Aspects of the biology of the lagoon crab Callinectes amnicola (Derocheburne) in Badagry, Lagos and Lekki lagoons, Nigeria

A preliminary report of the size, composition, growth pattern and food habits of the blue crab, Callinectes amnicola, (De Rocheburne) in the Badagry, Lagos and Lekki Lagoons (Nigeria) is presented. The collection of crabs from the three lagoons covered the period from May 1999 to October 2000. The carapace length for Badagry Lagoon ranged from 2.2 cm to 16.4 cm with weight of 4.4 g to 252.6 g. The crabs showed a unimodal size distribution. For the Lagos Lagoon, crabs sizes ranged from 3.5 cm to 16.8 cm and weighed 3.28 to 277.1 g. The sizes of crabs in the Lekki Lagoon ranged from 3.5 cm to 16.1 cm and weighed 3.5 g to 262.7 g. Crabs from the three lagoons exhibited negative allometric growth. The food items were similar in the three lagoons and comprised mainly mollusc shells, fish parts, shrimps and crab appendages and occasionally higher plant material

Rooibos tea (Aspalathus linearis) extract protects against air particulate matter induced hepatic oxidative stress in Nrf2-independent manner

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are a typical example of air particulate matter generated into the environment from industrial, residential and vehicular diesel engines. Studies have implicated the induction of oxidative stress in the adverse health effect of DEP. In this study, the effect of aqueous rooibos extract (RE) on DEP-induced hepatic oxidative stress was examined and the role of Nrf2-regulation in this effect was evaluated. Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of 5 rats/group and were administered 0.7 mg/kg DEP subcutaneously and 50 mg/kg RE orally. Group one was given vehicle (saline and DMSO), group two was administered with RE for 4 weeks, group three was given RE for 2 weeks followed by concomitant administration of RE and DEP for further 2 weeks and group four was given DEP twice a week at the last 2 weeks of treatment. Malondialdehyde (MDA), Conjugated dienes (CDs) and GSH levels were determined in the liver homogenate. AST and ALT activities were assayed in the serum and RT-qPCR was used to quantify the gene expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the liver. Results showed that RE pre-treatment significantly (p<0.001) decreased DEP-induced elevated serum AST and ALT levels, decreased DEP-induced MDA (p<0.001) and CDs (p<0.05) levels.DEP caused significant (p<0.05) decrease in GSH levels, which was reversed by rooibos extract pre-treatment. DEP also caused significant induction in Nrf2 and HO-1 mRNA levels. However, these inductions were significantly attenuated by RE. In summary, rooibos extract has the potential to protect against DEP-induced oxidative stress in hepatic tissues probably by a mechanism which may not involve activation of the Nrf2-dependent response.Keywords: Oxidative stress; diesel exhaust particles; rooibos tea; hepatic tissu

Oral squamous cell carcinoma in patients less than 40 years in a Nigerian population

Objectives: Oral cancer ranks amongst the sixth to eight most common cancers worldwide and exhibits a great variation in incidence among countries. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is rare in individuals less than 40 years of age, with occurrences averaging 4 to 6% in people less than 40 years. The aim of this study was to review the clinical and pathological characteristics of OSCC cases in patients less than 40 years of age in five tertiary health facilities in Nigeria.Methods:All OSCC in the period from 1970 to 2015 from case file records and biopsy reports were retrieved from the records of the five teaching hospitals, to obtain age, gender, location and histologic grades.Results: Ninety-seven (17.4%) cases of OSCC were diagnosed in patients less than 40 years of age. These included 58 males and 38 females giving a male: female ratio of 1.5:1. The mandibular mucosa with 27 (28.7%) cases was the most common site followed by the maxillary mucosa with 24 (25.5%) and palate with 14 (14.4%) cases. Only 5 (5.3 %) cases of OSCC occurred in the tongue. The well differentiated OSCC was the most common histological grade accounting for 48 (50.0 %) cases while the moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated OSCC accounted for 31 (32.3 %) and 17 (17.7 %) cases respectively.Conclusion: OSCC was relatively more common in patients less than 40 years of age in this study than those of previous studies from other regions and OSCC in patients less than 40 years of age was relatively rare in the tongue when compared with similar cohorts from other continents. Key words: oral squamous cell carcinoma; age less than 40; tongue; mandibular mucosa, Nigeri

