By Raymond Ekemini
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. James Epoke has thanked other members of staff of the University for attending the 59th inaugural lecture of the institution.
The highly ranked academic event which held at the international conference center of the institution had Prof. Maize Henrietta Etukudoh as the inaugural lecturer.
Prof. Etukudoh, spoke on the topic: “Antioxidant, The Sacrificial Lamb For Free Radicals”.
Declaring the event open the Vice Chancellor and the Chairman of the occasion, welcomed all to the event and urged them to listen attentively to the lecture.
Prof. Anne Asuquo who introduced the guest lecturer described her as: “A woman who has held various positions within and outside the University, and currently a member of the governing council of the institution, a professor of chemical pathology and a hardworking woman who has attended over 10 international conferences and 20 national conferences and hails from Etinan LGA of Akwa Ibom State.
Prof. Etukudoh in her lecture defined free radicals to be a molecule or a fragment of molecule that can move freely in the body and does not conform to any rule of the body.
She highlighted that this radicals are produced in various parts if the body including red blood cells, phagocytic cells, enzyme substrate reactions, cigarette smoke and drugs.
She pointed out that these free radicals causes DNA damages, enzyme inhibition, membrane damages and lots more.
In a similar note, she defined anti oxidants as those substances that prevent the transfer of electron to and fro by the free radicals and as such terminates the free radicals processes.
She listed the antioxidants to include the fruits and the vegetables we see everyday.
She concluded by saying that, just as the Biblical sacrificial lambs that were always sacrificed for the offence they never committed, so are fruits and vegetables used by the body to get rid of the free radicals.
She also added that smokers and malnourished people are at the high risk of free radicals.
After the inaugural lecturer, the Vice Chancellor presented a memento as an appreciation by the University to the lecturer.
Shortly after the lecture, there was a lecture lunch at the UNICAL hotel conference hall, where all the guests ate and drank to the fullest.
Speaking after the event, the DVC academics described the lecture as a first class lecture.