Lunar and seasonal variations in the catches of Macrobrachium fisheries of the Cross River Estuary, SE Nigeria

Monthly catches of the Macrobrachium fisheries were recorded at a commercial shrimp landing site on the coasts of Calabar (Nigeria), from April 1997 to August 1998. Catches fluctuated over an annual cycle, with two peaks occurring from May-July and November-December. These peaks represented periods of major activities, reproduction, recruitment or migration. Also, mean catches decreased in the months of February and August, corresponding to the peak of dry season and the so-called 'August break', respectively. Catches from active gears (seine, push net) varied among the moon phases too, with a main peak during full moon, and the minimum catch was recorded during the first moon quarter. However, the catch from passive gear (trap) depicted an inverse relationship, showing a peak during the first moon quarter. Variation in catches at different months and moon phases were significant at P:0.05. Recognize these variations and trends would help in management decisions such as defining closed seasons without adversely affecting the economy of the fisher

Fisheries survey in Cross River State, Nigeria

The survey was performed in the Calabar Municipality, Calabar South, Odukpani, Akpabio and New Bakassi Local Government Areas. Taken as indicator, number of canoes, the largest villages are situated in Akpabio and New Bakassi LGOs and the smallest in Calabar Municipality and Calabar South. The larger villages base economically apart from fishery on oil palm-dominated agriculture. There are villages where each man is a fisher and also a farmer and others, were these main professions are performed by different persons. In the larger villages, there are traditionally operating carpenters (boats builders), hunters, honey samplers and wood cutters. Nearly all women are engaged in fish trading and several as fish and shrimp processor (smoke-drying) and periwinkle sampler/processor. In the larger villages are three sizes of canoes, small for two, medium for seven and large for 10-15 crew members. The small canoes are mainly used for the gill net fishery system on juvenile bonga (ekpai) in the dry season and on croaker and other demersal and semi-demersal species mainly in the raining season and are common in all surveyed villages. They are also used for fisheries with trap, cast net and long line. With mediu sized canoes, it's mainly operated the anchor net for catch of estuarine shrimp and sometimes boat seine for adult bongo (ibat). The larger canoes are engaged in the purse seine fishery on ibat in the near-coastal waters. In most of the larger villages, it is a common expedition fisheries; fishermen leave for up to several weeks out of their homes and operate in the more productive outer estuary and near-coastal waters, mostly on an estuarine shrimp; they produce smoke-dried products in their camps. The mean catch per boat per day for the small about of 5kg, for the medium-sized 15kg and for the larger purse seine canoes more than 100kg. In Calabar Municipality and South LGAs, all catches are sold fresh in own small markets at the landing site. In other LGAs the catches are processing to smoke-dried product is common. However, by using the mostly existing road connections to Calabar, and also selling of fresh fish is performed. By estimation, the monthly mean income per fisher family in the larger villages is N30, 000, after paying for repairs of nets and outboard engine. On the daily income for fish processing and trading, women included N0-500 and the men, probably by N100 or less

Gear considerations in the artisanal shrimp fishery of the Cross River Estuary, Nigeria

The artisanal shrimp fishery of the Cross River Estuary, SE Nigeria is exploited with three main shrimping gears, viz: beach seine, push net and trap. While the beach seine and push net are active gears, the trap is passive. Catch composition from the three gears was analysed for species diversity, catch contribution in weight and sex ratio. The trap showed the lowest species diversity, with only three Macrobrachium (M. macrobrachion, M. vollenhovenii and M. equidens) species represented in the catch, while Callinectes crab and Eleotris were by-catch. The complete absence of Penaeus notialis from trap catches throughout the sampling period of eighteen months was remarkable, while M. equidens was very low in abundance. The beach seine and push net had similar species composition in their catches with more than thirteen shrimp species represented. The catch per unit effort for the three gears varied, with beach seine contributing 46.13%, push net 24.41 % and trap 29.46%, of the overall catch. The sex ratio (male: female) was 1 :2.2 (beach seine), 1 :2.1 (push net), 1:2.15 (trap) for M. macrobrachion, 1 :1.27 (beach seine), 1 :1.32 (push net) and 1 :1.64 (trap), for M. vollenhovenii. The size structure showed more juveniles (below 40 mm) in beach seine and push net. Analysis of catches from the three gears showed some complexities as active and passive gears manifested extreme characteristics in their selection. In managing this fishery, therefore, a middle-of-the road option would be necessary, and we recommend the closed season

Effects of NPK single fertilizers on relative growth performances of two cycles of maize (Zea mays L.) grown in a degraded soil of Southwest Nigeria

