Prepared herbal remedy use among artisans in Nsukka (Nigeria) motor-mechanic village

An indeterminate amount of alcohol is concealed in prepared herbal remedies. This deception requires focused and concerted efforts to address the problem. The present study used a mixed-method design to evaluate two objectives. The first objective was to determine the prevalence of use of some common variants of prepared herbal remedies among artisans in Nsukka motor-mechanic village. The second objective was to determine why artisans use herbal medicines. Data for this study were conducted using unobtrusive observation, interviews, and a structured questionnaire. Participants for study 1 (n = 94) were sampled from about 205 artisans in Nsukka motor-mechanic village. Descriptive statistics showed that there was high prevalence of use of prepared herbal remedies among the sample. Twelve (12) participants (study 2; participants were not part of the 94 in study 1) were interviewed at different spots in the motor-mechanic village. Qualitative data, which were analyzed by relating outstanding points of   response to the objectives of the study showed craving for alcohol, belief in the efficacy of herbal remedies, poverty, and poor treatment of artisans by health workers as some of the reasons that sustain the use of prepared herbal remedies among the sample. Keywords: herbal remedies, alcohol, artisans, Nsukk

Development of Cultism in Secondary Schools in Rivers State (1999-2018): It’s Implications for Educational Development

The development of cultism in secondary schools in Rivers State had severe negative implications on the educational development of students across the State.  Series of measures were undertaken to curtail the proliferation of cultism among secondary school students. However, cultism has proliferated unabated like wide fire in secondary schools in Rivers State. It is against this backdrop that this study was undertaken to examine the development of cultism in secondary schools and its implications on educational development in Rivers State. Three research questions were formulated to guide the study. Data were gathered through secondary sources such as textbooks, journals, Government publications, newspapers, and student’s publications such as dissertations and thesis. The secondary data collected were subjected to content analysis. The study established that illegal collection of levies by the youth, intake of hard drugs by the students, lack of basic needs such as food, shelter, negative influence from the peer group, and teachers’ negative attitude towards their students led to the proliferation of cultism among students in secondary schools in Rivers State. The study also established that the proliferation of cultism has sever negative impact on educational system in Rivers State. It is disastrous to the society in general.   Based on the above findings the study recommended among other things that the government should design poverty alleviation strategies for students such as bursary and scholarship awards. This will enable poverty-stricken students to take care of their immediate personal needs

The Anti-Nutritional and Proximate Composition of Rain Tree (Samanea saman) Pod Samples

The anti-nutritional and proximate composition of pods of Samanea saman were determined. About 600g of wholesome, cleaned and dried pods were divided into two portions: one portion was ground as whole pod meal while the other portion was deseeded and ground as seedless meal. The removed seeds were ground separately as a sample to obtain three samples namely: whole pod, pulp and seed samples. Triplicate data obtained were subjected to One-Way ANOVA using SPSS software of version 21. Mean values and Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) were determined for the separation of the means at (p≤0.05). The whole pod had 1.49mg/100g oxalate, 1.97mg/100g hydrogen cyanide, 0.71mg/100g tannins, 27.07mg/100g saponins, 0.51mg/100g flavonoids and 1.71mg/100g alkaloids, which were significantly(p≤0.05) different from that of pulp (1.89mg/100g oxalate, 1.51mg/100g hydrogen cyanide, 0.86mg/100g tannins, 28.46mg/100g saponins, 1.00mg/100g flavonoids and 1.41mg/100g alkaloids) and seed samples (1.39mg/100g oxalate, 1.61mg100g hydrogen cyanide, 0.56mg/100g tannins, 26.51mg/100g saponins, 0.49mg/100g flavonoids and 1.86mg/100g alkaloids). The moisture contents were pulp (19.30%), whole pod (15.50%) and seed (9.20%). Ash content were whole pod (4.70%), pulp (2.90%) and seed (2.60%); Ether extract of whole pod, pulp and seed were 3.31%, 2.52% and 2.66% respectively. The crude proteins were whole pod (13.21%), pulp (10.98%) and seed (21.55%); crude fibre of the plant were whole pod (15.95%), pulp (6.77%) and seed (8.47%). The whole pod had 47.33% carbohydrate which was significantly (p≤0.05) lower than the carbohydrate of pulp (57.53%) and seed (55.52%). The utilization of the pods of S. samana is a significant source of bioactive that if harnessed in the formulation of nutraceutical beverage could offer a whole lot of health benefit to the users

