Corrosion Inhibition Behaviour for Mild Steel by Extracts of Musa sapientum Peels in HCl Solution: Kinetics and Thermodynamics Study

Staff PublicationThe inhibition of the corrosion of mild steel by acid extract of Musa sapientum peels in 1M HCl was investigated using weight loss method. The results showed that the corrosion rate of mild steel in 1M HCl decreases with increase in concentration of the extracts and the values were in the range 0.013021 - 0.002127 ghr-1 cm-2 . The inhibition efficiency increases progressively as the concentration of the extracts increases up to about 4% (v/v), above which, further increase in extract concentration did not cause any significant change in the inhibition efficiency. Effects of temperature on the inhibition efficiency of the extracts showed that inhibition efficiency decreases with increase in temperature. Activation energy (Ea) was found to be 61.60 Kjmol-1 for 1M HCl and increases to 66.72Kjmol-1 in the presence of Musa sapientum extract. The values for enthalpy of activation and entropy were all positive indicating the endothermic nature of the mild steel dissolution process. Calculated Gibbs free energy was in the range -9.43 to -8.99KJ. Kinetics of the reaction in the presence of the extracts revealed that it follows a first order reaction and the half-life increases as the concentration of the extracts increases suggesting that inhibition efficiency increases with increase in the concentration of the extracts. Preliminary investigation of the phytochemical constituents showed that Musa sapientumcontains tannin, flavonoid, terpenoid and some other compounds in trace constituents

Fulminant necrotizing fasciitis following the use of herbal concoction: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare and life-threatening rapidly progressive soft tissue infection. A fulminant case could involve muscle and bone. Necrotizing fasciitis after corticosteroid therapy and intramuscular injection of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs has been reported. We present a case of fulminant necrotizing fasciitis occurring in a patient who used a herbal concoction to treat a chronic leg ulcer.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 20-year-old Ibo woman from Nigeria presented with a three-year history of recurrent chronic ulcer of the right leg. She started applying a herbal concoction to dress the wound two weeks prior to presentation. This resulted in rapidly progressive soft tissue necrosis that spread from the soft tissue to the bone, despite aggressive emergency debridement. As a result she underwent above-knee amputation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The herbal concoction used is toxic, and can initiate and exacerbate necrotizing fasciitis. Its use for wound dressing should be discouraged.</p

Hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT It has been reported from several Caucasian studies that there is an epidemiological association between hepatitis c virus infection and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to determine whether any such relationship exists in a black African population. To determine the prevalence of Hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with diabetes mellitus in North-Eastern Nigeria. Hospital -based cross-sectional study. Medical out-patient clinic and the Blood bank of the Federal Medical Centre, Yola. Nigeria. From June, 2008 to December 2009, Two hundred and eighty consecutively recruited diabetes mellitus patients comprising 108 males and 172 females were screened for HCV infection. These were compared with five hundred and ninetyfive voluntary blood donors who were screened during the same period. Serological testing for HCV infection was carried out with anti-HCV using Enzyme Linked Immuno-sorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The bio-data of the patients, history and duration of diabetes mellitus, history of jaundice, blood transfusion were recorded on a proforma. Out of the 280 diabetes mellitus patients tested, twenty-six were positive for anti-HCV antibodies giving an infection rate of 9.3% compared with fourteen subjects out of 595 voluntary blood donors 2.4% (p=0.0000105). History of blood transfusion, and jaundice was positively correlated with presence of HCV infection in diabetic patients. Hepatitis C virus is more common in Nigerian patients with diabetes mellitus than in non-diabetic control subjects. It may be necessary to screen patients with diabetes mellitus for hepatitis c virus infection particularly those with history of blood transfusion and jaundice

Hydrothermic Reduction of Rutile-Ilmenite Mineral Producing an Oxyhydride η-Ti2FeO0.2H2.8: Towards In-Situ Hydrogen Production and Storage

As an alternative to the physical storage of hydrogen as compressed gas or liquid hydrogen requiring high-pressure tanks and cryogenic temperatures, the material-based storage of hydrogen in solids involves hydrogen uptake and release from the surface of adsorbents or within interstitials of hydrides. We report a hydrothermic reduction of rutile-ilmenite mineral into hydrogen-rich fibrous products, η-Ti2FeO0.2H2.8, in an ethanol-water system at 120°C for 4 hrs. As part of a project to generate hydrogen from water-ethanol system using advanced catalysts containing graphene oxide (GO) as carbon source, a system of 62.5 μg graphene oxide per g of rutile-ilmenite mineral was employed in a concentration of 50 mg/mL of ethanol-water solution. As well as in the original mineral, XRD of thermal annealed mineral between 500 and 800°C showed no hydride or phase change in rutile-ilmenite. With hydrothermal treatment of GO/rutile-ilmenite (50 mg/mL) in ethanol-water (1:1 v/v) at 120°C, a hydrogen-rich ferrotitanium hydride phase was formed, and there was a change in morphology from plate-like and granular particles into fibrous structures. Like the release of hydrogen by its ‘carriers’ (e.g., CaH2, NH4BH4, NaBH4, NH3, formic acid), it is anticipated that hydrogen was generated from the ethanol-water system in-situ, which reduced the rutile-ilmenite mineral into a hydride. EDX results showed that the reduction affected specifically the oxides of Fe and aluminosilicates in the mineral. The study demonstrated a possibility of in-situ hydrogen generation and storage via low-temperature graphene oxide hydrothermic reduction of rutile-ilmenite mineral in an ethanol-water system

