Exercise-induced bronchospasm and its associated factors among secondary school students in an urban community

Introduction: Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is a transient narrowing of the airway that usually occurs shortly after exercise. It occurs commonly in people with asthma; however EIB has also been reported in individuals without clinical asthma. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with EIB among secondary school students. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional school- based study involving secondary school students aged between 10 and 17 years without previous history of asthma. Subjects undertook a six-minute running test, spirometry was done and the best of three FEV1 readings were obtained pre-exercise, at 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes post exercise. The diagnosis of EIB was made when there was a decrease in FEV1 of ≥10% from baseline after exercise. Results: Of the 265participants studied, 34 (12.8%) had EIB at 5 minutes post exercise. EIB was significantly more in the 10–13 years age group (χ2 = 18.416, p = <0.001), there was no significant gender difference. The presence of allergic (vernal) conjunctivitis and rhinitis were both significantly associated with the development of EIB (χ2 = 13.574, p < 0.001 and 0.011 respectively). There was no significant association with previous history of wheeze and exposure to indoor air pollution such as cooking with biomass fuel and parental cigarette smoking. Conclusion: EIB exist among non-asthmatic school children, and it is more frequent in the early adolescent age-group. Students with allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis are more likely to manifest exercise induced bronchospasm

Evaluation of the potency of Newcastle disease vaccine from veterinary outlets in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Vaccination against Newcastle disease (ND) is the most reliable tool in its prevention and control, it is therefore important that vaccines used are of good quality. This study was conducted to assess the quality of live ND vaccines sold in Abeokuta over a six months’ period. Live Newcastle disease vaccines were purchased from ten different veterinary sales outlets and their antigenic titres were determined using Hemagglutination assay (HA). The results revealed a difference in antigenic titres amongst the various ND vaccines sold in Abeokuta with only 20.33 % having high titre, 55.9 % having an average titre, and 23.7 % having low titre. The vaccine titres varied between different brands with storage and handling as contributing factors to the variations. Antigenic titre contained in vaccines properly stored showed significantly (p<0.05) higher antigenic titre and vaccines that were close to their expiration dates had lower titres. Newcastle disease vaccines in Abeokuta are of average titres, it is therefore necessary that adequate evaluation of ND vaccines be recommended before use in flocks and owners of vaccine sales outlets be educated on the need for proper handling and storage of these biologicals

Antibacterial Activity of Vanillic Acid against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, and Proteus mirabilis

Aim. This study investigated the efficacy of vanillic acid against selected pathogenic bacteria obtained from clinical samples. Method. The antibacterial efficacy of vanillic acid against selected pathogenic bacteria collected from clinical samples was studied using a broth macrodilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration was determined by treating each isolate with increasing amounts of vanillic acid ranging from 150 to 2000 µg/ml. Results. The lowest inhibitory concentrations found were 600 µg/ml for Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi, and the time-kill susceptibility test also demonstrated a significant reduction in viable cells of the bacterial isolates investigated in this study. The findings of this study confirmed the antimicrobial effect of vanillic acid on bacterial growth and its activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi. Conclusion. Vanillic acid may provide a solution for alternate therapeutic choices for diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus mirabilis, and Salmonella Typhi

IMPACT OF VISUAL ART TO ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO: STUDENT EXPERIENCE OF LOWER AND UPPER CLASSES

Art history has spanned back to the cave painting age when man had conceived the ability to create imagination, concepts and ideas which are put on mediums. This is termed virtual art. Over the times, the visualization of art had evolved from the traditional art to contemporary art. Virtual art comprises of painting, drawing, sculpture, design, photography, film making, literature, crafts, ceramics and architecture and there has been a direct link between virtual art and architecture, especially in the acquisition of these skills. Training in virtual art has originally been through apprenticeship just as architecture training has originally been by mentorship, both are now been taught at tertiary institutions. Virtual art is being taken as a course or an elective in schools of architecture in Nigeria. This study takes the case study of 100 and 200 level students of Covenant University, Nigeria. It is assumed that the knowledge acquired in virtual art would help students in architectural design. However, how has this translated to students’ scores in design and design output? Also, the study investigates how well the students have been impacted with virtual art knowledge to help them in design. Data for this study is by primary and secondary data. This is done by examining the impact of virtual art as a course on student results in architectural design. This is done by examining students at lower class of 100 levels and the same set of students’ results in 200 levels in design and in virtual art. Questionnaire was administered to students and the results of scores of the student are considered in the study. Finding shows that the skills acquired in virtual art and the knowledge has helped the student in drafting, creativity, which had brought out original design forms. The similarities between virtual art and architecture in terms of background, training and presentation should be explored by schools of architecture to produced better architects

Strength and Durability Assessment of Low Water Absorption Glasscrete Blocks for Zero-Spalling Effect in Buildings

