Patterns of injuries in children who fall from a Height as seen at Kenyatta National Hospital

Objective: To describe injuries and outcomes among children who fall from a height Design: Prospective, convenience hospital based study. Setting: Paediatric surgical wards of Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, from November 2006 to February 2007. Subjects: Children aged 1-13 years who sustained injuries after failing from any height. Results: Eighty children were recruited. There were 61 male (76%) and 19 female (24%), with an age range 1-13 years. Most injuries occurred at home (78.75%) after falling from buildings (33.75%), and were of mild-to-moderate severity. 13.4% sustained external haemorrhage, 16.5% sustained facial injuries, 25.2% sustained CNS injuries, 43.3% sustained various fractures, and 1.6% sustained abdominal trauma. The head and musculoskeletal systems were the most likely regions to be injured. The most common diagnoses were supracondylar fracture of humerus and mild head injury. No thoracic or pelvic fractures were recorded. Recovery was good in most instances. Conclusion: Most children who sustain injuries after a fall from height do so after falling from a building. The most common types of injuries sustained were to the head and distal limbs, especially fractures. They were mostly of mild-moderate severity and recovery usually complete.East African Medical Journal Vol. 87 No. 8 August 201

Methotrexate and aminopterin lack in vivo antimalarial activity against murine malaria species

The antifolate anticancer drug methotrexate (MTX) has potent activity against Plasmodium falciparum in vitro. Experience of its use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis indicates that it could be safe and efficacious for treating malaria. We sought to establish a murine malaria model to study the mechanism of action and resistance of MTX and its analogue aminopterin (AMP). We used Plasmodium berghei, Plasmodium yoelii yoelii, Plasmodium chabaudi and Plasmodium vinckei. None of these species were susceptible to either drug. We have also tested the efficacy of pyrimethamine in combination with folic acid in P. berghei, and data indicate that folic acid does not influence pyrimethamine efficacy, which suggests that P. berghei may not transport folate. Since MTX and AMP utilise folate receptor/transport to gain access to cells, their lack of efficacy against the four tested murine malaria species may be the result of inefficiency of drug transpor

Nutrient release from organic resources in Nitisols of the Central Highlands of Kenya

We carried out a litterbag experiment to assess the characteristics of animal manure and Tithonia diversifolia and their nutrient release dynamics in un-amended soils under different tillage systems. We conducted the study in Meru South and Kandara sub-Counties during short rains 2016 (SR16) and long rains 2017 (LR17) seasons. The treatments were; conventional tillage (ConvT) and minimum tillage (MinT). Litterbags were buried vertically in the soil to a depth of 8 cm at planting. T. diversifolia had high nitrogen concentration resulting in a significantly low C/N ratio. The recalcitrant pool (cellulose, lignin and polyphenols) was higher in animal manure compared with T. diversifolia. Nutrients (N and P) remaining from litterbags with animal manure were generally higher under MinT while in T. diversifolia they were lower under MinT in both sites. Nutrient content in both organic resources declined as the cropping season progressed. N and P release rate from animal manure was significantly higher under ConvT compared with MinT on the 8th week at Meru South site. Nutrients' release rates in T. diversifolia were significantly higher under ConvT by 57 and 48% for N and P, respectively, compared with MinT on the 6th week during SR16 season in Meru South. At Kandara site, N release rates from animal manure were significantly higher under ConvT by 60% on the 2nd week and 30% on the 8th week compared with MinT during SR16 season. The phosphorous release rate was significantly high under ConvT by 62% on the 2nd week, 43% on the 8th week and 25% on the 10th week during SR16 season. During LR17 season, N and P release rates in animal manure were significantly higher under ConvT by 54% compared with MinT on the 8th week at Kandara. Nitrogen release rates from T. diversifolia were significantly higher under ConvT by 40% on the 4th week, 30% on the 6th week and 42% on the 10th week during SR16 season. P release rate from T. diversifolia was significantly higher under ConvT by 41% on the 4th week and 32% on the 10th week compared with MinT. During LR17 season, N and P release rate from T. diversifolia was significantly higher under ConvT by 29 and 28% respectively, compared with MinT on the 8th week. Therefore, tillage, as a soil management option, influences nutrient availability from organic resources and should be considered in soil fertility management

Soil fertility inputs and tillage influence on maize crop performance and soil water content in the Central Highlands of Kenya

