Macrobenthic Fauna Of A Humid Tropical Water Reservoir, Abia State, Nigeria

The macrobenthic fauna of a humid tropical zone water reservoir was investigated from January to December 2002. Benthos was obtained using an improvised Surber Stream Bottom Sampler. Threephyla of macrobenthos (Arthropoda, Mollusca and Annelida) prevail in the reservoir, with quantitative variations. A total of 1,279 macrobenthic animals were recorded. The Arthropoda was represented by larvae of ve genera of insects, wth a total of 644 (50.4 %), while Molusca was represented by two genera with a total o 165 (12.9 %), and Annelida by three genera, with a total of 470 (367 %) of the benthos. There was significant dfference (

Effects of ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Bryophyllum pinnatum on haematological parameters of normal and streptozotocin–induced diabetic rats

The effect of the oral administration of both ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts from Bryophyllum pinnatum (BP) on haematological parameters of normal and streptozotocin - induced (STZ) diabetic rat was investigated. Twenty-five male Wister rats were used and divided into five groups of five rats each. They were designated as (Normal Control – NC, Diabetic Control – DC, Diabetic Ethanolic Extract – DEE, Diabetic Aqueous Extract – DAE, and Normal Aqueous Extract – NAE). Groups NC and DC served as ‘control’ animals receiving food and water only. Groups DC, DEE and DAE were injected intraperitoneally with 65mg/kg body weight streptozotocin. Induction of diabetes mellitus was confirmed after 48 hours using glucose test strips. The test rats were all treated with 100mg/kgbwt ethanolic and aqueous leaf extracts of Bryophyllum pinnatum for 28days. At the end of the 28days, the rats were sacrificed and whole blood collected for Haematological assay. Results obtained showed a significant difference(P<0.05) in White Blood Cell (WBC), Red Blood Cell (RBC), Platelet (PLT), Haemoglobin (HBG), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Mean Cell Volume (MCV), Mean Cell Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Cell Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC) and Lymphocytes (LYM) in treated rats with BP leaf extracts when compared to the diabetic and normal control groups

Evaluation of the Potency of Commercial and Locally Prepared Antibiotic Discs on Clinical Bacterial Isolates in Calabar, Nigeria

Antibiotic susceptibility discs are used for vitro susceptibility testing of antimicrobial agents to fast growing bacteria and fastidious species by agar diffusion method. It is a semi quantitative method. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of commercial antibiotic discs over in-house prepared discs. Identified clinical isolates were obtained in house in the Department of Medical Microbiology/Parasitology, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Nigeria. Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 7553) and Escherichia Coli (ATCC 25922) were obtained and used as controls. The antibiotics tested includes; Ciprofloxacin, Erythromycin, Amoxicillin, Gentamicin, Zinacef. These were obtained commercially from Pharmacy shops. The local antibiotic dics were prepared with Whatman filter paper number 3. The antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using Kirby-Bauer method. Out of the 40 clinical isolates tested, 15(37.5%) were Staphylococcus aureus while 10(12.5%) each were Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. Only 5 isolates of Proteus vulgaris were used. The susceptibility profile of isolates to the commonly used local antibiotic discs ranged between 66.7% to 100%, while the range for commercial discs was 53.3% to 86.7%. Locally prepared discs were found to be more effective than commercial discs. The high resistance rates (0.0% to 33.3%) of clinical isolates to the commercial discs may be attributed to prolong exposure to environmental factors such as heat, moisture, sunlight as well as humidity when transported to retailers and the final users. There is need for constant monitoring and quality controls of susceptibility testing in our laboratories for the production of quality results and efficient patient care. Antibiotic susceptibility discs can be prepared locally for routine laboratory use; this may indirectly reduce importation of commercial discs and the burden on foreign exchange

Nodular Fasciitis

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135180/1/jum2014334565.pd

A preliminary radiotracking study of movements, activity patterns and habitat use of free-ranging Gaboon vipers, Bitis gabonica

