Glycaemic response of four mango fruits consumed in Enugu State

Background: Mango fruit is a delicious juicy drupe, commonly consumed in Nigeria. It is a seasonal fruits that is consumed by all. However, diabetic patients sometimes are afraid of spike in their blood sugar after consuming fruits of which mango is one of them. Evidenced based dietary counselling and nutrition eduction of the public requires such an empirical study to establish evidence. Objectives: This study examined the glycemic response, glycemic index and glycemic load of four mango fruits consumed in Nsukka, Enugu state. Methodology: Samples of four mango varieties (Opioro, Alphonso, Haden, and Sweet) were randomly selected from different markets in Nsukka, Enugu state, Nigeria. These samples were thoroughly washed in warm water to remove gums. The edible portion of the mango (alphonso, haden and sweet mango was consumed with the peels, while the peel of opioro mango was remove before consumption). The weight of each variety that will give about 25g available carbohydrate was used as the test meal. Voluntary human subjects who were informed about the research were used and withdrawal at any stage was allowed. Ethical approval given by Research Ethics Committee University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Ituku-Ozalla. Available carbohydrate was determined using standard method. The glycemic response was done using the FAO protocols. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) was used to present the data obtained while analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the means and turkey HSD test was used to separate the means. Results: Available carbohydrate was highest in Sweet mango (6.18g). Alphonso mango significantly (p<0.05) had the least effect on blood glucose levels. The glycemic index of the samples was 33 for Opioro, 4 for Alphonso, 15 for Haden and 39 for Sweet mangoes. The glycemic load ranged from 5.18 in Haden mango to 6.18 in Sweet mango. Conclusion: The study revealed that Alphonso mangoes could be used in planning diets for people with metabolic diseases like diabetes mellitus

The COVID-19 Pandemic Affects Seasonality, With Increasing Cases of New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes in Children, From the Worldwide SWEET Registry

Objective: To analyze whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic increased the number of cases or impacted seasonality of new-onset type 1 diabetes (T1D) in large pediatric diabetes centers globally. Research design and methods: We analyzed data on 17,280 cases of T1D diagnosed during 2018-2021 from 92 worldwide centers participating in the SWEET registry using hierarchic linear regression models. Results: The average number of new-onset T1D cases per center adjusted for the total number of patients treated at the center per year and stratified by age-groups increased from 11.2 (95% CI 10.1-12.2) in 2018 to 21.7 (20.6-22.8) in 2021 for the youngest age-group, <6 years; from 13.1 (12.2-14.0) in 2018 to 26.7 (25.7-27.7) in 2021 for children ages 6 to <12 years; and from 12.2 (11.5-12.9) to 24.7 (24.0-25.5) for adolescents ages 12-18 years (all P < 0.001). These increases remained within the expected increase with the 95% CI of the regression line. However, in Europe and North America following the lockdown early in 2020, the typical seasonality of more cases during winter season was delayed, with a peak during the summer and autumn months. While the seasonal pattern in Europe returned to prepandemic times in 2021, this was not the case in North America. Compared with 2018-2019 (HbA1c 7.7%), higher average HbA1c levels (2020, 8.1%; 2021, 8.6%; P < 0.001) were present within the first year of T1D during the pandemic. Conclusions: The slope of the rise in pediatric new-onset T1D in SWEET centers remained unchanged during the COVID-19 pandemic, but a change in the seasonality at onset became apparent.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Nwagu Aneke Project

The Nwagu Aneke script is a syllabic system of writing, among the riverian Igbo people of Umuleri in the Omambala (Anambra) basin of present day Anambra State of Nigeria. A system which occupies a well-established niche in the history of writing, syllabic writing has traditionally been categorised as an intermediate stage between phoneticized pictographic and alphabetic systems. However, as this research project intends to demonstrate, the more we can understand the provenance, nature and other aspects of the script, the more we can understand certain aspects of the evolution of writing systems on which there is doubt, debate or paucity of reliable evidence. But beyond these, the Nwagu Aneke script promises to contribute excellent data for the study of the rudiments of visual communication and for the investigation of certain aspects of the interface between literacy and orality

Changes in breastfeeding and nutritional status of Nigerian children between 1990 and 2008, and variations by region, area of residence and maternal education and occupation

Background: Inadequate breastfeeding practices contribute to malnutrition in young children. Aims and objectives: This study examined changes in breastfeeding practices and the nutritional status of children (0–35 months, n = 37154) using data from the nationally-representative Nigerian Demographic and Health Surveys for 1990–2008. Methods: The study estimated the relative changes in the proportion of children meeting recommended breastfeeding practices and the anthropometric indices of the children during the study period, by region, place of residence, maternal education and maternal occupation. Results: In each study year, over 97% of the children were ever breastfed. The proportion of infants breastfed within 1 hour and 1 day of birth increased from 34% to 45.8%, and from 63.8% to 82.3%, respectively. Overall, breastfeeding for ≥ 12 months changed from 88.9% to 95.2%, an increase of 7%; however, an increase of 14% was observed in the northern region (from 86.1% to 97.8%) while a decline of 7% was observed in the southern region (from 97.1% to 89.9%). Over the study period, the prevalence of all the assessed indicators of malnutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight) increased in the northern region while the southern region experienced a decline in all except severe wasting. In both urban and rural areas, stunting and wasting increased, while underweight declined. Children of non-formally educated and unemployed mothers were more malnourished in all the study years. Conclusion: Improvement in some breastfeeding practices did not result in improvement in the nutritional status of Nigerian children during 1990–2008, particularly in northern Nigeria and among socially disadvantaged mothers. Improving maternal education and employment, and integrating messages on techniques and benefits of optimal infant feeding with other maternal and child healthcare services could be beneficial