The Chemical Composition of Selected Indigenous Fruits of Botswana

In the rural areas of most African countries, many people may not have access to exotic fruits and may be eating mainly indigenous fruits. Very little information is documented on the composition of these fruits.This study was undertaken to provide this information. The edible portions of four indigenous fruits (Adansonia digitata, Sclerocarya birrea, Strychnos spinosa and Vangueria infausta) were analysed for proximate composition,minerals, and selected properties using Association of Official Analytical Chemists(AOAC) methods. The values (%) obtained were: dry matter 11.6 (S. birrea) – 86.0 (A. digitata), ash 3.9 (V. infausta)- 4.9 (S. birrea), crude protein 1.3 (A. digitata)- 3.7 (S. birrea), ADF 6.1 (S.spinosa) –39.5 (V. infausta), ADL 4.4 (S. spinosa)- 35.5 (V. infausta), NDF 6.2 (S. spinosa)- 39.4 V. infausta), pH 3.06 (A. digitata) – 3.98 ( S. birrea ), acidity 0.77 (S. spinosa) – 7.85 (A.digitata). The vitamin C content in mg/100g fresh sample were: 67.7 (V. infausta)- 141.3 (A. digitata). For theminerals the values (mg/100 g) were: Ca 56 (S. spinosa) – 128 (A. digitata), Mg 49 (S. spinosa) – 158 (S. birrea), P 50 (A. digitata)- 128 (V. infausta), K 1370 (S.spinosa) – 2183 (S. birrea), Na 13.0 (S. birrea)-21.7 (S. spinosa), Fe 0.07 (S. birrea) –0.11 (S. spinosa) and Zn 0.02 (V. infausta) – 0.22 (S. spinosa). The fruits appear to be good sourcesof vitamin C, and the minerals, K and Mg. They can contribute towards providing nutrient requirements particularly in the rural areas, therefore the consumption should be encouraged. @JASE

Effect of Consuming Rooftop Harvested Rainwater from Esan Communities in Edo State Nigeria on Some Biochemical, Haematological Parameters and Electrolytes of Wistar Albino Rats

This study assessed the effects of some local sources of drinking water inOkiagbem, Uromi and Ubiaja communities of Esan Edo State Nigeria on the biochemical, haematological parameters and electrolytes of Wistar albino rats. The Urea values of all the test groups (4.90+0.59, 5.95+0.74 and 5.70+0.71) were slightly higher than that of the control (3.87+0.39 and there was a significant (p0.05) increase in blood Creatinine levels of all thetest groups (79.83+10.39, 101.67+13.54 and 97.67+8.76) compared with the control (67.33+7.81), indicating renal damage. There was an increase in Total and Conjugated Bilirubin of the test groups compared with the control. There was no significant (p0.05) increase in Electrolytes'  concentrations between the test groups and control. .The PCV values range of 35.17+1.45% to 38.00+2.67% for all samples were not significantly (p0.05) different from the Control values (36.00+1.93%). There were significant (p0.05) increases in the TWBC counts of Uromi and Ubiaja test groups. The liver function test conducted showed a significant (p0.05) increase in ALT, AST and ALP with the variations indicating liver damage.© JASE

Evaluation of Rainfall Erosivity Index for Abuja, Nigeria Using Lombardi Method

Rainfall erosivity index is one of the important factors influencing soil erosion. Erosivity index for Abuja, Nigeria was evaluated using the Lombadi method. Twelve (12) years rainfall data (2001 – 2012) used was obtained from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Abuja.  Daily kinetic energy – intensity interaction was computed using EI = 1.03Vd1.51. The results showed that the average annual rainfall erosivity index for the city for the period of study was 1131.86 MJmm/hr.  The correlation between annual erosivity index and average annual precipitation was expressed as Y = 8.2209X + 34.659. The coefficient of Determination R2 was 0.5011. During this period, the month of August (in all the years) had the highest erosivity index except for 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2008. The analysis of rainfall seasonal distribution showed that the most intensive erosion menace in the area can be expected in August, especially in the areas that are not protected by vegetation cover, which also depends on the climatic change. It is recommended that soil surfaces should not be left bare.http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v34i1.

