ABSTRACT
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is among the currently ravaging human pathogens responsible for most of health-care associated and community acquired infections around the world. The aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic profiles and prevalence of MRSA isolates among healthy undergraduate students. A total of 300 urine, stool and nasal swab samples from various anatomical sites of the study participants were cultured on mannitol salt agar and identified as S. aureus using catalase, coagulase and DNAse tests.
Antibiotic susceptibility determination was performed using the disk diffusion susceptibility method whilst MRSA were identified by cefoxitin disk diffusion method as per CLSI guidelines. Beta lactamase production was carried out by combination of the acidimetric and iodometric tube methods. The result obtained showed the presence of S. aureus with 41.3% prevalence. The distribution of the isolates was as follows: 65 isolates (43.3%) from urine, 17 (34.0%) from stool and 42 (42.0%) from nasal swab. There was however no association between prevalence and sample type (p value=0.74).
In the assessment of drug susceptibility profile for S. aureus isolates, it was observed that 30.8% of the isolates from urine samples were resistant to gentamicin, 52.9% of the isolates from stool also resistant to gentamicin whilst S. aureus isolates from nasal swab exhibited 14.3% resistance to gentamicin. All the S. aureus isolates showed 100% resistance to augmentin and ceftazidime. Out of the 124 S. aureus isolates recovered, a total of 45 (36.3%) were MRSA. However, there was no association between prevalence and sample type (p value=0.82). Majority of the MRSA isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, and ofloxacin while highest resistance was recorded for augmentin and ceftazidime. Among the 124 S. aureus isolates, a total of 94, (75.8 %) were beta lactamase producers.
This study has demonstrated high prevalence of MRSA isolates from apparently healthy individuals and underlines the need for periodic surveillance studies of this type.
KEYWORDS: Antimicrobial resistance, MRSA, Antibiotic susceptibility profile, Staphylococcus aureus
ABSTRACT
Malaria is one of the oldest and most deadly diseases. In 2020, children below aged 5
years accounted for about 80% of malaria deaths and nearly 29% of global malaria
mortality occurred in Nigeria. The present situation warrants accelerated action to
combat the surge in malaria morbidity. This study therefore evaluated the acute toxicity,
in vivo antimalarial potential and histological examination of Plasmodium berghei
infected mice treated with Allanblackia floribunda extracts. Acute toxicity of the
extracts was investigated using the Lorke’s method. Antiplasmodial activity in
established infection was assessed using the Rane’s test while the Peter’s 4-day
suppressive test was used to investigate the effects of the extracts on early infection.
There was no record of death in the acute toxicity study. Maximum parasite inhibition
was recorded at 250mg/kg body weight for both the stem bark (72.57%) and leaves
(52.75%) extracts in the Rane’s test; similar trend was observed in the suppressive test.
Maximum mean survival time was recorded at a dose of 250mg/kg body weight for the
stem bark (21.4 days) and leaves (18.6 days) extracts respectively. Also, the stem bark
and leaves extracts at low doses had better protection on the liver, brain and spleen
histology of the P. berghei infected mice relative to the chloroquine treated group. This
study has shown that methanol extracts of A. floribunda stem bark and leaves are
relatively safe and they have very active antimalarial action.
KEYWORDS: Plasmodium berghei, Allanblackia floribunda, Malaria, Leaves,
Stem bark
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to provide an unbiased description of egg quality traits of four indigenous chicken genotypes in Edo, Nigeria. 180 eggs were used for the study. The eggs were initially weighed individually using a sensitive electronic weighing balance with accuracy of 0.001g. Data were collected on egg weight, egg length, egg width, egg shell weight, egg shape index and egg shell thickness. Mean computational values of the data were taken using Statistical Procedure for Social Sciences (SPSS) and data were subjected to principal component analysis. Egg quality traits had three principal components (PC) that contributed 91.27% of the total variability of the original six egg characteristics tested. The three principal components had Eigen values of 2.59 (PC1), 1.66 (PC2) and 1.24 (PC3). Egg weight accounted for 43.08% of the total variance, Egg length accounted for 27.58% of the total variance, while egg width accounted for 20.62% of the total variance. The present principal component analysis provided a means for objective description of the interdependence in the six egg quality characteristics of naked neck, frizzle feathered, normal feather and the short flight feathered indigenous chicken genotypes.
