Sublethal Effects of Ammoniacal Fertilizer Effluents on three Commercial Fish Species from Niger Delta Area, Nigeria

Sublethal effects of various concentrations of fertilizer effluents on the tail beat frequency per minute (TBF min.-1) and opercular beat frequency per minute. (OBF min-1) of Orechromis niloticus, Clarias gariepinus and hybrid (Heterobranchus bidorsalis (female) x C. gariepinus (male)) were examined in a static 96hr. bioassay under laboratory conditions. Effluent concentration, ammmonia (ionised and un-ionised), urea and pH significantly affected TBF and OBF of the three species. Ammonia particularly, the un-ionised form exacted the most significant effect onTBF and OBF. OBF appears be a more sensitive indicator of stress than TBF and may therefore be more suitable for detecting sublethal physiological effects of pollutants. This study further revealed that the fertilizer effluents have variable compositions whose values may far exceed the allowable limits and hence may pose great danger to the aquaticenvironment

Influence of sex, source, health status and acclimation on the haematology of Clarias gariepinus (Burch,1822)

The influence of sex, source (pond and wild) acclimation and health status on some blood parameters of C. gariepinus was studied. There were no significant differences between the blood parameters (haemoglobin (Ht), packed cell volume (PCV), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), red blood cells (RBC), RBC indices ( MCHC;, MCH: and MCV), white blood cells (WBC) and differential counts (neutrophils, lymphocytes, basophils and eosinophils) of the males and females among the apparently healthy and sick group of fish under sex, source and acclimation. Differences in blood parameters in fish before and after acclimation were noted in the WBC (

Effects of Cypermethrin on Condition Factor and Organosomatic Indices of Clarias Gariepinus

The effect of sublethal exposure of Clarias gariepinus (mean length 29.47±1.88cm; mean weight 276.44±81.91g) to cypermethrin (0.00 – control, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.25mlL-1) for 10 days on the condition factor (k) and organosomatic indices such as Renatosomatic index (RSL), Hepatosomatic Index (HIS), Spleenosomatic Index (SSI) and Cardiosomotic (CSI). The results obtained from the study indicated no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the initial (K1) and final (K2) condition factor. In all the organosomatic indices used to assess response to stress in fish exposed to cypermethrin, significant increase (P<0.05) was observed in RSI, while the values of HIS decreased significantly when compared to the control after 10days. The values of SSI and CSI obtained during the trial were within the same range, as no significant changes was observed. Hence, in monitoring pollution of aquatic environment when administering cypermethrin, HIS and RSI will be a good biomarker of pollution effect on Clarias gariepinus

Haematological characteristics of the Bloody cockle anadara senilis (L.) from Andoni flats, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

Haematological characteristics of Anadara senilis was investigated. A total of two hundred and forty (240) were sampled from Andoni flats during low tide. They were immediately transferred to the laboratory, where they were sorted and grouped into four different sizes. Group one comprised of (mean length 2.54 cm ± 2.42 and mean weight of 8.37g ± 2.44); size group two has (mean length 3.84 cm ± 0.42 and mean weight 21.42) while group three has (5.76cm ± 0.38 and mean weight of 36.17g ± 3.55) and group four has mean length (7.89 cm ± 0.32; mean weight of 57.41 g ± 6.81). Blood was then taken from the bivalves and were later analysed in the laboratory. The mean values of haematological profiles recorded were (mean ± S.D), haemoglobin (Hb) 4.08 ± 1.88g dl-1; Packed Cell Volume (PCV) 10.98 ± 6.79 %; Red Blood Cells (RBC) 1.97 ± 0.68 x 1012 cells l-1; White Blood Cells (WBC) 3.76 ± 1.51 x 109 cells L-1 Platelets (PLT) 75.36 ± 88.36%; Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH) 20.06 ± 3.98pg; Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) 50.64 ± 19.30Fl; Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCHC) 43.79 ± 13.71 gdl-1; Oxygen Carrying Capacity (OCC) 6.11 ± 2.83 vol. %. The highest range of the parameters was recorded in platelets, while the lowest was observed in RBC. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed between the four size groups in all the parameters studied. It appeared from the trials that the quantity and quality of the blood tends to increase with size.Key words: Haematology, Bloody cockle, size, Andoni flats, Niger Delta

