Trichomonas vaginalis infection among adolescent girls in some secondary schools in Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria

Trichomonasvaginalisis the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease (STD) and one of the neglected parasitic infections. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of T. vaginalisinfection among adolescent girls in some secondary schools in Edo State, Nigeria. A total of 272 girls were recruited in this study. The participants’ age ranged from 13 to 18 years. Two high vagina swab specimens were collected from each participant. The specimens were analyzed using wet mount examination and culture methods. A prevalence of 9.2% of T. vaginalis was observed among adolescent girls in this study. Level of education of parents, occupation of mothers, sexual relationship and clinical manifestation of participants significantly affected the prevalence of T. vaginalisinfection among adolescent girls attending secondary school. Culture method detected more cases of T. vaginalis infection than the wet mount technique. The use of culture method in routine diagnosis of T. vaginalisinfection is advocated as this will reduce cases of infertility resulting from undetected and untreated infection as well as the risk of HIV transmission and acquisition.Key words: Adolescent girls,Benin City, Trichomonasvaginali

Embryo rescue as a method to develop and multiply a backcross population of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) from an interspecific cross of Manihot esculenta ssp. flabellifolia

Cassava is one of the most planted tuber crops in the tropical world. The importance of cassava is growing as a food security crop in sub Saharan Africa, where malnutrition is a menace. However, a major hindrance in the fast improvement of the crop is the long generational cycle of cassava and poor germination of the seeds, and the low multiplication rate of the stem cuttings. In vitro germination of 495 seeds from backcross population was done. Each genotype was multiplied for sufficient planting material, hardened in the green house and transplanted to the field. Percentage germination of the seeds in embryo culture was high (66%). Raising plantlets in the green house was found to be useful to select healthy plants and thus obtain a uniform stand in the field. The genotypes were planted in a single row trial and harvested eight months after planting. Transplanted plantlets gave 98.89% establishment. Yield-related traits were significantly high compare to the result from the past experiments. The high percentage of plant recovery from seed through to the field is a means of overcoming some problems associated with the traditional method of cassava breeding through direct seed planting to generate planting materials.Key words: Cassava, backcross population, interspecific, flabellifolia, embryonic axes

Effect of different rates and methods of benomyl and mancozeb application on delay in senescence and grain yield of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp) under different cropping season

Field assessment of different rates and methods of three fungicide applications on delay in senescence (DS) and grain yield of cowpea during the early and late cropping season of 1999 respectively was conducted. The benomyl treatment applied via the combination of seed and foliar methods at the highest rate of 0.75 + 0.75kg a.i/ha gave the highest percentage delay in senescence (100%) as well as highest grain yield of (2.1 t/ha) which were significantly different (

Effect of Stake Length and NPK Fiertilizer on White Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Minisett in Umudike, South-East, Nigeria

Staking and soil fertility are critical factors that affect yam production in the humid forest zone of South-East, Nigeria; where high rainfalls and cloud cover are prevalent. Field experiments were conducted at Umudike, South-East, Nigeria in the 2016 and 2017 cropping seasons, to study the effects of stake length and NPK fertilizer on the minisett of white yam cultivar Yandu. The experiment was laid out as a 4× 5 factorial in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates. Treatments consist of four levels of stake length (0, 1, 2 and 3m) and five levels of NPK (15:15:15) fertilizer (0, 200, 400, 600 and 800kg/ha). Stake of 2 and 3m lengths had significantly longer vine lengths at 3 and 4 months after planting  (MAP) and leaf area index at 3MAP than no staking. Averaged across the two cropping seasons, staking did not affect tuber yield, but the 2 or 3m stakes in 2016 had significant higher tuber yields than the yields obtained in 2017 regardless of stake length. NPK fertilizer application did not significantly influence vine length, leaf area index, and tuber yield, but the application of fertilizer at 200kg/ha increased the number of tubers per plant in 2017. The non-significant effects of staking and NPK fertilizer on tuber yield were ascribed to high rainfall that caused flooding and leaching of nutrients

The Newsboy Problem In Determining Optimal Quantity In Stochastic Inventory Problem For Fixed Demand

This paper describes optimization problem related to newsboy model using the famous stochastic inventory problem in determining optimal order–up–to quantity when demand is a continuous random variable. This study was done by the use of a stochastic model. In view of this, data were collected and collated from cocoa board, Ilaro, Egbado-South, Nigeria and used to test the validity and applicability of the model. Keywords: Stochastic, demand uncertainty, concave, optimal order-up-to quantit

Prevalence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degrading bacteria in contaminated tropical soil in Lagos, Nigeria: involvement of plasmid in degradation

Recalcitrant pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are difficult to degrade and have been the focus for biodegradation. They form a class of pollutant on a global scale. In an attempt to contribute to the search for suitable microbial culture with potential to biodegrade low and high molecular weight PAHs, bacterial strains were isolated from engine-oil polluted sites in Lagos, Nigeria. These isolates were evaluated for possession of plasmid DNA and the role it played in PAH degradation. Out of sixteen strains isolated, two were Gram negative while the others were Gram positive isolates. They belonged to genera Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Kurthia sp., Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas and Corynebacterium. All the isolates grew on the PAHs (anthracene, fluoranthene and pyrene) at varying rates utilizing them as sole sourceof carbon and energy. All the isolates also possessed plasmid DNA ranging from 17.8 to 38.9 kbp. Subjection of plasmid cured isolates to PAHs biodegradation suggest that PAHs degradation may be plasmid and/orchromosomally mediated depending on the bacterial isolate and PAHs being degraded. This study has revealed that different compounds induce varied genetic changes in bacterial isolates in response to the stimuli

