Effects of ethanolic extract of datura stramonium leaves on the histomorphology and biochemical indices of liver and kidney functions in rats

Changes in histomorphology and some indices of liver and kidney functions were studied in rats administered doses of ethanolic extracts of Datura stramonium leaves. Methods: Four experimental groups of rats were respectively given oral doses of 50mg/kg, 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg of the extract daily for six weeks. Rats were sacrificed at the end of the six weeks and blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis. The livers and kidneys of the rates were harvested for histological studies. Results: The results showed that alanine transaminase (ALT) and bilirubin levels were significantly (P<0.05) higher in the groups administered 100mg/kg and 200mg/kg extracts than the control group. The extracts at similar doses also increased significantly (p<0.05) the serum urea and creatinine levels. Histological evaluation of the organs of localization revealed dose-dependent effects of treatment with the extract. Conclusion:The study has shown that Datura stramonium leaf extracts administered with 100 200mg/kg for six weeks caused liver and kidney damages in rats

Liana cutting for restoring tropical forests : a rare palaeotropical trial

Liana growth following forest disturbance is threatening the tropical carbon sink by delaying or preventing recov ery. Tree growth can be stimulated by liana cutting; however, its applicability for conservation management remains uncertain, particularly in Africa (the least-studied continent for ecological restoration) and against pervasive barriers such as wildfires. We conducted a small-scale trial to investigate tree sapling regeneration following liana cutting in a lowland African forest prone to low intensity wildfires. We employed a BACI design comprising eighteen 25 m² plots of sapling trees in liana-infested areas. After 5 years of liana cutting, we saw greater recruitment, stem growth and net biomass. Wildfires caused 51% mortality and probably masked liana cutting influences on species and survival, but may have encouraged stem recruitment through interaction with liana cutting. Incorporating our data into a first quantitative review of previous studies, we found that tree growth, recruitment and net growth rates were all consistently higher where lianas were either absent or removed (respectively: 80%, 215%, 633%; n = 14, 3, 4). Tree growth impacts were approximately equivalent across size-classes and continents. We give recommendations for improved plot and sample sizes, but conclude that liana cutting is a promising restoration method for lowland tropical forests, including Africa

Detecting Schistosoma mansoni infections among pre-school-aged children in southern Ghana: a diagnostic comparison of urine-CCA, real-time PCR and Kato-Katz assays

Background In Ghana, pre-school-aged children (PSAC) are at risk of intestinal schistosomiasis and are living in need of praziquantel treatment. To better assess the infection burden within this vulnerable demographic group, we have provided a comparative assessment of the prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni in pre-school-aged children by urine circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) dipsticks, real-time PCR Taqman® faecal assays and Kato-Katz coproscopy. Methods In all, 190 pre-school-aged children were sampled from three endemic communities (viz. Tomefa, Torgahkope/Adakope, and Manheam) around Weija dam, Southern Ghana. Fresh stool and urine samples were collected from all participants for diagnosis. Results Among all the three communities, the urine-CCA assay recorded the highest prevalence values of 90.5% (95% CI 80.4–96.4), 87.9% (95% CI 76.7–95), and 81.2% (95% CI 69.9–89.6) in Tomefa, Torgahkope/Adakope, and Manheam respectively. Prevalence by real-time PCR was 50% (95% CI 35.5–64.5), 8% (95% CI 2.2–19.2) and 16.7% (95% CI 8.3–28.5), while by Kato-Katz was 55.6% (95% CI 42.5–68.1), 8.6% (95% CI 2.9–19) and 11.6% (95% CI 5.1–21.6) respectively. Children aged 1 year and over were found to be positive with the urine-CCA assay; by the ages of 3–4, over 50% were urine-CCA patent. The sensitivity and specificity of the POC-CCA dipsticks, when compared against the combined results of Kato-Katz/TaqMan results was found to be 84.1% (95% CI = 72.7–92.1) and 12.9% (95% CI = 6.6–22) respectively. Conclusions We propose that the urine-CCA dipstick may be a useful rapid diagnostic tool to estimate the prevalence of intestinal schistosomiasis in PSAC, particularly in rapid identification of at-risk areas. However, our assessment has shown that it possible to record false positives when compared to combined Kato-Katz and qPCR results. To guide PSAC praziquantel treatment needs, we propose the urine CCA assay should be included in routine surveillance of intestinal schistosomiasis alongside other diagnostics such as Kato-Katz and urine filtration

Seroprevalence of some sexually transmitted infections among antenatal attendees in university of Maiduguri teaching hospital, Maiduguri-Nigeria

