Comparative study on the effect of Thaumatococcus daniellii (Benn) Benth sweetener on the Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Sorghum based Kunun-zaki Drink

Effect of a natural sweetener (Thaumatococcus danielli) on the physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation of kunun-zaki was determined. Proximate and mineral compositions of the natural sweetener, physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation of kunun-zaki using Thaumatococcus danielli and sucrose were determined. Proximate composition of the aril showed that protein had (33.03%), crude fibre (5.20%), ash content (4.79%), moisture content (12.20%), fat content (0.16%), and carbohydrate (44.17%). The result of mineral obtained for the aril showed the following values potassium (190.00ppm), sodium (167.66ppm), calcium (132.96 ppm), iron (21.59 ppm) and magnesium (14.40 ppm). Physicochemical composition of kunun-zaki varied with concentrations of Thaumatococcus danielli aril and sucrose pH ranged between (3.90-4.90), total solid (4.95-13.49 %) and titatable acidity (0.78-0.39 %) for Thaumatococcus danielli while kunun-zaki sweetened with sucrose had pH (3.51-4.90), total Solids (4.95-7.43%) and titratable acidity (0.74-0.85) respectively. The sensory evaluation showed that the samples sweetened with Thaumatococcus daniel aril compared favorably with sucrose in terms of colour, taste, aroma and overall acceptability. Keywords: Kunun-zaki, Proximate, Mineral, Sensory properties, Thaumatococcus danielli

Tumor-Targeting Peptides: The Functional Screen of Glioblastoma Homing Peptides to the Target Protein FABP3 (MDGI)

We recently identified the glioblastoma homing peptide CooP (CGLSGLGVA) using in vivo phage display screen. The mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI/FABP3) was identified as its interacting partner. Here, we present an alanine scan of A-CooP to investigate the contribution of each amino acid residue to the binding to FABP3 by microscale thermophoresis (MST) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We also tested the binding affinity of the A-CooP-K, KA-CooP, and retro-inverso A-CooP analogues to the recombinant FABP3. According to the MST analysis, A-CooP showed micromolar (KD = 2.18 µM) affinity to FABP3. Alanine replacement of most of the amino acids did not affect peptide affinity to FABP3. The A-CooP-K variant showed superior binding affinity, while A-[Ala5]CooP and A-[Ala7]CooP, both replacing a glycine residue with alanine, showed negligible binding to FABP3. These results were corroborated in vitro and in vivo using glioblastoma models. Both A-CooP-K and A-CooP showed excellent binding in vitro and homing in vivo, while A-[Ala5]CooP and control peptides failed to bind the cells or home to the intracranial glioblastoma xenografts. These results provide insight into the FABP3–A-CooP interaction that may be important for future applications of drug conjugate design and development

ASSESSMENT OF URBAN LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVE AREA DEGRADATION IN AKURE, NIGERIA USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNIQUES

The use of satellite imageries and spatial analysis techniques have not been comprehensively explored and exploited in capturing baseline information for monitoring of ecologically fragile areas in most developing countries including Nigeria. This study used Landsat imageries of Akure 1986, 2002 and 2011, and topographical map, DEM, GPS points, mean annual rainfall data and structured questionnaire. Image classification was performed using supervised classification technique to capture the urban land use change over the study period. The wetlands were buffered to the radius of 200m to select the target population for questionnaire administration using ArcGIS 9.3. The responses obtained were analyzed using SPSS 17.0. DEM was subjected to spatial analysis using spatial analyst extension of the ArcGIS 9.3 and Global Mapper 13 to identify the watersheds, generate flow direction, flow accumulation and to generate the basin levels. The mean annual rainfall data, drainage basin data and elevation data were integrated and reclassified. These data were subjected to multi-criteria analysis and map overlay operation to generate flood vulnerability index map. The finding observed that area with high vulnerability to flooding occurred along the streams or river channels flowing from the eastern region of the study area towards the northwest region where physical planning standards especially on setbacks were compromised

Tumor-Targeting Peptides: The Functional Screen of Glioblastoma Homing Peptides to the Target Protein FABP3 (MDGI)

We recently identified the glioblastoma homing peptide CooP (CGLSGLGVA) using in vivo phage display screen. The mammary-derived growth inhibitor (MDGI/FABP3) was identified as its interacting partner. Here, we present an alanine scan of A-CooP to investigate the contribution of each amino acid residue to the binding to FABP3 by microscale thermophoresis (MST) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). We also tested the binding affinity of the A-CooP-K, KA-CooP, and retro-inverso A-CooP analogues to the recombinant FABP3. According to the MST analysis, A-CooP showed micromolar (KD = 2.18 µM) affinity to FABP3. Alanine replacement of most of the amino acids did not affect peptide affinity to FABP3. The A-CooP-K variant showed superior binding affinity, while A-[Ala5]CooP and A-[Ala7]CooP, both replacing a glycine residue with alanine, showed negligible binding to FABP3. These results were corroborated in vitro and in vivo using glioblastoma models. Both A-CooP-K and A-CooP showed excellent binding in vitro and homing in vivo, while A-[Ala5]CooP and control peptides failed to bind the cells or home to the intracranial glioblastoma xenografts. These results provide insight into the FABP3–A-CooP interaction that may be important for future applications of drug conjugate design and development

ASSESSMENT OF URBAN LAND USE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVE AREA DEGRADATION IN AKURE, NIGERIA USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNIQUES

The use of satellite imageries and spatial analysis techniques have not been comprehensively explored and exploited in capturing baseline information for monitoring of ecologically fragile areas in most developing countries including Nigeria. This study used Landsat imageries of Akure 1986, 2002 and 2011, and topographical map, DEM, GPS points, mean annual rainfall data and structured questionnaire. Image classification was performed using supervised classification technique to capture the urban land use change over the study period. The wetlands were buffered to the radius of 200m to select the target population for questionnaire administration using ArcGIS 9.3. The responses obtained were analyzed using SPSS 17.0. DEM was subjected to spatial analysis using spatial analyst extension of the ArcGIS 9.3 and Global Mapper 13 to identify the watersheds, generate flow direction, flow accumulation and to generate the basin levels. The mean annual rainfall data, drainage basin data and elevation data were integrated and reclassified. These data were subjected to multi-criteria analysis and map overlay operation to generate flood vulnerability index map. The finding observed that area with high vulnerability to flooding occurred along the streams or river channels flowing from the eastern region of the study area towards the northwest region where physical planning standards especially on setbacks were compromised

Queue Management Application for Healthcare Providers

Increase in healthcare services demands, coupled with the traditional methods of attending to medical services that demand physical attention of the medical practitioners and everyone seeking medical attention, to physically appear in a particular location at a point in time. As a result of the high demand for medical attention congestion, long patient queues, inpatient attention due to long queues, and discomfort experienced by those physically waiting in line for medical attention. This coupled with the danger and risk faced by medical practitioners and patients, especially during the Covid-19 outbreak, calls for other efficient means of booking an appointment with a medical practitioner without facing the usual abnormal rigours. These calls for the introduction of a Virtual Queue Management Application (VQMA, a mobile APP developed using scheduling and priority algorithms to regulate the flow of people seeking medical services. This allows patients to schedule appointments online through a mobile APP, and arrive at the health centre at their appointed time. Patient appointments are categorised as critical and non-critical. The Critical category handles emergencies or life-threatening cases requiring urgent attention, while the non-critical category is divided into Regular and Delayed. It enables individuals seeking essential services to wait in line virtually. VQMA was tested and observations were made on the patient arrival rate within a 60-minute interval. The report derived from the experiments, reveals a consistent decrease or gradual reduction in average waiting time for non-critical appointments. This improvement demonstrated a 67% better performance over the existing model