Air and noise pollution effects on air quality in peacock paint industry, Ikot Ekan, Etinan, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Eight sampling locations in the study area were assessed for some air pollutants, level of noise pollution and some meteorological parameters. Portable handheld air monitor was used to measure air pollutants, a sound level meter and anemometer for level of noise and meteorological parameters respectively. Results showed that the highest concentrations of Nitrogen dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, Hydrogen Sulphide and Suspended particulate matter were recorded in indoor II while those for Carbon monoxide and Chloride were recorded in outdoor I. The outdoor locations recorded higher mean noise level and temperature (76.1 dB (A), 30.05°C) than the indoor locations (70.95 dB (A), 27.03°C). On the other hand, the indoor locations recorded higher mean relative humidity (62.8%) than the outdoor locations (48.25%). Significant difference (P<0.05) was observed only in the mean concentration of Chloride in the two environments. The mean concentrations of NO2, SO2, H2S, CO and Cl2 were above the permissible limit of Federal Environmental Protection Agency thus posing environmental risks. Appropriate vehicle emission management should be considered; air and noise pollution control agencies should intervene to reduce the risks associate with these pollutants and improve the air quality of the study area

Experimental Study on the Impact of Weather Conditions on Wide Code Division Multiple Access Signals in Nigeria

In cellular network activities, before a site is integrated it is expected that each cell of the site meets the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) standard of ≥98% for both service accessibility and call completion rate which in turn depicts a ≤2% in both blocked call rate (BCR) and dropped call rate (DCR). It is suggested that weather conditions have a very strong negative effect on the performance of wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) network as it could lead to signal attenuation or change the polarization. In this paper, we study the impact of weather conditions on WCDMA network in Nigeria. To achieve this, network samples (log-files) were collected weekly during a driving test in Enugu State Nigeria for a period of five years for both rainy and dry seasons, in which blocked and dropped calls were extracted. Results show that during adverse weather conditions, BCR and DCR rise greater than 8% and 4% respectively. Although with a slight relationship between the weather conditions, the weather condition during the dry season has a better-blocked call rate of 8.76% in comparison with the rainy season with 12.89%. Calls tend to drop more during the dry season. From the outcome of the experiment, a model was developed for predicting an unknown network call statistics variables

Exclusive breastfeeding and its relevance to infant teething

Objective: To determine the relevance of exclusive breast-feeding practice, in the development of healthy oral tissue among teething infants. Method: A cross sectional study design of children aged 6-36 months was carried out in 14 wards of Jos North Local Government Area. A multistage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 1081 mothers who qualified and were interviewed using structured interviewer questionnaire on their knowledge and perception on common complaints during teething in children. The index children were examined for number and type of teeth erupted using mouth mirror under natural light. Result: One thousand and eighty-one mothers and their babies were interviewed and examined; out these 16.5%, 38.7% and 44.8% babies were of age groups 6-12, 13-24 and 25-36 months respectively; 50.2% were female and 49.8% were male. Of the babies examined 62.4% were exclusively breast-fed. There was a significant association between maternal educational status and knowledge of teething complaints. Three hundred and twenty-six (30.1%) babies had cough during their teething period, 349 (32.3%) experienced drooling of saliva, and 352 (32.6%) were observed to bite objects during teething. The high percentage of babies that were exclusively breast-fed but did not experience these symptoms were found to be statistically significant (p = 0.00). Seven hundred and forty-two (68.6%) babies had diarrhoea during teething; out of these 459(42.5%) were exclusively breast-fed and it was however not found to be statistically significant (p = 0.55). Conclusion: This study draws attention to the relatively poor anecdotal evidence related to symptoms associated with the teething process. The result has also demonstrated that exclusive breast-feeding is not only able to reduce the symptoms ascribed to teething, but also promote the development of a healthy oral tissue

Microbial Loads of Ogiri-Ahuekere Condiment Produced from Groundnut Seed (Arachis hypogaea Linn)

Microbial loads of ogiri-ahuekere condiment produced from groundnut seeds were examined. The groundnut seeds were sun-dried for 8 hours, dehulled and boiled for 8 hours using kerosene stove. The cooked cotyledons were milled manually into a paste and wrapped in small portions (30g) with blanched plantain leaves. The wrapped samples were fermented in a container for 1-10 day(s) while the unfermented cooked groundnut paste was used as a control. The freshly prepared samples of ogiri-ahuekere were used for microbial analysis and this action was carried out under sterile aseptic conditions. Statistical analysis of the data was carried out using ANOVA method with application of SPSS version 20. The significant difference between the mean values was determined by Tukey’s test at 95% level of confidence. There was no growth in unfermented sample for TCC and TFMC while there was growth for TBC. There was significant increases in TCC which ranged from` 0.67-6.47 x 107 cfu/g, TBC (0.83-8.60 x 107 cfu/g) and TFMC (0.30 – 4.90 x 107 cfu/g). The results obtained from the study have shown the prevalence of bacteria throughout the period of fermentation in an increasing population

