Post- Partum Variables Among Breastfeeding Women and Its Relative Effect on Maternal and Infant Health in Ekiti State Nigeria

The study examined Post-Partum Variables, Maternal and Infant Health among breastfeeding Women in Ekiti State Nigeria. The descriptive research design of the survey type was used for this study. The population for the study was made up of women with breastfeeding experience in Ekiti State Nigeria. The sample consists of 278 women sampled from three local government area in Ekiti State Nigeria. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the sample. The research instrument used to collect data from the respondents was a self-designed questionnaire titled Post-Partum Variables, Maternal and Infant Health Questionnaire (PVMIHQ). The instrument was valid and reliable; it had a construct validity correlation coefficient of 0.74 and a reliability coefficient of 0.86   which were obtained at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that women are well informed about Post-Partum Variables on Maternal and Child Health due to series of information acquired through lectures, seminars and workshops during the ante natal period in their various maternity centres and hospitals which indicated that they were duly prepared for the pains and the gains after birth. Keywords: Post Partum, Variables, Breastfeeding, Marternal, Infant. DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/73-05 Publication date: April 30th 202

Sulforaphane response on aluminum-induced oxidative stress, alterations in sperm characterization and testicular histomorphometry in Wistar rats

Background: The exposure of male individual to environmental toxicant is regarded as a channel that results in reduced sperm counts and infertility. Objective: This study investigated the ameliorative response of Sulforaphane (SFN) on Aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) induced testicular toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 adult male Wistar rats (180-200 gm between 8-10 wk) were divided into four groups (n = 8/each). Group A) received distilled water orally as placebo; Group B) received 100 mg/kgbw AlCl3 only orally; Group C) received 100 mg/kgbw AlCl3 and 100 mg/kgbw SFN orally; and Group D) received 100 mg/kgbw SFN only orally. After 28 days of experiment, animals underwent cervical dislocation, blood serum was obtained for analysis, and testes were harvested for biochemical assays, histology, hormonal profile, and sperm characterization. Results: The sperm parameters showed a significant difference within the AlCl3 only group compared with the control and SFN only groups (p = 0.02). However, AlCl3 and SFN co-treatment showed improvement in the motility, viability, and sperm count compared with the AlCl3 only group (p = 0.02). Furthermore, there was a significant decline in the levels of hormones profile and antioxidant status in AlCl3 only group compared to the control and SFN only (p = 0.02). The testicular histoarchitecture of the AlCl3 only group showed shrinkage of seminiferous tubules, spermatogenesis disruption, and empty lumen compared to the control and SFN only groups. Conclusion: The present study revealed the ameliorative response of SFN on AlCl3-induced testicular toxicity on serum hormone profiles, antioxidant status, lipid peroxidation, and histomorphometric analysis through oxidative stress. Key words: Sulforaphane, Aluminum trichloride, Oxidative stress, Testis, Histology

Histomorphological responses to aqueous crude leaf extract of Alafia barteri on prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats

Phytonutrients present in Alafia barteri leaves include antioxidants which serves to protect cells and tissues against detrimental effects of reactive oxygen species and other free radicals. This research work was targeted at investigating the activities of oral administration of aqueous leaf extract of Alafia barteri on the histology of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of adult Sprague Dawley rats. Twelve (n=12) adult male Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 170-200 g (4-6 weeks old) were used for this study; they were divided into 2 groups of six rats each. The control group A received 2 ml/kg normal saline and treated group B received 500 mg/kg body weight aqueous extract of Alafia barteri for twenty eight days. The gross anatomical parameters of the selected organs and their histology were assessed. The gross anatomical and histological observation of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis revealed no visible distortion in Alafia barteri extract treated group when compared with control. Aqueous leaf extract of Alafia barteri thus has no deleterious effects on the histological profile of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of the rats. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.128455