Histological Effects of Xylopia aethiopica on the Kidney of Adult Wistar Rats

This study investigates the effect of Xylopia aethiopica leaves on the histology of the kidney. 24 growing rats were used. They were divided into four groups: A (n = 6) as control and B (n = 6), C (n = 6) and D (n = 6) as tests. Group A received normal feed and distilled water only, while B, C and D, received daily doses of 1.2g, 3.0g, and 6.0g / kg body weight of Xylopia aethiopica leaves respectively, for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed under light chloroform anesthesia to harvest the kidney for histological studies. The kidney was excised, fixed in 10% formal saline and processed for light microscopy using H&E staining procedures. The histological studies revealed normal cells in the control group (A), while group B presented glomerular degeneration, vacuolation and haermorrhage. Group C showed tubular wall enlargement, exudation, tubular disruption and cellular infiltration, while group D showed parenchymal erosion, tubular cavity obstruction and vacuolation. The observed kidney damages were dosage and duration dependent. The histological observations suggest that Xylopia aethiopica leaves is toxic to the kidney and may induce a dose dependent renal damage; hence the need for further studies.Keywords: Xylopia aethiopica, Kidney, Histology, Plant

How valid are the psychometric properties of the oral health impact profile-14 measure in adult dental patients in Ibadan, Nigeria?

BACKGROUND: The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is the most widely used quality of life (QoL) measure to evaluate the influence of oral diseases on individuals. QoL measures have been noted to be context and environment specific, and there is a need to cross-culturally adapt a scale before its introduction into any community. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties, validity and internal consistency of the OHIP-14 measure in an adult patient population in Ibadan, Nigeria.METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted over a four-month period on 204 adult patients using OHIP-14 structured questionnaire, global self-report indicator of oral conditions and perceived treatment need. Oral examinations were performed to assess periodontal status, caries  experience and attachment loss. Data were analyzed using SPSS and p-value for statistical significance was set at < 0.05.Results: A total of 204 patients participated in the study with a mean OHIP score of 11.2 (± 9.8). OHIP scores were not related to the  sociodemographic characteristics. Perception of need for treatment was greater among those who reported impacts on their QoL (89.3% vs. 14.3%, p < 0.001). The OHIP scores correlated negatively with global self rating of oral health status (rho = -0.23, p < 0.01). Higher OHIP scores were  associated with having carious teeth (p = 0.023). The Cronbach’s alpha for the 14 inventory items ranged from 0.857 to 0.871.CONCLUSION: The OHIP-14 measure showed good psychometric properties with satisfactory validity and internal consistency in adult patients in  Ibadan, Nigeria.Keywords: Oral health, quality of life, OHIP-14, validity, internal  consistenc

Effect of different drying methods on the physicochemical characteristics of cassava flour (“pupuru”)

The effects of smoking, toasting and oven drying methods on the physical and chemical characteristics of “pupuru”, a fermented cassava product, were studied. Cassava tubers were manually peeled, washed and steeped in water for four days after which the water was decanted; the soft wet mash was packed into Hessian sack and pressed. One portion was moulded into small-sized (500 g) ball shape and smoked on wood fire for 72 hours (Traditional method). The second portion was moulded into 500 g size ball and dried in the hot air oven at 60 °C for 14 hours. The two products were pulverized and sieved with 60 mesh size into fine pupuru flour. The third wet meal was sifted and toasted on an aluminum pan over fire and then milled into fine toasted pupuru flour. The flours were subjected to physicochemical evaluations. There was reduction in drying time when pupuru was toasted compared to the tradition smoking method. The range of final moisture content achieved was 7.14- 8.40% (db). Despite the shortness in the drying time, the toasted samples had the lowest moisture content. Irrespective of the drying methods, there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in the proximate composition. The crude fibre content was highest in smoked dried with 3.17% compared to the toasted and oven dried samples with 2.12% and 2.53% respectively. The titratable acidity increased by about 78% from 0.09 to 0.16 with corresponding decrease in pH from 5.34 to 4.18. The toasted product had the lowest pH value of 4.18 while smoked and oven dried had 4.67 and 4.63 respectively. The bulk densities for both loosed and packed \ were higher for toasted product with values of 0.54 and 0.62 g/ml respectively,  while smoked dried had the least value of 0.21 and 0.40 g/ml. The swelling power was highest in the toasted pupuru with value 0.38 ml/g and water holding capacity was 259.42 ml/g. The cyanide content of the smoked, oven dried and toasted product were 0.42, 0.48 and 0.47 mg/100g respectively. The toasting method gave the best sample in terms of drying time, moisture content, physical properties and sensory qualities. It can be concluded that toasting drying method is a better alternative method of producing pupuru.Keywords: Cassava, pupuru, physicochemical, sensory, processing

Effects of chronic administration of aqueous alchornea cordifolia leaf on the kidney of adult wistar rats