Prevalence of malaria and anaemia among HIV infected patients in Benin City, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of malaria and anaemia in HIV-infected persons and the effect of age, gender and CD4+T cell counts thereon. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 491 patients (240 female) attending an out patient clinic. Malaria parasitaemia was diagnosed by microscopy while anaemia was defi ned as haemoglobin concentration <130g/L in males and <120g/L in females. The CD4 + T cell count was estimated by fl ow cytometry.Results: HIV infection was a risk factor for malaria infection(OR: 16.31; 95% CI: 7.41-35.87; p < 0.0001). CD4+T cell counts was equally a signifi cant risk factor in malaria infection among HIVinfected patients (OR: 1.96; 95% CI: 1.28-3.02; p = 0.002). The prevalence of anaemia was signifi cantly affected by HIV-infection (OR: 25.12; 95% CI: 11.42-55.28; p < 0.0001) while age was not associated with increased risk of malaria infection (p=0.13).Conclusions: A prevalence of 46.0% of malaria infection among HIV-infected was observed. HIV-infected patients were more likely to develop malaria and anaemia, while CD4+T cell counts < 200cells/μL was associated with an increased risk of malaria infection among HIV-infected. Age and gender did not affect the prevalence of malaria. HIV status should be considered early in the diagnostic evaluation of patients with suspected malaria and anaemia

Cryptosporidiosis Among HIV-infected Patients with Diarrhea in Edo State, Midwesten Nigeria

To determine the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis among HIV infected and HIV non-infected patients with diarrhea in Edo State, Nigeria, as well as the effect of CD4+ lymphocyte count on the prevalence of cryptosporidial infection among the HIV patients. Stool samples were collected from 300 patients consisting of 200 HIV-infected and 100 HIV non-infected patients with diarrhea. Blood samples were collected from the HIV-infected patients. The stool samples were processed to detect Cryptosporidium species using a modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain, as well as other intestinal parasites using saline and iodine preparations. The blood samples were used to determine CD4+ lymphocyte count. The prevalence of intestinal parasites was higher in HIV-infected patients compared with their HIV non-infected counterparts (39% vs 24% respectively, p=0.0097). Cryptosporidiosis was diagnosed only among HIV-infected patients and was the only parasite whose prevalence was significantly different between HIV-infected and HIV non-infected patients. CD4+ lymphocyte count of <200 cells/µL among HIV-infected was a risk factor for acquiring cryptosporidial infection (OR=18.776, 95% CI=6.299, 55.964). A cryptosporidial infection prevalence of 18% among HIV-infected patients was observed and CD4+ count of <200 cells/µL was a risk factor for acquiring the disease. Routine examination of diarrhogenic stools of HIVinfected patients for cryptosporidiosis is advocated

Solenostemon monostachyus Modulates Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase and mRNA Expression in Hemolytic-Induced Rats

Background and Objective: The 2-Butoxyethanol (2BE) rat model of human hemolytic disorders has been used widely to evaluate hemolysis and thromboembolic manifestations of different organs associated with sickle cell disease and $-thalassemia, however, studies on nitric oxide metabolism are far more scarce. This study investigated the effects of Solenostemon monostachyus leaf extract supplementation on 2BE-induced changes of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) levels and mRNA expression in female rats. Materials and Methods: Young female rats were divided into seven groups (Group A-G). All groups, except for group A, were exposed to 2BE. The treatments assignments were as follows, group C: Caffeic acid, group D: Ciklavit (herbal formulation of Cajanus cajan (L.) Mill sp.), group E-G: S. monostachyus (150, 200 and 250 mg kgG1 b.wt.), respectively. Liver and plasma iNOS levels, as well as mRNA expression of liver arginase-1 and iNOS, were assessed. Histopathological evaluation of the liver was also performed. The results were statistically analyzed for significant effects at p<0.05 using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Liver and plasma iNOS were significantly reduced (p<0.05) in group G, whereas liver iNOS was significantly increased (p<0.05) in group D-F compared with group B, iNOS mRNA expression was reduced, while arginase-1 mRNA expression was increased in group E-G compared with group B. Conclusion: Administration of S. monostachyus (250 mg kgG1 b.wt.) in the 2BE hemolytic rat model modulated plasma and liver iNOS levels and iNOS mRNA expression

Convergence and Stability of the Ishikawa Iterative Process for a class of ϕ-quasinonexpansive Mappings

The paper analyzes the convergence of Ishikawa iteration to the fixed point of a class of '-quasinonexpansive mappings in uniformly convex Banach spaces, as well as the stability of the Ishikawa iteration used in approximating the fixed point. The work not only confirmed Ishikawa iteration’s convergence and stability to the fixed point of '-quasinonexpansive mappings, but it also pointed the way for future research in the estimate of fixed points of ϕ-quasinonexpansive mappings