Overview of Pathology and Laboratory Features of COVID-19

BACKGROUND: The third identified severe respiratory disease in the past two decades and the first to result in a pandemic is the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) specifically caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). AIM: The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the basic pathology and diagnostic laboratory features of COVID-19. METHODS: This review involved search of literatures on PubMed, Science alert, Medline, and Advanced Google search using the keywords “SARS-CoV2,” “Coronavirus” along with “pathology of COVID-19” and “diagnosis of COVID-19” with related articles pooled, relevant information extracted, and properly referenced. RESULTS: The recommended method of diagnosis is by nucleic acid testing of the viral ribonucleic acid in which real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction followed by nucleic acid sequencing when required is performed while some serologic techniques developed include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunochromatographic lateral flow assay, neutralization bioassay, and specific chemosensors to detect the immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies produced, although sole use of serologic tests is highly discouraged by monitoring agencies. The hematological features display leukocytosis with lymphocytopenia, eosinopenia, reduced procalcitonin along with increased D-dimer, C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, fibrin, fibrin degradation products, and some inflammatory markers such as interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, MCP10, interferon gamma-induced protein 10, and tumor necrosis factor-α. The pathologic presentations include pleurisy, lung consolidation, pulmonary edema and pericarditis along with other features of acute respiratory syndrome, myocardial injury, and acute kidney injury. CONCLUSION: There are highly efficacious and reliable methods of diagnosis of COVID-19 which also determine the stage and severity of the condition, and these methods are performed in line with specific clinical presentations. However, more studies are required to identify the capabilities, characteristics, and tendencies of this novel virus

BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION OF SOME VEGETABLES SOLD IN MAJOR MARKETS IN ADO-EKITI, NIGERIA

Consumption of vegetables contaminated with pathogens is a common source of infections. This study investigated bacterial contamination of vegetables sold in major markets in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Sixty samples comprising of 20 samples each of Brassica oleracea, Cochorus olitorius, andAmaranthus hybriduswere examined.Bacteriological procedures were followed in the isolation and identification of bacteria from culture media. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was done using the disk diffusion method.Sixty six bacteria were isolatedfrom 60 vegetable samples. Of these isolates, Salmonella spprecorded 43.3%, followed by Citrobacter freundii18.3%, Klebsiella spp15.0%, Enterobacter spp11.7%, Proteus sppand Alcaligenes spp5.0% each, Escherichiacoliand Providencia spp3.3% each and Vibrio spp1.7%. The prevalence of the isolates on 20 samples of Brassica oleraceadecreased in the order of Salmonella species55.0%, Citrobacter species20.0%, Alkaligenes species10%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus species, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilisand Providentia species5% each. The most frequent bacteria isolated on 20 samples of Cochorus olitoriuswas Salmonella species50.0%, followed by Citrobacter species15.0%. Vibro speciesand Alkaligenes speciesrecorded 5.0% each. Enterobacter speciesrecorded the highest frequency 30.0% on the 20 samples of Amaranthus hybridus, followed by Salmonella speciesand Klebsiella species25.0% each, Citrobacter species20.0%, Pseudomonas aeruginosaand Escherichia coli5.0% each. All isolates weresensitive to ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin but resistant to augmentin, ampicillin and cefuroxime. It is essential to control the sources of vegetable contamination to minimize risk of infections especially in vegetables consumed ra

Identification of ascorbic acid and phytochemical profiles of Scotch Bonnet pepper (Capsicum chinense) using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet Detector (HPLC-UV)

Researchers have discovered that red and green scotch peppers are extremely rich in phytochemicals and that these secondary metabolites are connected to several biological processes in the human body. This study aimed to determine the numerous phytochemicals present in scotch pepper seeds, flesh, and red and green varieties. The samples were pulverized after being air-dried. The phytochemicals and ascorbic acid contents were examined using a High-performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet  detector (HPLC-UV). Twelve phytochemicals and ascorbic acid were identified in the flesh and seed of red scotch pepper, with lycopene having the highest content (83.10 mg/kg), the ascorbic acid content of 8.80 mg/kg; moreover, the seed of red scotch pepper revealed twelve phytochemicals and lycopene being the highest content (75.60 mg/kg) and ascorbic acid content of 6.80 mg/kg, furthermore, fourteen phytochemicals were identified in the flesh of red scotch bonnet pepper with lycopene the highest quantity (86.00 mg/kg) and ascorbic content of 10.60 mg/kg. Twelve phytochemicals were identified in the flesh and seed of green scotch bonnet pepper, lycopene (68.70 mg/kg) being the highest content, ascorbic acid content (6.50 mg/kg), twelve phytochemicals were revealed in the flesh of green pepper and lycopene had highest quantity (76.30 mg/kg), in the seed of green pepper, the lycopene content was 68.70 mg/kg. However, it has been shown that capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, and lutein concentrations varied, with red scotch pepper flesh having the highest concentration of capsaicin (7.50 mg/kg). The lycopene and ascorbic acid contents of flesh were the highest (86.00 mg/kg) and (10.60 mg/kg). The study's findings showed that red pepper flesh was better than other components that were looked at.

