Understanding perception and adaptation to climate change among cocoa farmers in tropical condition

No Abstrac

Exposure to cigarette smoke altered the cytoarchitecture and anti-oxidant activity of the frontal cortex in Wistar rats

This study was designed to determine the effects of cigarette smoke on the body weights of Wistar rats, anti-oxidant activity and the histology of the frontal cortex. Sixteen Wistar rats with mean weight of 131.40 ± 4.43 g were used. They were grouped into four. Group A had a stick of cigarette (Pall Mall brand ®) daily, group B had two sticks and group C had three sticks daily, while Group D served as the control group. They were exposed at 1800 hrs each day for thirty five days, and their weights were monitored. After sacrifice by cervical dislocation, the tissues were processed for histological and biochemical studies. The results showed minimal weight change in the exposed groups compared to the marked increase in the control group. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) enzyme increased while there was decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) activity. The histology also showed decreased staining of the nucleic acids as well as increased vacuolations in the exposed groups. The authors suggested these findings could alter brain functions particularly those related to the frontal cortex.Keywords: Cigarette smoke, frontal cortex, GPx, MDA, nucleic acids

The Effects of Mother-Plant Irrigation Schedule on the Quality Of Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum) Seed

A study was carried out to examine the quality of seeds of two tomato cultivars (‘Ibadan Local’ and ‘Ife 1’) produced under irrigation intervals of 2, 4, 6 and 8 days at the Federal University of Technology, Minna. Fruits were harvested when fully ripe and the seed/juice mixture (pulp) was removed immediately and left to ferment for four days after which the seeds were washed under running tap water and dried at room temperature. Seeds of the two cultivars were spread in open plastic Petri dishes and stored in a growth chamber at 30oC and about 70% relative humidity to accelerate ageing for 16 weeks. Seed samples were drawn and tested for germination, seedling emergence, seedling height and number of leaves per seedling, at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 weeks of storage. Results showed that seeds of “Ibadan Local” were significantly heavier than those of “Ife 1” but the trait was not significantly affected by irrigation interval. Seed viability declined as storage period increased irrespective of irrigation treatment in both cultivars. There was no consistent superiority of one irrigation interval over the other in respect of seed longevity over time. A general increase in seedling height and number of leaves per seedling was recorded as storage period progressed before a decline sets in at different ages. Generally, performance was best with seeds produced under 4 and 6 days irrigation intervals in both cultivars. Keywords: Mother-plant, irrigation schedule, seed quality, tomatoJ. Appl. Sci. Environ. Manage. June, 2012, Vol. 16 (2) 185 - 18

Cytotoxic potentials of thiocyanate administration on the liver of male wistar rats (RattusNorvegicus)

The use of thiocyanate as an anti-sickling drug is currently on the increase among sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. The continuous use of this substance without sufficient toxicity data does not guaranty continuously functional and healthy  internal organs among the SCD patients that are susceptible to multi-organ failure such as hepatic failure. Hence this study was performed to elucidate the  consequence(s)of thiocyanate administration on the liver of adult male wistar rats.Twenty adult male wistar rats with an average weight of 234.5g were used. The rats were grouped into four (A, B, C & D) with five animals in each group. Group A represented the control and was given only 1ml of distilled water daily while B,C,&D received 1ml of thiocyanate solution at doses of 10mg/Kg/day, 20mg/Kg/day, & 30mg/Kg/day for twenty-eight (28) days. The administration was carefully done with the use of an oral cannula. Thereafter, the rats were sacrificed via cervical dislocation. The rats were dissected and blood samples were immediately collected from the apex of the heart for the analysis of serum total bilirubin. A fraction of the liver was cut to prepare homogenates for biochemical enzymes (alanine   aminotransferase-ALT, aspartate aminotransferase- AST) analysis. Thereafter the animals were wholly perfused with normal saline and then fixed with 4%   paraformaldehyde. The fixed liver tissues were then taken for histological   assessments. The slide sections (H&E and PAS stains) in the treated groups  showed varying degrees (mild to severe disruption of hepatocellular morphology plus prominence and widening of sinusoids) of thiocyanateinduced liver damage. But hepatocellular appearance was normal in the control group. Biochemical assays of serum total bilirubin and tissue AST increased fairly with increasing dose although this was not significant. The increase in tissue level of ALT in group B was also not significant with respect to the control. But increase in ALT level was found to be significant in groups C&D when compared with the control. Therefore, this study can be used to infer that SCN use in sickle cell disease management regimen can cause hepatocellular damage in wistar rats.Key Words: Thiocyanate,Biochemical enzymes,Hepatocellular morphology,  Anti-sicklin

