The phytochemical analysis and antimicrobial screening of extracts of Olax subscorpioidea

The antimicrobial activities of the aqueous and ethanoic extracts of the stem of Olax subscorpioidea were evaluated. The ethanoic extract showed considerable activity on both the fungi and bacteria with zones of inhibition ranging from 7.2 mm to 21.5 mm, with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 5 to 45 mg/ml, while the aqueous extract was only active against three of the test organisms used. Phytochemical test reveals the presence of alkaloids, steroids, and flavonoids together with otheractive ingredients in the ethanoic extract with the exception of saponins which is present in the aqueous extract alone

Molecular diagnosis of MDR-TB using GenoType MTBDRplus 96 assay in Ibadan, Nigeria

Summary: Multidrug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is of great public health importance worldwide. This three month laboratory- based study (1st September-30th November, 2011) was carried out at the TB laboratories of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria to determine the magnitude of MDR-TB using molecular based GenoType MTBDRplus 96 assay. Two sputum samples were collected from each subject. These were processed using Ziehl -Neelsen (ZN) reagents. The sputa were cultured on Loewenstein-Jensen egg –based medium and incubated at 370C for eight weeks. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) was confirmed by colonial morphology and repeat ZN staining. All the Acid-fast bacill (AFB) positive smears and culture positive isolates were tested for genetic identification and drug susceptibility testing (DST) using PCR- based GenoType MTBDRplus 96 assay (HAINs Lifesciences, GmbH, Nehren, Germany) according to manufacturers’ instructions. Of the 68 samples processed, 11 (16.2%) were AFB positive while six (8.8%) were positive for culture. Eleven (64.7%) out of the 17 samples tested for genetic identification were MTBC while six were Non Tuberculosis  Mycobacteria (NTM). All NTM were from AFB positive sputum while none was from culture positive isolates. Of the six culture isolates tested for DST, three (33.3%) were susceptible to isoniazid and rifampicin; one (16.7%) showed mono-resistance to isoniazid while two (30.0%) were resistant to the two drugs. This study shows that MDR-TB is present in Ibadan. There is a need to make DST diagnostic facilities more available and accessible in Nigeria.Keywords: Molecular diagnosis, MDR-TB, GenoType MTBDRplus 96assay, Ibadan, Nigeri

Anti-tuberculosis activities of the crude methanolic extract and purified fractions of the bulb of Crinum jagus

Summary: Tuberculosis (TB) is of great public health burden globally especially in developing countries of Africa and Asia . Current TB regimen involves multiple therapies and of long duration leading to poor patient adherence. There is also the challenge of multidrug resistant TB. Hence, there is a need for discovery of new anti- TB drugs. This study was designed to investigate the in –vitro activity of the crude methanolic extract and chromatographic fractions of the bulb of Crinum jagus against Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. The extracts were screened for anti- TB activity against three different M. tuberculosis isolates and a drug susceptible reference strain H37Rv using Lowenstein Jensen (L-J) medium and Middlebrook 7H10agar. The crude extract was prepared using soxhlet extraction apparatus while the purified fractions were obtained by column chromatography. The two media were inoculated with M. tuberculosis strains, after which the crude and purified extracts were added. After 4-6 weeks incubation, colony forming units were counted and percentage inhibition calculated. The crude extract and the purified fractions showed inhibitory activity on all the isolates tested including the reference strain. Fraction 3 showed the highest inhibitory percentage (86%) among the extracts. At a concentration of 1.0mg/ml, the percentage inhibition of fraction 3, rifampicin and isoniazid against M. tuberculosis strain 3 were 83%, 95% and 86% in L-J medium respectively while 86%, 96% and 89% were obtained respectively in Middle brook medium. Results showed that the crude methanolic extract and the purified fractions of the bulb of Crinum jagus exhibited anti-mycobacterial activity which is an indication of promising potential of this plant for the development of anti-tuberculosis agent.Keywords: Crinum jagus, Chromatographic fractions, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, In-vitr

Biological studies on albino rats fed with Sorghum bicolorstarch hydrolyzed with &#8733-amylase from Rhizopus sp.

