Comparative evaluation of clays from Abakaliki Formation with commercial bentonite clays for use as drilling mud

The characteristics of clays from Abakaliki Formation, Southeastern Nigeria was evaluated to establish its suitability as drilling mud when compared with commercial bentonite such as Wyoming bentonite. The chemical, mineralogical and geotechnical properties were employed in assessing the suitability of  Abakaliki clay as drilling mud. Mineralogically, the clays were all characterized as dominantly Illite as well as montmorillonite with low percentages of kaolinite. The chemical composition of the clays  indicates low percentages of Na2O when compared with that of Wyoming bentonite with fairly higher  percentages of CaO and K2O than are required for drilling mud clays. The clays are plastic; with liquid limit (LL) of 58.8 to 72.8, plastic limit (PL) of 25 to 30 and plasticity index (API) of 26 to 45.8. They are classified as inorganic clays of high plasticity (CH) according to Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) and as A-7-6 according to American Association of State High and Transportation Official’s (AASHTO)  classification systems. The natural pH values are greater than 8.10, while the viscosity values varied  from 5.9 to 8.0 centipoises for 10 g clay per 350 ml water. Some of these natural properties (Na2O and  CaO contents, LL, PI and viscosity) of these Nigerian clays failed to satisfy the required specifications  outlined for clays used as drilling mud when compared with the properties of Wyoming bentonite. This  clay will possibly yield low plastic viscosities but with additives such as sodium carbonate and  carboxymethyl cellulose, the rheological properties for Abakaliki clay will remarkably improve.    Key words: Abakaliki Formation, drilling mud, geotechnical analysis, Wyoming bentonite,   Southeastern Nigeria

Review of prostate cancer research in Nigeria

Prostate cancer (CaP) disparities in the black man calls for concerted research efforts. This review explores the trend and focus of CaP research activities in Nigeria, one of the ancestral nations for black men. It seeks to locate the place of the Nigerian research environment in the global progress on CaP disparities. Literature was reviewed mainly through a Pubmed search with the terms “prostate cancer”and “Nigeria”, as well as from internet and hard copies of journal pages

A pilot dose-response study of the acute effects of haskap berry extract (Lonicera caerulea L.) on cognition, mood and blood pressure in older adults

Purpose Haskap (Lonicera caerulea L. or blue honeysuckle) is a plant native to the low-lying wet areas and mountains of Siberia and northeastern Asia, but is now cultivated in Canada. The dark blue berries are rich in anthocyanins, particularly cyanidin-3-O-glucoside. Previously, anthocyanin-rich fruits have been observed to benefit cognitive performance during the immediate postprandial period following a single acute dose. However, no study has currently examined the potential for haskap berries to influence cognitive performance. Here, we investigate the acute cognitive benefits of an anthocyanin-rich haskap berry extract. Methods A double-blind, counterbalanced, crossover intervention study compared the acute effects of three separate haskap berry extract doses, containing 100mg, 200mg, and 400mg anthocyanins, with a sugar-matched placebo. Participants were an opportunity sample of 20 older adults, aged 62-81 years. Measures of cognition, mood, and blood pressure were recorded at baseline and 1.5 hours postprandially. Results Compared to placebo, the 400mg dose elicited significantly lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. Both 200mg and 400mg doses elicited significantly higher word recall, with the 400mg dose also significantly improving word recognition scores, on an episodic memory task. However, mood, working memory and executive function task results were more equivocal. Conclusions The findings provide evidence for improvements in episodic memory and blood pressure following acute supplementation with haskap berry extract, with higher doses appearing most effective. The cognitive findings concur with previous literature that suggests episodic memory effects, and not executive function effects, are most prevalent in older adults following anthocyanin-rich berry supplementation. The blood pressure outcome is consistent with a vasodilatory mechanism of action

Drivers of diversification and pluriactivity among smallholder farmers—evidence from Nigeria

Diversification and pluriactivity have become a norm among farm business owners (FBOs) due to persistent low farm income. This study applies the resource-based theory to examine drivers of diversification and livelihood income-oriented towards a sustainable livelihood. Our framework develops hypotheses about the impact of internal and external resources on livelihood choices at the household level. We use a survey of 480 rural Nigerian farmers (agripreneurs), applying a Multivariate Tobit to test our framework. We find that education plays the most significant role in all types of employment options. The more FBOs are educated, the more the likelihood that they will choose non-farm or wage employment. This study revealed that while the agriculture sector’s share of rural employment is declining, non-farm is on the increase. More so, there is a decline in farming among the young generation, marital status bias and gender influence in resource allocation. The socioeconomic (income and food security) and socio-cultural (employment and rural-urban migration) implications of rural sustainability linked to UN Development Goals have been highlighted and analysed in this article

Anti-inflammatory Components from Functional Foods for Obesity

Obesity, defined as excessive fat accumulation that may impair health, has been described throughout human history, but it has now reached epidemic proportions with the WHO estimating that 39% of the world’s adults over 18 years of age were overweight or obese in 2016. Obesity is a chronic low-grade inflammatory state leading to organ damage with an increased risk of common diseases including cardiovascular and metabolic disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, osteo-arthritis and some cancers. This inflammatory state may be influenced by adipose tissue hypoxia and changes in the gut microbiota. There has been an increasing focus on functional foods and nutraceuticals as treatment options for obesity as drug treatments are limited in efficacy. This chapter summarises the importance of anthocyanin-containing fruits and vegetables, coffee and its components, tropical fruit and food waste as sources of phytochemicals for obesity treatment. We emphasise that preclinical studies can form the basis for clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of these treatments in humans

Plasmid Conjugation in E. coli and Drug Resistance

The emergence of multidrug resistance in clinical Escherichia coli has been associated significantly with plasmid mediated genes in carriers; which is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. This study aimed at determining the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of E. coli isolates claimed to be multidrug resistance using disc diffusion method. It also determined the presence of transferable resistance plasmids through conjugation and evaluated the medical significance of plasmid encoding E. coli and drug resistance. The result showed that majority of the multidrug resistance in clinical microorganism was as a result of the acquisition of plasmid-carrying antibiotic-resistance genes, acquired through conjugal transfer of plasmids which has greatly contributed to the rapid spread of antibiotic resistance among E. coli isolates which could lead to complication in therapy and limit treatment options, increase in mortality rate, high economic burden and longer hospital stays. To cub this, it is imperative to checkmate the rate at which over the counter drugs are sold and antibiotic misused in animal feeds. This will play a key role in decreasing the emergence of resistant bacteria strains within our environment.Key words: E. coli, conjugation, transconjugation, plasmid, multidrug resistanc