Between life and death: exploring the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in rural Ethiopia

The high prevalence of antenatal common mental disorders in sub-Saharan Africa compared to high-income countries is poorly understood. This qualitative study explored the sociocultural context of antenatal mental distress in a rural Ethiopian community. Five focus group discussions and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with purposively sampled community stakeholders. Inductive analysis was used to develop final themes. Worry about forthcoming delivery and fears for the woman’s survival were prominent concerns of all participants, but only rarely perceived to be pathological in intensity. Sociocultural practices such as continuing physical labour, dietary restriction, prayer and rituals to protect against supernatural attack were geared towards safe delivery and managing vulnerability. Despite strong cultural norms to celebrate pregnancy, participants emphasised that many pregnancies were unwanted and an additional burden on top of pre-existing economic and marital difficulties. Short birth interval and pregnancy out of wedlock were both seen as shameful and potent sources of mental distress. The notion that pregnancy in traditional societies is uniformly a time of joy and happiness is misplaced. Although antenatal mental distress may be self-limiting for many women, in those with enduring life difficulties, including poverty and abusive relationships, poor maternal mental health may persist

Reaching the unreached: de-mystifying the role of ICT in the process of doctoral research

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become a necessary element of academic practice in higher education today. Under normal circumstances, PhD students from all disciplines have to use ICT in some form throughout the process of their research, including the preparation, fieldwork, analysis and writing phases of their studies. Nevertheless, there has been little research to date that explores PhD students’ first-hand experiences of using various ICT to support their research practices. This paper brings together the findings and the key points from a review of significant parts of the existing literature associated with the role played by ICT in the processes PhD students use in doctoral research. The review is based on 27 papers appearing in international peer-reviewed journals published from 2005 to 2014. The study seeks to address the under-researched area in the current literature of how ICT plays a role in the processes of doctoral research. While there are many contributions taking the ‘institutional’ or ‘teaching’ perspectives, papers focusing on ‘student’ perspective, or the viewpoint of engaging ICT in daily study routine, are relatively fewer. As far as research methodology is concerned, this review found that many of the papers that were examined were mostly based on perception data such as surveys or interviews, while actual practice data were rarely present. With their ready access to technologies, PhD students are well positioned to take advantage of a range of technologies in order to carry out their research efficiently (in terms of means to an end) and effectively (in terms of reaching goals within a task). This review reveals that in the literature, this important area is under-represented

Injectable gellan gum-based nanoparticles-loaded system for the local delivery of vancomycin in osteomyelitis treatment

Infection spreading in the skeletal system leading to osteomyelitis can be prevented by the prolonged administration of antibiotics in high doses. However systemic antibiotherapy, besides its inconvenience and often low efficacy, provokes numerous side effects. Thus, we formulated a new injectable nanoparticle-loaded system for the local delivery of vancomycin (Vanc) applied in a minimally-invasive way. Vanc was encapsulated in poly(Llactide- co-glycolide) nanoparticles (NPs) by double-emulsification. The size (258 ± 11 nm), polydispersity index (0.240 ± 0.003) and surface potential (-25.9 ± 0.2 mV) of NPs were determined by dynamic light scattering and capillary electrophoresis measurements. They have a spherical morphology and a smooth topography as observed using atomic force microscopy. Vanc loading and encapsulation efficiencies were 8.8 ± 0.1 and 55.2 ± 0.5 %, respectively, based on fluorescence spectroscopy assays. In order to ensure injectability, NPs were suspended in gellan gum and cross-linked with $Ca^{2+}$; also a portion of dissolved antibiotic was added to the system. The resulting system was found to be injectable (extrusion force 11.3 ± 1.1 N), reassembled its structure after breaking as shown by rheology tests and ensured required burst release followed by sustained Vanc delivery. The system was cytocompatible with osteoblast-like MG-63 cells (no significant impact on cells’ viability was detected). Growth of Staphylococcus spp. reference strains and also those isolated from osteomyelitic joints was inhibited in contact with the injectable system. As a result we obtained a biocompatible system displaying ease of application (low extrusion force), self-healing ability after disruption, adjustable drug release and antimicrobial properties