The Antioxidant Effects of Mushroom Extracts in Boosting Immune System in Mammals using Albino Rats as a Model

Mushrooms have been widely used as medicine in the treatment of several infections and also boosting the immune system. The present study was carried out to ascertain the haematological and the antioxidants properties of aqueous extracts of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus tuber-regium. Twenty five albino rats were grouped into five, each group consisting of five rats of A to E. Group A serves as the control, group B to D were fed with Pleurotus tuber-regiumin 400mg, 600mg and 1000mg concentration respectively while group E was fed with 400mg of Agaricus bisporus. On completion of the administration of extracts, the haematological profiles and antioxidant parameters were analysed. The experimental rats showed some little significant increase in both the haematological profile and biomarkers properties with P<0.05, Generally the haematological profiles implies that there was no significant decrease in the level of the experimental rats immunity and also some organs such as the liver and the kidney were intact. SOD, CAT, GSH and MDA are antioxidant enzymes measured to detect toxic consequences of oxidative stress in mammalian systems. The SOD values in rats treated with 400mg/kg/lb of SOD is 113.58mm/mg/protein and rats treated with1000mg/kg in pleuntus tuberregium, the values of MDA is 23.32±2.09 (nmol/ml). There was a significant difference in the liver homogenated and kidney homogenated biomarkers in the rats treated with Pleurotus tuber regium and Agaricus bisporous. They are cellular and enzymatic defenses against oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes toxic and adaptive responses within a cell. The importance of an antioxidant defenses in protecting cells and organisms from oxidative damage and toxicity. Further research with higher dosage of the extracts may be required to test on laboratory rats before providing the true haematological and antioxidant properties. Keywords: Mushroom, Antioxidants and Albino rat

Improving public agency performance using balanced scorecard in Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS)

Improving public agency performance vis-à-vis productivity is the greatest challenge facing the public sector. The main objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of performance measurement using balanced scorecard (BSC) in Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). Primary and secondary data were utilized for the study.  The primary data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics, such as frequency tables and simple percentages, were used in data presentation and analysis. while the stated hypotheses were tested using Regression Analysis.  The study adopts the theory of change (ToC) postulated by Weiss as a theoretical basis. The findings of the study reveal that using the balanced scorecard to measure performance periodically with stakeholders' reflection in LIRS has increased significantly the annual revenue generation in Lagos State. The study recommends among others that more attention should be paid to the provision of adequate incentives as well as training and development on contemporary issues in tax management for tax officers to promote their efficiency and effectiveness in developing economies including Nigeria. Furthermore, since citizens' expectation on societal general development and demand varies across various divisions and localities in Lagos State, the state government should, therefore, accommodate the aspirations of the various groups to engender sustainable tax compliance by citizens

Knowledge, attitudes and practices associated with pesticide use among horticultural farmers of Banjulinding and Lamin of the Gambia

This work takes a limited but significant look at knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) vis-à-vis pesticide use in two farming communities in The Gambia. Most of the users have no formal education and they never received any formal training related to pesticide use. However, for the most part, there was a very high level of awareness among users about the dangers posed by pesticides. In addition, most of the respondents do not respect pesticide labels. More than 50% of the respondents experienced symptoms of pesticide poisoning, and about one-fifth of these sought medical help. Lack of knowledge, unsafe attitudes and dangerous practices were identified as the leading cause of pesticide poisoning

A TPX2 Proteomimetic Has Enhanced Affinity for Aurora-A Due to Hydrocarbon Stapling of a Helix

Inhibition of protein kinases using ATP-competitive compounds is an important strategy in drug discovery. In contrast, the allosteric regulation of kinases through the disruption of protein-protein interactions has not been widely adopted, despite the potential for selective targeting. Aurora-A kinase regulates mitotic entry and mitotic spindle assembly and is a promising target for anticancer therapy. The microtubule-associated protein TPX2 activates Aurora-A through binding to two sites. Aurora-A recognition is mediated by two motifs within the first 43 residues of TPX2, connected by a flexible linker. To characterize the contributions of these three structural elements, we prepared a series of TPX2 proteomimetics and investigated their binding affinity for Aurora-A using isothermal titration calorimetry. A novel stapled TPX2 peptide was developed that has improved binding affinity for Aurora-A and mimics the function of TPX2 in activating Aurora-A's autophosphorylation. We conclude that the helical region of TPX2 folds upon binding Aurora-A, and that stabilization of this helix does not compromise Aurora-A activation. This study demonstrates that the preparation of these proteomimetics using modern synthesis methods is feasible and their biochemical evaluation demonstrates the power of proteomimetics as tool compounds for investigating PPIs involving intrinsically disordered regions of proteins

Purification, characterization and toxicity of a mannose-binding lectin from the seeds of Treculia africana plant

In this study, a mannose-specific, homodimeric lectin from the seeds of Treculia africana was purified, characterized and its adverse effects were investigated in mice. The purification protocol involved anionic exchange chromatography on DEAE-Cellulose followed by gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The hemagglutinating activity of lectin towards human erythrocytes was sensitive to inhibition by D-mannose. Treatment of the protein with EDTA exerted no inhibitory effect; however, analysis of metal content by atomic absorption spectroscopy revealed the presence of Cu2+, Fe3+, and Mg2+. The results obtained showed that the lectin possesses maximum hemagglutinating activity towards human erythrocytes activity over the pH range 3–7.2 and is relatively thermostable up to 50°C. Periodic acid Schiff's (PAS) reagent staining showed that the protein was non-glycosylated while its amino acid composition analysis revealed that the protein contained 155 residues per subunit. The subunit had a minimal molecular weight of 22,139 Daltons, while the native molecular weight was estimated to be 41,000 Daltons. The lectin was found to be moderately toxic to mice with an LD50 of 47.21 µg g−1 body weight while, histopathological analysis showed no treatment related effects in any of the organs examined

General anaesthetic and airway management practice for obstetric surgery in England: a prospective, multicentre observational study

There are no current descriptions of general anaesthesia characteristics for obstetric surgery, despite recent changes to patient baseline characteristics and airway management guidelines. This analysis of data from the direct reporting of awareness in maternity patients’ (DREAMY) study of accidental awareness during obstetric anaesthesia aimed to describe practice for obstetric general anaesthesia in England and compare with earlier surveys and best-practice recommendations. Consenting patients who received general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals from May 2017 to August 2018 were included. Baseline characteristics, airway management, anaesthetic techniques and major complications were collected. Descriptive analysis, binary logistic regression modelling and comparisons with earlier data were conducted. Data were collected from 3117 procedures, including 2554 (81.9%) caesarean deliveries. Thiopental was the induction drug in 1649 (52.9%) patients, compared with propofol in 1419 (45.5%). Suxamethonium was the neuromuscular blocking drug for tracheal intubation in 2631 (86.1%), compared with rocuronium in 367 (11.8%). Difficult tracheal intubation was reported in 1 in 19 (95%CI 1 in 16–22) and failed intubation in 1 in 312 (95%CI 1 in 169–667). Obese patients were over-represented compared with national baselines and associated with difficult, but not failed intubation. There was more evidence of change in practice for induction drugs (increased use of propofol) than neuromuscular blocking drugs (suxamethonium remains the most popular). There was evidence of improvement in practice, with increased monitoring and reversal of neuromuscular blockade (although this remains suboptimal). Despite a high risk of difficult intubation in this population, videolaryngoscopy was rarely used (1.9%)

Organisational Branding, A Strategic Tool for Engineering Customer Satisfaction in Service Industry: A Study of Selected Banks

Effective brand strategies cannot be developed without the customers in mind, hence the need to examine how brand strategies affect the behaviours of these customers to yield a good result. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of organisational branding on the levels of customer patronage. A descriptive and survey design was adopted for the study. The population for this study consist of customers from Wema and Zenith bank within Lagos metropolis. The questionnaire was used in eliciting information from respondents, which contained two sections. Two research questions and hypotheses were raised and tested. The data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0), for frequency distribution. Further analysis was carried out using linear regression and correlation analysis. From the findings made in the study, there is a significant role played by brand identity in meeting customer expectation and there is a significant effect of brand culture on customer satisfaction. It was recommended that management should be conscious of their peculiar corporate identity once established in order to capitalize on their strengths and opportunities, as well as improve on their weaknesses and address their threats in good time and Managers should strive to create a peculiar brand culture in line with their given brand identity, as the creation of a strong brand culture will enable the staff of the organisation to deliver quality service for good customer satisfaction

The Changes in China's Forests: An Analysis Using the Forest Identity

Changes in forest carbon stocks are a determinant of the regional carbon budget. In the past several decades, China has experienced a pronounced increase in forest area and density. However, few comprehensive analyses have been conducted. In this study, we employed the Forest Identity concept to evaluate the changing status of China's forests over the past three decades, using national forest inventory data of five periods (1977–1981, 1984–1988, 1989–1993, 1994–1998, and 1999–2003). The results showed that forest area and growing stock density increased by 0.51% and 0.44% annually over the past three decades, while the conversion ratio of forest biomass to growing stock declined by 0.10% annually. These developments resulted in a net annual increase of 0.85% in forest carbon sequestration, which is equivalent to a net biomass carbon uptake of 43.8 Tg per year (1 Tg = 1012 g). This increase can be attributed to the national reforestation/afforestation programs, environmentally enhanced forest growth and economic development as indicated by the average gross domestic product