Histopathological Changes Associated with Experimental Infection of Arcobacter butzleri in Albino Rats

Arcobacters are emerging food borne pathogens potentially associated with prolonged diarrhoea and occasional systemic infections but the pathogenic mechanisms of these bacteria are largely unknown. This study was designed to investigate the pathogenicity of Arcobacter isolates. Two strains of A. butzleri isolated from stool of healthy chickens were confirmed with real time PCR and tested on albino rat by giving a single oral challenge of 109cfu/ml to 65 healthy adult male rats. Five (5) uninfected animals were used as control. Diarrheoal illness occurred in all rats from the fifth day and resolved from day 21 post infection, severe histopathological lesion such as hepatic necrosis, villous erosion, desquamation, matting and necrosis of the segments of small intestine was also observed. In this study, the toxic ileitis necrosis pattern of pathology in the gut of experimentally infected rats could be an indication of observed persistent watery diarrhea associated with the clinical presentation of Arcobacter infection in humans. The pathology of A. butzleri in albino rats had not been previously described, and it appears that the present study is the first report in Nigeria. It may therefore be useful for further investigation

The Menace of Domestic Violence: Improving the Lives of Women in Nigeria

The scourge of domestic violence as well as other forms of violence against women has eaten deep into the fabric of our society creating a lopsided gender balance with the female gender being the greatest victim. Violence has taken different forms ranging from sexual to physical and psychological as well as other forms. This degrades the humanity of the woman in our society. Abusive partners and perpetrators base their actions on superior nature of the male sex, religion, law, custom, economic situation, family pressure, and their behavioural pattern. It is believed that lack of a legal framework universally enforced as well as lack of trained law enforcement officers promotes the violence of women in Nigeria. A proactive legal framework, establishment of confidential and well equipped family courts, training of law enforcement officers, shelters and counselling centres can reduce the abuse of women in Nigeria and across the globe. The physical, sociological and psychological effect of violence against women is unquantifiable. To achieve a fair and balanced society, women must be valued, respected and supported and not battered either by stick or word of mouth

Employability and Technical Skill Required to Establish a Small Scale Automobile Workshop

The study focused on identifying the employability and technical skills needed to establish small-scale automobile workshop in Nsukka Urban of Enugu State.Five purposes of the study were stated to guide the study.  Five research questions were stated and answered in line with the purpose of the study. The population for the study is 1,500 registered automobile mechanic in the study area. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select 150 automobile mechanics and was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire  developed from literature review .The Questionnaire was administered on 150 automobile mechanics in the Nsukka Mechanic Village, and was retrieved and analyzed using frequency distribution, percentage and  mean. The study revealed among others that to establish and to  progress in automobile business, employability skills, technical skills, managerial skills, basic tools, equipment and facilities as well as finance are of great importance to the prospecting auto mechanic. Recommendations were given based on the findings from the study. Keywords: Employability, Technical skills, Automobile Workshop, Auto mechanic

Associated anomalies in cleft lip and palate: analysis of 811 consecutive patients

Introduction: Clefts are common birth defects and may be associated with oro-facial congenital anomalies. It has not been established if specific types of anomalies are frequently related with clefts, or which organ is most commonly affected. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of associated anomalies in consecutive cleft lip and palate patients treated at two referral centres in Northern Nigeria.Methods: Cleft lip and palate at two referral hospitals in Northern Nigeria from January 2012 to December 2015 were studied. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.Results: A total of 811 cleft lip and palate patients were managed. Fifty-five percent (447) were male and 45% (364) were female while 71% (578) were children and 29% (233) were adults. The prevalence of associated anomalies was 11.5%. The most common associated anomaly among cleft patients was facial anomaly (64% of cleft patients). Associated anomalies were most prevalent in patients with isolated cleft palate. Hypertelorism was the commonest type of facial anomaly recorded.Conclusion: Our study showed a low incidence of associated anomalies with a higher incidence in isolated cleft palate cases.Key Words: Cleft lip, Cleft Palate, Associated Facial Anomaly, Congenital anomal

Prevailing sensory perception problems of the aged patients in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria / J. F James and O. L Olaitan

As aging concerned, the way one’s senses (hearing, vision, taste, smell, touch) would gave information about the world’s changes. All 5 senses affected by ageing but hearing and vision are most affected. Therefore, this research addressed prevailing sensory perception problems among the aged patients in University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital in related to gender, age, education and occupational status. This study was to examine the prevalence of auditory and visual problems in relation to age, gender and occupational status. Descriptive by survey method was used. The study population comprised all the aged patients admitted into University of Ilorin Teaching hospital who were between age 60-90 years. Thirty of such patients were selected as samples. Data collected and analysed using ANOVA’s statistical analysis at 0.05 alpha level of significance. The findings revealed that, aged patients were not significantly suffer for auditory defect based on gender, but significantly suffer from auditory defect based on age and occupation status. It was recommended that a Geriatric ward should be provided, government should also make safety facilities compulsory for private and public firms and Health information services should be put in place for aged people and retirees should be giving orientation on how to utilize their entitlement before they retire, these enable them spend their money to live a better life at their old age

