Mycotoxins in food in West Africa: current situation and possibilities of controlling it

This review presents the different mycotoxins (aflatoxins, fumonisins and ochratoxin A) produced in agricultural crops in the West African sub-region. The acute and chronic toxic effects of the various mycotoxins are presented. Maize and groundnuts have been found to be excellent substrate for aflatoxin contamination, while fumonisins are widely distributed in maize. Other food products for which mycotoxin contamination has been reported in the sub-region include dried yam chips, tiger nut, melon seeds and stored herbal plants. Mycotoxin contamination is favoured by stress factors during plant growth, late harvesting of crops, high ambient humidity preventing thorough drying, unscientific storage practices and lack of awareness. Control measures include education of the populace on the danger of mycotoxin contaminated diet, early harvesting, rapid drying, sorting, sanitation, use of improved storage structures, smoking, insect control, the use of botanicals and synthetic chemicals as storage protectants, fumigation, biological control, the use of resistant varieties and detoxification of mycotoxin contaminated grains. Key words: Mycotoxins, aflatoxins, food, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, surveillance, toxicology, prevention, control, West Africa. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.2(9) 2003: 254-26

Assessing the suitability of green concrete using waste glass as partial replacement for cement

Green construction reduces the impact of the built environment on the natural environment and human health. The study of partial replacement of cement with waste glass powder and fire resistivity of concrete was investigated in two stages using quantitative approach, the first stage involved collection of waste glass samples, crushing and milling of the glass samples into powder less than 75μm, casting of concrete cubes at ratio 1:2:4 for concrete grade M15 (according to IS 456:2000) using 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 50% and 60% replacement of cement with waste glass powder. Compressive strength tests were carried out on the concrete cubes after curing ages (days) of 7, 14, 28, and 35.A total of 72 cubes were tested. The second stage involved testing for the strength of the concrete with 0% and 10% waste glass powder content obtained from the first stage as the optimum percentage replacement after heating to a temperature of 600℃ for 5 hours in a furnace. Result showed with 0% cement replacement with waste glass powder being the control, had the highest strength of all the samples, 10% had the second highest strength which exhibited a normal increased strength behaviour with increase in curing ages unlike all other percentage replacements making 10% replacement of cement with waste glass powder milled to a particle size of 75μmto be satisfactory. Fire resistivity at 5 hours gave 50% reduction in strength and the concrete was non-flammable. Use of waste glass could reduce cement content in concrete, suitable for green construction.Keywords: Concrete, Compressive strength, fire resistivity, environmen

IMPROVEMENT OF MEDICATION DELIVERY TRICOPTER STABILITY USING ACKERMAN METHOD

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been a subject of interest across many areas of study. Tricopter is a multirotor with three rotors in Y or T configuration for flight operations; capable of tilting with the aid of a servo motor. The study designed stability controller for a developed medication delivery tricopter to enhanced community-based healthcare system in Nigeria. The study adopted a control law based on Ackerman’s method to improve the tricopter’s settling time, maximum overshoot and damping factor; through a linearizedmathematical model. Desired poles were implemented in MATLAB simulink environment to design a suitable controller for the system in accordance with predefined parameters. The output revealed no overshoots along X and Y axes at settling time of 3s, but overshoot along Z axis by 50% at settling time of 2s. Conclusively, the steady state error was zero and it was observed that the medication delivery tricopter response was made stable with the aid of a controller. The result shows that the tricopter model can be made effectively stable and reliable in operation with the use of a controller&nbsp

Brown rot and die-back disease induced by a cucurlionid (Lixus camerunus Klobe) in amaranth (Amaranthus hyhridus L.) in Nigeria

No abstract

A survey of headache among nursing students in a Nigerian university

Objectives: Headache is a common neurological disorder associated with a significant disease burden particularly among young people. Data on headache among undergraduate students in Nigeria are still scanty. The main objectives were to determine the 1-year prevalence of headache and headache subtypes among a cohort of nursing undergraduate students, to identify trigger factors and assess mode of treatment of acute attacks among the affected students.Methods: This was a cross– sectional descriptive study carried out over a 2-month period from September to October 2011 among nursing students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo Nigeria, who had recurrent headaches (unrelated to febrile illness or any underlying disease) in the past one year. Data were collected using a self – administered questionnaire. Demographic variables, age of onset of headache, past medical, family and social histories were obtained.Results: A total of 213 out of 289 nursing students returned completed questionnaires giving a participation rate of 73.7%. Headache was reported by 90 students (42.3%) with higher prevalence in men (44.8%) compared to women (41.8%). Migraine headache was the commonest headache subtype constituting 26.8% .Common triggers of headache attacks included sleep deprivation (65.6%), physical and mental fatigue (53.3%). Only 8.9% of students affected by headache sought medical assistance during acute attack.Conclusions: Our study found a relatively high proportion of migraine headache among nursing students with headache in this Nigerian University. Awareness of appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic medications was dismally low.Keywords: Prevalence, Headache, Nursing students & trigger factor