Determination of Some Heavy Metals Levels in Funaria Hygrometrica in Dutsinma Town of Katsina State, Nigeria

The levels of some heavy metals were determined in Funaria hygrometrica (moss plant) harvested from the streets of Dutsinma town of Katsina State of Nigeria using atomic absorption spectrometry. Over the years the town has witnessed influx of people from neighbouring villages, as a Local government headquarters. The mean level of the metals in the study area varied between Cd (0.06μgg-1 and 0.43μgg-1); Cu (1.45μgg-1 and 4.97μgg-1); Fe (81.75μgg-1 and 131.48μgg-1); Mn (4.13μgg-1 and 9.64μgg-1); Ni (0.05μgg-1 and 0.16μgg-1); Pb (1.17μgg-1 and 6.40μgg-1) and Zn (3.82μgg-1 and 7.94μgg-1). The result shows relatively high levels for Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn in the plant. This was attributed to the concentrations of motor vehicles and some industries that have increased in the town over time. Other heavy metals (Cd and Ni) were found in relatively smaller concentrations. The absorption of these metals was related to their concentrations in the atmosphere as a result of industrial and automobile emissions

Determinants of Credit Constraint Conditions and Production Efficiency Among Farming Households in Southwestern Nigeria

Sustaining and improving production efficiency of resource poor smallholder farmers under the existing credit constraint conditions require the improvement of access to credit facilities and other factors involved. The study examined the factors influencing credit constraint (CC) and production efficiency of farming households in Oyo State, Nigeria. Primary data was randomly collected using structured questionnaire from 120 mixed farmers in the study area. Data was analyzed using descriptive analysis, probit regression and stochastic frontier analysis. The results shows that 79.2 percent of the respondents were credit constrained and this has negative influence on their production efficiency as credit constrained farming households (CCFH) were found to be less efficient with mean efficiency of 0.721 than unconstrained farming households with 0.913. Age, gender, education, and dependency ratio of farmers are significant variables that influenced credit constraint conditions of the farmers while the maximum likelihood estimate of the production frontier revealed that farm size, labour and quantity of agro-chemical used are positively and significantly related to the production efficiency of farmers. Given the largest proportion of CCFHs among farming population in South-Western Nigerian, this gap implies considerable potential loss in output due to inefficient production. Improving credit access of farming households in general but more particularly the CCFHs is desirable for higher production efficiency.Credit constraint, Production efficiency, Farming households, stochastic frontier, Nigeria, Agricultural Finance,

Haemato-biochemical variations in estuarine crabs from a lagoon ecosystem

Haematological profiles are often applied as an index of physiological condition of various organisms and thus provide information about the health status of local populations. The haematological and biochemical parameters of the estuarine crabs, Callinectes amnicola, Goniopsis pelii, Sersama huzardii and Uca tangerii from the polluted creek of Lagos Lagoon were examined using standard methods. C. amnicola (121.7±0.21) were significantly heavier than G. pelli (24±2.11 g), S. huzardii (16.15±15.19 g) and U. tangeri (8.8±0.5 g). Mean haematological values of the crabs revealed significant variations in total haemocyte count (THC), haemocyte sedimentation rate (HSR) and haemocyte subpopulation. THC in the circulating haemocytes of the crabs was similar for both G. pelli (2150±56.69 mL) and S. huzardii (1975.00±74.46 mL). HSR was lowest in G. pelli (1.50±0.71 mm/hr) and highest in U. tangeri (5.70±0.82 mm/hr). Haemocyte sub-population variables showed that eosinophil and basophil did not differ considerably among the crabs. Significant differences were however recorded for granulocyte, agranulocyte and monocyte with G. pelli having the highest sub-population of granulocyte (33.00±1.41 %) but lowest agranulocyte (67.00±1.41 %). Non-significantly higher sub-population of monocytes was recorded for C. amnicola (3.3±0.03). In the mean values of the serum biochemicals, U. tangeri showed lowest values for all except aspartate aminotransferase (22.8 U/L) and Urea (32.48 mg/dl). G. pelli showed highest values for serum protein (14.36mg/dl), Globulin (67.49 mg/dl) and phosphatase alkaline phosphatase (34.50 U/L). The study gave an indication of stress on the health status of the estuarine crabs, hence the need for periodic monitoring of the ecosystem.Keywords: Haematology, serum biochemistry, crab, Lagos Lagoo

