Effect of Estrogen on Musculoskeletal Performance and Injury Risk.

Estrogen has a dramatic effect on musculoskeletal function. Beyond the known relationship between estrogen and bone, it directly affects the structure and function of other musculoskeletal tissues such as muscle, tendon, and ligament. In these other musculoskeletal tissues, estrogen improves muscle mass and strength, and increases the collagen content of connective tissues. However, unlike bone and muscle where estrogen improves function, in tendons and ligaments estrogen decreases stiffness, and this directly affects performance and injury rates. High estrogen levels can decrease power and performance and make women more prone for catastrophic ligament injury. The goal of the current work is to review the research that forms the basis of our understanding how estrogen affects muscle, tendon, and ligament and how hormonal manipulation can be used to optimize performance and promote female participation in an active lifestyle at any age

Expressed emotion among schizophrenic patients in Lagos, Nigeria: A pilot study

No Abstract

Impact of Gastrodiplomacy on the Decision Making Process of Sociopreneurs

Food undeniably is a basic necessity of man, representing our history and culture. Beyond being vital for man’s survival, it is interwoven with political and economic development. In recent times, Food has continued to gain increasing prominence in the international scheme of things giving rise to what is term gastrodiplomacy. This article explores the contemporary field of gastrodiplomacy albeit limited literature, while testing the hypothesis that “There is no impact of perceived importance of gastrodiplomacy on the decision making process of sociopreneurs” at 5% level of significance. Data was collected with the aid of an online questionnaire which was sent to a Social Media group with an estimated number of 25 sociopreneurs from within and outside the ASEAN community. 9 of 10 responses received were completed correctly and used for this study. Results from the analysis revealed that the perceived importance of gastrodiplomacy by sociopreneurs and the influence of gastrodiplomacy on their decision making process are positively correlated and statistically significant. The further implications and contributions of this study are discussed

In vitro resistance of gram-negative enteric bacilli from wound infections to honey

Letter to the Edito

Studying Consumer Ethnocentrism as a Factor for Depressed Rates of Black Entrepreneurship

The rate of black entrepreneurship has lagged the national average for decades. Rather than look at financial factors, as most of the literature that has explored the disparity has done, we examine the role of consumer ethnocentrism and the different views black and white consumers have about black and white entrepreneurs. Using t-test results based on the responses of 747 respondents, we found support for two hypotheses that indicate that black respondents did not demonstrate higher levels of consumer ethnocentrism than white respondents toward a black-owned business, while white respondents did demonstrate consumer ethnocentrism toward a white-owned business. This paper discusses the implications of our results, offers new insights into the lagging rate of black entrepreneurship, and discusses future directions for research

Quinolones Resistance And R-Plasmids Of Clinical Isolates Of Pseudomonas Species

Background: There has been reported incidence in the emergence of Quinolones resistance in clinical isolates in Nigeria and the level in resistance has been on the increase. Objective: To determine the antimicrobial resistance patterns and plasmids profiles of 67 clinical Pseudomonas species from a teaching hospital and diagnostic laboratory in Nigeria. Materials and methods: The Pseudomonas species were identified and confirmed by standard procedures. The antibiotic susceptibility patterns were determined by Agar Disk Diffusion method. Plasmids DNA was isolated, separated and stained as previously described. Results: 30 of these clinical isolates were found to be resistant to 6 quinolones antibiotics with ciprofloxacin being the highest [52.24%] and norfloxacin [38.81%] the lowest. All the strains that were resistant to any antimicrobial agents were also resistant to ciprofloxacin. A total of 54 plasmids ranging in molecular sizes from 3.55kb to 19.95kb were extracted from the resistant strains and grouped into 5 plasmid profiles. Transformation experiment revealed that 66.67% of the resistant strains carried a common R plasmid of size 15.85kb. Plasmid mediated resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were found. Conclusion: The results highlighted diverse plasmids profile and wide spread antimicrobial resistance patterns of some clinical Pseudomonas species from Nigeria. Keywords: Quinolones, R-plasmids, Pseudomonas.Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences Vol. 3 (2) 2008: pp. 139-14

EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF HIGH-RISK CERVICAL CANCER AMONG WOMEN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A CASE-STUDY IN NIGERIA

There is a surge of morbidity and mortality among women as a result of untreated cases of Cervical Cancer (CC) which is common among women living in underdeveloped and developing countries. The epidemiology of CC revealed that the application of certain combat and operational risk factors of some germane associated with the formation/development of CC can help avoid being infected by the neoplastic disease or the early discovery at an early stage can help mitigate the spread. Hence, some germane high-risk and low-risk factors of the formation of CC in this study were considered to help differentiate infected women from those that are not infected and to create awareness about HPV for effective prevention of CC formation. This study is aimed at predicting and differentiating the group of women with ‘low-risk’ CC from ‘high-risk’ CC among Nigerian women; identification of ‘high-risk’ population. Therefore, some germane and prevalent risk factors such as having sexual intercourse at an early age (early age at sexual debut/first coitus) and the number of sex partners had over a lifetime, and other known low-risk germane such as poor diet and inadequate knowledge about Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and CC were considered; wherewith HPV is considered a predominant risk factor for the occurrence/possibility of CC among the population. A risk-score assessment Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Assessment Test (HAT) tool was used for data collection. Hence, this study is the first to develop a risk-score assessment test tool for HPV and CC awareness in Nigeri