Partially purified amylase was extracted from the culture medium of Rhizopus sp. grown in potato dextrose broth for 48 h at room temperature by precipitation with 96.9% ethanol. The enzyme was usedto hydrolyze sorghum starch. The hydrolyzed product was afterwards formulated into rat feed, which was fed to albino rats for a period of thirty days. The average daily body weight of the albino rats fed with hydrolyzed formulated feed on the 30th day of the experiment was 131 g while the values recorded for the groups fed with unhydrolyzed and commercial feed were 120 and 97.4 grams respectively. Thehematological analysis revealed that the packed cell volume (PCV), Hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cells (RBC), mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) of the group fed with hydrolyzed formulated feed of 51.8%, 16.9 g/dl, 8.7 x 105 ƒÊl-1 and 32.7%, respectively, were higher than the experimental animals fed with commercial feed with values of 44.2%, 14.4 g/dl, 7.7 x 10

Determination of the growth rate and volume of lipid produced by Lipomyces species isolated from shear butter leaf (Vitellaria paradoxa)

A Lipomyces strains was isolated from shear butter leaf (Vitellaria paradoxa) by placing the leaf sample in 10 ml of sterile distilled water containing 0.002 g of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and incubatedfor 3 days at 28oC. A drop of this was subsequently streaked nitrogen free medium. For determination of growth rate and volume of lipid produced, 24 h culture of the Lipomyces species isolated was washed into each of the following medium: yeast extract both (YE), nitrogen free broth (NF), maize broth free of salts (MF), maize broth with salts (MB), sorghum broth with salts (SB) and sorghum broth free of salts (SF). These were incubated for 7 days at 28oC on a shaker, and the lipid produced was extracted by using diethyl ether. The Lipomyces species was found to be able to grow and produce lipid more efficiently in yeast extract broth than in other medium used. The organism produced 25 ml of lipid per 8 g of glucose in yeast extract broth

Relationships as determinants of substance use amongst street children in a local

Background: Unrestrained exposure to street life often makes the street child vulnerable to psychoactive substances. In other settings, the social relationships of the substance user with those around him or her and family norms of parenting have been docu-mented to modulate use. However, there is a dearth of literature on the role of relationships in substance use in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study of street children was conducted in a local government area of south-western Nigeria between November 2004 and March 2005, with data analysis being undertaken in April 2005 and November 2006. A cluster sampling method was used to recruit 360 consenting street children into the study. Information was collected on socio-demographic characteristics, parental and friend connectedness, familial stress and current psychoactive substance use. Results: The mean age was 16.2 ± 1.3 years, and there were more males (58.3%) than females. Most of the respondents (65%) were still living with their parents. Fifty-three per cent of the respondents were current psychoactive substance users and the five commonest substances used were kola nut (58.6%), alcohol (43.6%), tobacco (41.4%), marijuana (25.4%) and “sokudaye” (24.9%). Of the respondents who live alone and of those whose fathers work outside of the town, 84% and 57.9% respectively were more likely to be current users at P < 0.05. Similarly, low connectedness with mother and friends and low parental presence were significantly associated with current substance use (75.7%, 77.5% and 58.3% respectively at P < 0.05). On logistic regression, only low con- nectedness with mother (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.194.98) and friend (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.705.72) predicted current substance use. Conclusion: The study documented the important role of positive relationships between street children and their friends/mothers in preventing psychoactive substance use South African Family Practice Vol. 50 (5) 2008: pp. 47-47

Toxin production in food as influenced by pH, thermal treatment and chemical preservatives

Sixteen foods borne bacteria were isolated from raw food samples including okro, carrot, spinach, pepper, tomato, onion and cooked food samples (rice, yam, beans, meat and plantain). The isolateswere characterized and identified as Bacillus brevis, Bacillus congulans, Bacillus polymyxa, Bacillus lentus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus subtilis, Acinetobacter spp., Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella aerogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Alcaligenes spp., Corynebacterium spp., Enterobacter aerogenes, Enterobacter spp. and Staphylococcus epidermidis. These isolates were screened on egg yolk agar fortoxigenic properties and thirteen of the sixteen were positive for toxin production while three were negative. Six out of the thirteen toxigenic bacterial were selected for further work. These were; E. coli,K. aerogenes, C. freundii, B. polymyxa, S. epidermidis and E. aerogenes. The effect of pH, thermal treatment and chemical preservatives on the growth rate and toxin elaboration of E. coli, K. aerogenes, C. freundii, B. polymyxa, S. epidermidis and E. aerogenes was studied. It was observed that E. coli had no viable growth until 48 h of incubation, while the other five isolates had visible growth right from the 24 h of incubation. Also E. coli did not produce toxin until the 96th hour of incubation; K. aerogenes and E. aerogenes were able to produce toxin at 24 h of incubation, while C. freundii, B. polymyxa and S.epidermidis produced toxin at 48 h of incubation. Also, 44°C was not suitable for toxin production. pH 3 and 5 were less favorable for toxin production despite the fact that isolates were able to grow at different temperature and pH ranges. The isolate were more sensitive to sodium metabisulfite than benzoic acid. Also, E. coli and K. aerogenes were able to elaborate toxin in their dormant state with 750mg of sodium metabisulfite