KEYWORDS: Chickens genotypes, principal component, Egg, quality traits, Eigen values, Indigenous chickens
ABSTRACT
The present study explored the use of growth characters of Chloris pilosa and
Anthephora ampullacea as phytoindicators of waste engine oil contamination. Four (4)
kg of air-dried soil was measured in to perforated plastic buckets and treated with
waste engine oil to obtain different concentrations [0% (control), 3%, 6%, and 9%] on
a volume to weight basis. The experiment was set up in 3 replicates. The soil samples
were allowed to stand for seven days in the experimental field before seedlings were
planted. The plants were harvested 8 weeks after transplanting. The growth parameters
investigations of the plant height, shoot girth, leaf area, and leaf number were carried
out. The growth parameters reduction with increase in the levels of pollution was
significant (P<0.05). The highest plant height values were 63.17cm (C. pilosa) and
40.47cm (A. ampullacea) in 6% and 3% contamination while lowest values of 44.73cm
(C. pilosa) and 30.03cm (A. ampullacea) were both recorded in 9% contamination at
week 8. The shoot girth, C. pilosa and A. ampullacea gave the highest values of 1.6cm
and 2.23cm at 6% and control while C. pilosa and A. ampullacea gave the lowest values
of 0.63cm and 1.13cm at control and 9% pollution at week 8. The highest leaf area
values were 8.51cm (C. pilosa) and 25.94cm (A. ampullacea) in 6% contamination and
control while the lowest values of 4.14 cm (C. pilosa) and 14.66 cm (A. ampullacea)
were both recorded in 9% contamination at week 8. In the leaf number, C. pilosa and
A. ampullacea gave the highest values of 4.33 and 18 at control and 9% pollution while
C. pilosa and A. ampullacea gave the lowest values of 3 and 12 at control respectively
at week 8. The result showed that the two grass species studied had different degrees of
tolerance to varying -levels of waste engine oil toxicity, so they both possess the
potentials as phytoindicators of toxic environment.
KEYWORDS:Anthephora ampullacea, Chloris pilosa, Contamination, Indicators,
Transplanting
ABSTRACT
There is increasing concern over micronutrient malnutrition, especially in low and
middle-income countries, resulting in poor health and higher morbidity and mortality
rates. Vitamin C, one of the essential micronutrients, is a water-soluble antioxidant
vitamin that plays pleiotropic cellular roles in human health. A ‘healthy-is-expensive’
intuition may account for the reduced consumption of some low-cost fruits that are also
good sources of vitamin C. This study assessed the vitamin C content of some fresh fruits
purchased from Okha market in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. The less expensive fruits
included sweet orange, key lime, tomatoes and lemon, while the expensive fruits were
apples, pineapples, watermelon and grapes. They were washed, peeled and juice
obtained by squeezing, blending and sieving. Vitamin C concentration of each juice was
determined by Iodometric titration and compared with standard vitamin C. Results
showed that sweet orange had the highest concentration of vitamin C (61.22mg/100ml)
followed by tomatoes (38.16 mg/100ml), lemon (35.92mg/100ml), key lime (30.20
mg/100ml), pineapple (27.35 mg/100ml), watermelon (23.67), grape (18.78 mg/100ml)
and apple (8.16 mg/100ml). Therefore, the less expensive fruits have a higher
concentration of vitamin C than the expensive ones, thereby serving as an affordable
and adequate source of the vitamin.
KEYWORDS: Vitamin C, Antioxidants, Iodometric titration, Fruits, Vegetables
ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential of extracts of Dialium
guineense stem bark in the mitigation of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced renal
oxidative stress. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 20) weighing 160 – 180g (mean weight =
170 ± 10g) were randomly assigned to four groups (5 rats per group): normal control,
CCl4 control, aqueous extract and ethanol extract groups. With the exception of normal
control, the rats were exposed to CCl4 at a single oral dose of 1.0mL/kg body weight,
bwt. Aqueous and ethanol extracts of the plant stem bark were obtained using cold
maceration method. Rats in the two treatment groups received 1000 mg/kg bwt of
aqueous or ethanol extract orally for 28 days. Activities of antioxidant enzymes such as
catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione
reductase (GR) were evaluated. The results showed that there were no significant
differences in the concentrations of total protein among the groups (p > 0.05). The
activities of all the antioxidant enzymes measured and levels of reduced glutathione
(GSH) were significantly lower in CCl4 control group than in normal control group, but
they were increased by extract treatment (p < 0.05). However, the level of
malondialdehyde (MDA) elevated by CCl4 intoxication reduced after treatment (p <
0.05). These results indicate that extracts of D. guineense stem bark could potentiate
the antioxidant defence in the amelioration of CCl4-induced oxidative stress in the rat
kidneys.