Seroprevalence of Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and Syphilis infections among pregnant women have been reported to be more common in Africa and Asia. This present retrospective study reports the seroprevalence of HIV, HBV, HCV and Syphilis among antenatal attendees in UMTH, Maiduguri-Nigeria. A total of 1105 pregnant women were tested for HIV, HBV, HCV and Syphilis. Eightythree of them (7.5%) were positive for HIV, this was followed by HBsAg with 76(6.9%) while the least was syphilis with 5(0.5%). The highest percentage prevalence for HIV infection was found in the age group 15-20years with 17(12.4%) while for HBV was found in age group 21-25years with 31(1.7%). HCV highest percentage positivity was found in 31-35years age group with 5(2.6%). The elderly pregnant women aged 46 – 50years were the lowest with no cases for any of the infections. Of the 1105 pregnant women tested, 11 (0.01%) had multiple infections. Of the 11 multiple infection, 9 (0.8%) were infected with HIV and HBV while 0.2% were infected with HIV and HCV. There was no co-infection of HBV and HCV, syphilis and HIV, HBV, HCV. Our study showed that it is very imperative for all pregnant women to be requested to test for HBV HCV alongside the conventional syphilis and HIV, infections to prevent them from infecting their unborn babies

Full length Research Article - PREVALENCE OF PROTEIN—ENERGY MALNUTRITION IN MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

Nutritional disorders are common in young children in developing countries and constitute a major public health problem. In this study, the relationship between the dietary pattern of malnourished children on hospital admissions to the socio economic and educational status of the parents was investigated in one hundred and twenty (70 male and 50 female) children (6 – 24months) at the paediatric wards of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Laboratory findings showed all the children had one or more form of infections associated with PEM. (41.6%) had gastro-enteritis 26 (21.7%) malaria, 18 (15%) pneumonia, 8 (6.6%) measles, 6 (5.0%) Pulmonary TB, and 12 (10%) had associated iron-deficiency anaemia. The results indicated the prevalence of marasmus was highest in the age group of 6 to 12 months in both sexes (34.3% and 36% for males and females, respectively while Kwashiorkor was highest among the children in the 13 to 18 months age group in both males and females. The results did not show any statistically significant sex difference in the prevalence of PEM. Educational and socio-economic status of parents (especially mothers) of the children bearing age showed that 80% of the mothers of the malnourished children had no formal education, 8.3% attended primary school, 1.7% had Islamic education only, while 10% had post-primary school education. None had higher education. The implications of these findings were discussed

Full length Research Article - PREVALENCE OF PROTEIN—ENERGY MALNUTRITION IN MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

Nutritional disorders are common in young children in developing countries and constitute a major public health problem. In this study, the relationship between the dietary pattern of malnourished children on hospital admissions to the socio economic and educational status of the parents was investigated in one hundred and twenty (70 male and 50 female) children (6 – 24months) at the paediatric wards of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria. Laboratory findings showed all the children had one or more form of infections associated with PEM. (41.6%) had gastro-enteritis 26 (21.7%) malaria, 18 (15%) pneumonia, 8 (6.6%) measles, 6 (5.0%) Pulmonary TB, and 12 (10%) had associated iron-deficiency anaemia. The results indicated the prevalence of marasmus was highest in the age group of 6 to 12 months in both sexes (34.3% and 36% for males and females, respectively while Kwashiorkor was highest among the children in the 13 to 18 months age group in both males and females. The results did not show any statistically significant sex difference in the prevalence of PEM. Educational and socio-economic status of parents (especially mothers) of the children bearing age showed that 80% of the mothers of the malnourished children had no formal education, 8.3% attended primary school, 1.7% had Islamic education only, while 10% had post-primary school education. None had higher education. The implications of these findings were discussed

The level of defective eggs among three strains of commercial egg-type chickens and its economic implications

The study was conducted to determine the number of rejected eggs, causes and economic implica-tions among three egg-type strains in a commercial poultry farm. A total of eight thousand layers were used for the on-farm study. Total eggs for each strain were determined by recording and counting each day’s production. The defective eggs were sorted out and the totals were recorded. Percentage for the defective eggs were then calculated. Data were taken four times a day at partic-ular time intervals. Strains 1 and 2 were 47 weeks and strain 3 was 82 weeks old at the start of the study. Data collected were analysed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the aid of Genstat, Fifteenth Edition (2012) and the treatment means were separated using the Tukey’s Stu-dentized Range Test. Strain 2 produced the highest number of eggs (p<0.05) but recorded the low-est percentage of defective eggs (p<0.05). Strain 3 produced the lowest number of eggs (p<0.05) and yet recorded the highest percentage of defective eggs (p<0.05). The number of eggs collected and the percentage of defective eggs were significantly different (p<0.0) among the strains. The total economic loss as a result of defective was GH¢17, 106.43 with strain 3 recording the highest economic loss (GH¢8, 304. 77) followed by strain 1 (GH¢6, 022.76) which also recorded a higher economic than strain 2 (GH¢2, 778.90). It can be concluded that all other factors being equal, strain and age influence the percentage of defective eggs with the type of strain used either in-creasing or decreasing the number of defective eggs; and with older birds producing more defec-tive eggs than younger ones irrespective of the strain. Eggs with defect result in huge economic losses which would eventually affects profitability

