ESTIMATION OF VANADIUM IN SELECTED LEAVES FROM AKURE, NIGERIA BY ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROPHOTOMETRY.

Estimation of the levels of vanadium in selected leaves from Akure, Nigeria was performed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry after dry ashing the samples. The highest mean level (9.92mgkg-1) of vanadium was recoded in Coloaxia esculentum, 1.24mgkg-1 was recorded for Tectona grandis, mangifera indica, Aealypha ciliata, Discorea rotundata and Vernomia amygdaline, while ND was recorded for Manihot palmate and Psidium guajava. The results showed that there were variations (CV = 54.17%) in the levels of vanadium in all the leaves analyzed and the levels were high compared to WHO commendations for some foods (mollusks, crustaceans, fish and mammals). Efforts to reduce eating high levels of it in leaves should be ensured by using different processing methods before consumption by animals and human

Dysplastic Papilliferous Basaloid Ameloblastoma: Report of a Case

Papilliferous ameloblastoma is an uncommon histologic variant of ameloblastoma. About five cases have been reported in the English literature till date. All five showed squamous differentiation with keratin formation and were diagnosed as papilliferous keratoameloblastoma. The present lesionshows basaloid differentiation and mild dysplasia in addition to papilliferous projections, thus termed dysplastic papilliferous basaloid  ameloblastoma.  Ameloblastoma, the most common odostoma has not ceased to intrigue pathologists with its diverse histomorphological patterns. Therefore, we present this uncommon lesion in a 50 year old man with right mandibular swelling. Key words: Papilliferous, Basaloid, Ameloblastoma, Dysplastic, Nonhealing socket

Geotechnical Properties of Subgrade Soils along Sections of the Ibadan–Ife Expressway, South-Western Nigeria

Subgrade soils beneath sections of Ibadan-Ife highway were studied with a view to identifying factor(s) responsible for the stability or failure of sections of the expressway.Bulk soil samples were collected from four stable locations on the Ibadan bound carriageway while four samples were collected from unstable locations on the Ife bound way. Specific gravity, grain size distribution, liquid limit, plastic limit, linear shrinkage, California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) of the soils compacted at West African and Modified American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) levels were determined.The soils are essentially well graded with those from stable locations having between 25.42 & 56.89% amount of fines and 29.92 & 83.00% amount of fines in those from unstable locations. Variation in the degree of laterization of soil samples resulted in significant variation in the amount of fines in subgrades. Soils from the stable locations are predominantly medium plasticity soils while those in the unstable locations possess higher plasticity. Three soils from stable locations and two from unstable sections are good to fair subgrade soils while those from two unstable sections and one from stable location are poor subgrade/subbase materials based on the AASHTO classification system. The studied soils gave better compaction characteristics at modified AASHTO than at the West African level, with an Optimum Moisture Content (OMC) and Maximum Dry Density (MDD) of 10.7-15.4 and 1850-2037KN/m2 and 9.60 -14.0 and 1810-2076 KN/m2, respectively for those from unstable and stable locations. Soaking of the soils compacted at both compaction levels resulted in over 60% reductions in strength measured in terms of CBR. Similarly at both levels of compaction, curing led to significant increase in the UCS, although, Modified AASHTO level generally gave higher values of UCS. Field observation showed that groundwater levels are generally higher in the vicinity of unstable locations than stable ones. The observed nature of the pavement is thus due mainly to the weakening influence of groundwater on subgrade soils

Characterization of alveolar soft part sarcoma of the tongue: A clinico-pathologic study and scoping review

Background: Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumour. There is a dearth of literature analyzing its features on the tongue.Objectives: This study aims to conduct a scoping review to describe the essential clinico-pathologic features, treatment modalities and outcome of previously reported tongue ASPS (TASPS) and new cases at our center.Methods: A search of databases (PubMed, Medline, Cochrane and Google Scholar) and the internet for articles on TASPS written in English was conducted. Information extracted included clinico-pathological and demographic data. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis.Results: A total of 49 articles were eligible for this study. In all, 81 cases were utilized. Asian studies accounted for most cases 35(43.2%) and a slight female preponderance of 1.1 was seen. Most cases - 38 (46.9%), occurred in the 1st decade and the base of tongue was the most common location in 19 (39.6%) cases. Also, tumour metastasis was present in 14 (25.9%) cases. Transcription Factor E3 (TFE3) – 8 (24.2%) and Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE) – 8 (24.2%) were the most common immunohistochemical stains used and were both expressed 7 out of 8 cases (87.5%). Most common treatment modality was surgery and 42 (82.4%) cases managed by surgery alone were free of disease at < 5 years of follow up.Conclusions: TASPS slightly affected the female gender and tongue base more commonly. It occurred more in the first two decades of life. Use of standard investigative tools for management will allow for better appraisal of research findings. &nbsp

Perception and utilization of oral histopathology services by general practice dentist in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Oral histopathology services are oral diagnostic procedures. General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) are routinely exposed to oral lesions that require biopsies. Hence, the study’s objective of assessing the perception and the utilization of oral histopathology services by GDPs.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at dental clinics distributed across Southwest Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of sections addressing the socio-demographic/professional aspects; the beliefs of GDPs and their utilization of oral histopathology services was used to collect data. A modified 5-point Likert rating scale was used to indicate the extent of agreement or disagreement with statement constructs. Analysis was done using SPSS for windows version 20.0. Significance was assessed at 5%.Results: There were 56.1% males and 43.9% females. The peak age range was 30-39 years (35.4%), while 58.5% had < 10 years of practice and 79.3% work in government dental centres. Many of the respondents (61.0%) thought suspicious lesions should be biopsied, 47.6% thought that specialists’ skills were not required for biopsy. Furthermore, 53.7% had poor perception scores while 81.1% of those who had seen oral lesions that required biopsies, had poor utilization scores.Conclusion: The GDPs had a poor perception and utilization of oral histopathology services. Continuous medical education is needed to increase awareness amongst dentists.Keywords: Oral; Histopathology; General dental practice; Southwest Nigeri

