Assessment of expenditure on food among urban households and it’s implication for food security: Evidence from Benue State, Nigeria

The study assessed expenditure on food among urban households in Benue State of Nigeria. This was done with the view to assess household food expenditure and its implications for food security status of the  households; identify and assess determinants that influence household food demand; and analyze the determinants of food security of household urban population. The selection of the sample for the study involved a three-stage sampling technique. Data was collected from 150 households through a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, food security index, multiple linear regression and logit regression were employed to analyze data. The results indicated a mean household expenditure on food that stands at N21,748.00 (140.3 USD) per month. Based on the food security index the households that spent at least N14, 498.67 (93.5 USD) on food per month were categorized as food secure and those who spent below this value were categorized as food insecure. Furthermore, 67.3% of the households were food secure, while 32.7% were food insecure. The study revealed that size of household, income of the household head and price of food commodities were identified as major factors influencing household food demand decisions in the study area. Moreover, size of the household and income of the household head were the main determinants of food demand in the study area (F = 19.78; p . 0.05) just as age and income of household head as well as household size influence the probability that a household will be food secure (ƒÔ2 = 13.77; p > 0.05). The study recommends that household heads should be educated on the need to control family size and to be self-empowered without necessarily depending on government as a way of enhancing their income to improve the household and economic conditions. The government should  strengthen its policy on grain reserves in order to control food prices during scarcity and subsidize farm inputs and availability to boost food production and thus lower food prices.Key words: Food security, Urban, Household, Expenditur

Knowledge, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil Ogi by caregivers in Makurdi, Nigeria

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the major public health challenges in many developing countries affecting mainly children under 5 years of age and contributes to severity of life-threatening infections such as diarrhoea and measles. Over the years, several effective strategies have been adopted to combat vitamin A deficiency with the attendant challenge of sustainability. Food-based approaches based on vitamin A-rich, locally available food sources are considered sustainable and could help in filling this gap. The use of red palm oil among other locally available pro-vitamin A foodstuffs is recommended for incorporation into complementary foods given to children under 5 years of age by health workers in Nigeria. This study was conducted to ascertain the level of awareness, use and sensory evaluation of red palm oil ogi (a cereal-based porridge) by caregivers of under-fives within Makurdi, Nigeria. Data were obtained through a cross-sectional survey and two focus group discussions. The survey involved 100 respondents that were purposively sampled from three well patronized health facilities rendering post-natal services in Makurdi. The results of the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The focus group discussions involved 17 members in two separate groups and responses were sorted and summarized. The results show that though caregivers consider red palm oil as a taboo-free cooking ingredient, knowledge on its use in ogi was low (11%). However, some caregivers were willing to adopt red palm oil ogi provided the method of preparation is demonstrated and presents no adverse effects on the child. Ogi prepared with 5 and 10% red palm oil (w/v) scored 6.8 and 6.6 for maize, 5.9 and 6.0 for millet, respectively for overall acceptability on a 9-point Hedonic scale while ogi without red palm oil was the most acceptable. This study has identified low awareness in the use of red palm oil ogi among caregivers of under-fives in Makurdi; ignorance about red palm oil’s nutritional benefits and  appropriate preparation methods as well as actual concentration of red palm oil to be employed as some of the critical gaps in the use of red palm oil ogi in alleviating the burden of vitamin A deficiency among children under 5 years of age in Makurdi, Nigeria.Key words: Knowledge, Red palm oil, Og

Granulosa cell tumor of the ovary: time to launch a new prospective trial

ope

Impact of trends and gender disparity in obesity on future type 2 diabetes in Turkey: a mathematical modelling analysis.