Comparative analysis of hatcheries contribution to poor development of day-old chicks based on biological and immunological performance

Background and Aim: The quality of day-old chicks is a cornerstone to successful poultry production. Chicks with a poor quality start slowly in the field and may have high feed intake, poor growth rate, and poor feed conversion ratio. The current study aimed to assess chick quality challenges encountered from day-old chicks hatched in most commercial hatcheries in Ghana. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 day-old chicks each were obtained from commercial hatcheries in Ghana and Europe. The chicks were labeled as locally hatched broiler day-old chicks (LBDOC) and foreign hatched broiler day-old chicks (FBDOC), respectively. Chicks were reared and monitored from day old to 21 days post-hatch. Sample of chicks (n=25) from each hatchery was euthanized weekly at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days and blood samples collected for analysis. The parameters measured included physical, hematological, immunological, histological, and bacteriological characteristics. All data were analyzed by SAS Proc GLM at p<0.05. Results: The live weight of chicks was higher in FBDOC compared to LBDOC on the 1st day. The chick length and shank length of FBDOC were longer than the LBDOC. The 7-day chick mortality was 6% in LBDOC as compared to 1.5% in FBDOC. The LBDOC also had a higher wet and dry residual yolk sac percentages as well as higher residual yolk sac fluid volume than the FBDOC. The rate of yolk sac disappearance of the FBDOC was higher than the LBDOC. More than half of the LBDOC had developed navel strings and leaky navel compared to FBDOC. The LBDOC recorded Escherichia coli, Proteus, Streptococcus spp., and Gram-negative bacteria in the residual yolk sac isolated through the 21 days while FBDOC recorded E. coli, Proteus, and Gram-negative bacteria. The intestinal villi count, lengths, width, and surface area were all not significantly different. The blood monocyte levels appeared higher in FBDOC than LBDOC, which give evidence of higher immunity in FBDOC than LBDOC. Conclusion: The results indicate a challenging situation in maintaining the quality of locally hatched broiler day-old-chicks compared to foreign hatched broiler-day-old-chicks. The study demonstrates that chick quality impact goes beyond the physical characteristics of chick weight and chick length, and the higher performance of FBDOC may be influenced by compliance with international hatchery standards and vaccination protocols

Demographic information on study participants.

The impact of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF) (initiated in 2000 in Ghana and ran for 12 years) in mitigating soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in LF-endemic areas is unknown. During a 1-year hiatus which ensued between 2011 and 2012, a longitudinal study was conducted to determine GPELF effect on hookworm infections in selected communities involved in the programme since its inception, while measuring the effectiveness of biannual ALB treatments on schoolchildren living in such communities. A total of 399 school children aged 3 to 18 years were randomly selected from four communities in the Kpandai district of northern Ghana. Each presented a single stool sample at baseline, 21 days post-treatment, at the 3rd and 6th months, 21 days post-second intervention (i.e. following sample collection and treatment with ALB in the 6th month), and in the ninth month of the study period. Haemoglobin (hb) levels were also measured at all time points using finger prick blood samples and a URIT digital test kit. Each participant submitting a sample, was treated with a single-dose ALB (400mg) at baseline and in the sixth month. Stool samples were processed by preparing duplicate Kato-Katz slides per sample, and examined by microscopy. The Body Mass Index-for-age z-scores (BAZ) of participants were assessed following the determination of BMIs at each time point by measuring their height and weight with a stadiometer and weighing scale. Overall hookworm prevalences were 25.68% (95% CI = 20.51–31.75) at baseline, 11.18% (95% CI = 7.87–15.41) 21 days post-treatment, 11.78% (95% CI = 8.38–16.11) and 6.95% (95% CI = 4.41–10.43) in the 3rd and 6th months, 0.91% (95% CI = 0.19–2.65) 21 days post-second intervention, and 8.46% (95% CI = 5.62–12.23) in the ninth month. Observed overall faecal egg count reduction rates (ERRs) were 94.21% (95% CI = 81.50%– 100.00%) 21 days after baseline treatment, 97.70% (95% CI = 85.08–100.00) and 96.95% (95% CI = 84.18%– 100.00%) in the 3rd and 6th months, 99.98% (95% CI = 86.42%– 100.00%) 21 days post-second intervention, and 17.18% (95% CI = 14.07%– 20.67%) in the 9th month. Respective cure rates (CRs) were 62.35% (95% CI = 46.71–81.56%), 85.88% (95% CI = 67.32–100.00%), 87.06% (95% CI = 68.36%– 100.00%), 98.82% (95% CI = 78.83%– 100.00%), and 36.36% (95% CI = 9.91%– 93.11%). Additionally, increases in the percent frequency of ‘normal hb’ (p </div