KEYWORDS: Antioxidant enzymes, Dialium guineense, Extract, Organ damage,
Oxidative stress
ABSTRACT
Alcohol consumption had been associated with chronic heart disease. The precise mechanisms
of this risk are not always clear. This study was designed to determine the inflammatory
cytokines, myocardial, and homeostatic responses using the levels of circulating interleukin 1β,
(IL-1β), interleukin-10 (IL-10), serum C-reactive protein (CRP), total white blood cell (TLC),
absolute granulocyte counts (AGC), absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC), platelet count (PLT),
creatinine kinase-M (CK-MB), troponin-I (TI), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)
and prothrombin time (PT). The pre and post research design consists of fifty (50) consented
apparently healthy young male with an average age of 28.3 ± 3.0 years and body mass index of
24.7 ± 1.8 (Kg/m2) who were randomly selected from residents and staff of Nnamdi Azikiwe
University, Nnewi, Nigeria. The subjects were asked to consume 600 ml of any brand of beer
per day for one month as part of a dietary assessment. The blood samples collected in EDTA
(1.5mg/ml) were used for absolute white blood cell count, platelet count (PLT) and total white
blood cell (TLC) count using Sysmex® Automated Hematology Analyzer. Blood anticoagulated
with 0.109 M trisodium citrate (9: 1 v/v) were used for the measurement of activated partial
thromboplastin time and prothrombin time. Serum interleukin 1β, IL-10, serum C-reactive
protein, creatinine kinase-M and troponin-I were evaluated using enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay method. All numerical results were analyzed with student’s t- test using
SPSS version 20.0 statistical program. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. The levels
of IL-1β, IL-10 and CRP were significantly lower at one month post alcohol consumption when
compared with pre stage while the levels of TLC, AGC, ALC, CK-MB, TI, PLT, APTT and PT
shows no significant difference at one month post alcohol consumption when compared with
pre stage. One month alcohol consumption tends to switch the cytokine pattern toward the anti-
inflammatory pattern.
KEYWORDS: Alcohol, cytokine, Alcohol consumption, Nnewi, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
The effect of meteorological parameters such as air temperature and relative humidity,
wind direction, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, ultraviolet radiation, and solar
radiation on the concentration of the atmospheric particulate matter had been carried out.
This atmospheric particulate matter is also known as suspended particulate matter (SPM) or
total suspended particles (TSP) in the atmosphere is investigated in this study. The
research was carried out in Benin City between January and December 2019. North
West (NW), North East (NE), South East (SE), and South West (SW) are the four zones
that make up the city. In both the wet and dry seasons, 180 representative SPM samples
were collected from artisans’ workshops using an Apex2IS Casella standard pump fitted
with a conical inhalable sampling (CIS) head at a flow rate of 3.5L/min for 8 hours.
Meteorological parameters were collected at the same time as particulate matter
(SPM). In the dry season, SPM/TSP levels ranged from 2,278.02 to 16,458.34 μg/m3
inthe dry season, while in the wet season they ranged between 2313.45 and 12604.16
μg/m3. The TSP exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) and National Ambient
Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) of 250ug/m3 which can lead to serious health issues if
not mitigated. The meteorological parameters ranged from 27.92 – 33.47oC
(temperature), 59.88 – 78.96% (relative humidity), 748.46 – 754.31mmHg (pressure),
2.87 – 6.95km/h (wind speed), 154.96 – 205.46oC (wind direction), 425.19 –
1,073.46W/m2(solar radiation), and 717.31 μW/m2. The correlation of TSP with some
meteorological parameters such as atmospheric pressure and solar radiation was found
to be highly significant, while others were not within the location of this study. Thus,
these findings can be inferred for areas or regions of similar anthropogenic activities
and weather conditions.
KEYWORDS: Air quality, Meteorological parameter, Correlation, Auto-mechanic
workshop
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ABSTRACT
Farmers’ productivity has been recognized as a long-term path to food security in
Africa. As a result, making pest management easier would enable farmers to increase
the size and output of their farms. This study sought to ascertain the level of awareness
and the constraints associated with agrochemicals sourcing and adoption among
rubber farmers in Edo State, Nigeria. A 3-stage sampling procedure was used to select
respondents. The primary data used in this study were obtained from field surveyed
through the use of structured questionnaire administered to 180 respondents. Data were
analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviation and logit
regression and t-test. Results showed that Thirty- Nine (39) constraints to agrochemical
users’ adoption were identified by respondents. Poor extension services (mean=2.28),
Inadequate government intervention (mean=2.16), inability to afford protective wears
(mean=2.05) and Inadequate fund (mean =2.69). There was a significant difference in
constraints to adoption among agrochemical users in rubber farms in the Edo State.
Result showed that education status (wald = 3.66), farm size (wald = 4.17), farming
experience (wald = 2.85) and estimated annual income (wald 5.16) were the significant
determinants of access to information on rubber production as indicated by the
respondents at 1 % level of significance. The study recommends that agrochemical
dealers should provide accurate information on agrochemicals in order to educate
farmers about the benefits of proper pesticide usage in crop production in Edo State.
The government and other financial institutions should further give low-interest
financing to crop farmers, which might be in the form of grants or microfinance bank
loans.
KEYWORDS: Constraints, Awareness, Rubber, Edo State, Agro-chemicals