University of Nigeria, Nsukka

About: University of Nigeria, Nsukka is a education organization based out in Nsukka, Nigeria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Health care. The organization has 10211 authors who have published 13685 publications receiving 138922 citations.

Towards universal Kangaroo Mother Care: recommendations and report from the First European conference and Seventh International Workshop on Kangaroo Mother Care.

Abstract: The hallmark of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is the kangaroo position: the infant is cared for skin-to-skin vertically between the mother's breasts and below her clothes, 24 h/day, with father/substitute(s) participating as KMC providers. Intermittent KMC (for short periods once or a few times per day, for a variable number of days) is commonly employed in high-tech neonatal intensive care units. These two modalities should be regarded as a progressive adaptation of the mother-infant dyad, ideally towards continuous KMC, starting gradually and progressively with intermittent KMC. The other components in KMC are exclusive breastfeeding (ideally) and early discharge in kangaroo position with strict follow-up. Current evidence allows the following general statements about KMC in affluent and low-income settings: KMC enhances bonding and attachment; reduces maternal postpartum depression symptoms; enhances infant physiologic stability and reduces pain, increases parental sensitivity to infant cues; contributes to the establishment and longer duration of breastfeeding and has positive effects on infant development and infant/parent interaction. Therefore, intrapartum and postnatal care in all types of settings should adhere to a paradigm of nonseparation of infants and their mothers/families. Preterm/low-birth-weight infants should be regarded as extero-gestational foetuses needing skin-to-skin contact to promote maturation. Conclusion: Kangaroo Mother Care should begin as soon as possible after birth, be applied as continuous skin-to-skin contact to the extent that this is possible and appropriate and continue for as long as appropriate.

Antidiabetic and aldose reductase activities of biflavanones of Garcinia kola

Abstract: Kolaviron, a mixture of C-3/C-8 linked biflavonoids obtained from Garcinia kola produces significant hypoglycaemic effects when administered intraperitoneally to normal and alloxan diabetic rabbits at a dose of 100 mg kg-1. The fasting blood sugar in normoglycaemic rabbits was reduced from 115 mg/100 mL to 65 mg/100 mL after 4 h. In alloxan diabetic rabbits, the blood sugar was lowered from 506 mg/100 mL to 285 mg/100 mL at 12 h. The hypoglycaemic effects have been compared with those of tolbutamide. Kolaviron inhibited rat lens aldose reductase (RLAR) activity, with an IC50 value of 5.4 x 10(-6). The significance of these findings in the potential use of kolaviron as an antidiabetic agent is discussed.