The 1000–grain weight trait was equally analyzed. The difference in germination energy of large seeds between extreme variants amounted 6.0% (LSD05-var. = 2.85). There were significant differences in germination energy of seeds. Extreme variants differed significantly among themselves in laboratory germinating power of seeds. The difference between them was 4.0% (LSD05-var. = 1.84). The variant treated with growth regulator, Furolan did not differ significantly from control. Mineral fertilizers in Bat’ko variety increased laboratory germinating power of seeds; its increase in comparison with control was 2.0% (LSD05-var. = 1.84). The difference between experimental variants in 1000–grain weight of small grains was 0.6 g (LSD05-fact. C = 0.13) which showed that Furolan significantly increased 1000–grain weight of most of the winter wheat varieties studied.

The study was carried out at the All-Russian Rice Research Institute, Belozerny, Krasnodar, Russia in 2009. The seeds of three varieties of winter wheat namely; Bat’ko, Deya and Krasnodarskaya 99 were grown in different concentrations of growth regulators namely; Furolan, (2-furyl-2)-1,3-dioxolane, gibberellins (plant hormone) and water as control. The influence of the growth regulators on seed germination energy and germinating power were determined. The effect of the regulators was higher in all the experimental variants than in the control. However, this increase was insignificant (LSD0.05 = 6.88). Application of Furolan in concentration of 0.001 and 0.0001% in Deya’s variety decreased germination energy in comparison with that of concentration 0.01%. Weak concentration virtually did not stimulate germination energy of seeds. The different varieties investigated in this study showed very positive response to growth regulators at different stages of ontogenesis of the plants. The effect of the factor B (growth regulators) on the formation of sprout length was 11.7%. Interaction of factors A and B was very small; its effect was only 0.6%.

A breeding investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect of Phyllanthus amarus (Schonn. and Thonn.) on the phenotypic characters of hatchlings of Giant African Land Snails (GALS), Achachatina marginata. The phenotypic traits of one hundred (100) hatchlings investigated were live (body) weight (BW), shell mouth length (SML), shell mouth width (SMW), shell length (SL), shell width (SW) and Feed Intake (FI). The snails were randomly assigned to treatment groups A(10%), B(20%), C (30%) inclusion of Phyllanthus amarus powdered leaves into the normal chow of the hatchlings and D (control), with twenty-five (25) snails in each group. 5 weeks after commencement of treatment, the live (body) weights (BW) and shell length (SL) of the snails showed significant differences (p 0.05) The feed intake was highly significant (p

Phenotypic qualities of two snail species commonly found in Calabar, Cross River State were studied. The snail species studied for comparing the differences and relationships between their phenotypic traits were Achachatina marginata(S) and Achatina fulica(L). A total of 100 snails were obtained and selected based on the presence of four whorls shells and used for the study. Parameters studied included body weight, body length, body width, shell mouth length and shell mouth width. Data collected were analyzed to obtain simple statistical values and phenotypic correlations between the two species. Data were also subjected to regression model for body weight predictions. Mean(X) body weights recorded were 135.250g and 137.554g for A. marginata and A. fulica, respectively. Only T-test results for body weight and shell mouth width were significantly(P<0.05) different; high, medium and low positive phenotypic correlations were observed between parameters measured. The highest positive, strong and closely related response(R=0.722) between width and body length was recorded by A. marginata. Results of this study could be harnessed for the characterization of snail species in Calabar for breeding purposes.

This study was carried out to investigate the variation of traits; grain weight ear -1 , grain weight plant -1 and 1000– grain weight in three winter varieties namely Batko, Diya and Krasnodarskaya 99 under the influence of the growth regulator, Furolan and mineral fertilizer. The grain weight ear -1 is one of the basic traits of which one could determine with high accuracy productivity or yield of the experimental variant or plot of any of winter wheat variety. Grain weight plant -1 or productivity as it may called, is one of the basic traits of winter wheat varieties, which determines yield. The 1000–grain weight is one of the basic quantitative traits, characterizing yield of the variety, seed and its technological qualities. In the variant treated with mineral fertilizers and growth regulator the grain weight ear -1 obtained was 1.31 g which was 0.12 g more than control (LSD 05 -variant = 0.01). Similar pattern was observed in the experimental variants of other varieties. The effect of factor C (growth regulator) during the formation of 1000–grain weight formed 5.0%. Furolan influenced the process of the formation of grains of winter wheat varieties during the last stages organogenesis.

Background: Breast cancer type 1 (BRCA1) gene also known as breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein homologue plays important role in DNA double-strand break repair, homologous recombination, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle regulation and transcription regulation.Objective: Considering the importance of this protein, the present study was undertaken to analyze BRCA1 gene of different mammalian species by assessing the identity and similarity, phylogenetic relationship, physicochemical properties, predict the motifs, secondary and the tertiary structures.Materials and Methods: Seventeen nucleotide and protein sequences of BRCA1 gene of different mammalian species were retrieved from National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).Multiple sequence alignment was done using CLUSTAL W software, while identity and similarity was determined by constructing a pair wise comparison.Results: Results obtained at the end of the experiment showed that there was no percentage identity or similarity that was less than 70%.The phylogenetic relationship of BRCA1 gene of the mammalian species clustered into aquatic, herbivores, carnivores and omnivores, respectively.The highest time of divergence (95MYA) of the BRCA1 gene was observed between the BRCA1 gene of killer whale and human, while the least time of divergence (4.6MYA) was observed between the BRCA1 gene of cattle and American buffalo.Physicochemical properties of BRCA1 proteins in the five mammalian species (cattle, sheep, pig, American buffalo and human) were found to be unstable, hydrophilic and intracellular in nature.The following motifs were present at various positions in the BRCA1 gene of the five mammalian species; zinc finger RING, BRCT domain, N-myristoylation site, N-glycosylation, cAMP and cGMP dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site, tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, casein kinase 2 phosphorylation site, protein kinase C phosphorylation site and cell attachment sequence but leucine zipper pattern and microbodies c-terminal motifs were found in only human BRCA1 gene.The BRCA1 secondary structure contained the alpha helix, extended strand and random coil.Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it can be deduced that BRCA1 gene has identical homologue, functional similarity and highly conserved in these mammalian species.

