Preliminary investigation into the use of Pleurotus tuber-regium powder as a tablet disintegrant

Some physical characteristics of the powder obtained from the mycelia of a giant edible mushroom, Pleurotus tuber-regium, has been determined. Its disintegrant ability in comparison with maize starch BP was also investigated in paracetamol tablets prepared via the wet granulation method. The results obtained showed that P. tuber-regium and maize starch BP have similar true, bulk and tapped density values. The Pleurotus powder however, showed superior flow, swelling capacity as well as water retention capacity to maize starch BP. The swelling capacity was three times that of maize starch BP Tablets prepared with P. tuber-regium powder disintegrated faster than those prepared with maize starch BP at concentrations below 10% w/w. At the disintegrant concentration of 10% w/w paracetamol tablets made from both Pleurotus powder and maize starch BP had similar disintegration times and dissolution profiles. It is believed that the ability of Pleurotus powder to swell by over three times its volume in the presence of water may explain its disintegrant ability. Pleurotus tuber-regium powder may therefore be used as an alternative to maize starch BP as a disintegrant in tableting. Key words: Pleurotus tuber-regium, physical characteristics, paracetamol Trop J Pharm Res, June 2002; 1(1): 29-3

Performance of In Vitro Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) Plantlets Weaned with Locally Sourced Substrates

The performance of in vitro cassava plantlets weaned on different locally sourced substrates was evaluated. Nodal cuttings were excised from healthy six weeks old OG 001cassava variety in the culture room of tissue culture laboratory of National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. The explants were washed, sterilized and cultured in vitro. The resulting plantlets were weaned on the following substrates - top soil (TS), river sand (RS), saw dust (SD), rice hull waste (RH), 2:1 top soil plus river sand (TS +RS), 2:1 river sand plus saw dust (RS + SD), 2:1 river sand plus rice husk (RS + RH), 2:1 top soil plus saw dust (TP + SD), 2:1 top soil plus rice husk (TP + RH), 2:1 saw dust plus rice husk (SD + RH) and 2:1 peat pellet plus vermiculite (PP + VE), which served as the control. Completely randomized design was used with ten replications. Results showed that plantlets weaned on PP + VE performed better than the other treatments at the end of the weaning period with significantly (P 0.05) highest survival rate (98%), plant vigour (2.6), number of leaves (5) and number of nodes (8). This was closely followed by RS with survival rate, plant vigour, number of leaves and nodes of 63%, 1.4, 1.7 and 3.5, respectively. Plantlets weaned on the other substrates performed poorly. Although plantlets weaned on peat pellet + vermiculite mixture out-performed the other substrates, river sand if properly handled could be a potential substitute for the conventional substrate in weaning cassava plantlets

Time of introducing component crop influences productivity of intercropping system

Field experiment was conducted at National Horticultural Research Institute (NIHORT), Mbato Sub-station, Okigwe, Imo State, South-eastern Nigeria in the 2012 and 2013 cropping seasons to establish the most appropriate time to introduce component crops in cocoyam/cowpea mixture. Five different planting schemes (two and four weeks before, two and four weeks after and same day) and two cowpea genotypes (climbing Akidienu and erect IT97K-499-35) were used. The component crops were grown in monocultures to assess the productivity of the systems. The experimental design used was a completely randomized design with three replicates. Growth and yield of cocoyam and the cowpea genotypes increased significantly (P<0.05) when either of the component crops was planted earlier than the other. Intercropping reduced significantly (P<0.05) cocoyam yield by 0.7 − 74% in IT97K-499-35 and 22 − 80% in Akidienu. Sowing the cowpea genotypes the same day or before cocoyam resulted in over-yielding of cowpea, whereas sowing Akidienu and IT97K-499-35 after cocoyam caused pod yield reductions of 64% − 73% and 32% − 59% on average, respectively. Cocoyam planted two weeks before IT97K-499-35 produced more satisfactory yields of the intercrops than the other planting schedules with LER, LEC and ATER of 2.15, 1.03 and 1.57, respectively

Home Education Environment and Motivation as Correlates of Students’ Academic Achievement in Physics in Nsukka Education Zone, Enugu State, Nigeria

In Nigeria, the growing rate of low enrollment and poor academic achievement of secondary school students in physics has become a source of concern to stakeholders in education. The study assessed home education environment and motivation as correlates of students’ academic achievement in physics using correlational survey research design. A sample size of 333 SS2 physics students participated in the study. Home Education Environment and Motivation Questionnaire (HEEMQ) and Students’ Physics Academic Achievement Spreadsheet (SPAAS) were used for data collection. Results reveal that 40% and 33% of the variation in students’ academic achievement in physics is attributed to home education environment and motivation respectively. Home education environment and motivation significantly predicted students’ academic achievement in physics. However, parents should create a favourable and conducive homeenvironment that can motivate their children to develop positive attitude towards learning physics and as well enhance their academic achievement in the subject. Keywords: Home education environment, Motivation, Academic achievement, Physics, Correlate, Students DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-23-06 Publication date:August 31st 202

A study on the interaction between metformin and constituents of a commercial herbal product

