Effect of Education on Stigma of Epilepsy in South Eastern Nigeria

There is a need for epilepsy-based health education programs to enlighten Nigerian communities and reduce the stigma associated with epilepsy. Epilepsy in Nigeria is viewed by some as a contagious and an infectious disease or a condition imposed from the gods, possessed by demons, as the work of witchcraft, or punishment from ancestral spirits, which are all related to a lack of knowledge about epilepsy leading to stigmatization of persons with epilepsy. Guided by the stigma theory, the purpose of this community-based, cross sectional study was to quantitatively examine the effect of an educational program on interpersonal, internalized, and institutional stigma of epilepsy in terms of knowledge, attitude, and treatment gained. Two hundred and fifty participants completed a general domain instrument which had been used in different countries, including South Eastern Nigeria, and revised for greater validity via a pilot study. Chi-square tests were used to examine any significant differences in participants\u27 responses between pre- and post-test surveys regarding knowledge, attitude, and treatment gained of all 3 identified stigma levels. According to study results, the educational program reduced all 3 stigma levels in terms of attitude, knowledge, and treatment gained of epilepsy (p\u3c 0.001). This study contributed to positive social change by providing information to public health workers on how to increase the knowledge and awareness of the South Eastern Nigerian community that epilepsy is not contagious or infectious and there is no need to isolate persons with epilepsy from their societies

Evaluation of Microbial Spoilage of Some Aquacultured Fresh Fish in Benin City Nigeria

A microbiological study of organisms associated with spoilage of fresh fish samples collected from two ponds located in Benin City, Nigeria was carried out. Samples from the fish skin, gills and flesh were cultured in three media; nutrient agar, Maconkay agar and potato dextrose agar and on examination the presence of five bacteria species namely; Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella sp., Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas sp., and four fungi species namely; Aspergillis niger, Geotrichum sp., Rhizopus sp. and Pennicillium sp. was confirmed. The highest colony count was obtained from the skin samples in all the media. Antibiotic sensitivity pattern showed that all isolates were resistant to Gentamicin and Amoxicillin and the presence of the above pathogens in the fresh fish samples could pose a potential public health threat especially to consumers. It is recommended that better handling and processing methods should be adopted to reduce or eliminate health risk to fresh fish consumers

Synthesis and Characterization of Biodieselfrom Micro Algae (Oscillotoria Formosa)

Synthesis and characterization of biodiesel from algae oil (Oscillotoria formosa) were done to ascertain its potentials as an alternative to fossil fuel. The algae strain was identified cultured in an open pond system, harvested with the aid of a flocculant, sun dried and ground prior to the oil extraction. Solvent extraction (n-hexane) method was used to extract the oil from the algae biomass. The quality of the biodiesel was accessed by the following fuel parameters; flash point, specific gravity, pour point, cloud point, kinematic viscosity, cetane number, and pH value. The algae biodiesel had viscosity 5.87mm2/s, the specific gravity 0.884, flash point 118oC, cloud point -6 oC, pour point -10 oC, cetane number 49, and pH 6.7. These values of the oscillotoria Formosa biodiesel fell within both European and American standards for 100% biodiesel except the viscosity which was slightly higher than the European standard but was within the American standard for 100% biodiesel. These showed that biodiesel from oscillotoria Formosa oil could serve as a good alternative to fossil fuel. Keywords: biodiesel, algae oil, Oscillotoria Formosa and fuel.

Histological staining properties of Khaya senegalensis wood dust extracts: a preliminary study

Crude aqueous and methanol extracts of Khaya senegalensis wood dust were employed as histological stains for the demonstration of general tissue architecture. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts was conducted. Mixtures of the extracts of K. senegalensis in acidic, alkaline and neutral solutions were used to stain tissue sections. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed that K. senegalensis extracts contains flavonoids, saponins, tannins, glycosides and reducing sugars. Optimum staining time was 15 minutes for both extracts and they stained the tissues in different shades of red and brown in the various media used. The best and worst stain uptake of tissues was observed with both extracts in alkaline and neutral media respectively. Mordant preparation of the extracts produced no significant staining difference from the non-mordant preparations. Staining solutions of the extracts have better affinity for the cellular cytoplasm and hence gave a good contrast when compared with Hematoxylin and Eosin control sections. In conclusion, Khaya senegalensis wood extract is a promising histological stain for the demonstration of general tissue architecture.Keywords: Khaya senegalensis, wood dust, stain, histology, mordan

