Impact of Nutritional (C: N Ratio and Source) on Growth, Oxalate Accumulation, and Culture pH by Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum.

The phytopathogenic fungi Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, causative of Sclerotinia stem rot of soybean was studied to determine the impact of culture media representing disparate carbon to nitrogen sources and ratios on mycelial growth, oxalate accumulation, and culture pH. The three parameters exhibited significant variations with respect to the differing preference for the nutrient sources and ratios; most oxalate accumulated on high CN (75:1) nutrient media, the intermediate CN (35:1) nutrient media exhibited the best growth potential, while the highest oxalate–to-biomass ratio occurred on poor CN (3.6:1) nutrient media and pH raised in low (10:1) and poor (3.6:1) nutrient media. Further, we made an attempt to identify the potential regulators for oxalate metabolism by HPLC analysis of metabolites present in the culture filtrate, which revealed 6–17 peaks. Nine peaks were identified as acetate, citrate, succinate, malate, oxalate, oxaloacetate, succinate, glycolate, and indole-3-acetic acids (IAA). Acetate, oxalate and malate were present in all the culture filtrates but in varying amounts. The other metabolites were not detected in some of the culture filtrates. Taken together, these results indicate that; 1) oxalate production did not correlate with growth; 2) oxalate accumulation and regulation is dependent on nutritional conditions and; 3) the decrease in culture pH was independent of oxalate accumulation. Such studies may lead to identification of most commendable media for laboratory assay and the rational design of strategies to regulate/depress oxalate accumulation and reduce its availability in plant foods. Key words: biomass, metabolites, mycelial, nutrition, oxalate, Sclerotinia sclerotioru

Milking Time Effect on Nutrients Level of Free Range Indigenous and Zero Grazed Exotic Cow Milk on Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Zinc in Kajiado County, Kenya

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the different milking time in a cow affects the nutrients levels in the milk. Milk is considered as balanced diet food with nutrients playing an important role in the body of a human being like calcium build and maintain strong bones and teeth, magnesiumhelps in muscular functions, potassium helps in blood pressure control, muscle and nerve function while zinc stimulates the activity of enzymes in the body, supports immune system, synthesize DNA and in wound healing.Nutrients levels were determined using analytical methodsAAS for analysis of calcium, magnesium and zinc and AES for analysis of potassium. Cow milk obtained in the morning and in the evening had different levels of nutrients in free range indigenous and zero grazed exotic cows. The results showed that in free range indigenous cow milk, nutrients are higher in the morning than in the evening except magnesium while in zero grazed exotic cow milk, the nutrients analysed are higher in the evening milk than the morning milk.Cow milk obtained in the morning from free range indigenous cows and that from evening from zero grazed exotic cows is the best to be taken. Keywords: AAS, AES, Cow, milk, nutrients levels

The Status of Occupational Safety and Health and effectiveness of Contractor Management Programs at Kenya Breweries Limited

Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) is involved in the manufacture and sale of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. A significant amount of work in this company is outsourced to contractors. The study sought to develop an in-depth understanding of the current occupational safety and health (OSH) management programs at KBL by examining the perspectives of staff and contractors who are certified to access the workplace. The study employed a descriptive cross sectional study design. Departments were selected purposively and divided into 4 clusters namely; Engineering & Services, Manufacturing, Sales-Marketing & Logistics and HR & Security. Data collection tools were questionnaires, observation and retrieval from records. All data forms underwent scrutiny for logical inconsistencies; skip patterns and missing values. The percentages and their 95% confidence intervals were presented.   A total of 302 (100%) workers participated in this study, of which 18% were fulltime KBL employees and 82% were contractors. In this study 70.5% had college education and above although there was no significant association between educational level and awareness of OSH. Most (93.4%) workers were aware of all hazards in their respective workplaces; 95.0% of workers confirmed that OSH policies were adequate. Majority (93.6%) confirmed that safety information was visible to all staff. The most prevalent cause of injury at KBL was established to be broken glass (cullet), accounting for 66.5% of all respondents who had sustained occupational injuries. Introduction of contactor safety passport training and appointment of safety officers were identified as the most effective programs in improving OSH performance, particularly of contractors. Records from the company point to a significant improvement of performance seen from accident statistics lens with over 81% reduction in accidents between 2010 and 2014.   Further research is recommended in similar firms, so as to help in setting feasible OSH benchmarks for manufacturing industries. Keywords: occupational safety and health, hazards, risks, awareness, contractor management program

Evaluation of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activity of Herbs Used in Treatment of Diabetes, Malaria and Pneumonia in Kisii and Nyamira Counties Region, Kenya

The herbs Carissa spinarum, Physalis minima and Toddalia asiatica have traditionally been used in healing diabetes, malaria and pneumonia by the communities around the Kisii region, Kenya. However in the available literature, there is scanty information on effectiveness of different plant parts of the herbs in healing the ailments. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential antimicrobial and antifungal activity of methanolic extract of whole plant Physalis minima, leaf and root of Carissa spinarum and Toddalia asiatica against gram positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) and fungus Candida albicans (ATCC14053). Antibiotic disc methicillin, cotrimoxazole, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, ampicillin, nalidixic and nitrofurantoin were used in the study. In each herb, plant part was extracted by soaking in methanol/dichloromethane in ratio 1:1 for a week, filtered, concentrated by rotary vapor and cooled. The same process was repeated three times for all samples. The study was conducted by agar well diffusion method. Methanolic root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), root extract of Carissa spinarum had highest antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) while root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antifungal activity. It was concluded that root extract of Toddalia asiatica showed highest antibacterial activity 16.7mm  against Staphylococcus aureus(ATCC 25923), root extract of Carissa spinarum had highest antibacterial activity 10 mm  against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922)  while  root extract of Toddalia asiatica had highest antifungal activity 18 mm against Candida albicans