Socio-demographic characteristics of street children in rural communities undergoing urbanization

Background: The concept of the street child in rural communities has received little attention. This study describes the sociodemographic characteristics of the street children found in a group of rural communities.Method: This descriptive study is nested in a cross sectional analytical study of street children in a group of rural communities undergoing urbanization. A cluster sample of street children as defined by the United Nations was taken in the seven chosen political wards.Results: Majority of the street children (88.9%) were within the age group 15-17 years with more males (58.3%) than females  (41.7%). Up to 64.7% had attained secondary level education while only 3.9% had no formal education. A high percentage, (61.4%) were still attending school and 15.8% had no work. Of those who work on the streets, being an apprentice (16.4%), petty trading (15.0%), part-time driving (9.5%) and car washing (5.0%) were the commonest types of work. Of those still schooling, 41.6% had no form of part-time work on the streets. None of the street children lived on the street with 65% still living with parents.However, 75% had been involved in the street life for 1-2 years with a median time of 2 years. More than 30% of their parents work outside town.Conclusion: The street child in rural communities differs from the urban perception which often has to do with those living rough and existing outside the family framework. More studies would be needed on the driving factors for street life in rural communities undergoing urbanization.Keywords: Street children, rural communities, socio-demographic  characteristic

The managed hypertensive: the costs of blood pressure control in a Nigerian town

Background: The health systems designed to cater for patients with chronic illnesses like hypertension have not fully evaluated the burden oflong term therapy and its effect on patient outcome. This study assessed the financial implication and cost effectiveness of hypertension treatmentin a rural Nigerian town. Methods: A chart review of 250 rural patients with primary hypertension at a regional hospital in Southwest Nigeria wasconducted. Results: The mean age of patients was 61±11.2 years, 59.2% were females, 67% had an income &lt; .20,000 ($133.3) monthly.Diuretics and alpha-Methyl Dopa were the most prescribed drugs. The median number of prescribed drugs was two (range1-4). Mean cost oftreatment was .1440±560 ($9.6±3.7) with 52.8% spending = 10% of their income on treatment. The most cost effective therapies were MethylDopa and Diuretics with Cost-effectiveness ratios of 8 and 12.8 respectively. Patients with co-morbidities, stage 2 hypertension and those on three or four drug regimen had significantly higher treatment costs. Conclusion: The financial burden of long term antihypertensive therapy appears substantial, cost reduction strategies are needed to optimize hypertension treatment in societies with limited resources. Hypertensive management therefore requires a response adapted to the local context.Key words: Hypertensive, management, financial, cost, time, burden, Nigeria, therapy, patients, drugs, resource

Health Literacy Amongst Tuberculosis Patient in a General Hospital in North Central Nigeria

Background: Healthy literacy has been shown to improve health care access and adherence to Tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Still it remains largely unstudied in many high risks, underserved and low literacy African populations. This study aims to bridge the existing knowledge gap by assessing health literacy among patients with TB in a rural town in Northern Nigeria.Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted among patients who attended the TB clinic of a secondary health care facility in Babura, Jigawa State, Nigeria between Oct 2008 and March 2009. All patients who visited the TB clinic during this period were interviewed.Result: Many (71.6%) reported having been educated about TB by a health worker, mostly on predisposing factors 43.2%, general facts (31.1%) and disease process (21.6%) but less on patient's role in disease management (1.4%). Functional health literacy was high; mean score was 7.9±0.3 out of 10. Knowledge about the disease process, diagnostic requirements and treatment regimen were the highest. However 97.3% felt drugs were no longer necessary once symptoms abated. Patient involvement in treatment decisions was also suboptimal as only 52.7% reported making a joint decision about drug “pick up” options with their physicians.Conclusion: Very high functional literacy score seemed to have been achieved among these rural low literacy TB patients even without a structured health literacy program. However patient participation in treatment seems to be underemphasized and was thus suboptimal. An important gap in patient education regarding continued TB treatment was identified and should be targeted for intervention.Keywords: Health Literacy, Tuberculosis, General Hospital, Nigeri