Purpose: To investigate the interactions between metformin and Yoyo Bitters® including some of its constituents in the management of diabetes mellitus.Method: Using the generic form of metformin (Glucophage®) tablets, tests such as disintegration time, dissolution profile, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and in vivo hypoglycaemia tests using Wistar albino rat were performed for metformin to investigate its behaviour in the presence and absence of Yoyo Bitters and some plant extracts used in its formulation.Results: Metformin tablets used met BP specification in terms of pharmaceutical properties. There was no significant change in the disintegration properties of the metformin tablets in the presence of Yoyo Bitters (p > 0.05) while a significant change occurred in the dissolution profile (p < 0.05). The FTIR spectra showed some level of interactions due to disappearance of some spectral peaks. In vivo result showed a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the duration of action of metformin.Conclusion: Concomitant administration of metformin and Yoyo Bitters showed interaction that appeared antagonistic to the hypoglycaemic effect of metformin both in vitro and in rat modelsKeywords: Metformin, In vitro interactions, Yoyo Bitters, Diabete

Biocidal effects of dennettia tripetala, zingiber officinale and benlate on seedborne fungal pathogen (fusarium moniliforme) of watermelon (citrullus lanatus) varieties.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of plant extracts, African pepper fruit (Dennettia tripetala) and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) on seed borne fungal pathogens of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatas) seeds. Watermelon seeds were extracted for seed health test using blotter paper method. The antifungal effects of ethanol and acetone extracts of the two plant extracts and synthetic fungicide were studied under in- vitro experiment against the seed borne fungal pathogen of Watermelon at 0%, 50% and 75%. It was a 3x3 factorial experiment at 5% Probability level laid out in a Completely Randomized Design experiment with three replications Ninety percent germination was obtained in the germination and seed health test of Watermelon seeds. Seed borne fungal pathogen (Aspergillus spp. and Fusarium spp.) were identified. The potential of these organisms for pathogenicity were tested using Kock’s postulate. The result of the pathogenicity test showed that Fusarium spp. was pathogenic. All plant extracts and Benlate inhibited the fungus (Fusarium moniliforme) in culture. The inhibition was also greater as concentration increased from 50% to 75%.  It was also observed that ethanol extraction solvent did better than acetone. Generally, Dennettia tripetala extract performed better than Zingiber officinale. It could therefore be recommended that the two plant extracts used in this investigation which were very effective in the control of Fusarium moniliforme of watermelon could be an alternative to the synthetic fungicide. It could also be suggested that further studies be carried out to isolate, identify, characterize and standardize the bioactive components of these phytochemicals in a bid to commercializing their production

Management of small bowel volvulus in a patient with simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT): a case report

There are several surgical complications which can occur following simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPKT). Although intestinal obstruction is known to be a common complication after any type of abdominal surgery, the occurrence of small bowel volvulus, which is one of the rare causes of intestinal obstruction, following SPKT has not been published before. A 24-year-old woman suffering from type I diabetes mellitus with complications of nephropathy resulting in end stage renal disease (ESRD), neuropathy and retinopathy underwent SPKT. On the postoperative month 5, she was brought to the emergency service due to abdominal distention with mild abdominal pain. After laboratory research and diagnostic radiological tests had been carried out, she underwent exploratory laparotomy to determine the pathology for acute abdominal symptoms. Intra-operative observation revealed the presence of an almost totally ischemic small bowel which had occurred due to clockwise rotation of the mesentery. Initially, simple derotation was performed to avoid intestinal resection because of her risky condition, particularly for short bowel syndrome, and subsequent intestinal response was favorable. Thus, surgical treatment was successfully employed to solve the problem without any resection procedure. The patient's postoperative follow-up was uneventful and she was discharged from hospital on postoperative day 7. According to our clinical viewpoint, this study emphasizes that if there is even just a suspicion of acute abdominal problem in a patient with SPKT, surgical intervention should be promptly performed to avoid any irreversible result and to achieve a positive outcome

Vacuum-assisted breast biopsy: A comparison of 11-gauge and 8-gauge needles in benign breast disease

© 2008 Hahn et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Knowledge of AIDS and HIV risk-related sexual behavior among Nigerian naval personnel

BACKGROUND: The epidemic of HIV continues to grow in Nigeria. Personnel in the military are at increased risk of HIV infection. Although HIV-risk related sexual behavior of Nigerian police officers has been studied, little is known about the sexual behavior of their counterparts in the Navy. This study describes knowledge of AIDS, and HIV-risk sexual behavior of naval personnel in Lagos Nigeria. METHODS: Four hundred and eighty personnel of the Nigerian Navy completed a 70-item questionnaire in 2002. Group discussion and in-depth interviews of four key informants were also conducted to gain insights into the context of risky sexual behaviors and suggestions for feasible HIV primary prevention interventions. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 34 years. Although the overall mean AIDS knowledge score was 7.1 of 10 points, 52.1% of respondents believed that a cure for AIDS was available in Nigeria and that one can get HIV by sharing personal items with an infected person (25.3%). The majority (88.1%) had had lifetime multiple partners ranging from 1–40 with a mean of 5.1; 32.5% of male respondents had had sexual contact with a female sex worker, 19.9% did so during the six months preceding the survey. Forty-one percent of those with sexual contact with a female sex worker did not use a condom during the most recent sexual encounter with these women. Naval personnel who have been transferred abroad reported significantly more risky sexual behaviors than others. Group discussants and key informants believed that sex with multiple partners is a tradition that has persisted in the navy even in the era of AIDS because of the belief that AIDS affects only foreigners, that use of traditional medicine provides protection against HIV infection, and influence of alcohol. CONCLUSION: Many naval personnel report participating in high-risk sexual behavior which may increase their risk of acquiring and spreading HIV. Naval personnel live and interact freely with civilian population and are potential bridging group for disseminating HIV into the larger population. Interventions including sustained educational program, promotion of condoms, changes in transfer policies are recommended to address this problem