Phytoplankton abundance and distribution of fish earthen ponds in Lagos, Nigeria

The study investigated phytoplankton abundance and distribution under different pond management to determine the effect of some physicochemical parameters on the community structure of three onresearch fish earthen ponds of Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Badore, Lagos. Samples were taken every week using standard procedure. Water quality parameters; temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, salinity and pH were measured and found to be within the optimal ranges for phytoplankton productivity. Seventeen (17) phytoplankton species belonging to family Chlorophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae were identified. Densities of the phytoplankton ranged from 01.85 x 103 cells L-3 to 25.90 x 103 cells L-3 in the ponds; Chlorophyceae being the most abundant. Mean cell densities of the phytoplankton were significantly different (P<0.05). Few phytoplankton species were present in all the Ponds. The spatial distribution of Bacillariophyceae in ponds 1, 2 and 3 were 41.7%, 41.7% and 16.8%, while those of Euglenophyceae were 50%, 50% and 0% respectively. Shannon Wiener diversity index was 1.263 in Pond 1, 1.265 in pond 2 and 1.078 in Pond 3. Pond 1 had the highest phytoplankton percentage (94.11%). Correlation coefficients were calculated for abundance with pH, DO and temperature. Abundance was positively correlated with the temperature variations and levels of DO but negatively correlated with the pH. Results of phytoplankton abundance of the three ponds clearly showed theinfluences of the physicochemical factors on diversity, distribution and abundance of phytoplankton which indirectly affects aquaculture potentials.Keywords: phytoplankton abundance, diversity, distribution, fish earthen ponds, physicochemica

Culture trial of (Peneaus) Penaeus monodon in concrete tank

Culture trial of the Tiger Shrimp (Peneaus monodon) was carried out in one of the grow-out concrete tanks at Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, Victoria Island, Lagos. A total of 264 post larvae of P. monodon (PL 30) produced at the Institute’s shrimp hatchery complex were used for the experiment which lasted for 157 days. Coppens Catco feed of 0.8 - 1.2mm size was used to feed the post larvae throughout the duration of the experiment. The results showed that the shrimps grew from an initial mean body weight of 1.763g at stocking to 19.538g at the end of the experiment. The daily growth rate was 0.113g/day while specific growth rate was 1.532 %. Food Conversion Ratio (FCR) was 3.362 while survival rate was 90%. The study has shown that P. monodon can be successfully cultured in concrete tanks. However further studies aimed at improving growth rate will be undertaken

Collection of broodstock and juveniles of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii from the wild

A total of 457 broodstock and 143,000 juveniles of Macrobrachium vollenhovenii were collected at Isheri Olofin area and Okunmanya River over a period of time. They were transported live to the shrimp hatchery of NIOMR in Lagos. Live transportation of the broodstock of M.vollenhovenii with body weight ranging from 71.0-264.5g in liter-capacity plastic containers half-filled with water, recorded 98-100% survival rate between 80-110 minutes transportation time. However, live transportation of the juvenile in 50 liters capacity plastic containers without water recorded survival rates ranging from 20-66% while those carried with water and aerated recorded 12.5-93.75%. An air conditioned vehicle was used during the live transportation. Higher mortality rate was recorded for the juvenile than the broodstocks due to large number transported in additoin to the small-size gear used for trapping the jiveniles. The study has developed a simple technology for the collection and transportation of live specimens of broodstock and juveniles of M. vollenhovenii. Efforts will be made to increase survival of the juveniles through the use of larger containers and gears

Design and construction of a shrimp hatchery for the breeding of the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon

A shrimp hatchery for the breeding of the black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon was constructed by the Nigeria Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research in 2008 by the reconstruction of an existing old shrimp hatchery. The new shrimp hatchery comprises of the following: water treatment, water storage, broodstock maturation, spawning/incubation, nursery and micro-algae units. The design included the construction of a concrete sump for the collection and treatment of wastewater before disposal, in addition to an aeration unit equipped with root blower for adequate supply of dissolved oxygen. The reconstructed NIOMR shrimp hatchery has been successfully used for the production of post larvae, which are presently being reared to adult shrimp in concrete tanks. The successful completion of the shrimp hatchery and breeding of P. monodon has confirmed that the species can be spawned and reared to adult size in Nigeria for local and export markets

Whole-genome sequencing reveals host factors underlying critical COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 is caused by immune-mediated inflammatory lung injury. Host genetic variation influences the development of illness requiring critical care1 or hospitalization2,3,4 after infection with SARS-CoV-2. The GenOMICC (Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care) study enables the comparison of genomes from individuals who are critically ill with those of population controls to find underlying disease mechanisms. Here we use whole-genome sequencing in 7,491 critically ill individuals compared with 48,400 controls to discover and replicate 23 independent variants that significantly predispose to critical COVID-19. We identify 16 new independent associations, including variants within genes that are involved in interferon signalling (IL10RB and PLSCR1), leucocyte differentiation (BCL11A) and blood-type antigen secretor status (FUT2). Using transcriptome-wide association and colocalization to infer the effect of gene expression on disease severity, we find evidence that implicates multiple genes—including reduced expression of a membrane flippase (ATP11A), and increased expression of a mucin (MUC1)—in critical disease. Mendelian randomization provides evidence in support of causal roles for myeloid cell adhesion molecules (SELE, ICAM5 and CD209) and the coagulation factor F8, all of which are potentially druggable targets. Our results are broadly consistent with a multi-component model of COVID-19 pathophysiology, in which at least two distinct mechanisms can predispose to life-threatening disease: failure to control viral replication; or an enhanced tendency towards pulmonary inflammation and intravascular coagulation. We show that comparison between cases of critical illness and population controls is highly efficient for the detection of therapeutically relevant mechanisms of disease

Postprandial effects of long-term niacin/laropiprant use on glucose and lipid metabolism and on cardiovascular risk in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

In PCOS, niacin/laropiprant had a significant negative impact on postprandial glucose and no improvement in postprandial hypertriglyceridaemia, with at least the former mediated through increased IR and reduced ?-cell function. This data may help explain why the improvement in fasting lipids has not translated into improved CV risk markers in PCO

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran

Additional file 4 of Mapping age- and sex-specific HIV prevalence in adults in sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2018

Additional file 4: Supplemental results.1. README. 2. Prevalence range across districts. 3. Prevalence range between sexes. 4. Prevalence range between ages. 5. Age-specific district ranges