Rigorous land ploughing and cropping fertiliser treatment and mineral fertiliser combined with animal manure treatment) consistently enhanced maize crop growth and development as observed through enhanced chlorophyll content, plant height and yields. Application of soil fertility inputs significantly improved grain and stover yields except in the crop residue combined with animal manure and legume intercrop treatment (perhaps due to nutrients’ competition since Lablab has an intensive rooting system). Sole organic inputs enhanced soil moisture content in both sites. Emerging from the study, however, is the lack of advantage of minimum tillage over the conventional tillage, within the period under consideration. Thus, this study highlights the possibility of improving soil water holding capacity through application of organic inputs such as crop residues, Tithonia diversifolia and manure, either singly or in combination. It further underpins the uniqueness of an integrated approach to soil fertility and low soil moisture content in the tropical sub-humid regions experiencing erratic rainfallivity in the Central Highlands of Kenya due to low and declining soil fertility, inappropriate tillage methods, soil water scarcity and prolonged dry-spells. In this study, we assessed the effects of two tillage systems and soil fertility inputs on maize crop performance and soil water content. The research was carried out in Chuka and Kandara sites in the Central Highlands of Kenya for four seasons; long rains 2016, short rains 2016, long rains 2017 and short rains 2017. The experimental design was a split plot with tillage method (minimum and conventional) as the main treatments and soil fertility inputs as the sub-treatments: Sole mineral fertiliser, mineral fertiliser combined with crop residue, mineral fertiliser combined with animal manure, Tithonia diversifolia combined with phosphate rock (Minjingu), animal manure intercropped with Dolichos Lablab L. and a Control (conventional tillage with no inputs). Except for the control, and sole mineral fertiliser, crop residue was applied as mulch in all treatments. Based on the results, the treatments with mineral fertiliser (sole mineral fertiliser combined with mineral fertiliser treatment and mineral fertiliser combined with animal manure treatment) consistently enhanced maize crop growth and development as observed through enhanced chlorophyll content, plant height and yields. Application of soil fertility inputs significantly improved grain and stover yields except in the crop residue combined with animal manure and legume intercrop treatment (perhaps due to nutrients’ competition since Lablab has an intensive rooting system). Sole organic inputs enhanced soil moisture content in both sites. Emerging from the study, however, is the lack of advantage of minimum tillage over the conventional tillage, within the period under consideration. Thus, this study highlights the possibility of improving soil water holding capacity through application of organic inputs such as crop residues, Tithonia diversifolia and manure, either singly or in combination. It further underpins the uniqueness of an integrated approach to soil fertility and low soil moisture content in the tropical sub-humid regions experiencing erratic rainfall

Soil Organic Carbon and Acid Phosphatase Enzyme Activity Response to Phosphate Rock and Organic Inputs in Acidic Soils of Central Highlands of Kenya in Maize

Aims: To evaluate the effects of phosphate rock and organic inputs on soil organic carbon and acid phosphatase activity. Study Design: The experiment was laid in Randomized Complete Block Design with seven treatments replicated thrice. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted at Kigogo Primary school in Meru South Sub-county, Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The experiment ran for two consecutive seasons the short rains of 2017 (October to December) and long rains of 2018 (March through June). Methodology: There were seven treatments replicated thrice. The treatments included Tithonia diversifolia, Phosphate rock (PR), Goat manure, Tithonia diversifolia + Phosphate rock, Goat manure + Phosphate rock, Triple superphosphate + Calcium ammonium nitrate and a Control (no soil external inputs). The test crop was maize (Zea mays L.) H516 variety. Soil organic carbon followed modified Walkley and Black oxidation method while acid phosphatase enzyme activity was essayed following the method by Tabatabai and Bremner. Results: Goat manure + phosphate rock, sole phosphate rock and use of goat manure significantly (P= .0001) increased soil organic carbon by 198, 100 and 71% compared to the control. Tithonia diversifolia reported a 3.4-fold increase in soil organic carbon compared to the control in short rains of 2017. Goat manure gave higher soil organic carbon by 135% compared to the control in the long rains of 2018. Goat manure + phosphate rock treatment significantly (P= .0002) increased the phosphatase activity by a difference of 1.12% compared with the control, with 2.14% decreases under TSP+CAN treatment compared to the control. Conclusion: The results showed that integration of phosphate rock and manure could have a far-reaching influence on soil organic carbon and acid phosphatase activity thus could be recommended for improved soil productivity in humic nitisols in similar agro-ecological zones

Microbial biomass and acid phosphomonoesterase activity in soils of the Central Highlands of Kenya

Soil biological properties are the most sensitive soil quality indicators that respond quickly to short-term soil fertility management changes. We studied the combined effects of tillage and soil external inputs on total soil organic carbon and nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) and acid phosphomonoesterase activity (ACP). This was done in Meru South and Kandara sub-counties in Kenya for three consecutive cropping seasons. Tillage was the main factor [minimum (D0) and conventional (D15)], and soil external inputs were the sub-factors: sole mineral fertiliser (F), crop residues + mineral fertiliser (RF), crop residues + animal manure + legume intercrop Dolichos lablab L. (RML), crop residues + mineral fertiliser + animal manure (RFM), crop residues + Tithonia diversifolia + animal manure (RTiM), crop residues + Tithonia diversifolia + rock phosphate (RTiP) and an unfertilized treatment (Control). During the study period, we experienced frequent dry spells and meteorological droughts in the two sites. We found no significant effects of the tillage systems and mineral fertilisers applied alone or combined with crop residues on the biological properties. All additional organic inputs to the soils enhanced the biological soil properties. On average, MBC in the treatments with organic inputs only was enhanced by 51% in Meru South and 19% in Kandara. MBC-to-TOC ratio was significantly different (p = .0003) under soil external inputs in Meru South. On average, MBN in the treatments with organic inputs was enhanced by 66% in Meru South and 25% in Kandara. Compared with the control, ACP was higher under RML, RTiP and RTiM by 26%, 20% and 17%, respectively in Meru South. In Kandara, ACP was higher under RTiM and RTiP by 25% and 23%, respectively, compared with the control. The increase in microbial biomass indicates that application of organic inputs contributed to soil organic C, thereby stimulating the microbial growth and enzyme activity. Thus, use of organic inputs or in combination with mineral fertilisers are feasible alternatives for sustaining soil organic carbon through increased microbial biomass leading to soil organic matter build-up, which is a vital element of soil quality and fertility