Radiotelemetry was employed to study daily movements, activity patterns, macrohabitat use, and substratum selection of four Gaboon vipers (Bitis gabonica), two adult males and two adult females. The study was carried out during the dry season (1st-20th of March, 1998) in south-eastern Nigeria. Transmitters, weighing approximately 4 g, were internally implanted. Gaboon vipers spent considerable time inactive below-ground. There was considerable nocturnal activity in the open in three of four specimens. and considerable above-ground activity during the early moming hours in ali the four radiotracked specimens . These vipers showed a significant preference for the clearings inside dryland rainforest patches, and avoided cultivated lands. Males used a wider spectrum of macrohabitats than females, these latter being confined almost exclusively to dry forest clearings. Home-ranges, calculated by minimum convex polygon method, averaged 1 .6 ha in the males and 0.8 ha in the females. Average daily distances moved were significantly higher in males than in females. ln both sexes, average daily distances moved were significantly higher during night hours than during daylight hours. Courtships, matings, and sexual combats between males were sometimes observed during the study period. These vipers used sometimes the termite nests as sheltersLes mouvements diurnes, les patrons d'activité, l'utilisation des macrohabitats et la sélection des substrats ont été étudiés par radiotélémétrie chez quatre vipères du Gabon (Bitis gabonica) adultes, deux mâles et deux femelles. L'étude a été conduite durant la saison sèche (suivi par radiopistage du 1er au 20 mars 1998) dans le sud-est du Nigéria. Les émetteurs, pesant environ 4 g. ont été implantés dans l'animal. Les vipères radio-équipées restèrent longtemps inactives sous terre. Trois d'entre-elles ont montré une grande activité nocturne en milieu ouvert. Les quatre ont été très actives durant les premières heures du jour. Ces vipères ont évité les terres cultivées et ont affiché une préférence significative pour les chablis dans les parcelles de forêt sêche. Les domaines vitaux moyens, calculés par la méthode du polygone convexe minimum, furent de 1.6 ha pour les mâles et de 0.8 ha pour les femelles. Les distances moyennes parcourues chaque jour furent significativement plus grandes chez les mâles que chez les femelles. Pour les deux sexes, les distances moyennes parcourues quotidiennement furent significativement plus fortes de nuit que de jour. Des parades nuptiales, des accouplements et des affrontements sexuels entre mâles furent parfois observés durant la période d'étude. Les vipères ont parfois utilisé des termitières comme abris

Cholecystectomy: Indications at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria

Background/objective: The relative rarity of gallbladder disease has been documented in various parts of Africa. Recently the incidence has been reported as rising in some African countries. We undertook this study to evaluate the indications for cholecystectomy in our center and compare with others. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 18 open cholecystectomies in 10years. Results: The ages ranged from 13 and 65 years (mean 39.2years). There were 15 females and 3 males (F: M=ratio 5:1). Calculous cholecystitis 9(50%) in patients, acalculous cholecystitis 8(44.4%) and a patient with carcinoma of the gallbladder were offered cholecystectomy. The commonest stone was mixed multiple stones. Conclusion: The numbers of cholecystectomies attest to the rarity of gallbladder disease in this environment. This may be due to the high fiber and low cholesterol diet predominant in this costal population in southern Nigeria.Introduction/Objectif: La raret\ue9 relative de la maladie de la v\ue9sicule biliaire a \ue9t\ue9 document\ue9 dans la plupart des pays africains. Jusqu'\ue0 r\ue9cemment la fr\ue9quence a \ue9t\ue9 rapport\ue9e comme en hausse dans quelques pays africains. Nous avons entrepris cette \ue9tude afin d\u2019\ue9valuer les indications de la chol\ue9cystectomie dans notre centre et les compar\ue9 avec d\u2019autres. M\ue9thodes: Il s\u2019agit d\u2019une \ue9tude r\ue9trospective de 18 chol\ue9cystectomies ouvertes au cours d\u2019une dur\ue9e de dix ans. R\ue9sultats: Les \ue2ges varient entre 13 et 65 ans (moyenne 37,2 ans.) Il y a eu 15 du sexe f\ue9minin et 3 du sexe masculin (F: M = proportion de 5:1). Chol\ue9cystites calculs de 9 soit 50% chez les patients chol\ue9cystite acalculies de 8 soit 44,4% et un patient atteint d\u2019un cancer de la v\ue9sicule biliaire a \ue9t\ue9 donn\ue9 la chol\ue9cystectomie. Un mixte de multiples pierres \ue9tait la pierre la plus fr\ue9quente. Conclusion: Le nombre des chol\ue9cystectomies confirme la raret\ue9 de la maladie v\ue9siculaire dans cet environnement. Cela peut \ueatre du \ue0 la haute teneur en fibres et faible taux de cholest\ue9rol alimentaire pr\ue9dominant dans cette population costale dans le sud du Nig\ue9ria