Impact of carbon sources on growth and oxalate synthesis by the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

The impact of various supplemental carbon sources (oxalate, glyoxylate, glycolate, pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate) on growth and oxalate formation (i.e., oxalogenesis) by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was studied. With isolates D-E7, 105, W-B10, and Arg-L of S. sclerotiorum, growth in an undefined broth medium (0.1% soytone; pH 5) with 25 mM glucose and 25 mM supplemental carbon source was increased by the addition of malate and succinate. Oxalate accumulation occurred in the presence of glucose and a supplemental carbon source, with malate, acetate, and succinate supporting the most oxalate synthesis. With S. sclerotiorum Arg-L, oxalate-to-biomass ratios, an indicator of oxalogenic potential, were dissimilar when the organism was grown in the presence of different carbon sources. The highest oxalate-to-biomass ratios were observed with pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate. Time-course studies with acetate-supplemented cultures revealed that acetate and glucose consumption by S. sclerotiorum D-E7 coincided with oxalogenesis and culture acidification. By day 5 of incubation, oxalogenesis was halted when cultures reached a pH of 3 and were devoid of acetate. In succinate-supplemented cultures, oxalogenesis essentially paralleled glucose and succinate utilization over the 9-day incubation period; during this time period, culture pH declined but never fell below 4. Overall, these results indicate that carbon sources can regulate the accumulation of oxalate, a key pathogenicity determinant for S. sclerotiorum

Impact of carbon sources on growth and oxalate synthesis by the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

The impact of various supplemental carbon sources (oxalate, glyoxylate, glycolate, pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate) on growth and oxalate formation (i.e., oxalogenesis) by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was studied. With isolates D-E7, 105, W-B10, and Arg-L of S. sclerotiorum, growth in an undefined broth medium (0.1% soytone; pH 5) with 25 mM glucose and 25 mM supplemental carbon source was increased by the addition of malate and succinate. Oxalate accumulation occurred in the presence of glucose and a supplemental carbon source, with malate, acetate, and succinate supporting the most oxalate synthesis. With S. sclerotiorum Arg-L, oxalate-to-biomass ratios, an indicator of oxalogenic potential, were dissimilar when the organism was grown in the presence of different carbon sources. The highest oxalate-to-biomass ratios were observed with pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate. Time-course studies with acetate-supplemented cultures revealed that acetate and glucose consumption by S. sclerotiorum D-E7 coincided with oxalogenesis and culture acidification. By day 5 of incubation, oxalogenesis was halted when cultures reached a pH of 3 and were devoid of acetate. In succinate-supplemented cultures, oxalogenesis essentially paralleled glucose and succinate utilization over the 9-day incubation period; during this time period, culture pH declined but never fell below 4. Overall, these results indicate that carbon sources can regulate the accumulation of oxalate, a key pathogenicity determinant for S. sclerotiorum

Impact of carbon sources on growth and oxalate synthesis by the phytopathogenic fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

The impact of various supplemental carbon sources (oxalate, glyoxylate, glycolate, pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate) on growth and oxalate formation (i.e., oxalogenesis) by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was studied. With isolates D-E7, 105, W-B10, and Arg-L of S. sclerotiorum, growth in an undefined broth medium (0.1% soytone; pH 5) with 25 mM glucose and 25 mM supplemental carbon source was increased by the addition of malate and succinate. Oxalate accumulation occurred in the presence of glucose and a supplemental carbon source, with malate, acetate, and succinate supporting the most oxalate synthesis. With S. sclerotiorum Arg-L, oxalate-to-biomass ratios, an indicator of oxalogenic potential, were dissimilar when the organism was grown in the presence of different carbon sources. The highest oxalate-to-biomass ratios were observed with pyruvate, formate, malate, acetate, and succinate. Time-course studies with acetate-supplemented cultures revealed that acetate and glucose consumption by S. sclerotiorum D-E7 coincided with oxalogenesis and culture acidification. By day 5 of incubation, oxalogenesis was halted when cultures reached a pH of 3 and were devoid of acetate. In succinate-supplemented cultures, oxalogenesis essentially paralleled glucose and succinate utilization over the 9-day incubation period; during this time period, culture pH declined but never fell below 4. Overall, these results indicate that carbon sources can regulate the accumulation of oxalate, a key pathogenicity determinant for S. sclerotiorum

The selection of a standard STR panel for DNA profiling of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) in Kenya

The African elephant (Loxodonta africana) population in Kenya is declining at an alarming rate due to habitat destruction, human-elephant conflicts and the current escalation of poaching for ivory. This study established a standard protocol for forensic analysis of L. africana and their products such as ivory. Three multiplex PCR panels consisting of 17 Short Tandem Repeat markers were selected from 40 markers using bioinformatics tools, amplification and polymorphism. Genotyping was successful and reproducible. This method is efficient, accurate and cost effective and has potential for application in conservation of L. africana.JKUAT and the Commission for Science Technology and Innovation.http://link.springer.com/journal/12686hb201