Effects of direct-fed lactic acid bacteria on weight gain and ruminal pH of two south African sheep breeds

A ruminant’s digestion depends on microbial degradation of feed rather than endogenous enzyme degradation as in most monogastric animals. The study was conducted to assess the effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) strains administered as direct-fed microbials on weight gain and ruminal pH of Damara and Meatmaster sheep breeds. Sixty-four Damara and Meatmaster sheep breeds [Damara males (36.6 } 8.3 kg); Damara females (28.9 } 6.9 kg); Meatmaster males (24.6 } 3.4 kg); Meat master females (21.5 } 3.1 kg)] were subjected to a 30-day trial and divided into five treatment groups as follows: pellets with no antibiotic and no probiotics administered (T1); pellets with no antibiotics, only Lactobacillus rhamnosus SCH administered (T2); pellets with no antibiotics, only Lactobacillus rhamnosus AF3G administered (T3); pellets with no antibiotics, with the combination of Lactobacillus rhamnosus SCH and Lactobacillus rhamnosus AF3G, administered (T4); pellets fortified with antibiotic and no probiotic administered (T5). The animals were fed on commercial pellets fortified with or without antibiotics. Animals were each weighed, and rumen fluids were collected using a stomach tube, and pH was read immediately, before and at the end of the trials. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance using SPSS version 4.0. The results showed that the effect of treatment, sex and some of their interactive effects were significant (p <0.001) on the body weight of sheep irrespective of breed. The effect of treatments revealed that the animals in the combination of probiotics gained more weight than those in other groups. Damara breed had a heavier body weight than Meatmaster while males were 6 kg heavier relative to females (p <0.001). Only breed was significant (p <0.05) on weight gained. Treatment (p <0.05), breed (p <0.001) and their interactive effect (p <0.05) were significant on ruminal pH. The highest pH value was 7.27 for the T5 group and 7.37 for the Damara breed. Results suggest that LAB may have beneficial effects on the growth performances of sheep and therefore may be suitable as future growth promoters in sheep production, as they don't have any harmful residues compared to antibiotics

Intestinal helminthes infestation in relation to some haematological parameters among pregnant women attending antenantal clinics in Ekpoma,

This study assessedintestinal helminthes infection in relation to some haematological parameters among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Ekpoma, Southern Nigeria, over a period of 3 months. Two hundred and thirty (230) subjects comprising of 180 pregnant women and 50 controls (non-pregnant women) were examined.Their stool samples were examined using direct saline and iodine preparation, while the blood samples were analyzed for full blood count (Packed Cell Volume, Heamoglobin concentration, White Blood Cell count and Differential White Blood Cell count). Twenty-three (23; 10%) of the total examined subjects were infected with intestinal parasites, 15 (8.3%) out of the 180 pregnant women were infected, while 8 (16%) of the non-pregnant women were infected with intestinal helminthes. Ascaris lumbricoides was the only intestinal helminth seen in this study and pregnant women in the first trimester were mostly infected with intestinal helminthes. The mean and standard deviation of Packed Cell Volume (PCV) and total white blood cells count in the infected and non-infected pregnant women was 33.00 + 26 and 34.17 + 2.86 and 5.3 + 0.97 (109/L) and 9.7 + 0.97 (109L) respectively. It was observed that there was a significant difference in the total white blood cell values and eosinophil count between intestinal helminthes infected pregnant women and those that were not infected. These findings show that total white blood cell values and eosinophil count was more elevated in those that were infected than those that were not infected.Key words: Pregnant, women, intestinal, infection, helmint

Phytochemical and anti‐plasmodial screening of three selected tropical plants used for the treatment of malaria in Oshogbo, south-western Nigeria

The use of herbal remedy is featuring prominently as alternative to orthodox medicine but little is known on scientific validation of their efficacies in malaria treatment. Questionnaire survey was conducted in Osogbo metropolis to identify the frequently used antiplasmodial herbal remedies. The aqueous extracts of the three frequently used antimalaria herbs, Mangifera indica leaves, Lawsonia inermis leaves and Enanthia chlorantha stem bark were prepared as described by herbal vendors and subsequently analyzed for phytochemical constituents and antiplasmodial efficiencies using mice model. The qualititave phytochemical analysis of the extracts showed differences in the phytochemical constituents of the three plants. The comparison of the parasite load before and after treatment showed that the parasitamia level reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in the mice treated with E. chlorantha and M. indica but increased significantly (p = 0.012; p < 0.05) in the group treated with L. inermis while no parasite was detected in the group treated with chloroquine (antimalaria drug) after treatment. The treated groups had higher concentrations of creatinine, urea, bilirubin, Aspartate aminotransferase and Alkaline phosphate in comparison with the control, an indication of the plant extracts cyto‐toxicity. The results therefore showed that the extracts of E. chlorantha and M. indica only possess chemosupressive not curative antimalaria potential while L. inermis did not show any antiplasmodial effect. Further screening on antimalaria herbal remedies therefore becomes imperative so as to guide the policy on malaria treatment regime in Nigeria.Key words: Phytochemistry, antiplasmodial, plant extracts, biochemical marker