School Health Programme A Parameter for Sustaining Quality Education in Nigeria

The study investigated effective Teaching and learning in secondary schools through school Health programme as a means of sustaining quality education. Two research questions were raised and two hypotheses were formulated. The instrument used to elicit information was a questionnaire designed by the researchers titled School Health Programmes and effectiveness of teaching and learning Questionnaire. The validity of the instrument was ascertained through face and content validity while its reliability was ensured through test-retest method and a coefficient of 0.71 was obtained. The descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study was all the teachers in Nigeria Secondary Schools with a sample of four hundred and three teachers’ selected using simple random sampling technique. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistic. The result of the analyses showed that school health programme promotes effective teaching and learning. The result also shows that teachers have a good knowledge of school health programmes and that it helps in the improvement of teaching learning and could be used to guarantee quality education. It was therefore concluded that government should step up their campaign to strengthening health issues in the schools to enable optimal performance of the teachers in ensuring effective teaching and learning in the schools and sustenance of quality education in Nigeria. Keywords; SCHOOL HEALTH, PARAMETER, SUSTENACE, QUALITY EDUCATION. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-24-14 Publication date: August 31st 201

Improving Teacher Effectiveness Through Healthy School Environment in Nigeria

This study investigated Teacher Effectiveness Through Healthy School Environment in Nigeria. Healthy School Environment is said to be one of the most efficient strategies that a nation might use to prevent major health and social problems with the aim of improving teacher education to boost teaching and learning in schools. The instrument used to elicit information was a questionnaire designed by the researchers titled Teacher Effectiveness Through Healthy School Environment in Nigeria Questionnaire. The descriptive research design of the survey type was used for the study. The population of the study was all the teachers in Nigeria Secondary Schools. From this, a sample of four hundred and three teachers were selected using simple random sampling technique. Two research questions were raised and two hypotheses were formulated. The data collected were analysed using percentages, frequency counts and chi-square. The result of the analyses showed that water and sanitation are vital issues in improving teacher effectiveness. The result also show that security measures and safety of learners helps in the improvement of teaching and learning by ensuring punctuality, regularity in school attendance. Finally, nutrition helps learner to concentrate in the class. It was therefore concluded that government should ensure that regular washing of hands, drinking of clean water, punctuality and regularity in school attendance be considered as vital in the improvement of Teacher Effectiveness in Nigeria schools to enable optimal performance of the teachers in ensuring effective teaching and learning in the schools. Keywords: Teacher Effectiveness, School Environment, Nigeria DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-3-22 Publication date: January 31st 2021

Role of Aqueous Crude Leaf Extract of Senecio Biafrae Combined With Zinc on Testicular Function of Adult Male Sprague Dawley Rats

Objective: To determine the role of aqueous crude leaf extract of Seneciobiafrae (SB) combined with Zinc (Zn) on Testicular function of Adult Male Sprague dawley Rats. Materials and methods: Twenty-four adult males praguedawley Rats weighing 180-200g, aged 10-12 weeks, were randomized into four groups (A,B,C,D) of six rats each (n = 6) and were given 2mls of distilled water; 500 mg/kg of SB ; 500 mg/kg of SB and 0.5 mg/kg Znsulfate; 500 mg/kg of SB and 1mg/kg of Zn. The administration was done daily via gastric gavage for 28 days. Parameterstested include: testicular histology, sperm parameters, haematological parameters and Testosterone assay. Results: There was observed no significant (p > 0.05) increased in testis, epididymal, seminal vesicle, vas deference and prostate gland weight of animals across the group receiving the Seneciobiafrae extract combine with Zn. Testis and serum testosterone levels, sperm count, percentage of sperm viability and motility was higher in the rats administered a combination of Seneciobiafrae extract and Zn compared with controls (p < 0.05). Conversely the percentage of abnormal sperm morphology was decreased (p < 0.05). Histological analysis showed normal spermatogenesis, better association and high density of spermatogenic cells and lumen contains full mature spermatozoa. Conclusion: Aqueous extract of Seneciobiafrae combined with Zn, potentially enhance testicular function including steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis in male rats

Predicting tuberculosis drug resistance with machine learning-assisted Raman spectroscopy

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's deadliest infectious disease, with 1.5 million annual deaths and half a million annual infections. Rapid TB diagnosis and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) are critical to improve patient treatment and to reduce the rise of new drug resistance. Here, we develop a rapid, label-free approach to identify Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains and antibiotic-resistant mutants. We collect over 20,000 single-cell Raman spectra from isogenic mycobacterial strains each resistant to one of the four mainstay anti-TB drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, moxifloxacin and amikacin) and train a machine-learning model on these spectra. On dried TB samples, we achieve > 98% classification accuracy of the antibiotic resistance profile, without the need for antibiotic co-incubation; in dried patient sputum, we achieve average classification accuracies of ~ 79%. We also develop a low-cost, portable Raman microscope suitable for field-deployment of this method in TB-endemic regions

