Evaluation of the Possible Mechanisms of Antihypertensive Activity of Loranthus micranthus: An African Mistletoe

Loranthus micranthus (LM), also called African mistletoe is a major Nigerian Loranthaceae plant used traditionally to treat hypertension. The methanolic leaf extract of the plant (LMME) has been shown to elicit anti-hypertensive activity in rats but mechanism remains unclear. This study was undertaken to study the effect of LM on pressor-induced contraction of rat aorta smooth muscles and serum lipid profiles in mice. The LMME was partitioned to produce n-butanol (NBF-LMME), chloroform (CF-LMME), ethyl acetate (EAF-LMME) and water (WF-LMME) fractions. The median effective concentrations and maximum relaxation of the fractions were determined against epinephrine and KCl pre-contracted rat aorta ring model. Serum lipid profiles and nitric oxide (NO) were determined spectrophotometrically in mice administered per orally 250 mg/kg b.w. of each fraction for 21 days. Data were analyzed statistically. NBF-LMME elicited the highest dose-dependent inhibitory effect on rat aorta pre-contracted with norepinephrine and KCl, followed in decreasing order by WF-LMME > CF-LMME > EAF-LMME. Similar order of activity was observed in the ability of these fractions to inhibit elevation in artherogenic lipids, raise serum nitric oxide and reduce cardiac arginase in mice. We conclude the anti-hypertensive activity of L. micranthus involve anti-artherogenic events, vasorelaxation, cardiac arginase reduction and NO elevation

Determinants of Institutional Credit Rationing Impact on the Net Farm Income of Catfish Processors in Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of catfish processors\u27 socio-economic characteristics on credit rationing, based on primary data obtained from a cross-sectional survey. It also tested whether credit rationing affected the net farm income of catfish processors, using the endogenous switching regression model (ESRM). To account for counterfactual scenarios, the study turned to the results of the causal effects of credit rationing on the net farm income of catfish processors using inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) as a robustness check. The results showed that catfish processing was dominated by male processors with an average age of 40 years, where there were six household members, eight years of processing experience and mostly used a combination of traditional and intermediate processing technologies. Loan deployment was at 43.7%, with not less than 67% recovery and 12% default rates. Annual net income from catfish processing was ₦ 2,973,123.86 (8,035.47 USD) with Operating Expense Ratio (OER), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and Return on Investment (ROI) the 0.99, 1.45 and 0.67 respectively. The ESRM results showed that credit rationing is determined by membership of associations, processing experience, years of formal education, frequency of loan requests and interest rate. Furthermore, age of processors, business size, years of formal education, processing experience and catfish selling price influenced net farm income of credit rationed processors. It was concluded that catfish processing was profitable and had a significant impact on the net farm income of catfish processors. The ESRM treatment effect indicated that the average net income per catfish processing farm of non-credit rationed processors was higher than those that were credit rationed. Therefore, the study canvassed for improved group borrowing among processors and advocated that interests of large-scale old catfish processors be protected in bank credit policies. In addition, the existing laissez-faire financial lending agencies should be integrated into formal credit marketplaces via microfinancing to mitigate the impact of credit rationing

Determinants of Institutional Credit Rationing Impact on the Net Farm Income of Catfish Processors in Nigeria

This study investigated the effect of catfish processors\u27 socio-economic characteristics on credit rationing, based on primary data obtained from a cross-sectional survey. It also tested whether credit rationing affected the net farm income of catfish processors, using the endogenous switching regression model (ESRM). To account for counterfactual scenarios, the study turned to the results of the causal effects of credit rationing on the net farm income of catfish processors using inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) as a robustness check. The results showed that catfish processing was dominated by male processors with an average age of 40 years, where there were six household members, eight years of processing experience and mostly used a combination of traditional and intermediate processing technologies. Loan deployment was at 43.7%, with not less than 67% recovery and 12% default rates. Annual net income from catfish processing was ₦ 2,973,123.86 (8,035.47 USD) with Operating Expense Ratio (OER), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and Return on Investment (ROI) the 0.99, 1.45 and 0.67 respectively. The ESRM results showed that credit rationing is determined by membership of associations, processing experience, years of formal education, frequency of loan requests and interest rate. Furthermore, age of processors, business size, years of formal education, processing experience and catfish selling price influenced net farm income of credit rationed processors. It was concluded that catfish processing was profitable and had a significant impact on the net farm income of catfish processors. The ESRM treatment effect indicated that the average net income per catfish processing farm of non-credit rationed processors was higher than those that were credit rationed. Therefore, the study canvassed for improved group borrowing among processors and advocated that interests of large-scale old catfish processors be protected in bank credit policies. In addition, the existing laissez-faire financial lending agencies should be integrated into formal credit marketplaces via microfinancing to mitigate the impact of credit rationing

Assessing Human Health Risks in Asejire Lake: Implications for Water Resources in Industrialized Ibadan, Nigeria

The preliminary human health risk assessment of Asejire Lake water, Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria has been carried out. The industrialized Ibadan environs is thickly populated and this really has influence on the water resources in the area. Some selected toxic metals analyzed were subjected to evaluation using contamination indexes, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk parameters and also compared with WHO and NSDWQ (Nigerian Standard for Drinking Water Quality) water quality standards. ICP-MS laboratory techniques were used for hydro-chemical analyses to give the concentrations of the selected metals. Average concentrations of the metals are less than prescribed standards except Al (0.39 ppm) and Fe (1.41 ppm). The contamination factors ranged from low contamination to very extremely high contamination factors with extremely high degree of contamination. Non-carcinogenic parameters values are generally <1 and average carcinogenic parameters values ranged within 10-6 and 10-4 (which makes the water carcinogenic health risk most especially to children). The sources of contaminations are both anthropogenic and geogenic. Hence, agricultural, industrial and domestic waste disposals must be checked and mining activities must not be allowed in the area. &nbsp

Population of Fungi Associated with Seed Germination after Storage and Seed Treatment

Fungi growth occurs in seeds as a result of environmental conditions (high relative humidity, suitable temperature and high level of seed moisture content). But pathogen free healthy seeds are required for plant propagation. Microbial and insect attack affect seeds throughout the life cycle of the plant (Islam et al., 2009). Fungi are the most common microbes that affect seed germination and they can be both saprophytic and pathogenic. Hence, the aim of this experiment is to determine the cultural and morphological characteristics and population of fungi associated with the germination of some legume seeds after storage and scarification

IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION ON OUTPUT AND EMPLOYMENT: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIA

Many studies have documented that human capital formation is important to boost output both empirically and theoretically. However, studies on the implications of human capital on employment are still scanty, especially for developing countries. Against this background, the study investigates the shock and long-run implications of government financing on education and health on output and employment in Nigeria using a vector error correction model (VECM). The results show that the forecasting error shocks from government expenditure on health and education affect output more than employment along the 10-horizon period. Evidence from the long-run output model showed that government expenditure on education and human capital index is statistically significant, while government expenditure on health is not statistically significant. Government expenditure on education and the human capital index has a positive relationship with output. For the long-run employment model, government expenditure on health and education is statistically significant; while investment in human capital is not significant with employment. Government expenditure on education has a negative relationship with employment, while a positive relationship exists between government expenditure on health and employment. The result implies that human capital indicators in terms of quantity and quality do not contribute positively and significantly to employment growth in Nigeria. The study recommends the need to encourage self-reliance through entrepreneurship training to bolster employment opportunities in the long run

Mycobacterium bovis Strains Causing Smear-Positive Human Tuberculosis, Southwest Ireland

Mycobacterium bovis caused 3% of human tuberculosis cases in southwest Ireland during 1998–2006. Of 11 M. bovis strains genotyped, 9 belonged to common animal spoligotypes. Seven strains were from sputum and potential sources of human-centered disease transmission. Ten-locus variable-number tandem repeat typing gave unique strain profiles and would detect disease outbreaks

Can Clean Delivery Kits Prevent Infections? Lessons from Traditional Birth Attendants in Nigeria

Background: In resource-poor settings, perinatal infections contribute significantly to maternal and neonatal deaths, and the use of clean delivery kits (CDKs) has been proposed as a tool to reduce the risk of infection-related deaths. This study aims to assess the acceptability and effectiveness of CDKs in preventing infections in deliveries attended by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in Abeokuta, Nigeria. Methods: The study was a cluster-randomized trial with 67 birth centres/clusters, 453 births/mothers, and 457 babies randomized to intervention or control arms; intervention involved supplementation of delivery with JANMA CDKs. Interviews were conducted at the birth homes, and the primary outcomes were neonatal infection and puerperal fever. The association between infection and perinatal risk factors was tested using the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: CDKs were well accepted by TBAs. The incidence of puerperal fever and neonatal infection was 1.1% and 11.2%, respectively. Concurrent infection was found in 1 (0.22%) of the mother-neonate pair. There was no significant association between any of the sociodemographic factors and infection for both mothers and neonates. PROM and prolonged labour were significantly associated with puerperal infection. All mothers with puerperal fever were from the control group. Compared to the control group, the relative risk of puerperal infection and neonatal infection in the intervention group was 0.08 (0.004 –1.35, p = 0.079) and 0.64 (0.37 to 1.1, p = 0.10), respectively. