The influence of cooking methods on the antioxidant status of Tetrapleura tetrapetra

Africa is blessed with a rich array of local spices such as Tetrapleura tetraptera. The culinary uses of T. tetraptera are many. The seed of Uhiokirihio is majorly used in the preparation of ‘Banga’ (palm fruit) soup, meat pepper soup and other types of soup in the southern part of Nigeria. It is also commonly used in soups of nursing mothers to prevent post-partum contractions. The rich antioxidant activity of this spice has been reported. There is, however, a dearth of information on the effect of different cooking methods on its antioxidant activity. This study, therefore, evaluated the effect of cooking methods on the antioxidant status of the seeds of Tetrapleura tetraptera. The raw seeds of the spice were both toasted and boiled separately for 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes, respectively. The samples were analysed for anti-nutrients, vitamin contents and antioxidant properties. Anti-nutrient evaluation of the ethanolic (80% ethanol) extract revealed that both toasting and boiling time caused significant (p<0.05) variations in all the anti-nutrients studied. Total phenolics increased (p<0.05) from 20.80mg/100g to 28.53mg/100g for toasted samples and from 20.80mg/100g to 30.51mg/100g for boiled samples, respectively. Both cooking methods caused significant reduction in the phytate and tannin levels of the seeds. At the end of the cooking processes, tannin level was reduced by 62.07 % for boiling and 75.68 % for toasting treatment. The cooking methods led to significant reduction in both the vitamin C and β- carotene levels of the samples. Boiling for 20 min caused a 91.98% decrease in vitamin c and a 59.52 % decrease in β-carotene while toasting reduced these nutrients by 86.73 % and 39.88 %, respectively. Antioxidant activity as measured by DPPH scavenging activity and FRAP showed a significant rise with increase in cooking time. The DPPH activity of the toasted samples increased from 22.06μg/ml to 27.64 μg/ml while the boiled samples increased from 22.06μg/ml to 43.26μg/ml. It was observed that boiling led to a greater increase in total phenolics and antioxidant activity than toasting. It could, therefore, be concluded that cooking T. tetraptera seeds would improve its antioxidant properties

Sero-prevalence of Hepatitis B Virus Infection and its Risk factors among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria

Background: Pregnant women infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) can transmit the infection to their fetuses and newborns. Neonates who contract the HBV have about 90% risk of developing chronic HBsAg carriage (HBsAg: hepatitis B surface antigen) and chronic liver disease. Neonatal immunization interrupts this vertical and perinatal transmission.Objectives: To determine the seroprevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) and to identify potential risk factors associated with HBV infection.Materials and Methods: A case control study was conducted involving a total of 303 pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic at AKTH and 303 nonpregnant women of childbearing age. Blood sample was collected from each woman and the serum tested for the presence of HBsAg using latex rapid agglutination slide test kit (Cal-Tech Diagnostic Inc., USA) in the laboratory of the hospital. Reactive samples were stored at -20ºC and further confirmed for HBsAg using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (Bio-Rad, France). HBsAg-positive samples were tested for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) using ELISA kits (Orgenics, Israel). A pretested, structured questionnaire was used for the collection of sociodemographic data and possible risk factors. Results: The prevalence of HBsAg among pregnant women and nonpregnant women were 7.9 and 7.6%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of HBsAg in pregnant and nonpregnant women. The presence of HBeAg was statistically significant among both pregnant and nonpregnant women who tested positive for HBsAg. The risk factors associated with HBV infection were blood transfusion, ear piercing, history of an affected sibling with HBV infection, tattooing, and abortion among pregnant women.Conclusion: The prevalence of HBsAg in this study was not statistically different in pregnant and nonpregnant women. There was a high level of HBeAg infection among pregnant women who tested positive for HBsAg. History of an affected sibling with HBV infection, tattoo, and abortion were significant risk factors for HBV infection. Keywords: Africa, hepatitis B, pregnancy, risk factor

Pattern of gynaecological admissions in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital: A three year review

Concept: Gynaecological admissions form a large proportion of the number of admissions in any Obstetrics and Gynaecological department of our hospitals.Aims and Objectives:This study was conducted in gynaecology ward of AKTH, Kano to review the gynaecological admissions, mortality and efficiency of hospital facility utilization over a period of 36 months (January 2006 to December 2008).Methodology: This is a retrospective review of all patients admitted into the gynecology ward between January, 2006 and December, 2008. Information obtained on socio-dermographic characteristics, diagnosis, hospital stay, bed occupancy, etc were collated and analysed.Results: There were 1717 admissions over the study period, out of which 1225 (71.3%) were emergencies and 494(28.7%) were elective admission for surgery giving an emergency/elective ratio of about 2.5:1. There were 50.5 patients per bed per year with bed occupancy of 13.8%. The commonest diseases responsible for gynaecological admission were abortions (23.1%), followed by medical complications of early pregnancy (19%), gynaeclogical malignancy (11.4%), ectopic pregnancy(6.7%), infertility (5.2%) and pelvic inflammatory disease (3.5%).All the deaths occurred in the emergency group (2.4%). The highest fatality was contributed by gynaecological malignancies, which accounted for 71.4 % of all gynaecological deaths with carcinoma of the cervix as theleading cause (33.2%), followed by ovarian cancer (28.6%). Postabortal sepsis was the third most common cause, contributing 16.7% fatality.Conclusion: Management should improve admission policy, understanding of patient needs in order to increase acceptance of our services.Key Words: Bed occupancy, gynaecological admissions, AKTH, Kano

