Mycoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil by Pleurotus pulmonarius

Mycoremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon polluted soil was investigated using Pleurotus pulmonarius for a period of 62 days. Hydrocarbon (Petrol + diesel + spent petrol engine oil + spent diesel engine oil in ratio 1:1:1:1) polluted soil in 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration were inoculated and incubated with pure culture of P. pulmonarius obtained from commercial mushroom laboratory of Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (F.I.I.R.O.) Lagos Nigeria. Inoculation was done by adding 20 g of vigorously growing spawn of P. pulmonarius. A set of control treatment was used where different concentrations of the petroleum hydrocarbon were added to all soils but no inoculation with the fungus. The results showed that the initial organic matter content of the soil increased with increase in the concentration of petroleum mixture added to the soil.  The highest impact of P. pulmonarius on the organic matter content of the soil was noticed in soil with 10% concentration treatment (68.34%) and the least was in soil with 2.5% treatment concentration (22.12%). The initial nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents of the soils samples decreased with increase in the petroleum concentration. The difference was significant at 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration of contamination for organic matter, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus (p<0.05). A significant (p<0.05) reduction in concentration of the heavy metals (manganese, copper, and zinc) after 62 days of incubation with P. pulmonarius suggested that the mushroom is a good agent for heavy metal remediation. The highest reduction of Mn was at 10% concentration (24.00±0.04 to 1.73±0.10), Cu at 10% concentration (37.24± 0.02 to 0.00), and Zn was at 10% concentration (63.03±0.02 to 5.75±0.14). The percentage loss of the TPH due the growth of P. pulmonarius decreased with increase in the concentration of petroleum added to the soil. The percentage loss for 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% concentration are 52.60%, 38.71%, 27.20% and 8.31% respectively. Heptane, toluene, octane, M-p xylene, Alpha xylene, nonane, propylbenzene, decane, tridecane, tetradecane, anthracene and pentadecane had high reduction; however, the reduction is more significant (p<0.05) in soil inoculated with P. pulmonarius. Our results suggest that P. pulmonarius can be used to clean soils polluted with moderate level of petroleum products mixtureKey Word: Mycoremediation, petrol, diesel, spent engine oil, P. Pulmonarius, TP

Misconception about ultrasound among Nigerian women attending specialist and tertiary health institutions in Ibadan

Background: In women health, ultrasound is well established as a safe tool, and it is often the first imaging modality employed in the, screening, investigation and treatment of conditions in obstetrics and gynaecology. However, women's misconceptions about health issues, aetiology and treatment of diseases conditions may have negative impact on their health care seeking behaviour. Client's perspective of diagnosis including investigation process is therefore crucial in health care. This study aimed at finding out the misconceptions expressed by clients about ultrasound, and the potential predictors associated with this attitude among women in Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3137 women who presented for transabdominal ultrasound scan between August and November 2010 in two referral hospitals in Nigeria. Data were obtained using a questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate analysis was performed applying logistic regression analysis; predictors of misconceptions  expressed by clients about ultrasound, and misconceptions among women in Nigeria were identified using SPSS Statistics (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) version 17 software.Results: The mean age of the women was 33.8 years (standard deviation = 7.9), with 88.8% currently married. More than half of the responders had tertiary education (56.6%), followed by secondary school education  (34.5%), primary education (7.8%) and no formal education (1.1%). There were 59 women who held the misconception that ultrasound was dangerous to health accounting for 1.9% of the study population. The reasons given by this group of women Included; 'ultrasound can kill or destroys the body cells' (35.6%); it can cause cancer (15.3%); 'the radiation is only dangerous to some organs of the body' (6.8%); it can harm or deform the fetus (6.7%); it is only dangerous when exposure is frequent (5.1%); and only dangerous when handled by unskilled medical personnel (1.7%).Conclusion: This study provides insight to the wide range of issues about clients' perception and misconception regarding ultrasound safety. These issues have to be addressed to improve better compliance and patronage about ultrasound scans in Nigeria. We suggest that robust counseling session is imperative to address all the views and possible concerns of clients to improve better service delivery

Intestinal Helminthiasis among School Children in Ilie, Osun State, Southwest, Nigeria