Electrolytes in Selected Tissues of Heterobranchus bidorsalis Treated With Sub lethal Levels of Cypermethrin

Heterobranchus bidorsalis (mean length 31.50±2.32cm SD; mean weight 241.25± 30.39g SD) was exposed to cypermethrin (0.0005, 0.0075, 0.010, 0.125 and 0.0150ppm) for 23 days to determine the effect of exposure oncations (sodium, Na+, potassium, K+) and anion, Cl- in the gill, kidney, liver and muscle tissue. Hyponatraemia (p>0.05) occurred in the gill except at 0.0075ppm with hypernatraemia (107.33% above control value,105.63±7.48mmol/l). Hypokaelamia was recorded at 0.005 and  0.0150ppm, but concentration dependent hyperkalaemia at 0.0075 through 0.0125ppm. Gill of exposed fish had hypochlorinaemia except at 0.010ppm. Generally, kidneys of exposed fish had hyponatraemia and hypokaelamia relative to the respective control values. There was no change in Cl- level at 0.0125 and 0.0150ppm, but hypochlorinaemia at 0.005ppm and hyperchlorinaemia at 0.0075 and 0.010ppm with 10.78 and 67.09% respectively, above the control value (19.75±4.50mmol/l). In the liver, Na+ levels were lower at 0.0025, 132.50±55.00mmol/l and 0.0125ppm, 206.25±96.20mmol/l, whereas at 0.005, 0.010 and 0.015ppm it was 2.96 (96.36%), 1.49 (48.45%) and 1.70times (70.00%) the control value, 275.00±27.66mmol/l. Hypokaelamia was recorded at 0.005 and 0.0075ppm, whereas hyperkaelamia was noted at the other exposure concentrations with a peak at 0.0150ppm, 23.61% the control value, 18.00±2.94mmol/l. Non-concentration dependent hyperchlorinaemia with about two units above control recorded at 0.0075 -0.0125ppm and about six units at 0.005 and 0.0150ppm (Table 3). In the muscle, sodium, potassium and chloride ions were all elevated (Na+, 72.66; K+, 4.14; Cl+, 54.22%) above their respective control values at 0.005ppm. Generally hyponataemia, hypokaelamia and hypochlorinaemia were recorded in the other exposure levels. The study indicates that pollutants interfere with electrolyte in the organism thereby disrupting the internal physiology of the exposed fish. Key words: Cypermethrin, electrolytes, Heterobranchus bidorsalis, tissue

Fulton’s condition, organ indices and haematological response of catfish hybrid (Heterobranchus longifilis, ♂ x Clarias gariepinus, ♀) to aqueous extracts of leaves of Lepidagathis alopecuroides