Effects of chronic administration of aqueous extract of alchornea cordifolia leaf commonly used in the treatment of diarrhoea, cough, gonorrhoea, chest pain and anemia on the kidney of adult wistar rats was investigated. Rats of both sexes (n=20), with an average weight of 200g were randomly assigned into test (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. Rats in the test group were given the aqueous extract of alchornea cordifolia leaf at a single dose of 250mg/kg body weight daily for thirty days through the orogastric tube administration while the control group received equal volume of distilled water through the same route and for the same period. Rats were fed with grower’s mash obtained from Edo Feeds and Flour Mill Limited, Ewu, Edo state, Nigeria. Rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method on the thirty-first day of the experiment and the kidney was carefully dissected out, dried, weighed, and quickly fixed in 10% formal saline for further routine histological study. Findings indicated that the kidney in the test group (group B) showed some level of distortion and disruption of the cytoarchitecture of the renal cortical structure with marked diffuse glomerulonephritis and an enlarged Bowman’s space as compared to the control group. Findings also indicated that there was a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in weights (g) of the test kidney as compared to the control group. Chronic administration of aqueous extract of alchornea cordifolia leaf may therefore have an adverse effect on the kidney of adult wistar rats. It is recommended that further studies aimed at corroborating these observations be carried out.Keywords: Morphology effects, Alchornea cordifolia, Kidney, Wistar rats

Characterization and analysis of medical solid waste in Osun State, Nigeria

This paper reports the study of quantum and characterization of medica  solid wastes generated by healthcare facilities in Osun State. The work involved administration of a questionnaire and detailed studies conducted on facilities selected on the basis of a combination of purposive and random sampling methods. The results show that the facilities are well spread among the 30 Local Government Areas; that the total quantity of medical waste generated in the state is 2672 kg/day and when domestic wastes are included the total is 5832 kg/day; that the medical wastes are not being properly disposed of as pathology wastes such as unclaimed dead bodies, placentas, umbilical cords are being dumped into unlined pits and other wastes in open dumps. A centralised system is proposed state–wide involving use of incinerators, landfills, aerobic lagoons, and reed beds. The Federal Ministry of Environment has responsibility to push for development of legislation and codes of practice that would guide facilities to achieve waste segregation, packaging in colour-coded and labeled bags, safe transportation and disposal of medical waste.Keywords: Medical solid wastes, pathological wastes, incinerators, landfills, aerobic lagoons, reed beds

Effect of soil depth and topography on physical and chemical properties of soil along federal college of forestry, Ibadan North West, Oyo State

Soil properties along a toposequence is a key to sustainable crop and soil productivity, hence the need to study the effect of toposequence and soil depth on physical and chemical properties of soil around Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Oyo-State. Four profile pits were dug along the toposequence in Federal College of Forestry, Ibadan, Oyo-State. Soil samples were collected from three soil depth (0 - 30 cm, 30 - 45 cm, and 45 - 60cm) from four profile pits that was dug along the toposequence, (crest, sedentary, middle and valley bottom) for analysis of physical, morphological and chemical properties following standard procedures at the laboratory. The results showed that the consistency of the soil in profile pit 1 (crest) is slightly sticky and slightly plastic compared to soil in profile pit 2 (sedentary) that is predominantly nonplastic while profile pit 3 and 4, (middle/creep and valley bottom) are non-plastic, non-sticky, slightly sticky. The highest total porosity values was recorded at the valley bottom of the forest (57.74 %), followed by middle of the forest (53.21 %) while the least was by crest of the forest (51.7 %). The highest saturated hydraulic conductivity was recorded at the crest of the forest (15.91 cm hr-1) and the least by valley bottom of the forest (8.44 cm hr-1). Likewise bulk density values at the crest of the forest (1.28 g cm-3) was the highest compared to valley bottom of the forest (1.12 g cm-3). The highest (52 mg kg-1) and the lowest (1 mg kg-1) available P values were recorded at the valley bottom layers of the forest land soils and sedentary of the forest land soils, respectively. The highest exchangeable Ca was found in the valley bottom of forest soils (4.44 cmol kg-1) at the upper topographic position, whilst the lowest values were recorded at the crest layers of forest soils (1.2 cmol kg-1) at the middle topographic positions. Thus, it was concluded that the soils position on the topography affects the composition of the soil at each sampling point. This indicated that landscape in the study area affects the process of soil formation. Therefore, integrated soil fertility management and soil conservation measures are required in all topographic positions to maintain soil physicochemical properties. Key words: Toposequence, soil profile, physical properties, chemical propertie