Microbial status of smoked fish, scombia scombia sold in Owerri, Imo state, Nigeria

As one of the common sources of protein available to man, fish is highly consumed due to its lower cholesterol content and price. So it forms a rich protein source for both poor and rich. As a part of checkmating the public health risks associated with this general dependence of the population on fish, the microbiological assessment of smoked fish, Scombia, scombia sold in Owerri was embarked on with the aim of ascertaining the microbial quality, the presence and prevalence of microorganisms of public health importance. A total of one hundred and eight (108) samples were collected from the smoking Factory, Open Market and Hawkers. These were analyzed microbiologically for viable heterotrophic bacteria and fungi count on Nutrient and Potato dextrose agar respectively, using pour plate method and coliform count in MacConkey broth by multiple tube method (MPN). The mean value results from the analysis revealed high microbial contamination in all the samples. The resultant data were analyzed statistically using randomized block design of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 95% level of confidence and the difference were separated using the least significance difference (LSD). The mean results of viable  heterotrophic bacteria and fungi count showed no significance difference for the collection sites; but the coliform mean results for the three sites showed marked variation at 95% level (P>0.05). Identified bacteria, include: Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Bacillus sp., Klebsiella sp., whereas fungi are Penicillium sp., Aspergilusl sp., Fusarium violaceum, Biospora sp., Candida sp, Botryodioplodia sp., Alternania sp. This high level of microbial contamination can be traceable to handlers, and environment to which this fish is exposed during smoking and selling exercises, and considering the danger it portends to human health, public health and  food safety authorities should intensify their monitoring efforts towards controlling such contamination.Key words: Bacteria, Yeast, Mould, Smoked fish, Contamination

Production and partial purification of glucoamylase from Aspergillus niger isolated from cassava peel soil in Nigeria

Glucoamylase is an enzyme that hydrolyses 1,4α and 1,6β-glucosidic linkages in polysaccharides yielding glucose. Aspergillus niger strains 1, 2 and 3 were locally isolated from cassava peel dumpsite for the production of glucoamylase enzyme. A. niger strains 1, 2 and 3 were screened for their hyper producing ability on potato dextrose agar using plate assay method fortified with starch agar, and showed zone of clearance of 17.0, 23.0 and 8.0 mm, respectively. The glucoamylase activity for A. niger strains 1 and 2 were 13 000.0 and 11 740.0, respectively. These values were however higher than the activity as obtained from the commercial enzyme with 2 500.0. Investigations on the protein (mg/ml), and specific activity (units/mg) on glucoamylase produced by A. niger strains 1 and 2 was 24.20, 537.19, 23.13 and 507.57, respectively. Fractionation of the enzyme ammonium sulphate (% w/v) using 60, 80 and 100% showed that the enzyme activities were 33 179.86, 47 985.86 and 19 167.65 units/ml, respectively. Protein concentrations were 16.29, 16.29 and 21.55 units/mg, respectively, while specific activities were 2 036.82, 2 945.725 and 889.45 units/mg, respectively. The production, packaging, and commercialization of glucoamylase in Nigeria will save a lot of foreign exchange earnings, and boost the economy of Nigeria.Keywords: Glucoamylase, specific activity, Aspergillus niger, fractionation, cassava peel.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(21) 2154-215

De complexiteit van de jeugdverslavingszorg: dilemma's en kansen

Item does not contain fulltex

The Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry: Process, Profile, and Prospects of a Collaborative Project

BACKGROUND: Clinical disease registries are useful for quality improvement in care, benchmarking standards, and facilitating research. Collaborative networks established thence can enhance national and international studies by generating more robust samples and credible data and promote knowledge sharing and capacity building. This report describes the methodology, baseline data, and prospects of the Nigeria Parkinson Disease Registry. METHODS: This national registry was established in November 2016. Ethics approval was obtained for all sites. Basic anonymized data for consecutive cases fulfilling the United Kingdom Parkinson's Disease Brain Bank criteria (except the exclusion criterion of affected family members) are registered by participating neurologists via a secure registry website (www.parkinsonnigeria.com) using a minimal common data capture format. RESULTS: The registry had captured 578 participants from 5 of 6 geopolitical zones in Nigeria by July 2019 (72.5% men). Mean age at onset was 60.3 ± 10.7 years; median disease duration (interquartile range) was 36 months (18–60.5 months). Young‐onset disease (<50 years) represented 15.2%. A family history was documented in 4.5% and 7.8% with age at onset <50 and ≥ 50, respectively. The most frequent initial symptom was tremor (45.3%). At inclusion, 93.4% were on treatment (54.5% on levodopa monotherapy). Per‐capita direct cost for the registry was $3.37. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first published national Parkinson's disease registry in sub‐Saharan Africa. The registry will serve as a platform for development of multipronged evidence‐based policies and initiatives to improve quality of care of Parkinson's disease and research engagement in Nigeria