Efficacy of Acid-treated Sawdust in Decolourization of Tanning Wastewater

Colour removal from dye-bearing effluent is a serious challenge due to the difficulty in treating such wastewater by conventional treatment methods. The present investigation explores the decolourization of contaminated wastewater using acid-activated sawdust as an adsorbent. The physicochemical properties of wastewater samples labelled A, B, and C vizaverage temperature; pH; electrical conductivity; and total dissolved solids were determined using standard methods to be 302.63; 6.1; 284.47 µS/cm;35116.66 mg/L respectively. Colour removal efficiency of the adsorbent was studied under variable conditions (contact time, rate of agitation,loading). Experimental results demonstrated that the sawdust adsorbent has a significant capacity for colour removal from tannery effluent. There was significant variation in the absorbance of the treated samples. Adsorbent dose, stirring rate, and contact time were found to be directly proportional to colour removal while pH variation of the samples show that the effluents became less alkaline (slightly acidic) after decolourization

Prevalence and pattern of hyperuricemia in a survey among inhabitants of Sokoto metropolis, north western Nigeria

Objective. Hyperuricemia is increasingly being recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases. Studies have revealed links between urate, cardiovascular events and metabolic syndrome with considerable ethnic and geographical variation. Although clinical features may develop in persons with hyperuricemia, more than 60% remain symptomatic. There are no definite criteria for therapeutic intervention in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia. The study attempts to determine the prevalence and pattern of hyperuricemia among inhabitants of Sokoto in a bid to identify associated factors and threshold for rational therapy.Methods. A cross sectional survey of 161 adults in which demographic indices including physical examination, anthropometric measurements were obtained with urine and blood samples taken for analysis. Statistical evaluation was done, using SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL)Results. Hyperuricemia was documented in 20.5%, with male to female ratio of 2:1 and higher mean urate level in males. Urate level increased with age; ranging from 5.0mmol/L±1.8 among 20-29 years to 6.5mmol/L±1.6 in those aged 50-59 years. Systemic hypertension, type 2 DM, Obesity and kidney dysfunction were commoner among normouricemic than hyperuricemic subjects.Conclusions. Hyperuricemia is common, especially among male gender and advancing age. The association between hyperuricemia and cardiovascular events remains a contentious issue as prevalence of type 2 DM, obesity and kidney dysfunction were similar in hyperuricemic and normouricemic subjects. We could not determine threshold to commence treatment for elevated uric acid level. A larger population and multicentre research is required to prove a link between hyperuricemia and some components of metabolic syndrome.Keywords: Hyperuricemia, Prevalence, Pattern, Sokoto, Nigeri

Extraction of Chrysophyllum albidum Seed Oil: Optimization and Characterization

This work presents the result of the optimization of extraction of oil from Chrysophyllum albidum seed using ethanol as solvent. A 23 factorial designs with replication was employed to study the effect particle size, time, and temperature of extraction. The oil yield from extraction was 12.70 – 16.85 % with the optimal yield of 16.85 % at particle size of 500 µm, temperature of 55 0 C, and a time of 6 hours. Characterizations of the oil reveal a Saponification value of 228.4mgKOH/g, iodine value of 30 gI2 /100g, peroxide value of 1.45 meq/kg, acid value of 2.52 mgKOH/g. The oil extracted from this seed can be effectively used for variety of domestic and industrial application such as the making of paint, candles, soap and biodiesel. Keywords: Optimization, Characterization, Chrysophyllum albidum, Oi

