653 research outputs found
Hepatitis b, c and hiv serological markers in children with sickle cell anaemia in a tertiary hospital, Gusau, North-Western Nigeria
Sickle Cell Anaemia patients are considered to be among the high-risk groups for hepatitis B and C viral infections. These viruses and HIV share common routes of transmission and similar risk factors and their infections coexist. Objective: This study was aimed at determining the seroprevalence of hepatitis B, C and HIV viral markers of infections in children with SCA. Methodology: A cross sectional Hospital based study conducted on 89 confirmed SCA Children aged 6 months – 13 years in steady state attending Haematology Clinic in a Specialist Hospital Gusau from July 2017 to March 2018. Approval for the study was obtained from the Research and Ethics Committee of the Hospital. The age, gender, history of blood transfusion, traditional scarification, uvulectomy, circumcision and immunization of the subjects were recorded. Serological test was carried out to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B, C and HIV using the viral markers and HIV 1& 2 rapid test kits. Results: Eighty-nine subjects were recruited with 46(51.7%) males and 43(48.3%) females. The mean age was 5.06 ±3.4 years. The seroprevalence of HBsAg, HBsAb, HBcAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, AntiHCV and HIV 1& 2 were 3(3.4%), 3(3.4%), 5(5.7%), 1(1.1%), 6(6.9%) and 0% respectively. No co-infection among the studied subjects. There is no significant difference in the age or gender distribution and seroprevalence of the viruses among SCA children. p = > 0.05 Conclusion: Hepatitis C infection is found to be high as opposed to Hepatitis B which is lower among SCA Children in this community
Farmers\u2019 Knowledge and Attitude towards the Adoption of Agroforestry Practices in Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Nigeria
This study presents farmers\u2019 knowledge and attitudes towards the
adoption of agroforestry in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo
State. A multistage random sampling technique was used to administer
the questionnaires to a total of 50 respondents. Data collected were
analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The
demographic factors analyzed showed that the majority of respondents
were males (60.8%) and possess married (54.2%). Majority of the
respondents (66%) do not practice agroforestry and possessed low
knowledge of agroforestry practices. Respondents\u2019 attitudes
towards the practice were inadequate. Furthermore, knowledge of
agroforestry was found to influence the willingness to adopt the
practice, attitudes towards agroforestry practice also influence its
adoption in the study area. Based on the findings, this study
recommends that extension agents and other stakeholders should
intensify effort to pass down adequate knowledge on the practice and
advantages of agroforestry to farmers in the simplest form it can be
well understood, to improve their attitudes and increase their rate of
adoption of agroforestry practices
Factors Determining the Willingness to Adopt Grasscutter Domestication Technology among Urban Dwellers in Southwest, Nigeria
This study investigated factors determining the willingness to adopt
grasscutter domestication technology in South west, Nigeria.
Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 160 respondents from
9 urban towns in Oyo, Ogun and Osun States. Well-structured
questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was analysed using
descriptive analysis, correlational analysis and t-test. Results showed
that the majority (69.4%) of the respondents were male and married.
Coefficient correlation (r value) at (p< 0.05), shows that there is
a significant association between respondents\u2019 educational
status, religion, household size, primary as well as secondary
education with respondents\u2019 willingness to adopt the technology.