Antimicrobial Activities of Different Honeys Sold in Ado-Ekiti on Bacteria Associated with Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

Honey has been used for various purposes including treatment of some diseases locally especially in wounds and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). There is paucity of information on the scientific basis for the use of honey in the treatment of uppe r respiratory tract infections caused by bacteria. This study was carried out to determine antibacterial activities of different brands of honey marketed in Ado-Ekiti and relate with those of some orthodox antibiotics used in the treatment of URTIs. The an timicrobial activities of the honeys were assessed against Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae using agar well diffusion technique. Broth dilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the honey against the bacteria. Screening concentrations of neat honey and 80% honey inhibited Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae with zone of inhibition ranging between 2-10 mm. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was resistant to all concentrations of honeys except for one honey (Dr Bee) that inhibited the organism at 100% concentration. Orthodox antibiotics showed significantly higher mean zone of inhibition in relation to honey (P < 0.001). The sensitive organisms were inhibited in dose related manner. The mean MIC of the different honey brands was generally at 31.25% against Staphylococcus aureus while concentration of 50% showed bactericidal effect on S. aureus. Klebsiella pneumoniae was inhibited at mean concentration of 31.5% and bactericidal effect was observed against the organism at 40% mean concentration

Evaluation of antioxidant potentials of different solvent-fractions of Dialium indium (African Black velvet tamarind) fruit pulp - in vitro

Plant phytonutrients have been harnessed for their various curative properties both in vitro and in vivo. In this study African black velvet tamarind (ABVT) fruit pulp was evaluated for it antioxidant potentials using chloroform and hexane fractions through different antioxidant parameters. In the results; total phenolic contents quantified in mg GAE/dried sample in chloroform and hexane extracts were; 14.57 &plusmn;5.85 and 9.78 &plusmn;4.61, total flavonoid contents in chloroform and hexane extracts as; 48.58 &plusmn;0.00 and 27.35 &plusmn;0.00 while the FRAP (&micro;g AAE.g-1 dried sample) was lower in chloroform (298.10 &plusmn;0.00) than hexane extracts (1029.81 &plusmn;0.00). More also, ability of varied concentrations of the extracts (with their IC50) to cause inhibition against Fe2+-induced MDA that was determined by TBARS in rat's brain and liver tissue homogenates, Fe2+-chelating ability and other antioxidant assays, showed an appreciable significant (p &lt;0.05) difference. The various antioxidant properties showed by ABVT has indicated that, if the pulp is incorporated in diet, it could serve as an alternative in managing various ROS-induced degenerative ailments as it has been clearly demonstrated in the protection of brain and liver homogenates from Fe2+-induced oxidative stress.&nbsp

Conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19 in Nigeria: Implications for vaccine demand generation communications.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a worldwide phenomenon and a serious threat to pandemic control efforts. Until recently, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was not the cause of low vaccine coverage in Nigeria; vaccine scarcity was the problem. As the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines improves in the second half of 2021 and more doses are deployed in Nigeria, the supply/demand dynamic will switch. Vaccine acceptance will become a key driver of coverage; thus, amplifying the impact of vaccine hesitancy. Conspiracy theories and misinformation about COVID-19 are rampant and have been shown to drive vaccine hesitancy and refusal. This study systematically elicits the misinformation and conspiracy theories circulating about COVID-19 among the Nigerian public to understand relevant themes and potential message framing for communication efforts to improve vaccine uptake. METHODS: From February 1 to 8, 2021, we conducted 22 focus group discussions and 24 key informant interviews with 178 participants from six states representing the six geopolitical zones. Participants were purposively selected and included sub-national program managers, healthcare workers, and community members. All interviews were iteratively analyzed using a framework analysis approach. RESULTS: We elicited a total of 33 different conspiracy theories or misinformation that participants had heard about the COVID-19 virus, pandemic response, or vaccine. All participants had heard some misinformation. The leading claim was that COVID-19 was not real, and politicians took advantage of the situation and misused funds. People believed certain claims based on distrust of government, their understanding of Christian scripture, or their lack of personal experience with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to report a thematic analysis of the range of circulating misinformation about COVID-19 in Nigeria. Our findings provide new insights into why people believe these theories, which could help the immunization program improve demand generation communication for COVID-19 vaccines by targeting unsubstantiated claims

Bacterial contamination of some vegetables sold in major markets in Adoekiti, Nigeria

Consumption of vegetables contaminated with pathogens is a common source of infections. This study investigated bacterial contamination of vegetables sold in major markets in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Sixty samples comprising of 20 samples each of Brassica oleracea, Cochorus olitorius, and Amaranthus hybridus were examined. Bacteriological procedures were followed in the isolation and identification of bacteria from culture media. Antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates was done using the disk diffusion method. Sixty six bacteria were isolated from 60 vegetable samples. Of these isolates, Salmonella spp recorded 43.3%, followed by Citrobacter freundii 18.3%, Klebsiella spp 15.0%, Enterobacter spp 11.7%, Proteus spp and Alcaligenes spp 5.0% each, Escherichia coli and Providencia spp 3.3% each and Vibrio spp 1.7%. The prevalence of the isolates on 20 samples of Brassica oleracea decreased in the order of Salmonella species 55.0%, Citrobacter species 20.0%, Alkaligenes species 10%, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, ..