Enterotoxicity of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from beans pudding

36 samples of beans pudding from selected sources were analysed for Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus using standard protocols aimed at assessing its bacteriological quality. Samples obtained from restaurant showed slightly lower value for total plate count (1.3 x 104 - 1.6 x 106 cfu/gm) compared to samples from cafeteria (2.7 x 104 - 2.6 x 106 cfu/gm) and hawkers (3.1 x 104 - 3.2 x 106 cfu/gm). Count of S. aureus from samples obtained from hawkers varied between 1.2 x 103 - 2.0 x 106 cfu/gm while those of cafeteria and restaurant showed counts varying between 1.3 x 103 - 1.0 x 105 cfu/gm and 2.2 x 103 - 1.1 x 105 cfu/gm respectively. The counts for B. cereus from samples obtained from hawker ranged from 1.0 x 102 - 1.3 x 104 cfu/gm, while those from cafeteria and restaurant ranged from 1.0 x 102 - 2.10 x 104 cfu/gm and 1.0 x 102 - 1.0 x 104 cfu/gm respectively. 53% of the 13 isolates of S. aureus produced enterotoxin A but non produced enterotoxins C and D. The results from this study showed that S. aureus is common in vended beans capable of producing pathogenic enterotoxin A. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, moin-moin, enterotoxin, enterotoxicity, cellophan

Assessment of levels of copper, cadmium and lead in secretion of mammary gland of cows grazed on open fields

The levels of copper, cadmium and lead were determined in milk samples from cows grazed on open fields. The use of H2O2 cleared the residual colours of the metal solutions following digestion with HNO3 acid. The results of the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric analysis of the metal solutions from the milk samples showed the metal concentrations in the order Pb (0.531±0.299 mg/dm3)>Cd (0.257±0.127 mg/dm3)>Cu (0.062±0.026 mg/dm3). The levels of Pb and Cd in the milk samples studied exceeded the permissible maximum daily intake recommended by W.H.O. in the health criteria. Keywords: Copper, Cadmium, Lead, Cow, mammary gland, secretio

Pattern and Behavioural Approach to Fraudulent Practices in the Informal Economic Setting

The experience of consumers in recent times has been described in various studies as disastrous and one that portends serious danger to the safety of human life.  The frequently reported cases were those that pertained to agricultural food items.  It is amusing that consumption of these products that ought to complement nutrient in human life has become source of discomfort and health hazard.  Coupled with this was the case of fraudulent practices which were reported as rampant within the traders in public markets.  In spite of this, such cases were not given the kind of adequate attention that they deserved by scholars.  This study therefore emerged as a response to this with objectives of interrogating the experiences of the victims of this anomaly through the dimension that the fraudulent practices was taking and the management approach being adopted to address it.  The study is descriptive in nature: a total of 28 respondents comprising consumers, foodstuff sellers and officials of Foodstuff Sellers Association were involved in the study. Both purposive and snowball sampling procedures were used to reach out to these respondents. Interview guide was the major instrument used to source for data from the respondents in the course of in-depth and key informant interview sessions.  All the consumers engaged as respondents here as well as some sellers acknowledged the existence of fraudulent practices within Bodija Market, Ibadan. The common fraudulent practices within this market, according to the findings of this study, included measurement cheat, hoarding of goods and mixture of the products with bad/diseased variety.  Only a few of the victims of the fraud reported the matter to the officials of the Market.  Measures adopted by the respondents to counter the fraudulent practices include extensive consultation with other consumers who patronized the market over the credibility of the sellers and their wares.  There are consumers who go about with their measurement modules (kongo) while in the market to make purchases; this category of people will not buy from any seller except those that allowed the usage of the consumers’ module alone.  Recommendations presented emanated from the respondents and were in line with the findings of the study. Keywords: Consumers, Food Stuff, Fraudulent Practices, Kongo, Sellers

Intestinal obstruction by Ascaris Lumbricoides in a 10-year-old girl: A case report in south-west Nigeria

Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common intestinal helminth parasitizing human beings.Infestation with the worm is commonly seen in developing countries,however, with improvement in sanitary conditions, surgical sequelae is becoming quite rare. We present a case of a 10-year-old female who had intestinal obstruction from worm infestation, reviewed the  literature and highlighted the need to consider the differential diagnosis in a patient who presents with similar clinical features in developing countries