Pheochromocytoma is a rare endocrine tumor (incidence 0.1–2%), developed at the expense of chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla (localization in 85%), secreting catecholamines responsible for paroxysmal or more often permanent arterial hypertension, tachycardia, headache, anxiety. It is a rare cause of high blood pressure (hypertension) in children, which has some peculiarities compared to adults. We report in our work an observation of pheochromocytoma operated in the department of digestive and endocrine surgery at the University Hospital of Fez.

In Côte d'Ivoire, people use Rauwolfia vomitoria (Apocynaceae) as traditional medicine for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to bring out the potentiel antidiabetic effect of an aqueous extract of roots devoid of Rauwolfia vomitoria bark (EARv), in rats made diabetic by alloxan monohydrate, a diabetogen substance, compared with the effect of glibenclamide, a reference antidiabetic substance. For this, the blood glucose level and weight evolution of healthy rats (normoglycemic), diabetic control rats and diabetic rats treated with EARv or glibenclamide are measured, as well as variations in transaminase levels during 28 days of experimentation. Administration of alloxan induces in rats made diabetic characterized by a significant and permanent increase in blood sugar, a decrease in body mass, followed by an increase in the level of serum transaminases, a sign of liver toxicity in rats. In rats made diabetic and treated daily with EARv at a dose of 1000 mg/kg body weight (B.W), there is a decrease in blood sugar and an increase in body mass, in the sense of their normalization, during the 28 days of treatment. In diabetes rats, EARv also results in normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentration and a significant decrease in aspartate aminotransferase (AST). These effects of EARv at 1000 mg/kg B.W are similar to those of glibenclamide at 10 mg/kg B.W. These results show that, just like glibenclamide, EARv is an antidiabetic, hepatoprotective substance and tends to correct body mass loss in diabetic rats. These effects of EARv justify the use of Rauwolfia vomitoria in traditional medicine in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

The present study was designed to investigate the anti-alzheimer’s activity of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba fruit in mice. The two exteroceptive models, scopolamine (1mg/kg) and diazepam (1mg/kg) induced amnesia were used to study the anti-alzheimer’s effect of ethanolic fruit extract of Cyamopsis tetragoloba (CTFE) at the oral dose of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg in Wistar albino mice. Piracetam (400mg/kg) was used as a standard drug. After completion of the 10 days respective treatments, scopolamine induced amnesia model showed the better activity in all the three; Elevated plus maze, Radial arm maze and Y maze parameters. The CFE at a dose of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg, improved memory in a dose dependent manner. In scopolamine and diazepam induced amnesia model, biochemical parameters like lipid hydroperoxide (P<0.05) and malondialdehyde (P<0.01) levels were significantly decreased with administration of CFE (400mg/kg) when compared to scopolamine control. Whereas, acetylcholinesterase (P<0.01) level was significantly increased when compared to scopolamine control on administration of CFE (400mg/kg). In-vivo antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, reduced glutathione and catalase were decreased on inducing amnesia by scopolamine and diazepam when compared to normal group. Treatment with 400mg/kg of CFE significantly increased the levels of superoxide dismutase (P<0.05), reduced glutathione (P<0.05) and catalase (P<0.05) when compared to negative controls. From the results it was concluded that the ethanolic fruit extract of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba elicits anti-alzheimer’s activity in experimental animal models.