Nanotechnology for Stimulating Osteoprogenitor Differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Bone is the second most transplanted tissue and due to its complex structure, metabolic demands and various functions, current reconstructive options such as foreign body implants and autologous tissue transfer are limited in their ability to restore defects. Most tissue engineering approaches target osteoinduction of osteoprogenitor cells by modifying the extracellular environment, using scaffolds or targeting intracellular signaling mechanisms or commonly a combination of all of these. Whilst there is no consensus as to what is the optimal cell type or approach, nanotechnology has been proposed as a powerful tool to manipulate the biomolecular and physical environment to direct osteoprogenitor cells to induce bone formation. METHODS: Review of the published literature was undertaken to provide an overview of the use of nanotechnology to control osteoprogenitor differentiation and discuss the most recent developments, limitations and future directions. RESULTS: Nanotechnology can be used to stimulate osteoprogenitor differentiation in a variety of way. We have principally classified research into nanotechnology for bone tissue engineering as generating biomimetic scaffolds, a vector to deliver genes or growth factors to cells or to alter the biophysical environment. A number of studies have shown promising results with regards to directing ostroprogenitor cell differentiation although limitations include a lack of in vivo data and incomplete characterization of engineered bone. CONCLUSION: There is increasing evidence that nanotechnology can be used to direct the fate of osteoprogenitor and promote bone formation. Further analysis of the functional properties and long term survival in animal models is required to assess the maturity and clinical potential of this

Relationship between serum level of ionized calcium, magnesium, phosphate, vitamin d and parathyroid hormone with stages of CKD.

Chronic kidney disease is defined as either damage or a decreased Glomerular Filtration Rate of less than 60ml/min/1.73m for 3 or more months. There is destruction of renal mass with irreversible sclerosis and loss of nephron leading to a progressive decline in GFR.Secondary hyperparathyroidism hyperphosphataemia, hypocalcaemia and vitamin-D deficiency are common complications of CKD. Objective: To determine relationship between serum level of ionised calcium, magnesium, phosphate, vitamin-D and parathyroid hormone with stages of CKD. Method: This study was conducted at ABUTH Zaria. 125 consecutive adult patients in various stages of CKD who presented were enrolled and 125 apparently healthy matched for sex and age controls were also recruited. Results: 9% of patients were in stage-1, 16% in stage-2, 22% in stage-3, 12% in stage-4 and 41% in stage-5. Serum ionised calcium, vitamin-D and eCrCl showed a progressive decline as the stage of CKD advances, while serum phosphate, creatinine and iPTH showed a progressive increase as the stage of CKD advances. Changes in serum magnesium showed a slight change with advancing stages of CKD. The difference in mean serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin-D, parathyroid hormone, creatinine and eCrCl with different stages of CKD were statistically significant. eCrCl correlated negatively with phosphate and iPTH while serum creatinine correlated negatively with calcium and positively with phosphate and iPTH. Conclusion: Majority of CKD patients were in late stage. Correlation of analytes with stages was more in late stages and biochemical derangements occurred in late, rather than early stages of CKD

Motivasi, Disiplin Kerja Dan Komitmen Dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Sumber Daya Manusia (Studi Pada Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura)

Tesis ini meneliti Motivasi, Disiplin Kerja, dan Komitmen Organisasi dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Pegawai Pada Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura. Tujuan penelitian adalah: 1) Untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis Pengaruh Motivasi terhadap Kinerja, 2) Untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis Pengaruh Disiplin Kerja terhadap Kinerja Pegawai, 3) Untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis Pengaruh Komitmen Organisasi terhadap Kinerja Pegawai, 4) Untuk mengetahui dan menganalisis Pengaruh Motivasi, Disiplin Kerja, dan Komitmen Organisasi secara simultan terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura. Jenis penelitian adalah penelitian kuantitatif, penelitian yang berlandaskan pada filsafat positivisme. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah seluruh pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura baik tenaga lapangan maupun tenaga administrasi, yakni sebanyak 89 orang. Pengujian hipotess dilakukan dengan uji regresi linear berganda, Pengujian terhadap validitas dan reliabilitas data ini dilakukan dengan menggunakan program ststistik SPSS for windows 22.0. Temuan membuktikan bahwa, 1) Motivasi berpengaruh Positif terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura, 2) Disiplin Kerja berpengaruh Positif terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura, 3) Komitmen Organisasi berpengaruh Positif terhadap Kinerja Pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura, 4) Motivasi, Disiplin Kerja, dan Komitmen Organisasi secara simultan berpengaruh terhadap Sumber Daya Manusia Pegawai Kantor Balai Pendidikan dan Pelatihan Penerbangan Jayapura, 5) Koefisien determinasi (Adjusted R 2 ) nilainya sebesar 0,446 atau (44,6%).Kata Kunci: Motivasi, Disiplin Kerja, Komitmen Organisasi, Kinerja Pegawa