Antimicrobial Potency of Hydro, acetone and Ethanolic extracts of Treculia africana Decne Root and Stem Bark

Treculia africana is a plant that is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of diverse ailments. To investigate the scientific basis for the use of the plant, the antimicrobial activities/potency of the root and stem bark extracts were evaluated against common gram negative and gram positive bacteria as well as yeast. The chemical constituents of the plant in addition to the effect of temperature and pH on its antimicrobial potencies were investigated. The phytochemical constituents of the dried powdered plant parts were extracted using aqueous and organic solvents (acetone and ethanol). The antimicrobial activity of the concentrated extracts was evaluated by determining the diameter of zone of inhibition against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria and yeast, using the disc diffusion technique. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of glycosides, anthraquinone, free aglycone, saponin, steroids and polyphenols. The extracts were active against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The activities of the plant extracts were not affected at varied temperatures (4oC, 30oC, 60oC and 100oC), but decreased at alkaline pH. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts on the test organisms revealed lowest MIC and MBC against Salmonella paratyphi, Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis with highest MIC and MBC exhibited against Staphylococcus aureus. Generally, there was significant difference (p<0.05) in the antimicrobial activities of the test extracts and control antibiotics, with the control antibiotics exerting broader antimicrobial activity. Treculia africana demonstrated broad spectrum antibacterial activity and a potential source of new classes of antibiotics that could be useful for infectious disease chemotherapy and control.Keywords: Treculia africana, Underutilized plant, Antimicrobial potency, MIC, MBC, Phytochemical

Incidence and Speciation of Candida Species among Non-gravid young Females in Ilorin, North Central, Nigeria

This study investigated the incidence and speciation of Candida species among non-gravid young females, using commercially available chromogenic Candida speciation media (CHROM agar) for the identification/speciation of medically important yeast and yeastlike organisms in a routine clinical mycology laboratory. High Vaginal Swabs (HVS) were randomly collected from consenting non-gravid-young females for the study. The participants also completed a structured questionnaire assessing demographic data, symptoms, and risk factors of candidiasis. A total of 120 females between the ages of 17 and 31 years were randomly recruited for the study. Standard microbiological techniques such as Gram’s stain, wet mount and culture on Sabouraud Dextrose Agar (SDA) and CHROM agar were used to analyze the swabs. Candida species was isolated from 64 of the 120 females, representing 53.3%. The highest incidence rate of 25.0% was recorded in the 23-25 years age group, followed by 12.5% in the 26 28 years while the lowest incidence (1.7%) was observed in the 17-19 years age group. Candida albicans (35.0%) was the most common Candida species, followed by C. tropicalis (8.3%), C. glabrata (6.7%) and C. krusie (3.3%), whereas, non-Candida infection constituted 46.7% (Negative cultures). Vaginal discharge (85.5%) and itching (52.5%) recorded the high values, with respect to symptoms. The prevalent risk factors associated with vaginal candidiasis in this study were washing of vagina with soap (Vaginal douching) (72.5%) and unprotected casual sex (16.7%). Whitish vaginal discharge (78.3%) was most prevalent followed by creamish vagina discharge (56.7%). In addition to Candida albicans, non-albicans Candida spp were isolated from HVS specimens; therefore, public health education is vital. CHROM agar is a simple, rapid and inexpensive method with good sensitivity and specificity for identification and speciation of Candida species thus, allowing an early and appropriate antifungal therapy. The results of the study will eliminate the ambiguities concerning Candida identification in this country and will contribute to better management and proper treatment of patients.Keywords: Candidiasis, vulvovaginitis, Incidence, Speciation, CHROM agar, Risk Factor

Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) oil inclusion on Nutrient Retention and Caeca Microbial Population of Broiler Chickens

 This study was carried to evaluate the “Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) oil inclusion on nutrient digestibility and caeca microbial population of broiler chickens”. A total of 180 one- day-old (Arbo acre) broiler chicks of mixed sex purchased from a reputable hatchery was used in this study which lasted for eight (8) weeks. The birds were divided into four experimental groups; each group was further subdivided into three replicates of fifteen birds per each in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD). The garlic (Allum sativum) oil was added to the basal diet at (0.00, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 %) level respectively. The treatment were T1, T2, T3, and T4 with T1 serving as control. Parameters measured covered nutrient retention and caeca microbial population. The results on nutrient digestibility showed a significant difference (P<0.05) among the treatments. Percentage digestibility of crude protein and crude fibre was significantly (P<0.05) higher in birds fed 0.3% of garlic oil.&nbsp