Uniaxial optical phase change metamaterials

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, May, 2020Cataloged from the official PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 23-24).Optical metamaterials are artificially engineered materials with exceptional electromagnetic properties that cannot be found in nature. Over the last 20 years, optical metamaterials have driven forward a plethora of fields from telecommunications to solar energy harvesting. They owe their unique optical properties to their carefully arranged subwavelength structural elements. By tuning the shape, geometry, and arrangement of these structures, unconventional optical properties like a negative refractive index can be achieved over a broadband wavelength range of operation. By incorporating optical phase change materials, materials with outstanding optical contrast upon a solid-state phase transition, more control over the optical modulative properties of metamaterials can be achieved. In this paper, Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST) is chosen as a model phase change material due to its high reflectance contrast between states, fast switching speeds, and high metastability. Here, we theoretically investigate the reflectance and form birefringence of GST-based optical metamaterials. These optical properties are simulated on the basis of effective medium theory (EMT) and transfer matrix method (TMM). The findings in this paper demonstrate that broadband wavelength regions of high reflectance, high birefringence, and zero-crossing birefringence can be found and tuned as a function of material thickness and fill fraction in simulated GST-based optical metamaterials. These findings will be valuable for imminent nano and microfabrication in optical devices.by Babatunde Olamide Ogunlade.S.B.S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineerin

Histomorphological responses to aqueous crude leaf extract of Alafia barteri on prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats

Phytonutrients present in Alafia barteri leaves include antioxidants which serves to protect cells and tissues against detrimental effects of reactive oxygen species and other free radicals. This research work was targeted at investigating the activities of oral administration of aqueous leaf extract of Alafia barteri on the histology of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of adult Sprague Dawley rats. Twelve (n=12) adult male Sprague Dawley rats weighing between 170-200 g (4-6 weeks old) were used for this study; they were divided into 2 groups of six rats each. The control group A received 2 ml/kg normal saline and treated group B received 500 mg/kg body weight aqueous extract of Alafia barteri for twenty eight days. The gross anatomical parameters of the selected organs and their histology were assessed. The gross anatomical and histological observation of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis revealed no visible distortion in Alafia barteri extract treated group when compared with control. Aqueous leaf extract of Alafia barteri thus has no deleterious effects on the histological profile of the prefrontal cortex, heart, kidney, liver and testis of the rats. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.128455

Sulforaphane Response on Aluminum-induced Oxidative Stress, Alterations in Sperm Characterization and Testicular Histomorphometry in Wistar Rats

Background: The exposure of male individual to environmental toxicant is regarded as a channel that results in reduced sperm counts and infertility. Objective: This study investigated the ameliorative response of Sulforaphane (SFN) on Aluminum trichloride (AlCl3) induced testicular toxicity in adult male Wistar rats. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 adult male Wistar rats (180-200 gm between 8-10 wk) were divided into four groups (n = 8/each). Group A) received distilled water orally as placebo; Group B) received 100 mg/kgbw AlCl3 only orally; Group C) received 100 mg/kgbw AlCl3 and 100 mg/kgbw SFN orally; and Group D) received 100 mg/kgbw SFN only orally. After 28 days of experiment, animals underwent cervical dislocation, blood serum was obtained for analysis, and testes were harvested for biochemical assays, histology, hormonal profile, and sperm characterization. Results: The sperm parameters showed a significant difference within the AlCl3 only group compared with the control and SFN only groups (p = 0.02). However, AlCl3 and SFN co-treatment showed improvement in the motility, viability, and sperm count compared with the AlCl3 only group (p = 0.02). Furthermore, there was a significant decline in the levels of hormones profile and antioxidant status in AlCl3 only group compared to the control and SFN only (p = 0.02). The testicular histoarchitecture of the AlCl3 only group showed shrinkage of seminiferous tubules, spermatogenesis disruption, and empty lumen compared to the control and SFN only groups. Conclusion: The present study revealed the ameliorative response of SFN on AlCl3-induced testicular toxicity on serum hormone profiles, antioxidant status, lipid peroxidation, and histomorphometric analysis through oxidative stress. Key words: Sulforaphane, Aluminum trichloride, Oxidative stress, Testis, Histology