Prevalence and antibiogram study of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical and selected drinking water of Dutsin-Ma, Katsina state, Nigeria

Background: Multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus in clinical and environmental samples is a global problem. Data comparing antibiogram of bacteria from these two sources in Nigeria is scarce. Therefore, this study compares antibiogram of isolates from both sources from Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. Methodology: A total of 120 and 150 clinical and aquatic samples respectively were collected for a five months period. Samples were analyzed for isolation of S. aureus using mannitol salt agar. Bacteria identification were carried out using standard biochemical characterization. Antibiogram of the isolates were determined using disc diffusion methods and comparison with Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI)\u2019s Standard. Result: A total of 120 and 45 S. aureus were isolated from both clinical and aquatic samples respectively. Highest (100.0%) resistance to cloxacillin was observed among isolates from each source. Clinical and aquatic isolates showed least resistance of 20.0% and 48.0% respectively to gentamicin. All isolated S. aureus (165) from this studies were multidrug resistant with different antibiotic resistant pattern. Conclusion: This study revealed that multidrug resistance strains of S. aureus can be isolated from both clinical and drinking water sources, hence, a public health significance that calls for urgent attention by clinicians and public health workers. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.11 Cite as: Adesoji AT, Onuh JP, Bagu J, SA I. Prevalence and antibiogram study of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical and selected drinking water of Dutsin-Ma, Katsina state, Nigeria. Afri Health Sci. 2019;19(1). 1385-1392. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.1

Peri-conception and first trimester diet modifies reproductive development in bulls

Nutritional perturbation during gestation alters male reproductive development in rodents and sheep. In cattle both the developmental trajectory of the feto–placental unit and its response to dietary perturbations is dissimilar to that of these species. This study examined the effects of dietary protein perturbation during the peri-conception and first trimester periods upon reproductive development in bulls. Nulliparous heifers (n = 360) were individually fed a high- or low-protein diet (HPeri and LPeri) from 60 days before conception. From 24 until 98 days post conception, half of each treatment group changed to the alternative post-conception high- or low-protein diet (HPost and LPost) yielding four treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design. A subset of male fetuses (n = 25) was excised at 98 days post conception and fetal testis development was assessed. Reproductive development of singleton male progeny (n = 40) was assessed until slaughter at 598 days of age, when adult testicular cytology was evaluated. Low peri-conception diet delayed reproductive development: sperm quality was lowered during pubertal development with a concomitant delay in reaching puberty. These effects were subsequent to lower FSH concentrations at 330 and 438 days of age. In the fetus, the low peri-conception diet increased the proportion of seminiferous tubules and decreased blood vessel area in the testis, whereas low first trimester diet increased blood vessel number in the adult testis. We conclude that maternal dietary protein perturbation during conception and early gestation may alter male testis development and delay puberty in bulls

Cognitive justice, plurinational constitutionalism and post-colonial peacebuilding

Several problems disquieting the developing world render the post-colonial state unstable, with recurrent, often violent conflict. The seeming incurable vulnerability of the nation-state construct reflects inherent problems in its basic constitutional philosophy for managing diverse identities in the global South. It suggests an incapacity for equality and justice, undermining the moral legitimacy of the colonial-state model. This is illustrated using Central Nigeria or Nigeria’s ‘Middle- Belt’ through numerous identities, largely veiled in non-recognition and misrecognition by the colonial and post-colonial state and its conflicts. The baggage of colonialism stalks the developing world through unjust socio-political orders. Therefore, the post-colonial liberal constitution (using Nigeria’s 1999 Federal Constitution) and mechanisms it imbibes for managing diversity (Consociationalism, Federalism/Federal Character, Human Rights, Citizenship), is exposed to be seriously misconceived epistemically and cartographically. I argue that effective peacebuilding in the global South is impossible without Cognitive Justice, which is 'the equal treatment of different forms of knowledge and knowers, of identities’. I articulate a political constitutional philosophy grounded upon Cognitive Justice as a conception of justice, advancing normative and conceptual frameworks for just post-colonial orders. This provides foundations for a proposed reconceptualisation and restructuring of the institutional and structural make-up of the post-colonial state through a ground-up constitution remaking process, for new orders beyond colonially stipulated delimitations. In search of appropriate constitutional designs, I engage Multiculturalism, National Pluralism and Plurinational State scholarship by Western Political Philosophers and Constitutional Theorists (Kymlicka, Taylor, Tully, Keating, Tierney, Norman, Anderson, and Requejo etc), as they address particularly the UK, Canadian and Spanish cases, as well as Awolowo’s philosophies. I also engage recent plurinational constitutional designs operational in Ecuador and Bolivia, and propose that the latter hold more appropriate conceptual and structural pointers for effective peacebuilding in the troubled, pluralist global South

Estrogen receptor signaling regulates the expression of the breast tumor kinase in breast cancer cells

Abstract Background BRK is, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, overexpressed in approximately 85% of human invasive ductal breast tumors. It is not clear whether BRK expression correlates with breast cancer subtypes, or the expression has prognostic or diagnostic significance. Herein, we investigated the correlation of BRK with any breast cancer subtypes and clinicopathological significance of BRK expression in breast cancer. Methods In this study, we examined BRK expression in 120 breast tumor samples and 29 breast cancer cell lines to explore the positive correlation between BRK and the expression of ERα. We used immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, and immunoblotting to analyse our experimental samples. Result We demonstrate that estrogen induces BRK gene and protein expression in ER+ breast cancer cells. Over-expression of ERα in the ER-negative breast cancer cell line increased BRK expression, and knock-down of ESR1 in MCF7 cells reduced BRK levels. Further, we provide evidence that BRK is regulated by ERα signaling and the presence of ER antagonists (tamoxifen and fulvestrant) reduce the expression of BRK in ER-positive breast cancer cells. Finally, we demonstrate that the overall survival of ER-positive breast cancer patients is poor when their cancers express high levels of BRK. Conclusion Our data indicate that BRK is a prognostic marker for ER+ breast cancers and provide a strong rationale for targeting BRK to improve patients’ survival

Finding genes for economically important traits: Brahman cattle puberty

Age at puberty is an important component of reproductive performance in beef cattle production systems. Brahman cattle are typically late-pubertal relative to Bos taurus cattle and so it is of economic relevance to select for early age at puberty. To assist selection and elucidate the genes underlying puberty, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using the BovineSNP50 chip (similar to 54 000 polymorphisms) in Brahman bulls (n = 1105) and heifers (n = 843) and where the heifers were previously analysed in a different study. In a new attempt to generate unbiased estimates of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects and proportion of variance explained by each SNP, the available data were halved on the basis of year and month of birth into a calibration and validation set. The traits that defined age at puberty were, in heifers, the age at which the first corpus luteum was detected (AGECL, h(2) = 0.56 +/- 0.11) and in bulls, the age at a scrotal circumference of 26 cm (AGE26, h(2) = 0.78 +/- 0.10). At puberty, heifers were on average older (751 +/- 142 days) than bulls (555 +/- 101 days), but AGECL and AGE26 were genetically correlated (r = 0.20 +/- 0.10). There were 134 SNPs associated with AGECL and 146 SNPs associated with AGE26 (P < 0.0001). From these SNPs, 32 (similar to 22%) were associated (P < 0.0001) with both traits. These top 32 SNPs were all located on Chromosome BTA 14, between 21.95 Mb and 28.4 Mb. These results suggest that the genes located in that region of BTA 14 play a role in pubertal development in Brahman cattle. There are many annotated genes underlying this region of BTA 14 and these are the subject of current research. Further, we identified a region on Chromosome X where markers were associated (P < 1.00E-8) with AGE26, but not with AGECL. Information about specific genes and markers add value to our understanding of puberty and potentially contribute to genomic selection. Therefore, identifying these genes contributing to genetic variation in AGECL and AGE26 can assist with the selection for early onset of puberty