Threat to the conservation of grey necked rock-fowl (Picathartes oreas) in Cross River National Park, Nigeria

Threat to the conservation of Grey Necked Rock-fowl (Picathartes oreas) in Okwangwo division of Cross River National Park and support zone community forest were assessed from May, 2016 to February, 2017. Participatory rural appraisal and field observations was adopted. Respondents were interviewed on the various threat factors (direct and indirect) within the study areas. Visits were made to the study area to document observed threats to the habitat and the bird. One-Way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant differences in the severity of the identified threat factors among the villages and the park staff while t-test was used to test for significance in the direct and indirect threat factors. Nine (9) threat factors/ categories: Farming, logging, water poisoning, hunters camp, charcoal making and hostile behavior (Indirect threats) as well as hunting, trapping (with cage or gum) and egg collection (Direct threats) were identified through interview but six were observed. Farming activities ranked highest (100%) and more severe, logging was rated as a severe threat (60%), charcoal making and trapping were rated as moderate both by the villagers and the park staff. However, hostile behavior was rated as less severe (17.5%) by the villagers and more severe (70%) by park staff. Therefore, in order to ensure sustainability of the bird in Nigeria, there should be effective antipoaching patrol measure, conservation awareness campaign and collaboration through community participation.Keywords: Picathartes, conservation, threat factors, National Park, community fores

Typing of Salmonella Species: A Mini-Review

Nontyphoidal salmonellae are among the foremost bacterial pathogens implicated in food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. Salmonella subtyping is one of the most common methods infer potential sources of human and animal Salmonella infection. Various typing methods for the analysis of Salmonella have been developed during the last decade. Because of their high discriminatory power, these methods have been increasingly used even in routine diagnostics. The description of several independent genotypic characteristics in addition to that of the phenotypic properties enables a complex and exact identification of Salmonella strains. This review summarizes the available Salmonella subtyping technique and discusses the use of conventional phenotypic and molecular typing methods for epidemiological study of Salmonella

Review Article: A trends of Salmonella and antibiotic resistance

Salmonellosis has become a major problem in developed and developing countries. It also represents an important public health concern worldwide.  As such, due to intense interest Salmonella research has gained great concern from scientific communities as well as the general public.  The purpose of this review is to discuss the historical perspective, classification and nomenclature, antibiotic and antimicrobial definition, mechanism of antibiotic resistance, integrons and antibiotic resistance Salmonella

Review Article: A trends of Salmonella and antibiotic resistance

Salmonellosis has become a major problem in developed and developing countries. It also represents an important public health concern worldwide.  As such, due to intense interest Salmonella research has gained great concern from scientific communities as well as the general public.  The purpose of this review is to discuss the historical perspective, classification and nomenclature, antibiotic and antimicrobial definition, mechanism of antibiotic resistance, integrons and antibiotic resistance Salmonella

Ethnic differences between South Asians and White Caucasians in cardiovascular disease-related mortality in developed countries : a systematic literature review

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, with significantly worse mortality-related outcomes in ethnic minorities in developed countries. A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of observational studies was conducted to investigate cardiovascular disease-related mortality inequalities between South Asian and White Caucasian ethnic groups. Methods Published studies on mortality between South Asians and Whites in developed countries were retrieved from MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and grey literature sources (inception—April 2021) and critically appraised using the Quality in Prognosis Studies tool. Bayesian random-effects meta-analyses were performed for both primary and secondary outcomes. Heterogeneity was determined using the I2 statistic. Results Of the 9879 studies screened originally, 41 were deemed eligible. A further 3 studies were included via the later search. Of these, 15 reported cardiovascular disease-related mortality, 23 reported all-cause mortality, and 6 reported both. The meta-analysis results showed that South Asians had a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease mortality compared to Whites (risk ratio = 1.32; 95% credible interval = 1.14 to 1.54) and a decreased risk of all-cause mortality (risk ratio = 0.95; 95% credible interval = 0.83 to 1.12). Discussion South Asians had statistically significantly higher odds of cardiovascular disease-related mortality compared to Whites, but not for all-cause mortality. Risk of bias was a serious concern mainly due to a lack of confounders being reported. Systematic review registration PROSPERO: CRD4202124086