Zingiber officinale AND Andrographis paniculata INHIBITS SELECTED PATHOGENIC BACTERIA GROWTH

Background: The emergence of antibiotic resistance bacteria in general practice has necessitated the search for other alternative and newer antibacterial agents that are mainly of natural sources. Previous studies have shown that Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Andrographis paniculata (king bitters) have several beneficial properties against pathogenic bacteria and other microbes and are being used locally.Aim: The antibacterial properties of Zingiber officinale and Andrographis paniculata extracts against selected clinical bacteria were evaluated in comparison to previous routine antibiotics.Materials and Methods: Different graded concentrations of solvents were used to extract the active components from the plant parts (0.05 g/ml, 0.1 g/ml and 0.2 g/ml and 0.4 g/ml) and subjected to antibacterial sensitivity test against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter freundii, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp and Klebsiella pneumoniae.Results: The methanol and ethanol extracts of the two plants showed greater antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus at a concentration of 0.4 g/ml with varying sensitivities and resistance of other bacteria recorded against the extracts and other antibiotics, while the aqueous extracts of both plants generally had no significant inhibitory activity against the tested bacteria.Conclusion: The methanol and ethanol extracts of ginger and king of bitters plants may therefore be a promising and safe bioactive antimicrobial alternative against the multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus in wounds and skin infections

Seroprevalence of Rubella IgG and IgM Antibodies among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria

Aim: Though Rubella is vaccine-preventable and enlisted on the expanded program on immunization (EPI) list, vaccination and testing are not routinely practiced in Ido-Ekiti. There is also paucity of epidemiological data on the prevalence of rubella infection at Ido-Ekiti, hence the study aimed at carrying out a serosurvey to generate epidemiological data for this location. Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out between October 2018 and January 2019 at the Antenatal Clinic of Federal Teaching Hospital Ido-Ekiti (FETHI), Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methodology: One hundred and eighty four consenting pregnant women attending antenatal clinic at FETHI were enrolled. Structured questionnaire was administered to collect Sociodemographic data and sera samples were also collected to determine seroprevalence of rubella IgG and IgM antibodies using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Prevalence rate was calculated and chi square value was determined. Results: Of the 184 sera samples analyzed 176 (95.7%) and 22 (12%) were seropositive for rubella IgG and IgM respectively. Twenty (11%) of those seropositive for IgM were also positive for IgG and only 2(1%) were positive only for IgM. Prevalence rate for IgG was highest among 26-30years (98.3%) and 31-35years (18.8%) for IgM. Age had no-significant effect (p&gt; 0.05) on seroprevalence distribution. In like manner, level of formal education, knowledge of the virus, and occupation had no significant effect (p&gt; 0.05) on prevalence of the virus. However parity significantly (p&lt; 0.05) influenced the pattern of serostatus for both IgG and IgM. Conclusion: The high prevalence and similar distribution pattern irrespective of sociodemographic features of rubella virus in this study area suggests its endermicity and continuous transmission in the area. This emphasizes the need to implement routine immunization of children and susceptible women of child bearing age against rubella virus.<p class="MsoNormal"/

Examining Psychosocial Factors and Community Mitigation Practices to Limit the Spread of COVID-19: Evidence from Nigeria

We examine the psychosocial factors influencing community adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) to limit the spread of COVID-19. Using data from 990 respondents in communities across Nigeria, we examine the correlation of health behaviors and socioeconomic indicators. We conduct logistic regression to estimate the relationship between mask wearing as a health-seeking NPI with demographic and socioeconomic variables. We estimate separate models in the sensitivity robustness checks with other NPIs and control for differences across sex, age, education, number in household, and the presence of a student in the respondent&rsquo;s household. A crucial finding is that health-seeking NPI behaviors are statistically significantly affected in different ways by the menu of socioeconomic indicators. The control for age, sex, education, and household size indicates that there is intersectionality of how these factors influence specific mitigation practices. We find that women are more likely to engage in mask wearing, hand washing, and use of hand sanitizers and tissues than men, and the provision of palliatives and access to family supplies significantly enhances community mitigation. Palliatives and access to family supplies enhance most health-seeking behaviors. The implication for pandemic mitigation policy is that minimizing incidence rates requires having responsive initiatives such as information updates on pandemic progression