Effect of soybean (Glycine max L.) on the hormonal milieu of male rats

Effect of soybean (Glycine max) on serum level of some sex hormones: testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone/interstitial cell stimulating hormone (LH/ICSH), estradiol and prolactin in male rats was investigated. Twenty male albino rats of 12 weeks old with similar body weights were assigned to four groups of 5 rats each and treatment with soybean meal at 100, 200 and 300 mg kg(-1) body weight, respectively daily for 8 weeks. Blood samples collected through cardiac puncture were assayed for levels of hormones. There were dose-dependent effects of the soybean meal on the serum concentration of the hormones. The treatment significantly reduced the levels of testosterone and FSH in the serum while it significantly increased the levels of estradiol, LH/ICSH and prolactin. The results show that soybean (Glycine max) had strong capability to disrupt hormonal functions. Hence, its indiscriminate use could increase the risk of infertility in males.     

Phytochemistry and heamatological potential of ethanol seed leaf and pulp extracts of Carica papaya (Linn.)

This study was aimed at qualitative evaluation of the ethanol seed, leaf and pulp extracts of C. papaya for bioactive compounds and also to investigate their effect on the haematology in male albino rats. A 3 x 4 factorial experimental layout using randomized complete design was adopted. Results show that the phytochemicals found in seed, leaf and pulp were almost the same but however, in varying proportions. Present result also revealed that there were significant effects (p < 0.05) of the extracts on the heamatology of the treated rats, which was blamed on the varying and different variants ofbioactive compounds found in the extracts they were administered with. Suggestively, C. papaya extracts could be used to enhance the production of selected blood parameters, taking issue of dosage into consideration.     

A Micro‐Simulation Approach to Modelling Spatial Unemployment Disparities

This paper aims to construct a comprehensive model capable of simulating spatial unemployment disparities. The key feature of the model is that it simultaneously deals with commuting and migration. Much of the existing literature simply models one adjustment mechanism at a time. This paper adopts a micro‐simulation approach to build a model which can deal with equilibrium and disequilibrium unemployment disparities in a context where commuting and migration are possible. The model is then used to demonstrate the importance of considering both types of flows and to guide future empirical and theoretical work in the area.