The impact of entrepreneurial orientation on SMEs’ performance in Nigeria: the moderating role played by entrepreneurial ecosystems

Scholars often agree with the fact that SMEs have a significant effect on nations’ overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, the process to establish SME performance had been widely debated. Hence, scholars had devoted much effort to identifying the distinctive ability of individual entrepreneurs, understanding the market, and responding strategically to the unprecedented market forces. Given this, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has become an essential means of strategic decision making among firms, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs'). Theoretical evidence from previous studies showed a lack of consensus among researchers on the influence of EO on SMEs’ performance. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of EO on the performance of SMEs in Nigeria through the moderating role of the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE). The study employed a mixed research method to collect primary data from the selected SMEs in Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used in the quantitative research phase to collect data from 531 SMEs using a cross-sectional study design and stratified random sampling technique. Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was applied to test the hypotheses. Findings from the quantitative analysis revealed that four of the EO dimensions significantly influence SMEs’ performance among the surveyed SMEs. In contrast, a significant relationship between competitive aggressiveness and SMEs’ performance could not be established in the study context. Also, ecosystem and entrepreneurial attributes were introduced as moderators and mediators. Furthermore, the researcher further employs a qualitative research method to confirm the empirical findings. In this regard, the result reveals several competing results on the relationship between EO dimensions and SMEs’ performance. The implications and contributions of the observed results were fully discussed

Microbial Contamination of Locally Produced Cheese and Determination of their Antimicrobial Potential in Nigeria

The high consumptionrate of soft cheese and manner of cheese production in Nigeria prompted the need to determine the microbial quality and  antimicrobial properties of locally produced cheese in Nigeria. A total of 20 cheese samples were obtained from different points in 4 cities in southern Nigeria, 5 cheeses per city. They were investigated for some physico-chemical properties, isolation and microbial counts and determination of antimicrobial potential. There was no significant variation in the  composition of physic-chemical properties of cheese samples from various cities except for the acidity of cheese sample obtained from Ilorin. All the 20 samples (100%) yielded low level of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) with counts ~ 103. Escherichia coli or Klebsiella species were constantly isolated in all the cheese samples. Similarly, yeast and Aspergillus species were isolated either alone or in a mixed culture. The result showed increase in total bacteria count from the point of production to the hawkers.  Antimicrobial potential was not found in cheese against the  microorganisms used in the study. The study identified local cheese (‘wara’) as a high risk food in Nigeria due to the high rate of contamination since they are ready-to-eat food item and no antimicrobial property detected in the soft cheese.Key Words: Cheese; Bacteria; Fungi; Nigeria, Susceptibility Le taux de fromage à pâte molle et les modalités de production de  fromage au Nigeria à forte consommation a incité la nécessité de déterminer la qualité microbienne et propriétés antimicrobiennes de  fromage produit localement au Nigeria. Un total de 20 échantillons de fromage ont été obtenues à partir de différents points dans 4 villes au sud du Nigeria, 5 fromages par ville. Ils ont été étudiés pour certaines  propriétés physico-chimiques, l'isolement et les numérations microbiennes et détermination du potentiel antimicrobien. Il n'y avait aucune variation significative dans la composition des propriétés physico- chimiques des échantillons de fromage à partir de différentes villes à l'exception de l'acidité de l'échantillon obtenu à partir de fromage de la ville d’Ilorin. Tous les 20 échantillons (100%) ont donné un faible niveau de bactéries lactiques (LAB) avec environs 103 espèces. Escherichia coli ou Klebsiellaont été constamment isolés dans tous les échantillons de fromage. De même, des espèces de levures et d'Aspergillus ont été isolés soit seuls, soit dans une culture mixte. Le résultat a montré l’augmentation des bactéries totales compté du point de production aux colporteurs. Potentiel antimicrobien n'a pas été trouvé dans le fromage contre les micro-organismes utilisés dans l'étude. L'étude a identifié fromage local (' wara ‘) comme un aliment à haut risque au Nigeria en raison du taux élevé de contamination, car ils sont prêts à consommer l'aliment et aucune  propriété antimicrobienne détecté dans le fromage à pâte molle.Mots clés: Fromage; bactéries; champignons; Nigeria, sensibilit

Effect of formaldehyde on the upper respiratory tract _ormal flora of humans and rabbits

Background: Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used to fix a tissue after death or removal from the body to prevent autolysis and putrefaction. Exposure to formaldehyde can occur as a result of occupation. Objective: To determine the effect of the formaldehyde on the throat and nasal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the College of Health Sciences (Mercylandcampus) and Teaching Hospital of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo. Ten rabbits and 25 human subjects were used. Throat and nasal swabs were taken from these rabbits exposed todifferent concentrations of formaldehyde and human subjects exposed to formaldehyde as a result of occupational exposure and non exposed individuals. Bacterial count was done using Miles and Mistral method. Microbial culture was done using the traditional cultural techniques.Results: Culture yielded growth of different species of microorganisms, majority of which were bacterial species. Bacterial counts showed reductions both in normal flora of upper respiratory tract of rabbits and humans. The reduction in the normal flora of humans was found to be statistically significant. While reduction in the normal flora of rabbits was significant when compared between controls and those exposed to 10% formaldehyde, but were not significant between controls andthose exposed to 100% formaldehyde. Conclusion: This study concluded that there was significant reduction in the normal flora ofhumans and rabbits exposed to formaldehyde compared to non-exposed humans and rabbits.Key words: Formalin, formaldehyde, normal flora, Upper respiratory trac