Determination of total phenolic amount of some edible fruits and vegetables

Total phenolic content of some fruits and vegetables namely; garden egg (Allium sativvum L.), ducanut (Irvingia wombolu), lemon (Citrus limonia), garden egg (Solanum melongena), grape (Citrus paradise) and carrot (Daucus carota L.) purchased from an open market in Benin City, Nigeria were determined. The results obtained showed that ducanut had the highest amount of total phenolics (98.77 ìg/g), gallic acid equivalent (GAE), while the lowest amount determined (5.75 ìg/g) GAE was in the grape fruit.These values were generally lower than similar studies conducted elsewhere

Microbiology of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections are among the most common infectious diseases of humans worldwide and continue to be a major cause of morbidity in Nigeria. This study focused on determining the microbial agents of lower respiratory tract infections, the effect of age and gender on its prevalence, and the susceptibility profile of bacterial isolates. Methods: Sputum specimens were collected from 1539 patients with symptoms of lower respiratory tract infections. The sputum specimens were processed to recover microbial aetiologic agents and susceptibility profiles of bacterial isolates were determined using standard techniques. Results: An overall prevalence of 18.91% of lower respiratory tract infections was observed in this study. There is no difference in the prevalence of lower respiratory tract infection between the genders (P = 0.649). The prevalence of lower respiratory tract infections increases significantly with age (P < 0.001), with patients 71 years and older having the highest prevalence. Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most predominant isolate causing lower respiratory tract infection while Acinetobacter species were the least predominant isolate. The fluoroquinolones, β-lactams, and gentamicin showed moderate to high activity. Conclusion: Gender did not affect the prevalence, but age did. β-lactams, fluoroquinolones, and gentamicin were the most active antibacterial agents and, therefore, the drugs of choice in treating lower respiratory tract infections in our setting

Evaluation of physicochemical properties and distribution of Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in soils and growing plants around refuse dumpsites in Akure, Nigeria

The physicochemical properties and distribution of Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni in soils and growing plants around refuse dumpsites in Akure, Southwestern Nigeria were evaluated to ascertain the impact of the wastes on these soil quality indices and edible plants. The soils close to the dumpsites were more acidic (pH, 5.50) compared with the soils away (25.0 m) from the sites. Also there were corresponding increases in the organic carbon and cation exchange capacities of the soil indicating measurable levels of biodegradability of the wastes. Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni have maximum concentrations of 23.00, 2.91, 9.00 and24.00 mg/kg respectively in the soils. The amount of Cd determined in the soils was consistent with the critical level obtained for agricultural soils. Results obtained from the plant tissues analysed showedthat 0.84 mg/kg Pb was detected in the root of Zea mays, while 0.25 mg/kg Ni was obtained in the root of Sorghum vulgare. Talinum triangulare and Amaranthus crucantus did not possess detectable levels of these metals. The present study has justified the need to continually assess the quality of soils, and the concentration of certain heavy/toxic metals in growing plants around refuse dumpsites