Green synthesis of Ag, Zn and Cu nanoparticles from aqueous extract of Spondias mombin leaves and evaluation of their antibacterial activity

Background: Nanotechnology offers an advantage as a green route for synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NPs) with plant extracts as capping agent. Spondias mombin is a fruit-bearing tree and its leaf extracts have been reported to possess anxiolytic, hypoglycaemic, antiepileptic, antipsychotic, sedative, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. The objective of the study is to determine the antibacterial potential of a simple non-toxic product of green synthesis of metallic (Ag, Zn and Cu) nanoparticles using the leaf of Spondias mombin aqueous extracts (SMAE) as a reducing and capping agents of the metal ions.Methodology: Nanoparticles were characterized by UV visible spectrophotometeric analysis, Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FT-IR) spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Antimicrobial activities of synthesized NPs against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were determined by agar well diffusion technique.Results: The synthesized NPs varied in colour from dark brown to green and appears dominantly spherical, occasionally rod or triangular shaped with size ranging from 65-90 nm. UV spectroscopy absorption spectra of Ag, Zn and Cu NPs had absorbance peak at 267, 262 and 765 nm respectively. FT-IR spectrometry of Zn NP, Cu NP, and SMAE gave wave number ranging from 895.71-3320.67, 747.02-3225.45 and 658.25-3674.49 respectively. FT-IR analysis showed that SMAE acted as reducing and stabilizing agent while the NPs exhibited lower energy absorption band when compared to the plant extract. The NPs demonstrated higher antimicrobial activities against S. aureus than Ps. aeruginosa and E. coli. The antimicrobial activity was higher with copper NP than Ag and Zn NPs, and also higher than SMAE.Conclusion: The result from this study presents an indication for an alternative means for development of novel antimicrobial agents for clinical and biotechnological applications.Keywords: synthesis, nanoparticles, FT-IR, UV-visible spectrophotometry, antibacterial activitiesFrench Title: Synthèse verte de nanoparticules d'Ag, de Zn et de Cu à partir d'extrait aqueux de feuilles de Spondias mombin et évaluation de leur activité antibactérienneContexte: La nanotechnologie offre un avantage en tant que voie verte pour la synthèse de nanoparticules métalliques (NP) avec des extraits de plantes comme agent de coiffage. Spondias mombin est un arbre fruitier et ses extraits de feuilles possèdent des propriétés anxiolytiques,  hypoglycémiques, antiépileptiques, antipsychotiques, sédatives,  antioxydantes et antimicrobiennes. L’objectif de l’étude est de déterminer le potentiel antibactérien d’un simple produit non toxique de synthèse verte de nanoparticules métalliques (Ag, Zn et Cu) à l’aide de la feuille d’extraits aqueux de Spondias mombin (SMAE) en tant qu’agent réducteur et coiffant de la ions métalliques.Méthodologie: Les nanoparticules ont été caractérisées par analyse  spectrophotométrique UV visible, spectrophotomètre à transformée de Fourier infrarouge (FT-IR) et microscope électronique à balayage (MEB). Lesactivités antimicrobiennes de NP synthétisées contre Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus et Pseudomonas aeruginosa ont été déterminées par une technique de diffusion sur puits d’agar.Résultats: Les NP synthétisés ont une couleur allant du brun foncé au vert et apparaissent principalement sphériques, parfois en bâtonnets ou en triangles, avec des tailles allant de 65 à 90 nm. Les spectres  d'absorption par spectroscopie UV des NP Ag, Zn et Cu présentaient des pics  d'absorbance à 267, 262 et 765 nm respectivement. La spectrométrie FT-IR de Zn NP, Cu NP et SMAE a donné un nombre d'onde allant de 895,71 à 3320,67, 747,02 à 3225,45 et 658,25 à 3674,49 respectivement. L'analyse FT-IR a montré que le SMAE agissait en tant qu'agent réducteur et  stabilisant, alors que les NP présentaient une bande d'absorption d'énergie inférieure à celle de l'extrait de plante. Les NP ont démontré des activités antimicrobiennes plus élevées contre S. aureus que Ps. aeruginosa et E. coli. L'activité antimicrobienne était plus élevée avec les NP en cuivre que dans les NP Ag et Zn, et également supérieure à celle du SMAE.Conclusion: le résultat de cette étude présente une indication d'un autre moyen de développement de nouveaux agents antimicrobiens pour des applications cliniques et biotechnologiques.Mots-clés: synthèse, nanoparticules, FT-IR, spectrophotométrie UV-visible, activités antibactériennes

Comparative study of Ikirun and Osogbo Slag on concrete grade 20

This study examined the use of Prism Steel Slag (PSS) and Machine Iron Slag (MIS) as partial replacement of coarse aggregate in concrete. Coarse aggregates were partially replaced with PSS and MIS at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% respectively. A total of 132 concrete cubes of sizes 150 mm x 150 mm x 150 mm were cast and cured in water for 7, 14, 21 and 28 days respectively. Mix ratio of 1:2:4 was adopted with w/c ratio of 0.45 and batching was done by weight. The slump result indicated that the fresh concrete becomes stiff as the percentages of PSS and MIS increases. However, the compressive strengths of concrete cubes increased as the curing ages increases. 50% PSS and 40% MIS can successfully be used as partial replacement of coarse aggregate in the production of concrete grade 20.Keywords: Concrete, Coarse Aggregate, Strength, Machine Iron Slag, Prism Steel Sla