Exploring <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>:Ecology, biotechnological applications, and future prospects

From its early identification by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg to its current prominence in scientific research, Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) has emerged as a foundational model organism in microbiology. This comprehensive review delves deep into its genetic, physiological, and biochemical intricacies, revealing a sophisticated cellular blueprint. With the incorporation of advanced techniques such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 and integrative computational methodologies, the potential applications of B. subtilis span diverse sectors. These encompass its significant contributions to biotechnology, agriculture, and medical fields and its potential for aiding environmental cleanup efforts. Yet, as we move forward, we must grapple with concerns related to safety, ethics, and the practical implementation of our lab findings in everyday scenarios. As our understanding of B. subtilis deepens, it is evident that its contributions will be central to pioneering sustainable solutions for global challenges in the years to come

Simultaneous Quantification of Ciprofloxacin, Quinine and 3-hyrdoxyquinine in Human Plasma using a HPLC Method

Malaria has been shown to strongly predispose patients in areas of malaria endemicity to bacteremia with severe outcomes, thus justifying the use of antibiotics in combination with antimalarial therapy in patients with severe malaria. This study describes a High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) method for simultaneous determinations of Ciprofloxacin (CPN), Quinine (QN), and its major metabolite, 3-Hydroxyquinine (3-HQN), in human plasma. Following a simple precipitation with acetonitrile, chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase Agilent Zorbax (CN) column (5 µm, 150 X 4.6 mm i.d) using a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile: potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH = 2.8; 0.02 M) (42:58, v/v). Retention times for CPN, 3-HQN, IS and QN were 2.7, 3.3, 3.6 and 4.9 minutes respectively. The limits of detection and validated lower limits of quantitation were 30 and 70 ng/ml for both QN and 3-HQN while the corresponding values were 50 and 100 ng/ml for CPN, respectively. The new HPLC method here developed, when compared with previous methods for the analysis of either or both drugs is simple, rapid, selective, reproducible and costeffective. It is also suitable for conducting a simultaneous therapeutic monitoring of quinine and ciprofloxacin in patients when concomittantly administered as demonstrated in five healthy volunteers

Local reactions to the second dose of the BNT162 COVID-19 vaccine

Multiple strategies have been implemented worldwide to fight the burden of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, with vaccination being one of the most promising.1 Notably, the first vaccine to be authorized in Italy was the BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine, which has also been approved in the USA, United Kingdom, and Canada.1,2 As a matter of fact, RNA vaccines are immunogenic and cost-effective.

Vitamin A deficiency among under-five Nigerian children with diarrhoea

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and diarrhoea are still important contributors to childhood deaths in Africa, and vitamin A deficient children are at increased risk as well as severity of diarrhoea.Objectives:To determine the prevalence of VAD and identify the associated factors among children with diarrhoea.Methods: The study was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study. Consecutive children with diarrhoea were recruited, provided they met the inclusion criteria. Serum retinol levels were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in one hundred and seventy under-five children who presented with diarrhoea at the Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria. Results: The serum retinol levels of the children ranged from 0.29 – 2.35 µmol/L with a mean ± SD of 1.07 ± 0.42 µmol/L. Twenty seven (15.9%) were vitamin A deficient with three (1.8%) of these having severe VAD. Wasting was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of VAD [p = 0.023, OR (95% CI) = 3.08 (1.21 - 7.79)]. A significantly greater proportion of the subjects who had VAD were hospitalized, compared with the non-deficient ones [p = 0.001, OR (95% CI) = 4.40 (1.82 - 10.66)]. The only subject who died was vitamin A deficient.Conclusion: Wasting and hospitalization are factors that may indicate the presence of VAD in a child with diarrhoea. Vitamin A supplements should therefore be given, as part of the treatment for diarrhoea, to children who have wasting, especially when they require hospitalization.Keywords: Vitamin A deficiency, Nigerian children, diarrhoea