Unsupervised Learning Framework for Customer Requisition and Behavioral Pattern Classification

Maintaining healthy organization-customers relationship has positive influence on customers’ behavioral tendencies as regards preference to products and services, buying behavior, loyalty, satisfaction, and so on. To achieve this, an in-depth analysis of customers’ characteristics and purchasing behavioral trend is required. This paper proposes a hybrid unsupervised learning framework consisting of k-means algorithm and self-organizing maps (SOMs) for customer segmentation and behavior analysis. K-means algorithm was used to partition the entire input space of customers’ transaction dataset into 3 and 4 disjoint segments based on customers’ frequency (F) and monetary value (MV). SOM provided visualization of the underlying clusters and discovered customers’ relationships in the dataset. Interaction of F and MV clusters resulted in 12 sub-clusters. An in-depth analysis of each sub-cluster was also performed and appropriate customer relationship management (CRM) strategies established for each sub-cluster. Discovered knowledge will guide effective allocation of resources to each customer cluster and other organizational decision support functions much required by CRM systems. Keywords: customer relationship, data mining, k-means, pattern recognition, self organizing ma

Non-falciparum malaria infection and IgG seroprevalence among children under 15 years in Nigeria, 2018.

Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) is the dominant malaria parasite in Nigeria though P. vivax (Pv), P. ovale (Po), and P. malariae (Pm) are also endemic. Blood samples (n = 31,234) were collected from children aged 0-14 years during a 2018 nationwide HIV survey and assayed for Plasmodium antigenemia, Plasmodium DNA, and IgG against Plasmodium MSP1-19 antigens. Of all children, 6.6% were estimated to have Pm infection and 1.4% Po infection with no Pv infections detected. The highest household wealth quintile was strongly protective against infection with Pm (aOR: 0.11, 95% CI: 0.05-0.22) or Po (aOR= 0.01, 0.00-0.10). Overall Pm seroprevalence was 34.2% (95% CI: 33.3-35.2) with lower estimates for Po (12.1%, 11.6-12.5) and Pv (6.3%, 6.0-6.7). Pm seropositivity was detected throughout the country with several local government areas showing >50% seroprevalence. Serological and DNA indicators show widespread exposure of Nigerian children to Pm with lower rates to Po and Pv

How well do adolescents recall use of mobile telephones? Results of a validation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the last decade mobile telephone use has become more widespread among children. Concerns expressed about possible health risks have led to epidemiological studies investigating adverse health outcomes associated with mobile telephone use. Most epidemiological studies have relied on self reported questionnaire responses to determine individual exposure. We sought to validate the accuracy of self reported adolescent mobile telephone use.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants were recruited from year 7 secondary school students in Melbourne, Australia. Adolescent recall of mobile telephone use was assessed using a self administered questionnaire which asked about number and average duration of calls per week. Validation of self reports was undertaken using Software Modified Phones (SMPs) which logged exposure details such as number and duration of calls.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 59 adolescents participated (39% boys, 61% girls). Overall a modest but significant rank correlation was found between self and validated number of voice calls (ρ = 0.3, P = 0.04) with a sensitivity of 57% and specificity of 66%. Agreement between SMP measured and self reported duration of calls was poorer (ρ = 0.1, P = 0.37). Participants whose parents belonged to the 4^thsocioeconomic stratum recalled mobile phone use better than others (ρ = 0.6, P = 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Adolescent recall of mobile telephone use was only modestly accurate. Caution is warranted in interpreting results of epidemiological studies investigating health effects of mobile phone use in this age group.</p