Antimicrobial activities of honey from different geographical locations on gram negative and positive organisms

Honey samples were obtained from the different agro-ecological zones of Nigeria including: the tropical rainforest, mangrove swamp, plateau grassland, guinea savannah and sudan savannah. The antimicrobial activities of these differently sourced honeys were assessed against six bacteria organisms (Staphylococcus aureaus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were studied using standard methods. Results obtained showed that geographical locations had effects on the antibacterial activities of the different honeys at different concentrations (6.25-100%). Honey originating from Vom, Plateau State showed the highest antimicrobial activity. All the honeys showed varied bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities. None of the honeys produced any effect on Klebsiella aerogenes and Proteus mirabilis. Further work is encouraged

The effect of supplements Bujani Weaner cattle with dried poultry manure based concentrate

Two experiments were conducted at the Livestock Teaching and Research Farm, University of Agriculture; Makurdi to evaluate the effect of dried poultry manure (DPM) based concentrate diets on the performance of Bunaji weaner cattle grazing natural pasture. In experiment 1, ten Bunaji weaner cattle aged between ten and eleven months and weighing approximately 117kg on the average, grazing natural pasture were fed DPM based concentrate diets for 90 days in a complete randomized design. The concentrate diets contained 0, 17.8, 33.7 and 47.96 percent levels of DPM and were designated treatments A, B, C, and D respectively. Animals on treatment E grazed natural pasture only. There was a decreasing trend in body weight gain as the level of DPM in the diets increased. However, no significant difference (P>0.05) were observed in feed intake, body weight gain and feed efficiency among the animals. The daily-weight gain of-the animals that were supplemented with DPM based concentrate diets however was significantly (p<0.05) higher than those on natural pasture alone. The average daily weight gains for treatments A, B, C, D, and E were 0.65kg, 0.60kg, 0.48kg, 0.44kgand 0.10kg respectively. In experiment 2, four male Bunaji weaner cattle with an average ag^ of 13.5 months and weight of 129.5kg cere used ina4x4 latin square digestion trial to evaluate the utilization of the experimental diets. DM, CP, CF, EE and NFE digestibilities were not significantly different (P>0.05) among the treatments. There was however, a decreasing trend in the digestibilities of DM, CP, CF, EE and NFE as the level of DPM in diets increased. DM digestibility were 71.85, 68.53, 65.84 and 60.75 per cent for diets A, B, C and D. CP digestibilities were 80.14, 6.60, 73.91 and 71.68 per cent for diets A, B, C, and D respectively. The CF digestibilities were 56.19,51.48, 9.02 and 45.04 percent; EE digestibilities were 87.81,86.35,85.50, and 85.95percent while the NFE digestibilities were 79.26, 78.46, 77.30 and 74.61 percent for diets A, B, C, and D respectively. The nutritional and practical significance of these results are discussed. Keywords: Supplementation, weaner cattle, poultry manure

Causes of the Northern Gulf of Guinea Cold Event in 2012

International audienceParticularly cool sea surface temperatures (SSTs) were observed in 2012 along the Northern Gulf of Guinea coast. This strong cooling event was seen from February to June and reached maxima in the coastal upwelling areas: SST anomalies of −1°C were observed in Sassandra Upwelling area in Côte d'Ivoire (SUC, situated east of Cape Palmas) and SST anomalies of −0.5°C were observed in Takoradi Upwelling area in Ghana (TUG, located east of Cape Three Points). In SUC and TUG regions, the 2012 decrease in SST was the coldest event recorded over the 1990-2018 period (29 years). From the analysis of regional simulations, we show that the mechanisms behind this SST decrease differ in the two regions. In the SUC region, we identify changes in both zonal advection (related to zonal SST gradient changes) and increased vertical mixing as the main drivers of the anomalous cooling. The anomalous vertical mixing is linked to increased vertical shear of the zonal current in response to the Guinea Current strengthening. In the TUG region, acceleration of the southward advection of the surface water, due to the intensification of the meridional Ekman current generated by the strengthening of the zonal wind stress, was identified as the major cause of the SST anomalous cooling

The immune system and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: from carcinogenesis to new therapeutic opportunities

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) exhibit complex interactions with the host immune system that may simultaneously explain resistance to various therapeutic modalities and that may also provide opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Discoveries in immunologic research over the last decade have led to an increased understanding of these interactions as well as the development of a multitude of investigational immunotherapies. Here, we describe the interaction between HNSCC and the immune system, including a discussion of immune cells involved with tumor carcinogenesis and the role of immune-modulating factors derived from tumors. We also describe the current immunotherapeutic approaches being investigated for HNSCC, including a discussion of the successes and limitations. With this review, we hope to present HNSCC as a model to guide future research in cancer immunology