Characterization of Some Portland Limestone Cements in Nigeria Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)

In Nigeria, the most widely used cement strength class are 32.5 and 42.5 Portland limestone cement. However, due to lack of awareness, scientists and researchers are reporting the use of PLC as Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). The study presents the characterization of PLC using absorption spectroscopy as well as oxide composition. Ratio between 7 - and 28 - day strengths of some selected PLCs are presented. It is seen that the Brands investigated conforms to the specifications of Portland composite cements in compliance with ASTM C150 and NIS 444-1. Absorption spectrum for the two brands were similar to that of OPC and exhibited similar characteristics. Concrete strength was within the designed concrete specification, and the ration between the two curing ages is 0.6 for both brands

Geochemical assessment of toxic metals stocking in top-soil within the area of limestone quarry in Gombe of North-eastern Nigeria

This work presents an assessment of geochemical toxic metal stocking in top-soil within the area of a limestone quarry in Gombe State. Samples of topsoil from the area of a limestone quarry in Gombe (North-eastern Nigeria) were collected to analyse levels of hazardous substances such as of Hg, Fe, Zn, Ni, Mn, Cu, Cr, Cd and Pb. A total of 24 topsoil samples were collected around the radius of 0.5 km from the blasting arena. Additionally, six background samples were also collected from an unexploited reserved area that was ~6 km far from the main sampling location. Two rocks of limestone samples from blasting area were also collected and analysed for heavy metals as a reference. All the samples were processed and extracted with nitrate acid solution and analysed using smart spectrophotometer methods. The results suggested varying organic contents in soil, sand, silt, clay and pH. All these parameters are correlated with those of unexploited samples. Limestone rocks samples displayed a high concentration of Fe and Mn improvement. Toxic metals concentrations (mg/kg) in top-soil with background levels were discovered in Hg, Fe, Mn, Ni, Zn, Cd, Cu, Cr and Pb. Residual phases exhibited the lowest enrichment for most metals possibly, because of high loamy sand content. The situated enrichment advocates influence from mining activities. The results especially geoaccumulation index assessment exhibit below detected limit to 0.20 mg/kg for Pb which is uncontaminated by Lead when compared with the USA threshold limit of particulate metal concentration. Conversely, the other hazardous metals ranged from 1 to 2, indicating the area is contaminated moderately. The exposure to dust containing high silica in quarry workers leads to deterioration of pulmonary function and hence suggesting a need for protective measures of the quarry workers.Key words: Top-soil, heavy toxic metal, limestone quarry, air pollution

Rapid Food Hygiene Inspection Tool (RFHiT) to assess hygiene conformance index (CI) of street food vendors

Street-vended food is a popular choice among consumers as they are cheap, convenient and easily accessible, especially in Asia. Studies have assessed street food vendors’ food safety and microbiological quality of street-vended foods and overall findings revealed gaps and inconsistencies in hygiene practices. High numbers of street food vendors vs low numbers of environmental health officers and limited time remains a challenge in most developing countries in assessing the hygiene compliance of food services. Most inspections rely on paper-based assessments of the cleanliness and hygiene practices of staff. This study developed a Rapid Food Hygiene Inspection Tool (RFHiT) to assess and calculate the hygiene conformance index (CI) of 95 street food vendors. RFHiT allows rapid assessment as it takes less than 20 minutes to assess each street food vendor. 51.30% of the street food vendors were rated as moderately clean whilst 14.25% were rated as poor and 0.95% as very poor. 20% of the vendors achieved a good rating with six street-food vendors rated as excellent. The proposed tool further demonstrated practical implications of using the rapid inspection tool to assess actual hygienic practices of street food vendors, thus reducing the Hawthorne effect among food handlers