Folate levels in children with sickle cell anaemia on folic acid supplementation in steady state and crises at a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Nigeria: a prospective, comparative study

IntroductionFolic acid supplementation is an integral aspect of the management of children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) especially in Africa. In spite of this, there have been concerns about lower folate levels, especially during crisis. AimTo determine red cell folate levels of children with sickle cell anaemia in steady state and during crisis and compare with those with haemoglobin AA genotype. MethodThis study was prospective, hospital based, and comparative. Fifty children with sickle cell anaemia were recruited during crises and followed up until they met the criteria for attaining steady state. The controls were fifty children matched with those with SCA for age and gender and had haemoglobin AA genotype. Red cell folate estimation was done with the Electrochemiluminescence Immunoassay (ECLIA) method using the automated Roche Cobas e411 equipment. ResultsThe median (IQR) red cell folate level in children during sickle cell crisis was 265.95 (134.50) ng/ml, which was significantly lower than the median (IQR) of 376.30 (206.85) ng/ml obtained during steady state. Most children with SCA (41 out of 50) had significantly higher folate levels during steady state (T=1081, Z-score= -4.660, p < 0.001). Median level of red cell folate was lower during anaemic crisis compared to vaso-occlusive crisis, though not significantly so (N(50), U = 214.00, Z-score= -1.077, p = 0.305). The median red cell folate level of normal controls was 343.55 (92.90) ng/ml, which was significantly lower than the 376.30 (206.85) ng/ml obtained during steady state (N(50), U= 209.00, Z-score= -7.177, p <0.001). Conclusion Median red cell folate levels of the study participants were within normal limits, though most children with SCA had significantly higher levels during steady state compared to crisis. Normal controls had significantly lower red cell folate levels than the children with SCA during steady state

Glycaemic response of four mango fruits consumed in Enugu State

Background: Mango fruit is a delicious juicy drupe, commonly consumed in Nigeria. It is a seasonal fruits that is consumed by all. However, diabetic patients sometimes are afraid of spike in their blood sugar after consuming fruits of which mango is one of them. Evidenced based dietary counselling and nutrition eduction of the public requires such an empirical study to establish evidence. Objectives: This study examined the glycemic response, glycemic index and glycemic load of four mango fruits consumed in Nsukka, Enugu state. Methodology: Samples of four mango varieties (Opioro, Alphonso, Haden, and Sweet) were randomly selected from different markets in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria. These samples were thoroughly washed in warm water to remove gums. The edible portion of the mango (alphonso, haden and sweet mango was consumed with the peels, while the peel of opioro mango was remove before consumption). The weight of each variety that will give about 25g available carbohydrate was used as the test meal. Voluntary human subjects who were informed about the research were used and withdrawal at any stage was allowed. Ethical approval given by Research Ethics Committee University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla. Available carbohydrate was determined using standard method. The glycemic response was done using the FAO protocols. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) was used to present the data obtained while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means and turkey HSD test was used to separate the means. Results: Available carbohydrate was highest in Sweet mango (6.18g). Alphonso mango significantly (p<0.05) had the least effect on blood glucose levels. The glycemic index of the samples was 33 for Opioro, 4 for Alphonso, 15 for Haden and 39 for Sweet mangoes. The glycemic load ranged from 5.18 in Haden mango to 6.18 in Sweet mango. Conclusion: The study revealed that Alphonso mangoes could be used in planning diets for people with metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of ethanol extract of Annona senegalensis leaves in experimental animal models

Background: This study was carried out to establish the analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects of the ethanol extract of Anonna senegalensis leaves in experimental animals.Methods: The analgesic activity was measured using the abdominal constriction and tail flick tests. The anti-inflammatory activity was performed using xylene and egg-albumen paw induced tests, while the antipyretic activity was measured using brewer’s yeast and 2, 4 dinitrophenol induced pyrexia tests, respectively.Results: The leaf extract at all doses used exhibited significant (p<0.05) analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities.Conclusions: Results show that ethanol leaf extract of Anonna senegalensis possess therapeutic potential against pains and feverish conditions, supporting the claims of its this plant as remedy for similar ailments