Factors Affecting Soil Quality Maintenance in Northern Katsina State, Nigeria

This study was set-up to determine the key factors affecting soil quality maintenance in Kaita, Mai-adua and Mashi local government areas (LGAs) of Katsina state, Nigeria. Two hundred and forty soil samples were collected and 600 questionnaires administered to obtain information on the various forms of activities affecting soil quality maintenance in the area. The soil samples were analyzed for selected physical and chemical quality indices. Factors affecting soil quality maintenance in the area according to the findings are natural and man-induced, including agricultural practices in general and deforestation, soil degradation and erosion, as well as biodiversity loss in particular. The results also indicated that values of the selected elements affecting soil quality in all the 3 LGAs studied fell below minimum standards. Soils in 2 of the LGAs (Mai-adua and Mashi) were concluded to be sensitive to plant growth. Caution should, however, be exercised for soils of Kaita LGA that are extremely sensitive so as not to continue to increase in salinity. It is recommended that farm management practices in the area should be improved and use of irrigation water encouraged among farmers to check salt accumulation.Keywords: Soil Quality, Soil Quality Maintenance, Factors Affecting Soil Qualit

Human neuronal cell protein responses to Nipah virus infection

© 2007 Chang et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Quantitative estimation of Nipah virus replication kinetics in vitro

BACKGROUND: Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus isolated from an outbreak in Malaysia in 1998. The virus causes infections in humans, pigs, and several other domestic animals. It has also been isolated from fruit bats. The pathogenesis of Nipah virus infection is still not well described. In the present study, Nipah virus replication kinetics were estimated from infection of African green monkey kidney cells (Vero) using the one-step SYBR(® )Green I-based quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. RESULTS: The qRT-PCR had a dynamic range of at least seven orders of magnitude and can detect Nipah virus from as low as one PFU/μL. Following initiation of infection, it was estimated that Nipah virus RNA doubles at every ~40 minutes and attained peak intracellular virus RNA level of ~8.4 log PFU/μL at about 32 hours post-infection (PI). Significant extracellular Nipah virus RNA release occurred only after 8 hours PI and the level peaked at ~7.9 log PFU/μL at 64 hours PI. The estimated rate of Nipah virus RNA released into the cell culture medium was ~0.07 log PFU/μL per hour and less than 10% of the released Nipah virus RNA was infectious. CONCLUSION: The SYBR(® )Green I-based qRT-PCR assay enabled quantitative assessment of Nipah virus RNA synthesis in Vero cells. A low rate of Nipah virus extracellular RNA release and low infectious virus yield together with extensive syncytial formation during the infection support a cell-to-cell spread mechanism for Nipah virus infection

Pelatihan Kerajinan Membuat Tas dari Talikur Untuk Membangun Jiwa Kewirausahaan dan Kreatifitas di Kalangan Remaja Putri Desa Meunasah Mesjid Cunda di Kota Lhokseumawe

Tujuan dari kegiatan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah meningkatkan jiwa kewirausahaan dan kreatifitas melalui pelatihan kerajinan membuat tas dari talikur. Sasaran kegiatan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat ini adalah  remaja putri. Pelatihan kerajinan talikur ini dilaksanakan dirumah salah satu warga desa meunasah mesjid cunda. Metode pelaksanaan kegiatan yaitu pemaparan materi, pelatihan (praktik) dan evaluasi.  Hasil       dari   pelaksanaan kegiatan ini  diharapkan  remaja putri di desa meunasah mesjid cunda mempunyai pemahaman dan pengetahuan dalam membuat kerajinan  talikur menjadi tas, dompet dan tas hp sehingga mampu meningkatkan jiwa kewirausahaan dan kreatifitas masyarakat desa meunasah mesjid cunda khususnya remaja putri. 