Antifungal properties of methanolic extracts of some medical plants in Enugu, south east Nigeria

Objective: The current study evaluated the anti-fungal activities of methanolic extracts of the leaves and fruits of some medicinal plants of health value in Enugu, southeast Nigeria.Materials and methods: Volumes of the different extracts into molten Sabouraud Dextrose Agar to make up for concentrations of 25 mg/ml, 50 mg/ml and 100 mg/ml respectively. Concentrations of 125 μg/ml, 250 μg/ml and 500 μg/ml of Miconazole were incorporated to serve as a positive control while 0.5 ml of DMSO served as a negative control. The plants extracts employed were from Azadirachta indica (Neem), Anacardium occidentale (Cashew), Euphorbia hirta (Asthma weed), Jatropha curcas (Physic nut), Acantus montanus (Mountain thistle) and Picralima nitida (òsúigwe in Igbo). A 2 mm agar disc cut out from the margin of actively growing cultures of each dermatophyte (Trichophyton soudanense, T. mentagrophytes, Cladosporium sp, T. rubrum and Fusarium sp) were inoculated on the agar plates containing varying concentrations of the different plant extracts, the standard antifungal agent and negative control in triplicates and incubated at 28 ºC.Results: All the extracts exhibited antifungal activities of varying degrees with radial growth inhibitions (RGIs) ranging from 0-0.45 mm radius. Fifty percent (50 %) of the plants extracts comprising of Picralima nitida, Euphorbia hirta and Acantus montanus exhibited complete inhibition at 100 mg/ml against all the clinical isolates under investigation (p < 0.05). Picralima nitida seed was the only plant extract with complete inhibition at 25 mg/ml against T. soudanense and T. rubrum. Picralima nitida was the closest in activity to miconazole. Azadirachta indica (Neem) did not exhibit complete inhibition against any of the clinical isolates at 100 mg/ml yet exhibited a significantly lower RGI at the lowest concentration of 25 mg/ml better than others.Conclusion: Antifungal activities showed that leaves extract of fruits plants against the clinical isolates are good source of medicinal applicationsKeywords: Antifungal agents, medical plants, Enugu, Nigeri

Micronucleus evaluation of exfoliated buccal epithelial cells from automobile spray painters – A preliminary study

Automobile spray painters in the Mechanic village at Coal Camp, Enugu State, Nigeria are exposed to genotoxic agents such as the automobile paints and spent engine lubricants which contaminate the soil of their working environment. The present study applied the micronucleus (MN) test on exfoliated oral mucosal cells as a means to assess the genotoxicity risk associated with occupational exposure to genotoxic agents. Two (2) groups of subjects which comprised 30 automobile spray painters and a control group of 30 apparently healthy unexposed volunteers were enrolled in the study. The study participants were all males. Moistened wooden spatulas were used to obtain buccal smears of the participating individuals, and the smears were stained. The presence of MN was assessed under light  microscopy and a total of 1000 cells per individual were scored. The results obtained showed that statistically significant increase in MN frequency in buccal epithelial cells of automobile spray painters when compared with the control group (p<0.05). Elevated MN frequency was also observed withincreased age, smoking and alcohol consumption habits. MN frequency was significantly affected by the duration of working experience (years) of the spray painters whereas no difference was observed with number of workinghours/day. In conclusion, the present study has revealed that automobile spray painters in the Mechanic village of Coal Camp, Enugu State could be under risk of cytogenetic damage from exposure to genotoxic chemicals.Key words: Micronuclei frequency; Exfoliated buccal cells; Smoking;  Alcohol consumption, Spray Painters; Genotoxicity

Cyclic Determinism in Soyink's "Idanre"

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