Evaluation of 0 <_ M <_ earthquake data sets in African – Asian region during 1966–2015

Thisarticleevaluatestheoccurrenceof0 r M r 8 earthquakedata setsfortheperiodof50years(thatis,January1,1966toDecember 31,2015)inAfricanandWesternAsiaregion.Itisboundedby latitude40° S to40° N andlongitude30° W to60° E withthefocal depthof0–700km.Seventyseventhousand,sixhundredand ninety-sixdatapointswerepresentedfortheanalysis.Thedata usedwereextractedfromearthquakecatalogofAdvancedNational Seismicsystemvia http://quake.geo.berkeley.edu/cnss/, anofficial websiteoftheNorthernCaliforniaEarthquakeDataCentre,USA. Eachdatumcomprisedtheearthquakeoccurrencedate,timeofthe earthquakeoccurrence,epicenter’s coordinates,focaldepthand magnitude.TheGutenberg-Richter’s relationshipbeingthelongest observedempiricalrelationshipinseismology,analysisofvariance andtimeserieswereusedtoanalyzetheseismicityofthestudy area.Annualdistributionsofearthquakeoccurrencebasedon magnitudevariationswiththelimit0 r M r 8 werepresented. ThetwoconstantsaandbintheGutenberg-Richter’s equation, magnitudeofcompleteness(MC)adjustedR-Squareand F-valuefor theperiodof1966–1975,1976–1985,1986–1995,1996–2005,2006– 2015,andtheentireperiodofinvestigationrangingfrom1966to 2015weredeterminedsoastoinvestigatethevariationsofthese parametersonearthquakeoccurrenceovertime.Thehistogramsof earthquakeoccurrenceagainstmagnitudeofearthquakesforthe selectedyears(1966–1975,1976–1985,1986–1995,1996–2005, 2006–2015,and1966–2015),andthedecadalfrequencydistribu- tionsofearthquakeoccurrencewerealsoplotted.Thefocaldepth occurrenceforeachmagnitudebins(0–0.9,1–1.9,2–2.9,3–3.9,4– 4.9,5–5.9,6–6.9,7–7.9,8–8.9)weregroupedintoshallow,inter- mediate,anddeepdepthsrangingfrom0to70,71to300,and301 to700kmasbeingusedinseismology.Theneuralnetworkanalysis wasalsoappliedtothemagnitudeoftheearthquake.Thenetwork usesatimeseriesmagnitudedataasinputwiththeoutputbeing themagnitudeofthefollowingday.Ifthenatureoftheearthquakes timeseriesisstochastic,modelingandpredictionispossible.The earthquakedatasetspresentedinthisarticlecanfurtherbeadopted in thestudyofseismicitypattern, b-valueusingseriesofmodels, earthquakepredictionandvariationsofearthquakeparameterson Africanand/orArabianplates.Whenthisapproachisintegrated withothertechnique(s),itcanprovideinsightstostabilityof African lithospehricplatesespeciallythecoastalregionofAfrica

Epidemiological Factors in Prevalence of Malaria Parasites in Primary Health Facilities Attendees, Ogun State, Nigeria

Malaria caused by Plasmodium species is often observed in areas where malaria is endemic. Malaria prevalence in metropolitan Abeokuta of Ogun State, Nigeria was studied between October, 2012 and January 2013. Oral interviews were used to get personal data of participants. Blood samples were obtained from 384 consented participants from the seven primary health centers. Blood film examination using Giemsa staining techniques was used to detect malaria parasites in the blood. From the 384 participants examined 273 (71.1%) were positive with malaria parasites. Species detected included Plasmodium falciparum (95.6%), Plasmodium malariae (3.3%), P. ovale (0.7%) and P. vivax (0.4%). The age-group 1-11 years had the highest malaria prevalence 94 (81%) while 51-60 had the least 6(54.5%). The malaria prevalence in relation to age was significant (p=0.011, p<0.05). The males 110 (73.8%) were slightly more affected than the females 163 (69.4%), but not statistically significant (p=0.347, p>0.05). Malaria prevalence was significantly higher among those with no formal education 80 (81.6%) and least among post-secondary educational. Prevalence among occupational groups showed significant difference, where the unemployed group were more infected and the retiree group had the least infection (p=0.014, p<0.05). The singles (56.4%) were more infected than the married (43.6%). The prevalence in relation to age was significant (p=0.000, p<0.05). The study has revealed that malaria disease can affect all age groups and both males and females’ sexes irrespective of their educational and occupational cadre. Public enlightenment efforts need to be intensified towards the prevention of malaria

Evaluation of Rapid Methods in Malaria Diagnosis from Persons attending Primary Health Facilities, Ogun State, Nigeria