Impact of oral lesions among South African adults with HIV/AIDS on oral health-related quality of life

BACKGROUND / PURPOSE : This study examined the association between oral conditions in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among South African adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Participants consisted of 175 HIV-positive adults who visited Johannesburg Hospital’s outpatient HIV clinic. A systematic oral examination recorded the presence or absence of HIV-related lesions. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to determine participants’ sociodemographic characteristics and access to dental care. It included items adapted from the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP), which measures the OHRQoL. Participants’ OHIP scores were not normally distributed, thus were dichotomized as either less than or equal to the median score or greater than the median score : participants with above-median scores had a poorer OHRQoL. The data analysis included a multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis. RESULTS : In total, 109 (62.3%) subjects had multiple oral lesions. Those with more than two lesions were significantly more likely to report a poorer OHRQoL. Presenting with pseudomembranous candidiasis or erythematous candidal lesions, being female, and having visited a dentist in the last year were significantly associated with a poorer OHRQoL.http://www.e-jds.comhb2016Community Dentistr

The production of social science research in Nigeria: status and systemic determinants

open access articleNigeria has a very large research system, with nearly 200 universities that employed more than 60,000 academic staff at the end of 2019. The country is also one of Africa’s largest producers of scientific research across all disciplines, surpassed only by South Africa and Egypt. In the social sciences, in particular, Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest producer of published research, after South Africa. However, the country’s social science research (SSR) production does not match the size of its SSR system. Using mixed methods, we come up with two important reasons for this: (i) research inputs are low, mainly because research is poorly funded and researchers devote too little time to research as a result of poor organisational climate, and (ii) the research support system is weak. No single institution currently has a clear mandate to centrally coordinate SSR in Nigeria. Consequently, research efforts are often duplicated and the limited research resources are spread too thin. Moreover, logistical support for research is missing or inefficient in most organisations. Therefore, improving research productivity in the country would require much stronger research coordination and wide-ranging improvements in the research climate

Peptide-Based Strategies for Targeted Tumor Treatment and Imaging

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The development of cancer-specific diagnostic agents and anticancer toxins would improve patient survival. The current and standard types of medical care for cancer patients, including surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, are not able to treat all cancers. A new treatment strategy utilizing tumor targeting peptides to selectively deliver drugs or applicable active agents to solid tumors is becoming a promising approach. In this review, we discuss the different tumor-homing peptides discovered through combinatorial library screening, as well as native active peptides. The different structure-function relationship data that have been used to improve the peptide's activity and conjugation strategies are highlighted.Peer reviewe

Proximate Composition, Physical and Sensory Quality of Acha-moringa Seed Flour Blend Biscuits

Moringa (M. oleifera) seed flour was substituted into acha (Digitaria exillis) at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 %, thoroughly mixed to produce acha-moringa seed flour blends. Principal ingredients (baking fats, salt, yeast, water) were added to the blends, mixed, rolled, cut and baked at 180°C to produce biscuits. The proximate composition, physical (spread ratio and break strength) and sensory quality of the biscuits were determined. The values of moisture, ash, fats, protein, fibre and carbohydrate content of the acha-moringa seed flour blend biscuits range from;- 8.79 - 8.60, 4.85 - 5.96, 18.46 - 20.31, 12.25 -14.19, 2.56 - 4.15 and 52.86 - 46.80%, respectively. The spread ratio and break strength of the acha moringa flour blend biscuits decreased from 4.81 to 3.46 and 1572.50 to 1125.00g, respectively, with an increase in the added moringa seed flour. The average means scores for colour, aroma, texture, taste, mouthfeel and general acceptability ranges from 6.52-5.48, 6.52- 5.44, 5.8- 5.18, 5.44-4.52, 5.24- 4.44, 6- 5.24, respectively, with added moringa seed flour. The flour blend biscuits were most acceptable at 10% and below of added moringa seed flour