The influence of various chemical oxygen demands on microbial fuel cells performance using leachate as a substrate.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs), hailed as a promising technology, hold the potential to combat various wastewater pollutants while simultaneously converting their chemical energy into electricity through biocatalysts. This study explores the applicability of a dual compartment MFC (DC-MFC) under varying conditions, targeting the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from landfill leachate and electricity generation. In this setup, anaerobic sludge from a wastewater treatment plant serves as the inoculum in the anode compartment of the MFC, with a Nafion117 membrane acting as the separator between MFC units. The cathode compartments are filled with distilled water and continually aerated for 24 h to enhance air supply. The study assesses the MFC's performance across different COD concentrations, focusing on COD removal, power generation, and Coulombic efficiency. The findings reveal that COD removal efficiency is notably enhanced at higher concentrations of organic matter. Specifically, at a COD concentration of 3325.0 mg L-1, the MFC exhibited the highest COD removal efficiency (89%) and maximum power density (339.41 mWm-2), accompanied by a Coulombic efficiency of 25.5%. However, as the initial substrate concentration increased to 3825 mg L-1, the efficiency decreased to 72%, with a Coulombic efficiency of 13.56% and a power density of 262.34 mWm-2. Optical density levels increased due to bacterial growth at ambient temperature and neutral pH, reflecting the dynamic microbial response within the system

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Effects of Modifying Agents on the Dyeability of CottonFabricusing Malachite Green Dye

Changes in thermodynamic parameters as a result of modifying agents on dye uptake of cotton fabric using malachite green (MG) dye was investigated in this study. Five modifying agents {Acetic acid (CH3COOH), hydrated Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3.10H2O), Sodium Chloride (NaCl), Ammonium sulphate ((NH4)2SO4) and Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)} were used on cotton fabric. The equilibrium exhaustions (%E) were determined before and after modification of the cottonfabric at different concentrations which were 88.24%, 80%, 77.14%, 65.10% and 30.88% for CH3COOH, NaCl, (NH4)2SO4, Na2CO3.10H2O and H2O2respectively. The results also showed a correlation between the standard affinity(-Δμθ) of dye on cotton fabric and the equilibrium exhaustion. The values of entropy (ΔSθ) and enthalpy (ΔHθ) change revealed the feasibility (spontaneity) and exothermic nature of the reaction. The optimum parameters were attained in acidic solution (CH3COOH) at the highest temperature (70 oC) of dyeing as it showedthe highest % efficiencyof 88.24%. This work established that modification of cotton fabric with modifying agents is one of the best route to improve the affinity between dye and fabric as it reduces stress, amount of dyes wasted in dyeing, time requiredto achieve satisfactory results leading to a cost effective environmental friendly approach in the field of cotton dyein

Phytochemistry and antimicrobial activities of Cassia occidentalis

Leaves of Cassia occidentalis were extracted with ethanol, methanol and water and the extracts used to carryout antimicrobial screening in vitro on staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, shigella spp. Chromatographic separation was carried out on the active extracts and the efficacy of the resulting fractions was tested against the susceptible organism. Some of the extracts indicated significant inhibitory activity against the tested organisms. General, phytochemical screening was done on the ethanol, water extracts and fractions. Ethanol extract revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, cardiac glycoside terpenoids and anthraquinones, while the fraction revealed the presence of tannins, terpenoid and anthraquinones. This result might explain the ethno-botanical use of the plant for the treatment of dysentery, gastro internal disorder, constipation and typhoid fever.Keywords: Cassia occidentalis, ethnobotany medicinal plant, photochemistry, antimicrobia

Phytochemistry and antimicrobial activities of Cassia occidentalis used for herbal remedies

Leaves of Cassia occidentalis were extracted with ethanol and water. The extracts were used to carry out in vitro antimicrobial screening on Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella spp. Chromatograhic separation was carried out on the active extracts, and the efficacy of the resulting fractions was tested against the susceptible organism. Some of the extracts indicated significant inhibitory activity against the tested organisms. General phytochemical screening was done on the ethanol, water extracts and fractions. Ethanol extract revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, cardiac glycoside, terpenoids and anthraquinones, while the fractions revealed the presence of tannins, terpenoids and anthraquinones. This result might explain the ethnobotanical use of the plant for the treatment of dysentery, gastro internal disorder, constipation and typhoid fever.Keywords: Cassia occidentalis, plant, herbal remedies phytochemistry, antimicrobials International Journal of Natural and Applied Sciences, 6(3): 363-367, 201