A cross sectional study of intestinal helminthiasis among school pupils was undertaken in three primary schools in Ilie in Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun state in order to determine the prevalence and intensity of helminthic infections. The relationship between intestinal helminths and anthropometric indices and the factors that could favour the infection were also studied. Faecal samples from three hundred and four (304) randomly selected out of the four hundred and seven (407) school children in the study area were collected and analysed with the semi-quantitative Kato Katz technique and concentrated method. The intensity of infection was classified into light, moderate or high according to World Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds. The overall prevalence rate was 52.0% while five species of intestinal helminths were identified. Ascaris lumbricoides (36.2%) was the most common, followed by Hookworm (10.5%), Schistosoma mansoni (4%), Strongyloides stercoralis (0.7%) and Hymenolepis nana (0.7%). Multiple helminthic infection were recorded with Ascaris –Hookworm (6.58%) having the highest prevalence among the children. Female (56.6%) were more infected than male (46.4%) and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.0019). Seventeen percent (17%) of the children were below the third percentile for weight (wasted) while fourteen percent (14%) were below the third percentile for height (stunted). There was a relationship between intensity of infection and wasting since there were fewer underweight pupils (13%) with normal stool than those moderately infected (35%) (

Clients' reasons for prenatal ultrasonography in Ibadan, South West of Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prenatal ultrasonography has remained a universal tool but little is known especially from developing countries on clients' reasons for desiring it. Then aim was to determine the reasons why pregnant women will desire a prenatal ultrasound.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>It was a cross-sectional survey of consecutive 222 women at 2 different ultrasonography facilities in Ibadan, South-west Nigeria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean age of the respondents was 30.1 ± 4.5 years. The commonest reason for requesting for prenatal ultrasound scans was to check for fetal viability in 144 women (64.7%) of the respondents, followed by fetal gender determination in 50 women (22.6%. Other reasons were to check for number of fetuses, fetal age and placental location. Factors such as younger age, artisans profession and low level of education significantly influenced the decision to check for fetal viability on bivariate analysis but all were not significant on multivariate analysis. Concerning fetal gender determination, older age, Christianity, occupation and gravidity were significant on bivariate analysis, however, only gravidity and occupation remained significant independent predictor on logistic regression model. Women with less than 3 previous pregnancies were about 4 times more likely to request for fetal sex determination than women with more than 3 previous pregnancies, (OR 3.8 95%CI 1.52 – 9.44). The professionals were 7 times more likely than the artisans to request to find out about their fetal sex, (OR 7.0 95%CI 1.47 – 333.20).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study shows that Nigerian pregnant women desired prenatal ultrasonography mostly for fetal viability, followed by fetal gender determination. These preferences were influenced by their biosocial variables.</p

Analysis of Market Performance of Farm-Raised Clarias Gariepinus in the South-Western Nigeria

This paper appraises the market performance of farm – raised catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in the South-Western Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed in the capital cities of the six States in South – Western Nigeria due to their level of catfish consumption by random selection of 80 Catfish Wholesalers (CW) and 155 Catfish Retailers (CR) from the fish markets in the States. Two sets of structured questionnaires were administered on wholesalers and retailers. To evaluate market performance, marketing margins and marketing efficiency were calculated for the wholesalers and retailers. The results showed that transportation costs were 26.65% and 17.50% for wholesalers and retailers respectively, this represented higher percentage in the total marketing costs for each trader. The retailers had higher marketing margin (N85.10/kg) than wholesalers (N69.60/kg). Retailers had higher marketing efficiency of 221.90% than wholesalers (178.23%). High positive gross and profit margin obtained at both levels implied that the sellers were able to cover both their variable and fixed costs. Farm – raised catfish (Clarias gariepinus) marketing was found to be efficient at both scales of operations. It therefore recommended that there is need to improve all the road networks to reduce transportation cost, and credit facilities should be provided for the traders to expand the scale of their operation for higher profits to improve their livelihood.Keywords: Fish marketing, Clarias gariepinus, marketing margin, market efficienc

The Zoonotic Implications of Pentastomiasis in the Royal Python (Python Regius)

Pentastomes are worm-like endoparasites of the phylum Pentastomida found principally in the respiratory tract of reptiles, birds, and mammals. They cause a zoonotic disease known as pentastomiasis in humans and other mammals. The autopsy of a Nigerian royal python (Python regius) revealed two yellowish-white parasites in the lungs, tissue necrosis and inflammatory lesions. The parasite was confirmed to be Armillifer spp (Pentastomid); this is the first recorded case of pentastomiasis in the royal python (Python regius) in Nigeria. This report may be an alert of the possibility of on-going zoonotic transmission of pentastomiasis from snake to man, especially in the sub-urban/rural areas of Nigeria and other West African countries where people consume snake meat

A case of eperythrozoonosis in Royal python (Python requis) in zoological garden in Ibadan, Nigeria

