Proximate analysis and total lycopene content of some tomato cultivars obtained from Kano State, Nigeria

Standard analytical techniques were employed to determine the proximate composition and lycopene content of three tomato cultivars namely: Roma VF, Ronita and UTC grown in six local government areas of Kano state, Nigeria. Results indicated mean values of 0.15±0.03, 0.16±0.01, 0.15±0.01% titratable acidity; 8.36±0.01, 8.14±0.02, 8.25±0.03% total soluble solids; 1.19±0.04, 1.25±0.03, 1.12±0.01% crude fiber; 2.26±0.05, 2.32±0.02, 2.60±0.02% crude protein; 0.18±0.01, 0.14±0.01, 0.14±0.02% ash content; 90.75±0.03, 88.43±0.04, 84.15±0.01% moisture content; 3.73±0.09, 4.59±0.09, 4.34±0.18 mg/100g vitamin C and 6.88±0.06, 6.88±0.02, 7.83±0.04 mg/100g lycopene content for Roma VF, Ronita and UTC respectively. The levels of the proximate parameters and lycopene contents have shown that the cultivars were of high nutritional quality and can be good sources of raw material for industrial use due to their high total soluble solids which are twice the minimum level recommended for tomato to be employed for industrial processing.Keywords: Antioxidant, lycopene content, proximate composition, tomato cultivar

Purification characterization and inhibition studies on Phospholipase C from Opisthacanthus capensis (Black Scorpion) venom

Phospholipase C from Opisthacanthus capensis venom was partially purified and characterized. The enzyme was purified 105.2 fold with an overall yield of 13% using various purification steps involving ammonium sulphate precipitation, protamine sulphate treatment, sephadex G-75  fractionation and DE-52 anion exchange chromatography. The purified enzyme was  homogeneous with a molecular weight of 29 kDa. The  phospholipase C has pH and temperature optima of 7.2 and 600C, respectively with activation energy of 25KJ/mol and t1/2 of 1.50 hr. Initial velocity studies on O. capensis venom phospholipase C revealed a KM of 0.02 mM and Vmax of 0.015 μmol/min. Studies on the effect of pH on KM and Vmax gave PKa1 of 6.9 and PKa2 of 7.4 with enthalpy of ionization of 20 KJ/mol suggesting  histidine in the active site. The enzyme was positively modulated by Mg2+, Zn2+ and Ca2+ and negatively by Fe2+. While Hg2+ produced complete inhibition. Various concentrations of leaf aqueous extract of Momordica charantia also inhibited the activity of O. capensis venom phospholipase C in vitro with a competitive pattern. This study revealed the presence of phospholipase C in O. capensis venom and gave some scientific basis for the use of theplant in the treatment of scorpion envenomation.Keywords: Phospholipase C; Opisthacanthus capensis;  Momordica charantia; Veno

Contamination of Gloved Hands by Multidrug Resistant Bacteria during Small Animal Surgery Wet-labs and its Potential Implication for Occurrence of Surgical Site Infections

This study was carried out to evaluate the level of asepsis at various stages of the surgical procedures during the undergraduatestudents’ wet-lab sessions. Skin and/or wound swabs were collected from different wet lab groups, sessions and stages. The swabs were processed for bacteriological isolation using standard microbiological procedures. A total of 62 isolates of bacteria belonging to 8 genera: Staphylococcus (n=38), Streptococcus (n=1), Corynebacterium n=4), Escherichia (n=7), Proteus (n=8), Klebsiella (n=2), Serratia (n=1) and Acinetobacter (1), were isolated. The most commonly isolated species of bacteria were Staphylococcus equorum (n=31) and Proteus spp.(n=7), which were detected in swabs from ungloved and gloved hands of surgeon and his assistant, patient’s surgical sites and surgical site infections. All the isolates (Gram-positive and negative) were resistant to at least one antibiotic with resistance to the β-lactam antibiotics: ampicillin (89.3% and 100% and amoxicillin (75% and 100%) most observed. The bacteria were more susceptible to doxycycline (75%) and imipenem (87.5%) respectively. Majority of the isolates (83.3%, n=30) were multidrug resistant, presenting in one of 24 different multidrug resistance patterns. The detection of these bacteria from the normally aseptic surgical procedure indicates a break in asepsis. Similarly, the danger of spreading multidrug resistant bacteria to the surgical wounds may result in wound infection,dehiscence, delayed healing and increased cost of post-surgical management. It is recommended that adherence to stringent pre-surgical and intra-surgical asepsis should be observed. Keywords: Small animal; Wet-labs; Contamination; Aerobic bacteria; Multi-drug resistanc

Is the restoration of bowel sounds a prerequisite for initiating enteral feeding following pediatric laparotomy? A randomized control trial

Introduction: Enteral nutrition is the mainstay of nutritional support in surgical patients. Ileus is the temporary inhibition of peristalsis. Primary post-operative ileus (PPI) occurs postoperatively; thence patients are traditionally kept on nil per oris (NPO) until PPI resolves, due to safety concerns. This study aims to determine the necessity or otherwise of this practice in paediatric surgical patients. Materials and methods: A prospective, randomized control trial, in patients younger than 15 years. The early feeding group (EFG) commenced enteral feeding on the first post-operative day while controls commenced feeding after resolution of PPI. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0, P ≤ 0.05 was regarded as significant. The primary outcome was tolerability of enteral feeds while secondary outcomes were complication rates, time to full enteral diet, and duration of hospital stay. Results: There were 56 patients, 28 in each study group. Tolerability of oral feeds at initial commencement was similar in both groups (24 (85.7%) EFG versus 27 (96.4%) controls P = 0.16). Full enteral feeding was achieved faster in EFG than in controls (71.1 ± 28.7 hours versus 92.5 ± 31.4 hours, p=0.011). Post-operative hospital stay was shorter in EFG than controls (7.46 ± 3.8 days versus11.1 ± 5.2 days, p=0.009). Conclusions: Early enteral feeding was well tolerated, brought about a faster return to a full enteral diet, and shorter post-operative hospital stay, it also did not cause a higher complication rate. Therefore, delaying feeding until the resolution of PPI after laparotomy appears unnecessary