The balanced use of inorganic amendments to enhance effective crop production for developing world economies like Nigeria is paramount to achieve her Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for its teeming population. Thus this study was carried out to assess the relative growth performances of a major food crop under different regimes of fertilizer application. Field and Green House experiments were carried out to assess the relative growth performances of two Cycles of Zea mays L. (LNTP-W C0 and C3) used as test crops for the amendment of degraded soil using N, P and K single fertilizers. The single fertilizers (treatments) used were Urea, Single Super Phosphate (SSP) and Muriate of Potash and the study was carried out in the Department of Botany, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. The experiment consisted of 4 treatments applied at 2 levels (C0 and C3) and replicated three times in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) to give a total of 48 experimental units. The application of Nitrogen (N) was done at four levels (0, 30, 60 and 90 kg haG1), while the Phosphorous (P2O5) and Potassium (K) were applied at a constant rate of about 60 kg haG1 for all the pots except for the experimental control pots. The design was adopted for both Green House and Field experiments. The results from the study showed that C3 performed better than C0 in Field and Green House experiments with respect to their relative performances of the growth parameters; plant height (cm), stem diameter (mm), number of leaves, leaf length (cm) and leaf width (cm) measured within the Pre-flowering period of 8 weeks. The treatment combination of 90 kg haG1 N, 60 kg haG1 P and 60 kg haG1 K gave the best performance in this study. The study also revealed that the growth rate of the maize plant was directly proportional to the level of N applied with constant levels of P and K providing the basis for developing optimum NPK fertilizer level for the amendment of degraded soil for higher productivity using maize with tolerance to low soil Nitrogen. The study showed that more derelict soils can be put to good use with the appropriate level of NPK Fertilizer application optimum for the right crop, thus aiding the use of hitherto abandoned degraded land and putting more land under cultivation

Microbiological Load of Selected Oral Liquid Pharmaceuticals

The microbiological quality of 24 samples of oral pharmaceuticals comprising antacids, cough and paracetamolsyrups purchased randomly from different drug stores operating in Abakaliki metropolis were assessed. They wereanalyzed by pour plate method. Their microbial load was determined using the viable cell count method. The resulting contaminating microorganisms were isolated and characterized by standard methods. The results revealed fungal and bacterial contaminations in 16 and 19 samples respectively. Contaminant bacteria include Bacillus spp.,Staphylococcus spp., E.coli, Proteus spp, Klebsiella spp. and Pseudomonas spp. with Staphylococcus spp. being the most predominant bacterial contaminant, while fungi contaminants were basically Mucor and Aspergillus species. The pH values of the analyzed drugs ranged from 5 to 9. The variations in the stated pH of sampled products were however, not justified in this work; thus queries the stated drug pH and why certain isolated organisms could grow on such pH outside their normal habitats’ pH. This study has shown therefore, that some oral pharmaceuticals sold in drug stores maybe heavily contaminated by varying microbial agents.Keywords: Oral, Pharmaceuticals, Bacteria, Fungi, Contamination

The relationship between subnormal peak-stimulated growth hormone levels and auxological characteristics in obese children

Context: The hypothesis that obese children are overdiagnosed with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) has not been adequately investigated in the context of adiposity-related differences in auxology. Aim: To investigate the differences in auxological parameters between short, prepubertal, obese children, and normal-weight peers who underwent growth hormone stimulation testing (GHST). Hypothesis: Over-weight/obese children with GHD [peak growth hormone (GH) \u3c 10 μg/L] will have higher values for growth velocity (GV) standard deviation score (SDS), bone age minus chronological age (BA − CA), and child height SDS minus mid-parental height (MPTH) SDS when compared to normal-weight GHD peers. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective review of anthropometric and provocative GHST data of 67 prepubertal, GH-naïve children of age 10.21 ± 2.56 years (male n = 45, age 10.8 ± 2.60 years; female n = 22, age 8.94 ± 2.10). Inclusion criteria: GHST using arginine and clonidine. Exclusion criteria: hypopituitarism, abnormal pituitary magnetic resonance imaging scan, syndromic obesity, or syndromic short stature. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. Results: The over-weight/obese children with peak GH of \u3c10 μg/L had significantly lower value for natural log (ln) peak GH (1.45 ± 0.09 vs. 1.83 ± 0.35, p = 0.022), but similar values for GV SDS, insulin-like growth factor-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, bone age, BA − CA, MPTH, and child height SDS minus MPTH SDS compared to normal-weight peers with GHD. After adjusting for covariates, the over-weight/obese children (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) were \u3e7 times more likely than normal-weight subjects (BMI \u3c 85th percentile) to have a peak GH of \u3c10 μg/L, and 23 times more likely to have a peak GH of \u3c7 μg/L (OR = 23.3, p = 0.021). There was a significant inverse relationships between BMI SDS and the ln of peak GH (β = −0.40, r2 = 0.26, p = 0.001), but not for BMI SDS vs. GV SDS, ln peak GH vs. BA, or ln peak GH vs. GV SDS. Conclusion: Subnormal peak GH levels in obese prepubertal children are not associated with unique pre-GHST auxological characteristics