Determinants of the creatinine clearance to glomerular filtration rate ratio in patients with chronic kidney disease: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Creatinine secretion, as quantified by the ratio of creatinine clearance (CrCl) to glomerular filtration rate (GFR), may introduce another source of error when using serum creatinine concentration to estimate GFR. Few studies have examined determinants of the CrCl/GFR ratio. We sought to study whether higher levels of albuminuria would be associated with higher, and being non-Hispanic black with lower, CrCl/GFR ratio. METHODS: We did a cross-sectional analysis of 1342 patients with chronic kidney disease from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) who had baseline measure of iothalamate GFR (iGFR) and 24-hour urine collections. Our predictors included urine albumin as determined from 24-hour urine collections (categorized as: <30, 30-299, 300-2999 and ≥3000 mg), and race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic). Our outcome was CrCl/iGFR ratio, a measure of creatinine secretion. RESULTS: Mean iGFR was 48.0 ± 19.9 mL/min/1.73 m(2), median albuminuria was 84 mg per day, and 36.8% of the study participants were non-Hispanic black. Mean CrCl/iGFR ratio was 1.19 ± 0.48. There was no association between the CrCl/iGFR ratio and urine albumin (coefficient 0.11 [95% CI−0.01-0.22] for higest verus lowest levels of albuminuria, p = 0.07). Also, there was no association between race/ethnicity and CrCl/iGFR ratio (coefficient for non-Hispanic blacks was−0.03 [95% CI−0.09-0.03] compared with whites, p = 0.38). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to what had been suggested by prior smaller studies, CrCl/GFR ratio does not vary with degree of proteinuria or race/ethnicity. The ratio is also closer to 1.0 than reported by several frequently cited reports in the literature

Potential role of differential medication use in explaining excess risk of cardiovascular events and death associated with chronic kidney disease: A cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are less likely to receive cardiovascular medications. It is unclear whether differential cardiovascular drug use explains, in part, the excess risk of cardiovascular events and death in patients with CKD and coronary heart disease (CHD).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The ADVANCE Study enrolled patients with new onset CHD (2001-2003) who did (N = 159) or did not have (N = 1088) CKD at entry. The MDRD equation was used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using calibrated serum creatinine measurements. Patient characteristics, medication use, cardiovascular events and death were ascertained from self-report and health plan electronic databases through December 2008.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Post-CHD event ACE inhibitor use was lower (medication possession ratio 0.50 vs. 0.58, P = 0.03) and calcium channel blocker use higher (0.47 vs. 0.38, P = 0.06) in CKD vs. non-CKD patients, respectively. Incidence of cardiovascular events and death was higher in CKD vs. non-CKD patients (13.9 vs. 11.5 per 100 person-years, P < 0.001, respectively). After adjustment for patient characteristics, the rate of cardiovascular events and death was increased for eGFR 45-59 ml/min/1.73 m²(hazard ratio [HR] 1.47, 95% CI: 1.10 to 2.02) and eGFR < 45 ml/min/1.73 m²(HR 1.58, 95% CI: 1.00 to 2.50). After further adjustment for statins, β-blocker, calcium channel blocker, ACE inhibitor/ARB use, the association was no longer significant for eGFR 45-59 ml/min/1.73 m²(HR 0.82, 95% CI: 0.25 to 2.66) or for eGFR < 45 ml/min/1.73 m²(HR 1.19, 95% CI: 0.25 to 5.58).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In adults with CHD, differential use of cardiovascular medications may contribute to the higher risk of cardiovascular events and death in patients with CKD.</p

Community perceptions of schistosomiasis transmission, prevalence and control in relation to aquatic habitats in the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya

Background: Intestinal schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma mansoni and urinary schistosomiasis caused by Schistosoma haematobium are widely distributed parasites in several localities of the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya, the former being more prevalent. In Kenya, transmission of the intestinal form of bilharzia (S. mansoni) tends to be closely confined to narrow zones along the shores of large bodies of water such as Lake Victoria where it is endemic and the intermediate host is found. The prevalence of S. mansoni along the Kenyan Lake Victoria basin ranges between 40% and 80%.Objective: To assess the community’s knowledge and perceptions of schistosomiasis prevalence, transmission and control in relation to aquatic habitats in the Lake Victoria basin of Kenya.Design: Community-based cross-sectional study.Setting: The Kenyan Lake Victoria basin.Subjects: Two hundred and forty three individuals (both women and men residing in the beaches and surrounding areas) were interviewed about their knowledge and perceptions regarding schistosomiasis.Results: The community regarded schistosomiasis as a naturalistic disease not caused by supernatural forces but by an agent of contamination in water. Knowledge on schistosomiasis transmission and control was low, with 42% of the respondents having no idea on how schistosomiasis is contracted, while 22% and 18% of the respondents mentioned contact with contaminated water and drinking / eating dirty water / food, respectively. Most respondents were familiar with the snails’ habitats, but had poor knowledge on aquatic plants harbouring snails, as 57% of the respondents did not know about aquatic plants being associated with schistosomiasis snails. Only 3% of the respondents associated snails with schistosomiasis transmission. Sixty percent (60%) of the respondents mentioned use of tablets and injections as means of treating schistosomiasis, while 38% had no idea how it is treated and 2% mentioned use of local herbs and services of medicine men.Conclusion: Majority of Kenyan Lake Victoria basin inhabitants had little awareness about schistosomiasis despite high prevalence of the disease in the region. There is need to adapt prevention and control strategies to the people’s livelihoods. There is also need to target the less advantaged members of the community such as women, uneducated and subsistence farmers for intense health education strategies aimed at increasing participation in the control of schistosomiasis. Study to elicit divergence between biomedical and local understandings of schistosomiasis/bilharzia is suggested.