Implementation of Qanun Number 4 Of 2009 About Gampong Government (Studies on Task Force Pageu Gampong. Mns. Alue Drien District Lhoksukon North Aceh)

This study aims to determine the implementation of Qanun Number 4 of 2009 concerning gampong government and the obstacles encountered in implementing gampong government carried out by the Pageu Gampong Mns Task Force. Alue Drien, Lhoksukon District, North Aceh Regency. Data collection techniques include observation, doing interviews and documentation. As for the type from study This use approach qualitative. Data analysis used data reduction, data presentation and withdrawal conclusion or verification. The result of this research is the Implementation of Gampong Qanun Number 4 of 2009 concerning government gampong carried out by the Task Force Pageu Gampong Mns. Alue Drien District Lhoksukon North Aceh district already done with well, implementation of government Qanun gampong carried out by the task force pageu that is with do approach communication with society; task force pageu own Human Resources are sufficient, though own a number of source constraints Power financial; task force pageu also has very good disposition in guard serenity and peace environment society; as well as, formation structure bureaucracy in success task task force pageu in the gampong. obstacles in Implementation of Gampong Qanun Number 4 of 2009 concerning Gampong Governance Carried out by the Task Force Pageu Gampong Mns. Alue Drien District Lhoksukon North Aceh district among them lack of own budget task force pageu, lack support administration in settlement dispute in the gampong as well as Not yet exists implementation of the task force SOP pageu in the gampong. Obstacles that occur in implementation implementation the hinder performance team task force pageu gampong in Mns. Alue Drien, so resulted performance task force pageu Not yet fully maximum. Expected study This capable m give information, knowledge and insight about implementation regulations and constraints faced by the Task Force Pageu in effort settlement problems that occur in Gampong Mns. Alue Drien District Lhoksukon North Aceh Distric

Tuberculin screening of some selected Fulani lactating cows in north-central Nigeria

The prevalence of mycobacterial infection among lactating Fulani cows was investigated in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and Kaduna State of Nigeria. Tuberculin testing using single comparative intradermal tuberculin test showed a 14.6 % positive, 4 % doubtful, and 81.4 % negative reactors. Mycobacterial infection was found to be present in the nomadic (constantly moving) and seminomadic (limited movement) management systems studied but management showed no significant effect on the prevalence of the disease. However, the prevalence was significantly higher in older age groups than the younger ones (P < 0.05).Peer reviewedSubmitted Versio

Peste des petits ruminants in large ruminants, camels and unusual hosts

Since its first report in 1942, peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (PPRV) has caused several epidemics in a wide range of susceptible hosts around the world. In the last 30 years, the evidence of natural and experimental infections and virus isolation were reported from novel but unusual hosts such as camel, cattle, buffalo, dogs, Asiatic lion and pigs. In addition, PPRV in a potential vector, biting midges (Culicoides imicola), has been reported. Either presented as clinical and/or subclinical infections, the presence of the virus in an extended range of susceptible hosts highlights the cross-species transmission and supports the hypothesis of an endemic circulation of PPRV among susceptible hosts. However, the potential role of large ruminants, camels and unusual hosts for PPRV epidemiology is still obscure. Therefore, there is a need for molecular and epidemiological investigations of the disease among usual and unusual hosts to achieve the goals of disease control and eradication programmes initiated by national and international organisations, such as the FAO and OIE. This review is the first to summarise the scattered data on PPR in large ruminants, camels and unusual hosts to obtain the global scientific communities' attention for further research on epidemiological aspects, not only in its native hosts, but also in large ruminants, camels and other unusual hosts

Current biochemical treatments of mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders

Introduction: The clinical heterogeneity and unpredictable clinical course of mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) disorders have hindered the development of effective therapeutic strategies for the treatment of these diseases. Treatment generally involves supportive therapy aimed at enhancing mitochondrial function as well as ameliorating increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation which is associated with MRC dysfunction. The purpose of this review is to focus on current biochemical strategies together with those that are being developed to the treatment of MRC disorders. Areas covered: This review focusses on the biochemical strategies that have been developed to augment MRC function (increase electron transport and substrate availability in the MRC), scavenge ROS (antioxidant therapies) and modify mitochondrial biogenesis will be covered. The authors have comprehensively reviewed the literature to provide up to date information on these subjects. Expert opinion: A consensus needs to be reached on the treatment of MRC disorders, and rather than the use of generic ‘antioxidant cocktails’ case-specific therapeutic strategies should be considered for the treatment patients. The inclusion of pharmacotherapies that target MRC function, cellular antioxidant status and mitochondrial biogenesis in the treatment regime of patients may be appropriate to ameliorate the defects in these parameters that contribute to disease pathophysiology