Glass waste produced around the world is disposed of carefreely, creating huge piles in landfills and increasing environmental pollution because it is non-biodegradable. This study was conducted to assess the strength and durability of waste glass as a partial replacement for a mortal mix of sharp sand and stone dust. The glasscrete block samples were produced in a 6” metal block mould with 0%, 25% and 50% partial replacement of stone dust and sharp sand respectively. The compressive strength and water absorption tests were conducted after the samples were cured for 7, 28 and 56 days in a laboratory. The highest compressive strengths of 102.333kN and 100.667kN were observed in 50% waste glass partial replacement with sharp sand and 50% waste glass combination with 25% sharp sand and 25% stone dust respectively. The least compressive strength was seen in the control samples of sand and stone dust with no replacement of waste glass. This shows that the addition of waste glass increased the compressive strength of the block samples. The least rate of water absorption was recorded in 50% waste glass, 25% sharp sand and 25% stone dust. It should be noted that the replacement of the waste glass with stone dust performed poorly unlike that of sharp sand. Therefore, it is recommended that 50% waste glass, 25% sharp sand and 25% stone dust should be adopted for the production of glasscrete blocks for a zero-spalling effect in buildings with varying mix ratios. Glasscrete blocks can therefore be used in the waterlogged environment and areas prone to the spalling condition

Novel kinase platform for the validation of the anti-tubercular activities of Pelargonium sidoides (Geraniaceae)

Abstract Background Pelargonium sidoides is an important traditional medicine in South Africa with a well-defined history of both traditional and documented use of an aqueous-ethanolic formulation of the roots of P. sidoides (EPs 7630), which is successfully employed for the treatment of respiratory tract infections. There is also historical evidence of use in the treatment of tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to develop a platform of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) kinase enzymes that may be used for the identification of therapeutically relevant ethnobotanical extracts that will allow drug target identification, as well as the subsequent isolation of the active compounds. Results Mtb kinases, Nucleoside diphosphokinase, Homoserine kinase, Acetate kinase, Glycerol kinase, Thiamine monophosphate kinase, Ribokinase, Aspartokinase and Shikimate kinase were cloned, produced in Escherichia coli and characterized. HPLC-based assays were used to determine the enzyme activities and subsequently the inhibitory potentials of varying concentrations of a P. sidoides extract against the produced enzymes. The enzyme activity assays indicated that these enzymes were active at low ATP concentrations. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of an aqueous root extract of P. sidoides against the kinases indicated SK has an IC50 of 1.2 μg/ml and GK 1.4 μg/ml. These enzyme targets were further assessed for compound identification from the P. sidoides literature. Conclusion This study suggests P. sidoides is potentially a source of anti-tubercular compounds and the Mtb kinase platform has significant potential as a tool for the subsequent screening of P. sidoides extracts and plant extracts in general, for compound identification and elaboration by selected extract target inhibitor profiling

Response Surface Methodology and Statistical Investigation of the Strength of Bituminous Sandcrete Blocks

Spalling is a serviceability related defect in buildings that degrades their appearance and if unchecked, could be a threat to building sustainability and lead to structural failures. It is associated with the effect of moisture on the building especially the blockwall. This research focuses on the production of low water-absorption Sandcrete blocks. The water absorption and compressive strength of blocks using bitumen as a coat and as part of the sandcrete mix are investigated. In assessing the outcome, eight (8) different sets of Sandcrete blocks with varying bitumen contents were defined and nine (9) samples of standard six (6) inches blocks were produced for each set, with three (3) samples per set being tested at 7,14 and 28 days for water absorption and compressive strength respectively. The water sprinkling curing method was used at 24 hours intervals. The results acquired showed that the sets that contained bitumen showed reduced water absorption rates up to 4.06% at 28 days relative to the control samples. The analysis of the experimental result was done using response surface methodology, the percentage of bitumen replacement with sand and curing days was used as the independent variable. Multiple regression equation was obtained to predict investigated properties. Further analysis of the data shows that Sandcrete blocks coated externally with bitumen give the optimum performance in terms of compressive strength and water absorption

Screening for diabetes mellitus and humanimmunodefiency virus infection in personswith tuberculosis

Introduction. Nigeria is a country saddled with a high tubercu- losis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) burden but the possible combination of these communicable diseases with diabetes mellitus (DM) has been overlooked. We undertook to determine the burden of HIV and DM in persons with TB by docu- menting the prevalence rates of these disorders. Methods. This is a cross-sectional Study that was conducted within 54TB/DOT centers in Lagos State. A total of 3,376 persons with TB who were on antiTB drugs were screened for HIV and DM using standardized tests. Statistical analysis was performed using Students t test and chi square. Results. The frequency of occurrence of DM in TB and that of HIV in TB were comparable (4.8% Vs 3.5%). The Study subjects with DM were older, had higher waist circumference measure- ments and had higher proportions of hypertension compared to the subjects without DM. The combination of HIV and DM in TB was found in (0.3%). We also noted that DM in TB and HIV in TB occurred more frequently in the third and fourth decades of life. Conclusion. This study demonstrated the potential co existence of HIV, DM and Tuberculosis. It is therefore important that these two diseases are sought for in patients with TB considering the changing epidemiology of these diseases particularly in develop- ing countries like Nigeria