Risk factors of heart failure among patients with hypertension attending a tertiary hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria: the RISK-HHF case-control study

Aim: Hypertension is the leading cause of heart failure (HF) in sub-Saharan Africa. Preventive public health approach to reduce the scourge of HF must seek to understand the risk factors of HF in at-risk populations. The aim of this study was to characterize the risk factors of HF among patients with hypertension attending a cardiology clinic. Methods and results: One hundred and one (101) case-control age- and sex-matched pairs were recruited. The study population were adults with a clinical diagnosis of hypertensive HF (cases) and individuals with systemic hypertension without HF. They were interviewed and evaluated for cardiovascular risk factors. Associations between variables were tested with chi square test, Fisher’s exact test and independent sample t test as appropriate. Logistic regression modelling was used to determine the independent risk factors of hypertensive HF (HHF) in the study population while ‘punafcc’ package in stata12 was used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF) of the risk factors. Suboptimal medication adherence was the strongest adverse risk factor of HHF (medium adherence aOR: 3.53, 95%CI: 1.35–9.25; low adherence aOR: 9.44, 95%CI: 3.41–26.10) with a PAF of 67% followed by dipstick proteinuria (aOR: 4.22, 95%CI: 1.62–11.02; PAF: 34%) and alcohol consumption/day per 10grams (aOR: 1.23, 95%CI: 1.02–1.49; PAF: 22%). The protective risk factors of HHF were use of calcium channel blockers (aOR 0.25, 95%CI: 0.11–0.59; PAF: 59%), then daily fruits and vegetable consumption (aOR 0.41, 95%CI: 0.17–1.01; PAF: 46%), and eGFR (aOR 0.98, 95%CI: 0.96–0.99; PAF: 5.3%). Conclusions: The risk factors of HHF are amenable to lifestyle and dietary changes. Public health interventions and preventive cardiovascular care to improve medication adherence, promote fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce alcohol consumption among patients with hypertension are recommended. Renoprotection has utility in the prevention of HF among hypertensives

Pathogenesis of peritoneal drain complications; a case report of evolving adnexal evisceration following difficult retrieval of a retained peritoneal drain

Background: Intra-peritoneal drainage dates back to the time of Hippocrates when long bone tissue, metal, and glass tubes were employed. The benefit of routine intra-peritoneal drainage however remains debatable in contemporary times. Retained drains may be outward manifestations of more sinister or latent complications and how an entrapped surgical drain is removed, may determine the occurrence of further complications. Case Presentation: We report here the case of a 32-year-old primipara who had a retained improvised peritoneal drain, which was inserted during the cesarean section for continued oozing of serosanguineous fluid. Omental tissue found at laparoscopy, to have plugged a fenestration in the drain, was promptly relieved. A loop of the Fallopian tube was however later observed trapped in another fenestration and herniating into the stab incision of the drain tube towards the exterior, this was freed with an atraumatic laparoscopic grasper and drain tube retrieval completed under laparoscopic visualization. Conclusion: Insertion of the peritoneal drain during cesarean section should be carefully considered, when necessary; it should be done with the most appropriate drainage systems. Retrieval of the peritoneal drain is a risk factor for visceral herniation. Entrapped drains should be retrieved, under direct visualization, to prevent iatrogenic injuries

REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE, FEED INTAKE AND EFFICIENCY OF INDIGENOUS AND CROSSBRED TURKEYS

This study assessed the reproductive performance of indigenous and crossbred parent stocks and the influence of sire genotype on the growth and efficiency of feed utilization by their progenies. A total of 300 poults, 150 for each genotype were generated from two crosses (Nicholas white x Indigenous and Indigenous x Indigenous turkeys). Data were collected on the reproductive performance of the parents while body weight and feed intake from day old to the 20th week of age were also collected from the progenies generated. The experiment was a complete randomized design with data generated subjected to two way analysis of variance using SAS. The result of the study showed that sire genotype had significant effect (p<0.05) on semen colour and semen volume while semen pH, motility, morphology and live dead ratio were not significantly affected. Crossbred tom had higher semen volume (0.39 ml) compared to 0.18 ml recorded in indigenous turkey. Genotype had no significant effect (p>0.05) on all female reproductive traits such as fertility, hatchability, dead in-germ, weak in-shell and dead in-shell. However, the indigenous turkey had higher fertility percentage (85%) while 80% hatchability was observed in crossbred turkey. Crossbred turkey significantly (p<0.05) had higher body weight (3330g) at 20 week of age compared to the indigenous turkey (2869g). Sexual dimorphism in favour of the male turkey was also observed throughout the period of the experiment. Although the crossbred turkey consumed more feed, the efficiency of feed utilization was better in the indigenous turkey. This findings suggested that the indigenous turkeys can be successfully improved with the introgression of exotic genetic material while crossbred turkeys can be further selected for improved productive and adaptive traits. &nbsp

Morphological and biochemical characterization of strains of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. vignicola isolated from cowpea grown in three agroecological zones in Nigeria

Cowpea bacterial blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv vignicola) is a devastating disease of cowpea in Nigeria. Accurate identification is the first step for an effective management option. Thus, X. axonopodis pv. vignicola isolated from cowpea (Vigna unguinculata (L.) Walp) grown in different Agro-ecological zones in Nigeria were characterized using morphological characteristics, biochemical and antibiotic sensitivity tests. Pot experiments were conducted on two susceptible lines of cowpea (IT90k – 76) and (IT84s – 2246 – 4) in the screen house. In vivo infectivity studies were carried out to determine the effect of each of theX. axonopodis pv. vignicola isolate groups on the cowpea. All isolates from each of the agroecological zones were classified into Group 1 (light yellow) and Group 2 (brownish yellow) based on their morphological presentation on nutrient agar medium. Results from four of the biochemical test showed differences between the two morphologically different groups. Group 2 isolates showed a large zone of inhibition to a Lincomycin hydrochloride while isolates from Group 1 were not affected by the action of the same antibiotic. Blight symptom was only observed when the two types of isolates were combined and inoculated simultaneously. This study showed that there are two morpho-types of X. axonopodis pv. vignicola and their synergetic infectivity results in blight symptoms expression in cowpea

COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF CARBON STORAGE IN BIOMASS AND SOIL ORGANIC CARBON IN TEAK PLANTATION OF DIFFERENT AGES IN YEWA NORTH, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

Tree act as a sink for CO2 by fixing carbon during photosynthesis and is a vital tool to alleviate climate change through CO2 absorption from the atmosphere. This study was conducted to assess carbon storage in tree biomass and soil carbon stock in Teak (Tectona grandis) plantations of different age series (5, 9 and 12 years). Data were collected on diameter at breast height (Dbh) and total height (TH) of all the trees in a sample plot of 1000 m2 in each plantation of age series. Carbon stored was evaluated based on tree growth variables, soil parameters and above ground biomass. Topsoil and subsoil (0-15 and 15-30 cm) samples collected from three sites were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) following standard methods.  Mean diameter at breast height were 67.11, 45.42, and 21.35 cm ha-1 and the mean volumes were 0.39, 0.16 and 0.02 m3ha-1 for 12, 9 and 5 years old were significant different (p<0.05). The highest value of total soil organic carbon (TSOC) was 8464.65 t.ha-1 for the 12year-old followed by 4430.25 t.ha-1 for 9 years old stand and 3004.95 t.ha-1 for 5years old were significant different (p<0.05) respectively. The total soil organic carbon per hectare were higher for the older than the younger Tectona grandis stand (8464.65 t.ha-1, 4430.25 t.ha-1 and 3004.95 t.ha-1) were significant different (p<0.05). Total carbon storage by soil and in biomass (CSB) was 15899.85 and 49.31 tons.ha-1 and total carbon accumulated by the plantation under investigation was in the order of 12 years old > 9 years old > 5 years old, respectively. The results of this study confirm that teak has good potentials to offer carbon sequestration through its soil and accumulate large amount of biomass carbon. The plantation ownership should be guided properly on the management activities such as thinning, pruning and weeding operation as well as indiscriminate removal of individual caused by anthropogenic activities should be avoided.     &nbsp

