Phenotypic characterization of mycobacteria isolates from tuberculosis patients in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the leading public health challenges in Nigeria and the burden is still high. There is hence a need for continuous characterization of mycobacteria to obtain current data that will aid the ongoing TB prevention and control programme. The aim of this study was to phenotypically characterize mycobacteria isolates recovered from clinical specimens of patients with tuberculosis in Kaduna State, Nigeria.Methods: Two thousand, two hundred and twelve (2212) sputum samples were collected from patients clinically suspected to have TB in three different zones of Kaduna State, Nigeria, between May 2017 and October, 2018. Samples were processed by decontaminating with NaOH-Citrate N-acetyl-L-Cystein method for Ziehl Neelsen (ZN) AFB microscopy and culture on Lowenstein Jensen (LJ) slants which were incubated at 37ᵒC for 8 weeks. Positive LJ cultures were further analyzed with a rapid TB antigen assay (SD-Bioline) to differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) from Non Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM).Results: Out of the 2212 patients with suspected TB, 300 (13.6%) were positive for AFB by microscopy with Zone A (Kaduna North) having the highest AFB positive cases of 169 (15.2%). Of the 300 AFB positive samples, 272 (91.0%) were culture positive on LJ medium, 18 (6.0%) were culture negative and 10 (3.0%) were culture contaminated. Result of the distribution of mycobacteria among infected patients within the study area revealed that 219 (80.5%) were infected with MTBC, 42 (15.4%) with NTM and 11 (4.0%) with both MTBC and NTM.Conclusion: A relatively high number of TB in the study area was caused by NTM. There is need for advanced diagnostic tools that can differentiate MTBC and NTM strains among TB patients in all TB Reference Laboratories in Nigeria.Keywords: Phenotypic, Characterization, Tuberculosis, Mycobacteri

Genotypic identification of coliforms isolated from cases of subclinical mastitis among pastoral herds in parts of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: Mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus was initially considered the major problem in dairy herds, but over the last few decades, the incidence of coliform mastitis has increased among the pastoral herds in Nigeria due to poor environmental and milking hygiene. Hence, this study was aimed at genotypic identification of coliform bacteria isolated from cases of bovine mastitis among pastoral herds in parts of Kaduna State, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 30 herds of cows across 7 Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, Nigeria, was conducted. One hundred and forty seven cows were proportionately selected by purposive sampling technique. The milk samples were aseptically collected and bacteriologically screened for coliform bacteria following standard bacteriological techniques. Nine out of 12 coliforms identified phenotypically were selected for PCR amplification and sequencing of their 16S rRNA gene. The Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) analysis of the sequences obtained was done on the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) data base, and isolates confirmed based on similarity to 16S rDNA sequences in the Gen BankResults: Five of the 9 coliforms were confirmed to be Klebsiella pneumoniae (prevalence rate, 3.4%) and 4 were confirmed to be Escherichia coli (prevalence rate, 2.7%).Conclusion: This study shows that raw milk of mastitic cows can serve as a vehicle for the spread of pathogens such as K. pneumoniae and E. coli which, according to the Department of Health and Human Services of the United States Public Health Services, are potential threats to public health and safety of humans, animals and plant products.Keywords: pastoral herds, subclinical mastitis, cows, PCR, 16s rRNA, sequencin

Trace and major elements distribution in coastal sediment cores from Lagos Lagoon,Nigeria

Heavymetalscontaminationinaquaticecosystemshasbeena majorconcern,however,noinformationisavailableaboutthe concentrations, depthdistributionsandecologicalrisksofheavy metals insedimentscoresfrommicrotidallagoonalecosystemin Lagos, Nigeria.Foursedimentcoreswerecollectedusinga 50 cm × 3.5 cmWildco®handcorer.Elementaldeterminations werecarriedoutusingtheMicrowavePlasmaAtomicEmission Spectrometry (4200MP-AES)afterextraction.Theconcentrations of heavymetalsinthesedimentcoresindicatedenhanceddegree of contaminationinfluenced byanthropogenicdischargesespe- cially industrialeffluents. Verticaldepthdistributionsindicated varieddepositionalperiodslargelycontrolledbyincreasing anthropogenicland-basedactivities.Theremarkablemetalpollu- tion ofcoresedimentsraisestheconcernpotentialsourcesof metals tothelagoonalecosystemandecologicalriskstothebiota, humans, andtheenvironment.Theresultsofelementalcon- centrations shouldbeconsideredasbaselinedataforheavymetals in sedimentsintheregion

EXPLORATION OF THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY FACTOR AS DETERMINANTS OF JOB SATISFACTION AMONG SUPERVISORS IN SELECTED INDUSTRIES IN NIGERIA

Introduction: The Five-Factor model of personality in the workplace clearly revealed a correlation between elements of the five-factor model and job performance but what is not clear is how the factors affect employee job satisfaction. The aim of this study is to explore how the Big-Five Personality Factor determines job satisfaction among factory workers at Agbara industrial complex. Methodology: This study is cross-sectional and descriptive in nature. One hundred and ninety factory workers participated with mean age of 32.6 years. Two hypotheses were raised and tested. Two validated scales were used, the Big Five Inventory (BFI) and the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MJSQ). Results: Findings show a significant positive relationship between job satisfaction and different personality types-openness (r = .515, df = 186, p<0.05), conscientiousness (r = .285, df = 186, p<0.05), and extraversion (r = .146, df = 186, p<0.05). The result furthered revealed a significant effect of personality type in predicting job satisfaction (R = .524, R2 = .275; F (5, 184) = 13.960, p<0.05). Conclusion: This study concluded that five factor model of personality had a strong influence on the job satisfaction of factory workers. The finding will assist administrators to comprehend the importance of personality factors and its effect on employee job satisfaction

Court Cases, Cultural Expertise and ´Female Genital Mutilation' in Europe

This chapter discusses adjudication, expertise, and cultural difference as it appears in criminal court cases concerning female genital cutting (FGM) in the EU, as reported in a 2015 comparative overview. It begins with the distinction between typical and atypical FGM cases; a distinction that connects court cases to the cultural realities of the practicing communities, suggesting that the lack of cultural knowledge can cause unnecessary suffering to families and/or individuals who wrongly undergo prosecution in alleged FGM cases. A contrario, the intervention of experts in FGM court cases could be a positive approach to assessing the legitimacy of public intervention in certain cases

Correlates of individual-level abortion stigma among women seeking elective abortion in Nigeria

Ayodeji Oginni,1 Sikiratu Kailani Ahmadu,2 Nkiruka Okwesa,1 Isaac Adejo,3 Hauwa Shekerau3 1Research and Evaluation Unit, Ipas Nigeria, 2Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Program (MNCH2), Ipas Nigeria, 3Program Unit, Ipas Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria Objective: This study aimed to measure individual-level abortion stigma (ILAS) and determine its correlates among women receiving safe elective abortion services. Patients and methods: Data were collected from a cross-section of women who received safe elective abortion services in select intervention health facilities. Respondents were recruited through a self-selection sampling. ILAS was assessed using a 16-item scale (Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha =0.9122). Respondents were categorized as high (summed score &gt;40) or low ILAS (summed score &le;40) on a spectrum of a summed minimum score of 16 to a maximum score of 64. A log-binomial regression model was constructed to determine the ILAS correlates. Results: Among 382 respondents, 43% expressed high ILAS. Women&rsquo;s age and education, provider&rsquo;s cadre and type of abortion procedure were significant correlates in the model. Older women (age 25&ndash;34 and age &ge;35) were less likely (prevalence ratio [PR]=0.60 and 0.39, p&lt;0.001) to express high ILAS than the younger women (age &le;24); those with higher educational status were more likely to express (PR=1.64, p&lt;0.05) high ILAS than those with None/Primary education; those who had medical abortion were less likely (PR=0.54, p&lt;0.01) to express high ILAS than those who had surgical abortion; and lastly, those who received care from midlevel providers were more likely (PR=1.31, p&lt;0.05) to express high ILAS than those who received care from physicians. Conclusion: High ILAS still exists among women accessing safe elective abortion care in Nigeria. Therefore, interventions at all levels of the socioecological model of abortion stigma need to be considered to address this societal problem that affects and impacts women. Keywords: abortion, stigma, individual-level, women, factor

INFLUENCE OF GENES, MORPHOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT ON REPRODUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIGENOUS GOATS IN NIGERIA: -A REVIEW

The objective of this paper is to review influence of gene, morpho-physiology and environment on reproductive characteristics of indigenous goats in Nigeria. Planned breeding requires an understanding of characteristics of goats that are transmitted from one generation to another which is concerned with genetics of the entire goat population. However, the major objective of animal breeding is to increase the frequencies of desirable genes as to achieve the ideal genotype which will give the desired traits in a given population. Important traits in animals are influenced by factors like the environment as well as the genes over which man has no control. Reproductive potentials of a female animal is measured by the number of young ones produced per year, which depends on the age of the animal at first kidding, litter size, kidding interval and kidding rate. There is a considerable potential for increased goat production, provided that proper management is employed. Much will depend on recognition of their values as domestic animals. Substituting goat for cows in terms of milk production can increase the goat contribution to animal production, particularly with the small scale subsistence farmers. Better use can be made of scarce resources in developing areas because of potentially higher fertility of goats and higher feed conversion efficiency in relation to body mass for meat and milk production. Indigenous breeds of goats have the ability to adapt and reproduce under harsh environmental conditions. Goat primarily produces meat but also produce milk and their contribution to the nutrition of the rural poor are significant. They supply precious proteins of higher biological value in the form of meat and milk. Potential productivity of goats is constrained by poor understanding of the many values of goats and of strategies for improved natural resource management in the target environments. False perceptions that: &apos;environmental degradation, bias inadequate official support and resources use&apos; are the major belief of people to rule against goat production. Goats are termed as destroyer of vegetation; this somehow hindered the farmers from exploiting the full potential of these animals. Theft, predation, poor veterinary services, poor hygiene and incidence of diseases and parasites in ascending order appears to be the most important problem limiting goat production in most tropical parts of Africa. Sound extension education program to overcome problems could be of great benefit to the rural farmer and the national economy

Flavonoid Glycosides from Byrsocarpus Coccineus Leaves. Schum and Thonn (Connaraceae)

The bioactive ethyl acetate and N-butanol soluble parts of an ethanolic extract of Byrsocarpus coccineus leaves was subjected to column chromatography over silica gel G (60 – 120µ) and repeated purification of the flavonoid rich fraction over sephadex LH-20 eluted with methanol led to the isolation of three flavonoid glycosides identified as quercetin 3-O-α-arabinoside (I), quercetin(II) and quercetin 3-β-D-glucoside. Their structures were elucidated by 1H and 13C-NMR data and are reported here for the first time in this plant