Handheld computers and the 21(st )century surgical team: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The commercial development and expansion of mobile phone networks has led to the creation of devices combining mobile phones and personal digital assistants, which could prove invaluable in a clinical setting. This pilot study aimed to look at how one such device compared with the current pager system in facilitating inter-professional communication in a hospital clinical team. METHODS: The study looked at a heterogeneous team of doctors (n = 9) working in a busy surgical setting at St. Mary's Hospital in London and compared the use of a personal digital assistant with mobile phone and web-browsing facilities to the existing pager system. The primary feature of this device being compared to the conventional pager was its use as a mobile phone, but other features evaluated included the ability to access the internet, and reference data on the device. A crossover study was carried out for 6 weeks in 2004, with the team having access to the personal digital assistant every alternate week. The primary outcome measure for assessing efficiency of communication was the length of time it took for clinicians to respond to a call. We also sought to assess the ease of adoption of new technology by evaluating the perceptions of the team (n = 9) to personal digital assistants, by administering a questionnaire. RESULTS: Doctors equipped with a personal digital assistant rather than a pager, responded more quickly to a call and had a lower of failure to respond rate (RR: 0.44; 95%CI 0.20–0.93). Clinicians also found this technology easy to adopt as seen by a significant reduction in perceptions of nervousness to the technology over the six-week study period (mean (SD) week 1: 4.10 (SD 1.69) vs. mean (SD) week 6: 2.20 (1.99); p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The results of this pilot study show the possible effects of replacing the current hospital pager with a newer, more technologically advanced device, and suggest that a combined personal digital assistant and mobile phone device may improve communication between doctors. In the light of these encouraging preliminary findings, we propose a large-scale clinical trial of the use of these devices in facilitating inter-professional communication in a hospital setting

A Geographically-Restricted but Prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strain Identified in the West Midlands Region of the UK between 1995 and 2008

Background: We describe the identification of, and risk factors for, the single most prevalent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain in the West Midlands region of the UK.Methodology/Principal Findings: Prospective 15-locus MIRU-VNTR genotyping of all M. tuberculosis isolates in the West Midlands between 2004 and 2008 was undertaken. Two retrospective epidemiological investigations were also undertaken using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The first study of all TB patients in the West Midlands between 2004 and 2008 identified a single prevalent strain in each of the study years (total 155/3,056 (5%) isolates). This prevalent MIRU-VNTR profile (32333 2432515314 434443183) remained clustered after typing with an additional 9-loci MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping. The majority of these patients (122/155, 79%) resided in three major cities located within a 40 km radius. From the apparent geographical restriction, we have named this the "Mercian" strain. A multivariate analysis of all TB patients in the West Midlands identified that infection with a Mercian strain was significantly associated with being UK-born (OR = 9.03, 95% CI = 4.56-17.87, p 65 years old (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.09-0.67, p < 0.01). A second more detailed investigation analyzed a cohort of 82 patients resident in Wolverhampton between 2003 and 2006. A significant association with being born in the UK remained after a multivariate analysis (OR = 9.68, 95% CI = 2.00-46.78, p < 0.01) and excess alcohol intake and cannabis use (OR = 6.26, 95% CI = 1.45-27.02, p = .01) were observed as social risk factors for infection.Conclusions/Significance: The continued consistent presence of the Mercian strain suggests ongoing community transmission. Whilst significant associations have been found, there may be other common risk factors yet to be identified. Future investigations should focus on targeting the relevant risk groups and elucidating the biological factors that mediate continued transmission of this strain