Biochemical and microbiological quality of honey from mangrove agro-ecological zone of Nigeria

In the present study, the biochemical and microbiological quality of honey from mangrove agro-ecological zone of Nigeria were investigated. There is paucity of information on the biochemical characteristics of honey produced from the mangrove zone of Nigeria, hence the need to provide a database on the characterization of honey produced in this zone. A total of eighteen honey samples collected from this zone were analyzed for their chemical properties including moisture, ash, pH, glucose and fructose content, while the microbial population including total plate count (TPC), total coliform and the levels of spore-forming bacteria and fungi were determined. Dat

Design of a Face Recognition System for Security Control

Although the recognition of human beings is something quite easy for humans, the ability for machines to recognise people is still a challenging problem; hence it has been receiving significant attention in recent years. Face recognition is one of those challenging issues. Given the fact that human recognition of faces is critical for humans in their everyday life, automating the process of facial recognition is very useful in a wide range of applications ranging from human-machine interfaces and automatic access control systems used for security and criminal identification. To the best of our knowledge, there is no form of facial recognition for identifying criminals in the Nigerian Police Force. The method of criminal record keeping in the country is still manual. Citizens go through manual filling of forms and writing of statements. This is slow and inefficient and sometimes lead to breach of protocols in some crime cases particularly by an insider, or even someone from the outside. The objective of this paper is to design a face recognition system for security control in Nigeria. When fully implemented, we believe the system will go a long way in assisting the security personnel in performing a productive and efficient delivery of better services to citizens. The system will also help in the keeping of criminal records and crime cases by detecting the faces of the perpetrators and masterminds of such crimes, thereby ensuring they are caught and dealt with according to the laws of the country

Preventing the transboundary spread of pests and pathogens through germplasm phytosanitary management

Many introduced pests (=pathogens, pests, and weeds) are responsible for major crop disease epidemics. The estimated economic impact of introduced pests on Africa's agricultural sector was up to US$3.6 trillion per year. Seed transmission of pests, along with the international distribution of plant propagation materials, is a major risk for germplasm distribution activities of IITA. As a pest risk mitigation measure, IITA established Germplasm Health Unit (GHU) to facilitate germplasm production free of harmful quarantine pests for conservation and international distribution and comply with national and international quarantine procedures. GHU uses a multidisciplinary and multistage process for ensuring phytosanitary safety: seed health testing using a range of diagnostics. Between 2017-21, GHU tested about 700,00 samples of 15 species and eliminated 8$10 per sample (US$ 5.6 million over five years). GHU distributed safe germplasm to 69 countries and prevented the transboundary spread of quarantine pests with IITA activities, making the most important contribution to national biosecurity

Comparing microplastics contaminants in (dry and raining) seasons for Ox- Bow Lake in Yenagoa, Nigeria

The occurrence and distribution of microplastics (MPs) for two seasons (dry and raining) were investigated based on 10 sections of OX- Bow Lake Yenagoa, Nigeria for surface water and sediments. MPs were abundant in colour and dominated by fibrous items. For dry season, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Plasticised polyvinyl chloride (Plasticised PVC) were the predominant MPs; they both account for 72.63% and 10.9% of surface water and sediment samples. The raining season accounted for Plasticised (PVC) 81.5% and low-density polyethylene 4.2% respectively. The raining and dry seasons MPs were characterise by μ-FTIR. Beads and pellets were most common MP shapes in both water and sediment samples for the two seasons. The results showed that there is high presence of MPs in OX –Bow Lak