There was also found significant relationship between, perceived health
status of those who are into the grasscutter technology, perceived
nutritional value and economic value of the grasscutter domestication
technology with the willingness to adopt the grasscutter domestication
technology. The result if the T-test revealed that there is significant
relationship between perceived ease of practice and willingness to
adopt the technology. The majority of the respondents are willing to
rear grasscutter if variables like space, fund, availability of
ready-made buyer and feed, breeding stock and training are put into
place. However, issues relating to having enough plots of land,
funding, ready-made buyer of grasscutter, and training facilities are
most germane. It is therefore recommended that funding and training on
the adoption of the grasscutter domestication technology should be made
available to individuals
Flavonoid Analyses and Antimicrobial Activity of Various Parts of Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl Fruit
Phaleria macrocarpa (Scheff.) Boerl (Thymelaceae) is commonly known as ‘Crown of God’, ‘Mahkota Dewa’, and ‘Pau’. It originates from Papua Island, Indonesia and it grows in tropical areas. Empirically, it is potent in treating the hypertensive, diabetic, cancer and diuretic patients. It has a long history of ethnopharmacological usage, and the lack of information about its biological activities led us to investigate the possible biological activities by characterisation of flavonoids and antimicrobial activity of various part of P. macrocarpa against pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The results showed that kaempferol, myricetin, naringin, and rutin were the major flavonoids present in the pericarp while naringin and quercetin were found in the mesocarp and seed. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of different parts of P. macrocarpa fruit showed a weak ability to moderate antibacterial activity against pathogenic tested bacteria (inhibition range: 0.93–2.17 cm) at concentration of 0.3 mg/disc. The anti fungi activity was only found in seed extract against Aspergillus niger (1.87 cm) at concentration of 0.3 mg/well. From the results obtained, P. macrocarpa fruit could be considered as a natural antimicrobial source due to the presence of flavonoid compounds
Confined conversion of CuS nanowires to CuO nanotubes by annealing-induced diffusion in nanochannels
Copper oxide (CuO) nanotubes were successfully converted from CuS nanowires embedded in anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template by annealing-induced diffusion in a confined tube-type space. The spreading of CuO and formation of CuO layer on the nanochannel surface of AAO, and the confinement offered by AAO nanochannels play a key role in the formation of CuO nanotubes
Polymorphisms in the bovine HSP90AB1 gene are associated with heat tolerance in Thai indigenous cattle
Heat shock proteins act as molecular chaperones that have preferentially been transcribed in response to severe perturbations of the cellular homeostasis such as heat stress. Here the traits respiration rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), pack cell volume (PCV) and the individual heat tolerance coefficient (HTC) were recorded as physiological responses on heat stress (environmental temperatures) in Bos taurus (crossbred Holstein Friesian; HF) and B. indicus (Thai native cattle: White Lamphun; WL and Mountain cattle; MT) animals (n = 47) in Thailand. Polymorphisms of the heat shock protein 90-kDa beta gene (HSP90AB1) were evaluated by comparative sequencing. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were identified, i.e. three in exons 10 and 11, five in introns 8, 9, 10 and 11, and one in the 3′UTR. The exon 11 SNP g.5082C>T led to a missense mutation (alanine to valine). During the period of extreme heat (in the afternoon) RR and RT were elevated in each of the three breeds, whereas the PCV decreased. Mountain cattle and White Lamphun heifers recorded significantly better physiologic parameters (p < 0.05) in all traits considered, including or particularly HTC than Holstein Friesian heifers. The association analysis revealed that the T allele at SNP g.4338T>C within intron 3 improved the heat tolerance (p < 0.05). Allele T was exclusively found in White Lamphun animals and to 84% in Mountain cattle. Holstein Friesian heifers revealed an allele frequency of only 18%. Polymorphisms within HSP90AB1 were not causative for the physiological responses; however, we propose that they should at least be used as genetic markers to select appropriate breeds for hot climates
Two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb collisions at = 2.76 TeV
The first measurement of two-pion Bose-Einstein correlations in central Pb-Pb
collisions at TeV at the Large Hadron Collider is
presented. We observe a growing trend with energy now not only for the
longitudinal and the outward but also for the sideward pion source radius. The
pion homogeneity volume and the decoupling time are significantly larger than
those measured at RHIC.Comment: 17 pages, 5 captioned figures, 1 table, authors from page 12,
published version, figures at
http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/388
Suppression of charged particle production at large transverse momentum in central Pb-Pb collisions at TeV
Inclusive transverse momentum spectra of primary charged particles in Pb-Pb
collisions at = 2.76 TeV have been measured by the ALICE
Collaboration at the LHC. The data are presented for central and peripheral
collisions, corresponding to 0-5% and 70-80% of the hadronic Pb-Pb cross
section. The measured charged particle spectra in and GeV/ are compared to the expectation in pp collisions at the same
, scaled by the number of underlying nucleon-nucleon
collisions. The comparison is expressed in terms of the nuclear modification
factor . The result indicates only weak medium effects ( 0.7) in peripheral collisions. In central collisions,
reaches a minimum of about 0.14 at -7GeV/ and increases
significantly at larger . The measured suppression of high- particles is stronger than that observed at lower collision energies,
indicating that a very dense medium is formed in central Pb-Pb collisions at
the LHC.Comment: 15 pages, 5 captioned figures, 3 tables, authors from page 10,
published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/98
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