ASSAY FOR AFLATOXINS IN SOME LOCAL FOOD CONDIMENTS

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites with toxicological properties that induce a variety of health challenges when foods contaminated with these compounds are ingested. Aflatoxins are stable under most food processing conditions and therefore persist to the final products. Fresh samples of thirty two food condiments comprising of four each of Pleurotus tuber regium (Osu), Piper guineense (Uziza), Xylopia aethiopica (Uda), Monodora mystrica (Ehuru), Citrullus vulgaris (fermented mellon), Ricinus communis (Ogiri) Brachystegia eurycoma (Achi) and Origanum syriacum (Offor) were assayed for fungi and presence of aflatoxins. The mean fungal counts range from 1.2 x 104 in Pleurotus tuber regium to 8.2 x 109 in Brachystegia eurycoma. Eight fungal spp were identified to include Aspergillus, Penicillium, Candida, Mucor, Rhizopus, Geotricum, Saccharomyces and Fusarium. Aflatoxin assay by RIDA quick aflatoxin kit detected two samples of Brachystegia eurycoma and a sample of Origanum syriacum with concentrations ≥ 20ppb. The best protection against mycotoxins is monitoring their presence in foods and feeds, therefore, regular and routine analysis of food samples for possible presence of mycotoxins is recommended. Education and training of food handlers is imperative, adoption of GMP and HACCP application in food condiment preparation will curtail fungal contamination and mycotoxin production in foods and feed product

Adiposity is associated with early reduction in bone mass in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease

Background: The effect of adiposity on bone mass in the early phases of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children and adolescents is unclear. Aims: To determine the role of adiposity on bone mass in the first 3 years of diagnosis of IBD. Hypothesis: Increased adiposity will be associated with increased bone mass in both the controls and IBD subjects. Setting: University tertiary institution. Methods: Height-adjusted bone mineral density (BMD) z-scores of 25 subjects, age 13.97 ± 2.70y, diagnosed with IBD for \u3c 4 years were compared to 24 controls, age 13.65 ± 2.60y. Overweight was defined as BMI of ≥85th but \u3c95th percentile, and obesity as BMI ≥95thpercentile. Severity of IBD was determined by the Pediatric Crohn’s Disease Activity Index and Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index. Results: Prior to stratification by BMI criterion, height-adjusted BMD z-scores were non-significantly lower in IBD subjects vs. controls for both the femoral neck (-0.8 ± 1.1 vs. -0.06 ± 1.1, p=0.070) and lumbar vertebrae (-0.4 ± 1.2 vs. 0.2 ± 1.2, p=0.086). Following stratification, height-adjusted BMD z-scores were significantly lower in the overweight/obese IBD subjects vs. overweight/obese controls for femoral neck (-0.9 ± 0.9 vs. 0.3 ± 1.3, p=0.032); and non-significantly lower for the lumbar spine z-score (-0.4 ± 1.6 vs. 0.5 ± 1.3, p=0.197). BMD z-score had no relationship with the duration of disease, steroid therapy, and the severity of disease. Conclusion: Adiposity was associated with reduced bone mass in the early phases of IBD, but with increased bone mass in the controls

The relationship between adiposity and stature in prepubertal children with celiac disease

Background and Aim: The pathogenesis of short stature in celiac disease (CD) is unknown. Obese children are generally taller than their non-obese peers; however, the role of adiposity on stature in CD is unclear. Our aim was to determine the association between adiposity and stature in CD. Subjects and methods: We compared the anthropometric characteristics of prepubertal children of ages 3-12 years, with biopsy-proven CD (n=40) and who were not on gluten-free diet, to same aged, prepubertal non-CD children (n=50). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the formula weight/height2. Sex-adjusted midparental target height (MPTH) standard deviation score (SDS) was calculated using National Children Health Statistics data for 18-year-old adults. Data were expressed as mean±standard deviation. Results: CD subjects had significantly lower BMI SDS than controls (0.61±1.22 vs. 1.28±1.60, p=0.027) but were not significantly shorter than the controls (-0.05±1.21 vs. 0.21±1.71, p=0.41). When the patients were subdivided into the normal-weight and overweight/obese groups, the normal-weight CD patients were of similar height as the normal-weight controls (p=0.76) but were significantly shorter than both the overweight/obese controls (p=0.003). The MPTH SDS did not differ between the groups. Conclusions: Overweight/obese prepubertal children with CD were taller than both their normal-weight CD peers and the normal-weight controls, but were of similar height as the overweight/obese control subjects