This study to estimate the correlation coefficient between quantitative traits in three varieties of winter wheat namely; Bat’ko, Deya and Krasnodarskaya 99 was carried at the All-Russian Rice Research Institute, Belozerny, Krasnodar, Russia. The understanding of correlation lies in the combination of variation of two or more traits. More often than not, only correlation between two traits was usually investigated. In this study, only coefficients of rectilinear dependence among traits were shown in the matrix of correlation links. All positive correlation coefficients were arranged in three groups: those with high, average and weak interrelation links. Results were calculated by method of Doc Statpak in the program of regression analysis. High correlation of 0.942 was established between the traits: yield and weight of grain ear-1. Yield and number of productive stalks m-2 showed high correlation 0.813. Determination of coefficient in all of them was 0.660. It could be reasoned that these two correlated traits in 66 % of cases were formed at the expense of their genotypic manifestation and in 34 % of cases their values depended on others such as ecological factors.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of growth regulator, Furolan on the starch and proteins components of three varieties of winter wheat grains namely Bat’ko, Deya and Krasnodarskaya 99. The carbohydrate complex and general protein contents in the winter wheat were determined by standard methods of analysis. From the results obtained in the study, winter wheat grain of Bat’ko and Deya varieties contained more protein than Krasnodarskaya 99 variety, which meant the early-ripening variety of Bat’ko had less starch than the late-ripening varieties of Deya and Krasnodarskaya 99. Thus, protein accumulation prevailed over starch in the grains of the early-ripening varieties while in the late-ripening varieties the reverse was the case. This could be linked to the. observation made in the study that Furolan promoted more active accumulation of starch in Krasnodarskaya 99 (0.6 and 1.2 ± control for 2004 and 2005 respectively) and Deya (2.8 and 2.2 ± control 2004 and 2005 respectively) varieties while it increased the protein content in Bat’ko variety (2.4 and 1.2 ± control for 2004 and 2005 respectively) by enhancing the expressivity of its genetic system of attraction and net photosynthetic productivity.

Introduction: The Phytochemical Evaluation and Initial TLC Profiling of Two Potential Indigenous Male Contraceptive Plants Phyllanthus amarus (Schum and Thonn.) and Mucuna urens(Linn.) was carried out. The importance of contraception in sub-Saharan Africa cannot be overemphasized. Majority of currently existing contraceptive methods tend to focus on the female body as male contraceptive trials have always proved abortive. The purpose of this investigation is to screen and identify the phytocomponent(s) in these herbs with a view to isolate and further characterize them in order to better understand the pharmacognostic action of the phytocomponent(s). The following tests were employed in this investigation: Glacial acid test, Dragendroff’s test, Foam Test, Alkaline Test, Lead acetate test, Ferric Chloride test, Fehlings Test, Hydrocloric acid test and Borntrager’s test. TLC profiling was carried out using di-ethyl ether: methanol: water (16:1:4) for M. urens, P.amarus and chloroform: ethyl alcohol (16:1) to further evaluate the extracts. Results revealed the presence of cardiac glycosides, saponins, tannins, alkaloids, polyphenols and reducing sugar, in aerial parts of P. amarus and flavonoids, Tannins, Anthraquinones and Steroids in seed extract of M. urens. Rf values obtained ranged from 0.512 – 0.9 in the various solvent systems for the two herbs. Further isolation and characterization of these phyto components is being proposed. ejpmr, 2015,2(5), 47-56 SJIF Impact Factor 2.026

A total of 1350 mosquitoes were caught during the study. The monthly catches ranged from 210 to 360. Out of this, 1306 (96.7%) were dissected. Overall, parous rate was 75.0%, and ranged from 62.2% in August to 91.3% in December, 2012. The variability in parous rates between months was statistically significant (×2-test, p < 0.05). Relating monthly parous rates with the wet and dry seasons within the sampling months showed significant variability, with higher parity in the dry than wet season (×2-test, p < 0.05). The analysis of parity levels among female mosquitoes caught during the study showed that Parousone (P1) was most abundant followed by parous-two. Parousfour (P4) was the least. The distribution of parity levels in relation to the sampling months indicated that the proportion of P3s increased in the dry season months while the P1s decreased. In conclusion, ascertaining the age distribution of vectors is very important as it is useful in monitoring the success or otherwise of large-scale vector control measures. It is therefore recommended that control measures against adult mosquitoes be initiated and sustained in the study area. Periodic verification of the success or otherwise of such control measures should be carried out using the physiological age determination method.