This study was conducted to assess the Fulton’s condition, organ indices and haematological response of catfish hybrid, Heterobranchus longifilis, ♂ x Clarias gariepinus, ♀ (mean total length, 29.96±2.23cm, SD; mean weight, 207.83±12.63g,SD) exposed to sublethal concentrations of aqueous extracts (0.00, 1.25, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, and 0.25mg/l) of leaves of Lepidagathis alopecuroides in a daily renewal bioassay for 21days. The Fulton’s condition, organ indices (hepatosomatic index, HIS; cardiosomatic index, CSI; and spleenosomatic, SSI; cardiosomatic index, CSI and renatosomatic index, RSI) and haematological variables (white blood cells, WBC; red blood cell, RBC; packed cell volume, PCV; haemoglobin, Hb; thrombocytes, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, MCH; mean corpuscular volume, MCV; mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, MCHC) were assessed at the end of the experimental period. The toxicant caused slight increase only in the HSI (p>0.05), whereas for CSI, SSI and RSI in some of the concentrations the weight were same, lower or higher than the respective control values. Leucocytopaenia and thrombocyotsis, p<0.05 were the most pronounced haematological changes recorded in treated fish compared with the control. Differential counts (neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes), blood variables associated with oxygen transport (PCV, Hb and RBC) and red cell indices (MCV, MCH and MCHC) were not negatively impacted by the toxicant. Although the toxicant may not have impaired oxygen transport, it may depress the defence mechanism but enhance clotting of the event of any vascular injury to the fish. In the field where lethal concentrations of the plant material is used to catch fish more severe physiology changes may occur leading the mortality normally recorded during the application of the biocide, Hence the use the plant material for fishing should be checked by appropriate authorities.Key words: Fulton’s condition, organ indices, haematology, catfish hybrid, Lepidagathis alopecuroide

Larvicidal properties of Lepidagathis alopecuroides and Azadirachta indica on Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus

Comparative analysis of the larvicidal properties of aqueous extracts of leaves of Lepidagathis alopecuroides and Azadirachta indica (neem) was carried out on Anopheles gambiae and Culex quinquefasciatus. Assays showed that L. alopecuroides was more toxic to both larvae, while C.quinquefasciatus was more susceptible to extracts of both plants. For extracts from 500 mg of leaves in 1 L of water, the lethal time (LT50) for C. quinquefasciatus and A. gambiae with L. alopecuroides extract was in the ratio 1:4.5, while it was 1:21.8 with neem extract. No mortality was recorded in A. gambiae exposed to neem at all the concentrations until the emergence of the adult. The results suggest that L. alopecuroides is more potent than neem and could be developed as a cheap, effective and renewable resource that could be incorporated into the Roll Back Malaria program in Nigeria and other countrie

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Impact of Cypermethrin on Selected Enzymes in Tissues of Heterobranchus bidorsalis

Heterobranchus bidorsalis (mean total length 31.50 ± 2.32 cm SD; mean weight 241.25 ± 30.39 g SD) was exposed to cypermethrin (0.005, 0.0075, 0.010, 0.125 and 0.0150 p.p.m.) for 23 days to determine the activity of transaminases (alanine transaminase, ALT; aspartate transaminase, AST) the phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, ALP in the gill, kidney, liver and muscle tissue. The activity of ALT in the gill at 0.005 and 0.010 p.p.m. were lower (P > 0.05) than the control, whereas elevated activity above the control were recorded at the other concentrations. AST activity was excited 11.36–220.45% above the control value at all the concentrations. ALP activity was inhibited below the control value with the highest inhibition, 40.46% at 0.010 p.p.m. ALT activities in the kidney at all the exposure concentrations were elevated 33.33% and 66.67% above the control at 0.005–0.010 p.p.m. and 0.0125–0.0150 p.p.m., respectively. Inhibition below the control was recorded in all the exposure concentrations for AST and ALP. ALT and AST activities in the liver were inhibited below their respective control values. ALP activity was inhibited at 0.0075 and 0.0150 p.p.m. (44.12 and 23.53%, respectively, below control value), but excited at the other concentrations with a peak, 33.83% at 0.010 p.p.m. In the muscle, 12.68% and 23.94% elevation above the control were recorded at 0.0125 and 0.0150 p.p.m., respectively, for ALT with a decrease in the lower concentrations. There was excitation of AST activity at 0.0050, 0.010 and 0.015 p.p.m., and inhibition at 0.0075 and 0.0125 p.p.m. relative to the control value. There was general inhibition of ALP activity in the muscle of treated fish below the control except at 0.010 p.p.m. The usefulness of the enzymes as biomarkers of cypermethrin toxicity appeared to be concentration and tissue dependent, and can be effectively used to assess the impact of the agrochemical on the fish