The use of natural honey (NH) as a nutraceutical agent is associated with nutritional benefits and therapeutic promises. NH is widely accepted as food and medicine by all generations, traditions and civilizations, both ancient and modern. The nutritional profiles, including its use in infant and children feeding reported in different literatures as well as health indices and biomarkers observed by various researchers are illustrated in this manuscript. The review documents folk medicine, experimentation with animal models, and orthodox medical practices shown by clinical trials. This covers virtually all human organs and body systems extensively studied by different workers. The sources and adverse effects of NH contamination, as well as the preventive methods are identified. This could promote the availability of residue free honey and a wholesome natural product for domestic consumption and international market. This could also help to prevent health problems associated with NH poisoning. In addition, apicultural practices and the economic importance of honey are well documented. This report also includes information about a relatively unknown and uncommon South American stingless bee species. We concluded this review by identifying important roles for Ethno-entomologists, other Scientists and Apiculturists in the development of stingless bees to boost honey production, consumption and economic earnings.

The fat body in invertebrates was shown to participate in energy storage and homeostasis, apart from its other roles in immune mediation and protein synthesis to mention a few. Thus, sharing similar characteristics with the liver and adipose tissues in vertebrates. However, vertebrate adipose tissue or fat has been incriminated in the pathophysiology of metabolic disorders due to its role in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This has not been reported in the insect fat body. The link between the fat body and adipose tissue was examined in this review with the aim of determining the principal factors responsible for resistance to inflammation in the insect fat body. This could be the missing link in the prevention of metabolic disorders in vertebrates, occasioned by obesity.

We have studied the factors responsible for the variation of the frequency of “waves” caused by spontaneous Ca ²⁺ release in rat ventricular myocytes. The experiments were performed in isolated myocytes using the fluorescent indicators Indo-1 (to measure [Ca ²⁺ ] _i ) and SBFI (to measure [Na ⁺ ] _i ). After electrical stimulation (either with action potentials or voltage-clamp pulses), some cells showed spontaneous Ca ²⁺ release. The frequency of this release, where present, was variable. The Ca ²⁺ content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) was measured by applying caffeine (10 mmol/L). The resulting increase of [Ca ²⁺ ] _i activated the electrogenic Na ⁺ -Ca ²⁺ exchange, and the integral of this current was used to estimate the Ca ²⁺ content of the SR. The SR Ca ²⁺ content was significantly higher in cells that oscillated at high rates (>10·min ⁻¹ ) than in those that were quiescent. The rate of removal of Ca ²⁺ from the cytoplasm by non-SR mechanisms was measured by adding caffeine (10 mmol/L) and measuring the rate constant of decay of the resulting increase of [Ca ²⁺ ] _i . Cells that had a high rate constant of decay of [Ca ²⁺ ] _i had a low frequency of oscillations. Measurements of [Na ⁺ ] _i showed a positive correlation between the frequency of spontaneous SR Ca ²⁺ release and [Na ⁺ ] _i . After cessation of stimulation, there was a gradual decrease of [Na ⁺ ] _i , which was correlated with a parallel decrease of the frequency of oscillation rate. We conclude that the variability of frequency of spontaneous SR Ca ²⁺ release is due to variations of the rate of Ca ²⁺ removal from the cell, which are probably due to Na ⁺ -Ca ²⁺ exchange. The variability of Na ⁺ -Ca ²⁺ exchange rate, in turn, is likely to result from variations of [Na ⁺ ] _i .

Oxidative stress negatively affects the welfare of broiler chickens leading to poor productivity and even death. This study examined the negative effect of heat stress on antioxidant enzyme activities, small intestinal morphology and performance in broiler chickens administered probiotic and ascorbic acid during the hot summer season, under otherwise controlled conditions. The study made use of 56 broiler chickens; which were divided into control; probiotic (1 g/kg); ascorbic acid (200 mg/kg) and probiotic + ascorbic acid (1 g/kg and 200 mg/kg, respectively). All administrations were given via feed from D1 to D35 of this study. Superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were highly significant (p < 0.0001) in the treatment groups compared to the control. Performance indicators (water intake and body weight gain) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the probiotic and probiotic + ascorbic acid group. The height of duodenal, jejunal and ileal villi, and goblet cell counts of broiler chickens were significantly different in the treatment groups. In conclusion, the study showed that heat stress negatively affects the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes, performance and the morphology of small intestinal epithelium, while the antioxidants were efficacious in ameliorating these adverse effects.