BACKGROUND: Using a previously developed and validated mathematical model, we predicted future prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and major modifiable risk factors (obesity, physical inactivity and smoking) stratified by age and sex in Turkey up to the year 2050. METHODS: Our deterministic compartmental model fitted nationally representative demographic and risk factor data simultaneously for Turkish adults (aged 20-79) between 1997 and 2017, then estimated future trends. Our novel approach explored the impact of future obesity trends on these projections, specifically modelling (1) a gradual fall in obesity in women after the year 2020 until it equalled the age-specific levels seen in men and (2) cessation of the rise in obesity after 2020. RESULTS: T2DM prevalence is projected to rise from an estimated 14.0% (95% uncertainty interval (UI) 12.8% to 16.0%) in 2020 to 18.4% (95% UI 16.9% to 20.9%) by 2050; 19.7% in women and 17.2% in men by 2050; reflecting high levels of obesity (39.7% for women and 22.0% for men in 2050). Overall, T2DM prevalence could be reduced by about 4% if obesity stopped rising after 2020 or by 12% (22% in women) if obesity prevalence among women could be lowered to equal that of men. The higher age-specific obesity prevalence among women resulted in 2 076 040 additional women developing T2DM by the year 2050. CONCLUSION: T2DM is common in Turkey and will remain so. Interventions and policies targeting the high burden of obesity (and low physical activity levels), particularly in women, could significantly impact future disease burdens

Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of endophytic fungi isolated from plants at the National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Endophytes, microorganisms which reside in plant tissues, have potential in producing novel metabolites for exploitation in medicine. Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of a total of 300 endophytic fungi were investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Endophytic fungi were isolated from various parts of 43 plants from the National Park Pahang, Malaysia. Extracts from solid state culture were tested for cytotoxicity against a number of cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. Antibacterial activity was determined using the disc diffusion method.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 300 endophytes were isolated from various parts of plants from the National Park, Pahang. 3.3% of extracts showed potent (IC₅₀< 0.01 μg/ml) cytotoxic activity against the murine leukemic P388 cell line and 1.7% against a human chronic myeloid leukemic cell line K562. <it>Sporothrix </it>sp. (KK29FL1) isolated from <it>Costus speciosus </it>showed strong cytotoxicity against colorectal carcinoma (HCT116) and human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF7) cell lines with IC₅₀values of 0.05 μg/ml and 0.02 μg/ml, respectively. Antibacterial activity was demonstrated for 8% of the extracts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results indicate the potential for production of bioactive agents from endophytes of the tropical rainforest flora.</p

ACC2 Is Expressed at High Levels Human White Adipose and Has an Isoform with a Novel N-Terminus

Acetyl-CoA carboxylases ACC1 and ACC2 catalyze the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA, regulating fatty-acid synthesis and oxidation, and are potential targets for treatment of metabolic syndrome. Expression of ACC1 in rodent lipogenic tissues and ACC2 in rodent oxidative tissues, coupled with the predicted localization of ACC2 to the mitochondrial membrane, have suggested separate functional roles for ACC1 in lipogenesis and ACC2 in fatty acid oxidation. We find, however, that human adipose tissue, unlike rodent adipose, expresses more ACC2 mRNA relative to the oxidative tissues muscle and heart. Human adipose, along with human liver, expresses more ACC2 than ACC1. Using RT-PCR, real-time PCR, and immunoprecipitation we report a novel isoform of ACC2 (ACC2.v2) that is expressed at significant levels in human adipose. The protein generated by this isoform has enzymatic activity, is endogenously expressed in adipose, and lacks the N-terminal sequence. Both ACC2 isoforms are capable of de novo lipogenesis, suggesting that ACC2, in addition to ACC1, may play a role in lipogenesis. The results demonstrate a significant difference in ACC expression between human and rodents, which may introduce difficulties for the use of rodent models for development of ACC inhibitors

Hamiltonicity below Dirac's condition

Dirac's theorem (1952) is a classical result of graph theory, stating that an $n$-vertex graph ($n \geq 3$) is Hamiltonian if every vertex has degree at least $n/2$. Both the value $n/2$ and the requirement for every vertex to have high degree are necessary for the theorem to hold. In this work we give efficient algorithms for determining Hamiltonicity when either of the two conditions are relaxed. More precisely, we show that the Hamiltonian cycle problem can be solved in time $c^k \cdot n^{O(1)}$, for some fixed constant $c$, if at least $n-k$ vertices have degree at least $n/2$, or if all vertices have degree at least $n/2-k$. The running time is, in both cases, asymptotically optimal, under the exponential-time hypothesis (ETH). The results extend the range of tractability of the Hamiltonian cycle problem, showing that it is fixed-parameter tractable when parameterized below a natural bound. In addition, for the first parameterization we show that a kernel with $O(k)$ vertices can be found in polynomial time