Malaria in Nigeria is treated blindly in most cases and where diagnostic measures exist, efficacies of several are still in doubt. This study evaluated performance of microscopy and rapid (RDT) methods in confirming prevalence of malaria parasites (MP),parasite species and percent parasitized red blood cells in 384 persons systematically selected from seven primary healthcare facilities in Ogun State, Nigeria from October to December 2012. Giemsa thin and thick film techniques and RDT (SD Bioline Ag P.f/Pan kit) were employed on the blood samples. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16. Demographic results showed that females were 61% and males 39%,but of varying age groups. Seventy-one percent of the blood samples were positive for MP by microscopic blood films, and only 24% samples were positive by RDT. Paired sample T-test showed a significant difference (P=0.000)between microscopy and RDT methods. Of the 273 positive blood samples,95.6%were P. falciparum,3.3% were P. malariae, 0.7% was P. ovale and P. vivax (0.4%). For RDT, P. falciparum was 74% while mixed infections were 26%. Prevalence in risk groups 0–10 and 11–20 age groups was observed to be higher with significant differences (p=0.011, p=0.023) for both microscopy and RDT respectively. RDT sensitivity and specificity were 23.4% and 74.7% compared to microscopy. Positive Predictive Value and Negative Predictive Value were 69.6% and 28.4%. The efficiency of the RDT was 38.3%. The low sensitivity of RDT observed means that malaria diagnosis by microscopy method remains the gold standar

In vitro Anticancer Screening of 24 Locally Used Nigerian Medicinal Plants

Background: Plants that are used as traditional medicine represent a relevant pool for selecting plant candidates that may have anticancer properties. In this study, the ethnomedicinal approach was used to select several medicinal plants native to Nigeria, on the basis of their local or traditional uses. The collected plants were then evaluated for cytoxicity. Methods: The antitumor activity of methanolic extracts obtained from 24 of the selected plants, were evaluated in vitro on five human cancer cell lines. Results: Results obtained from the plants screened indicate that 18 plant extracts of folk medicine exhibited promising cytotoxic activity against human carcinoma cell lines. Erythrophleum suaveolens (Guill. & Perr.) Brenan was found to demonstrate potent anti-cancer activity in this study exhibiting IC50 = 0.2-1.3 $\mu$g/ml. Conclusions: Based on the significantly potent activity of some plants extracts reported here, further studies aimed at mechanism elucidation and bio-guided isolation of active anticancer compounds is currently underway.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog

Climate change adaptation options in farming communities of selected Nigerian ecological zones

This chapter examines the impacts of climate change on three tropical crops and assesses the climate change adaptation options adopted by rural farmers in the region. The study was conducted among farming communities settled in three major ecological zones in Nigeria. Over 37 years of data on rainfall and temperature were analyzed to examine climate change impacts on three major crops: rice, maize, and cassava. Farmers' adaptive capacity was assessed with a survey. Climatic data, crop yields, and survey data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The relation between rainfall/temperature and crop yields was examined using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results show a high variation in the annual rainfall and temperature during the study period. The major findings from this research is that crops in different ecological zones respond differently to climate variation. The result revealed that there is a very strong relationship between precipitation and the yield of rice and cassava at p <0.05 level of significance. The results further showed low level of adaption among the rural farmers. The study concludes that rainfall and temperature variability has a significant impact on crop yield in the study area, but that the adaptive capacity of most farmers to these impacts is low. There is a need for enhancing the adaptation options available to farmers in the region, which should be the focus of government policies

Onchocerciasis transmission in Ghana: biting and parous rates of host-seeking sibling species of the Simulium damnosum complex

Background: Ghana is renowned for its sibling species diversity of the Simulium damnosum complex, vectors of Onchocerca volvulus. Detailed entomological knowledge becomes a priority as onchocerciasis control policy has shifted from morbidity reduction to elimination of infection. To date, understanding of transmission dynamics of O. volvulus has been mainly based on S. damnosum sensu stricto (s.s.) data. We aim to elucidate bionomic features of vector species of importance for onchocerciasis elimination efforts. Methods: We collected S. damnosum sensu lato from seven villages in four Ghanaian regions between 2009 and 2011, using standard vector collection, and human- and cattle-baited tents. Taxa were identified using morphological and molecular techniques. Monthly biting rates (MBR), parous rates and monthly parous biting rates (MPBR) are reported by locality, season, trapping method and hour of collection for each species. Results: S. damnosum s.s./S. sirbanum were collected at Asubende and Agborlekame, both savannah villages. A range of species was caught in the Volta region (forest-savannah mosaic) and Gyankobaa (forest), with S. squamosum or S. sanctipauli being the predominant species, respectively. In Bosomase (southern forest region) only S. sanctipauli was collected in the 2009 wet season, but in the 2010 dry season S. yahense was also caught. MBRs ranged from 714 bites/person/month at Agborlekame (100% S. damnosum s.s./S. sirbanum) to 8,586 bites/person/month at Pillar 83/Djodji (98.5% S. squamosum). MBRs were higher in the wet season. In contrast, parous rates were higher in the dry season (41.8% vs. 18.4%), resulting in higher MPBRs in the dry season. Daily host-seeking activity of S. damnosum s.s./S. sirbanum was bimodal, whilst S. squamosum and S. sanctipauli had unimodal afternoon peaks. Conclusions: The bionomic differences between sibling species of the S. damnosum complex need to be taken into account when designing entomological monitoring protocols for interventions and parameterising mathematical models for onchocerciasis control and elimination