Cholesteatoma of the concha bullosa: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Cholesteatoma is a relatively common disease within the middle ear cavity, but rarely it manifests in the paranasal sinuses. There is, to the best of our knowledge, only one other published case of cholesteatoma inside the concha bullosa in the English language literature.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>An 81-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of nasal obstruction, headache and diplopia. After endoscopic and radiological evaluation a transnasal endoscopic approach was chosen. The diagnosis of cholesteatoma was established by histopathological evaluation of the mass inside the concha bullosa.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although it is rarely seen, cholesteatoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of slow-growing and destructive paranasal masses.</p

What are the drivers of recurrent cholera transmission in Nigeria? Evidence from a scoping review

Background: The 2018 cholera outbreak in Nigeria affected over half of the states in the country, and was characterised by high attack and case fatality rates. The country continues to record cholera cases and related deaths to date. However, there is a dearth of evidence on context-specific drivers and their operational mechanisms in mediating recurrent cholera transmission in Nigeria. This study therefore aimed to fill this important research gap, with a view to informing the design and implementation of appropriate preventive and control measures. / Methods: Four bibliographic literature sources (CINAHL (Plus with full text), Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed), and one journal (African Journals Online) were searched to retrieve documents relating to cholera transmission in Nigeria. Titles and abstracts of the identified documents were screened according to a predefined study protocol. Data extraction and bibliometric analysis of all eligible documents were conducted, which was followed by thematic and systematic analyses. / Results: Forty-five documents met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The majority of the documents were peer-reviewed journal articles (89%) and conducted predominantly in the context of cholera epidemics (64%). The narrative analysis indicates that social, biological, environmental and climatic, health systems, and a combination of two or more factors appear to drive cholera transmission in Nigeria. Regarding operational dynamics, a substantial number of the identified drivers appear to be functionally interdependent of each other. / Conclusion: The drivers of recurring cholera transmission in Nigeria are diverse but functionally interdependent; thus, underlining the importance of adopting a multi-sectoral approach for cholera prevention and control

Longitudinal Changes in Scotopic and Mesopic Macular Function as Assessed with Microperimetry in Patients with Stargardt Disease: SMART Study Report No. 2: Short Title: Scotopic and Mesopic Macular Functions in Stargardt Disease

PURPOSE: To estimate and compare cross-sectional scotopic versus mesopic macular sensitivity losses measured by microperimetry, and to report and compare the longitudinal rates of scotopic and mesopic macular sensitivity losses in ABCA4 gene associated Stargardt Disease (STGD1). DESIGN: Multicenter prospective cohort study. METHODS: Participants: 127 molecular confirmed STGD1 patients enrolled from 6 centers in the USA and Europe and followed every 6 months for up to 2 years. OBSERVATION PROCEDURES: The Nidek MP-1S device was used to measure macular sensitivities of the central 20° under mesopic and scotopic conditions. The mean deviations (MD) from normal for mesopic macular sensitivity for the fovea (within 2° eccentricity) and extrafovea (4°-10° eccentricity), and the MD for scotopic sensitivity for the extrafovea were calculated. Linear mixed effects models were used to estimate mesopic and scotopic changes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Baseline mesopic mean deviation (mMD) and scotopic MD (sMD) and rates of longitudinal changes in the mMDs and sMD. RESULTS: At baseline, all eyes had larger sMD, and the difference between extrafoveal sMD and mMD was 10.7 dB (p<.001). Longitudinally, all eyes showed a statistically significant worsening trend: the rates of foveal mMD and extrafoveal mMD and sMD changes were 0.72 (95%CI: 0.37 to 1.07), 0.86 (95%CI: 0.58 to 1.14) and 1.12 (95%CI: 0.66 to 1.57) dB/year, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In STGD1, in extrafovea, loss of scotopic macular function preceded and was faster than the loss of mesopic macular function. Scotopic and mesopic macular sensitivities using microperimetry provide alternative visual function outcomes for STGD1 treatment trials