No Abstract

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Obesity among South African Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Obesity contributes to the burden of chronic diseases and it is a public health challenge. The rate of overweight and obesity in South Africa is dramatically on the increase and disturbingly high. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity among adults in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa; which information is lacking. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional survey utilised the WHO STEPwise approach in collecting data on demographic and behavioural factors from 1077 adults attending the three largest out-patient clinics in the Buffalo City Metropolitan municipality, Eastern Cape. Height and weight were measured in accordance with standard procedure. Obesity and overweight were defined according to WHO criteria. We performed bivariate and multivariate (logistic regression) analyses to determine the significant predictors of obesity. RESULTS: The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 24% and 46%, respectively. The prevalence of obesity was higher among female (53.4%) compared to males (27.4%). Obesity was strongly associated with pre-diabetes (250/54.7%, RR=2, 95% CI 1.6-2.6, p=0.001), diabetes (145/59.4%, RR=2.1, 95%CI 1.6-2.9, p=0.001) and hypertension (276/56.2%, RR=2.4, 95%CI 1.9-3.1, p=0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, after adjusting for confounding factors, only age (AOR= 2.0, 95%CI= 1.3-3.0), sex (AOR= 3.8, 95%CI= 2.7-5.3), being married (AOR=2.3, 95%CI= 1.7-3.2), hypertension (AOR=2.0, 95%CI= 1.5-2.8), diabetes (AOR=1.4, 95%CI=1.0-2.0) and no cigarette smoking (AOR= 2.8, 95%CI= 1.7-4.5) were the independent and significant predictors of obesity among the participants. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of obesity was high and strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors. Health policies targeting obesity and cardiovascular risk factors should be prioritised by the Eastern Cape and South African government in order to mitigate the burden of non-communicable diseases

Transvaginal ultrasonography: a survey of the acceptability and its predictors among a native African women population

Omolola M Atalabi1, Imran O Morhason-Bello2, Ademola J Adekanmi1, Anthony O Marinho3, Babatunde O Adedokun4, Adegoke O Kalejaiye3, Kayode Sogo3, Sikiru A Gbadamosi31Department of Radiology; 2Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, College of Medicine/University College Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan; 3St Gregory&amp;#39;s Specialist Clinic and Ultrasound Diagnostic Centre, Yemetu, Ibadan; 4Department of Epidemiology, Medical Statistics, and Environmental Health, College of Medicine, Ibadan, NigeriaObjective: To determine the acceptability of transvaginal ultrasonography (TVU) and associated factors among Nigerian women.Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3137 women who presented for transabdominal ultrasound scan between August and November 2010 in two referral hospitals in Nigeria. Data were obtained using a questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate analysis was performed applying logistic regression analysis; predictors of willingness of participants regarding transvaginal ultrasound were identified using SPSS Statistics (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) version 17 software.Results: The mean age of the women was 33.8 years (standard deviation = 7.9), with 88.8% currently married. About 84% were willing to have TVU, while 54.2% were indifferent about the gender of the sonologist. About 17.3% believed that the procedure is painful. Significant predictors of willingness to have TVU were previous sexual experience and douching, prior painful vaginal examination, and vaginal surgery.Conclusion: The majority of Nigerian women expressed a willingness to have the TVU procedure without necessarily opting for any gender preference of the operator. Women should be adequately counseled on the operations of the procedure so as to be able to psychologically prepare for them.Keywords: transvaginal ultrasound, willingness, Nigeria, Afric

Assessment of Climate Change Adaptive Strategies in Small Ruminant Production in Rural Nigeria

Animals are intrinsically dependent on the environment, and any fluctuations in weather and climate can affect them through water and land changes, such as desertification, feed and water availability. Climate change will not only impact the health and welfare of animals, but also the more than a billion people who depend on them. This study was therefore aimed at evaluating the adaptive measures used by rural farmers to alleviate the effect of climate change on small ruminant (sheep and goats) production in rural Nigeria. The target population for this study was all the small ruminant farmers in the five agro-ecological zones of Nigeria. A total of 300 respondents were interviewed using validated structured interview schedule. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, means and percentage. The result shows that most (71.9%) of the respondents were adults between 20 and 50 years of age. About 35% keep sheep and goats together while others keep either of the species. The most preferred management system is semi-extensive system (64%). Majority (93.2%) of small ruminant farmers in the rural Nigeria were aware of what climate change is all about and about 54% of them had observed changes in climage through personal experience.Majority of them had also observed and attributed changes to effect of climate change on their flock. Majority of them have also used various strategies to combat climate change. Traditional health care and irrigation of pasture during dry season were not effective adaptive strategies to combat climate change.There is need to educate the farmers more on the possible effect of climate change through the use of radio and other extension organizations (government and non-governmental) on the current situation and implication of climate change on themselves and their animal