Effect of Myristica fragrans Houtt. Seed (Nutmeg) on Helicobacter pylori induced gastritis in albino rats: in vitro and in vivo studies

The anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) activities of dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Myristica fragrans Houtt. seed (nutmeg) was studied to authenticate traditional use in gastrointestinal disorder. Anti-H. pylori activities using the agar dilution method was investigated in 39 strains of H. pylori comprising 38 clinical isolates and a standard strain. Bactericidal studies were done by the viable counting technique. The effect of 500 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg body weight of the methanol extract of nutmeg on H. pylori-induced gastritis and colonization was investigated in albino rats. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 6.25 mg/mL while the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranged from 6.25 mg/mL to 100 mg/mL. Bacterial density score of the gastric mucosa reduced from 5.0 ± 7.07 x 108 to 1.6 ± 1.4 x 104 and 3.45 ± 1.4 x 104 CFU/mL (mean ± SD, p < 0.05) after treatment with 500 mg/kg body weight and Ofloxacin 400 mg/kg respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested the effect of the groups on the treatment days and revealed a significant difference between the treatments at p< 0.05. The results of these studies have proven the activities of Myristica fragrans Houtt. seed on H. pylori - induced gastritis in albino rats.Keywords: Crude extracts, susceptibility testings, bactericidal studies, bacterial inoculation, histopathological examinations

L-Glutamic acid production by Bacillus spp. isolated from vegetable proteins

22 isolates of Bacillus species were obtained from “Dawadawa”, “Ugba” and “Ogiri” (fermented vegetable proteins) in Nigeria. The isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis (6), (27.3%), Bacillus pumilus (5), (22.7%), Bacillus licheniformis (5), (27.3%) and Bacillus polymyxa (6), (22.7%). Four species of the Bacillus isolates were selected based on their ability to grow and produce L- glutamic acid in a synthetic medium and their comparison with the reference strain Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC 13032. The four Bacillus species were B. subtilis (UGI). B. pumilus (DD4), B. licheniformis (0G4) and B. polymyxa (OG7) isolated from “Ugba”. “Dawadawa” and “Ogiri”, respectively. All the 22 Bacillus species isolated produced L- glutamic acid with B. subtilis (UGI) from “Ugba” recording the highest (8.5 mg/ml), while B. licheniformis (OG4) from “Ogiri” had the lowest value (5.0 mg/ml). L-Glutamic acid produced by B. subtilis (UGI) from “Ugba” (8.5 mg/ml) compared favourably with that produced by the reference strain C. glutamicum ATCC 13032, (10.2 mg/ml). All the isolates were able to utilize a range of carbon sources with glucose been the best, giving a yield of 8.4 mg/ml, while galactitol was least utilized. Ammonium nitrate was the best nitrogen source (6.5 mg/ml), while asparagine was least utilized (3.40 mg/ml) by the test isolates.Key words: L-Glutamic acid, bacteria strains, fermented vegetable proteins, fermentation

Evaluation of phosphorus fertilizer rates for maize and sources for cowpea on different soil types in southwestern Nigeria

Flexible phosphorus (P) fertilizer rate recommendation could be based on variations in soil characteristics that affect yield responses. Experiments were conducted in the Department of Agronomy, LAUTECH, on the effects of P rates on maize and P sources on cowpea in four soil types. On average, soil types and P rates influenced maize height and grain yield. Iwo and Egbeda soils supported taller plants than Itagunmodi soil. Phosphorus fertilization enhanced height and grain yield compared with no P. To optimize maize grain yield for Itagunmodi and Egbeda soils, application of 15 kg P2O5 ha-1 was sufficient while for Majeroku and Iwo, it was 30 and 75 kg P2O5 ha-1, respectively. Cowpea grain yield and P uptake were significantly affected by soil types and P sources. Iwo and Egbeda soils supported higher grain weights and P uptake than Itagunmodi and Majeroku soils. Triple super phosphate (TSP) and no P supported higher grain weights and P uptake than rock phosphate (RP) and single super phosphate (SSP)

Organic Residues Affect Soil P Availability, Cowpea Yield And Nutrient Uptake on a Near Neutral P-Deficient Alfisol in Southwestern Nigeria

In the moist savanna zone of West Africa, it has been suggested that application of organic residues may play central roles in increasing the availability of inherent soil phosphorus and the dissolution and utilization of phosphate rock (PR) by food crops. Laboratory incubation study was carried out with plant residues of different chemical compositions (leaves of Flemingia macrophylla, Leucaena leucocephala, and maize stover (Zea mays L.) in pots containing a P-deficient Alfisol from SW Nigeria with ground Togo PR for 3 months to determine the dynamics of Olsen extractable P in the absence of growing plants. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) was planted in the incubated soils thereafter to evaluate treatment effects on cowpea yield and P uptake. A control treatment (no PR, no plant residues) was included for comparison. The pot trial was laid out as completely randomised design replicated four times. Generally, soil P availability increased with increasing length of incubation. Compared with the initial soil P value of 3.14 mg kg-1, after 12 weeks of incubation Leucaena +PR had the highest soil P (9. 9 mg kg soil-1), followed by Flemingia (7.9 mg kg soil-1) and Flemingia + PR (7.3 mg kg soil-1). Phosphorus availability following incubation of PR was 5.11 mg kg soil-1, 4.2 mg kg soil-1 for the control treatment, and 3.37 mg kg soil-1 for maize stover, which rather immobilized P throughout the incubation period. Cowpea plants grown on Flemingia and Leucaena incubated soils with and without PR produced higher number of pods, grain yield, and shoot dry matter than those grown on PR and maize+PR incubated soils. Total N uptake was not significantly different among the treatments but P and K uptake was significantly higher in plants grown on Leucaena+PR, Leucaena, Flemingia, and Flemingia+PR incubated soils than those grown on the control, PR, and maize+PR incubated soils. These results suggest that plant residues can be selected and incubated in near neutral P-deficient soils to enhance P availability and increase crop yield and P uptake.Key words: Alfisol, cowpea dry matter, length of incubation, Olsen extractable P, plant residues, Togo rock phosphate, West Afric

Performance of Cochorus olitorius as influenced by soil type and organic manure amendments in Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun State

An experiment was conducted in Yewa North Local Government Area, Ogun State to evaluate the effect of four soil types (loamy, sand, clay and silt) amended with poultry manure (PM), plant manure (PLM), sheep/goat manure (SGM) and NPK on performance of Cochorus olitorius. It was a factorial experiment in completely randomized design. Pre-treated seeds were planted and watered daily. Agronomic data collected on days after planting were plant height, number of leaves and stem girth. Data were analyzed using generalized linear model of SAS version 9.1. Means were separated by least significant difference at P < 0.05. Results obtained indicated that loamy soil had significantly higher plant height, number of leaves and stem girth than other soil types. Silt had the least values for all the parameters measured. Performance of the soil types were in the order Loam > Sand > Clay > Silt. PLM had significantly higher plant height and stem diameter than PM and NPK but not significantly different from that of SGM. Loamy soil amended with either PLM or SGM performed better for all the parameters measured and therefore recommended in this study.Keywords: Organic manure, plant manure, soil type, Cochorus olitorius.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(33), pp. 5309-5312, 16 August, 201

Impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on growth, fruit yield, nutritional and lycopene contents of three varieties of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum (L.) Mill) in Ogbomoso, Nigeria

Field experiments were carried out to assess the impact of 100% NPK fertilizer recommendation (300 kg NPK 20:10:10), 100% Tithonia compost (TC), 75% NPK + 25% TC, 50% NPK + 50% TC, 25% NPK + 75% TC and control (non-fertilized plant) on the growth, fruit yield, nutritional and lycopene contents of three tomato varieties (Raoma VF; Ogbomoso local and Califonia wonder). The experiment was a split plot fitted into a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Data were collected on growth and reproductive parameters, fruit and seed attributes, and fruit proximate and nutritional contents. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance to determine significant means. Significant varietal  differences were observed among the tomato varieties in terms of growth, fruit yield and nutritional  attributes. The plant dry matter yield was highest in Ogbomoso local and least in Roma VF. Fruit yield  obtained with Ogbomoso local was 45 and 56% higher than what was obtained for Roma VF and Califonia  wonder, respectively. In terms of vitamin C content, Roma VF fertilized with 50% NPK + 50% TC gave  the highest value which is 23 to 67% higher than values obtained from the other treatment combinations.  Again, irrespective of variety, organically grown tomato contains higher content of lycopene. It was also observed that the higher the proportion of TC compost in the treatments, the better the lycopene content. It could be concluded that the use of organic fertilizer has potential in improving the growth, fruit yield and nutritional contents of any of the three tomato varieties studied. Key words: Lycopersicon esculentum, compost, inorganic fertilizers, fruit yield, nutritional quality, lycopene content.Abbreviation: TC, Tithonia compost; WAT, week after transplanting; TSS, total soluble solid

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Background: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). Methods: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. Results: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. Conclusions: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the countr

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10&nbsp;years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37&nbsp;years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe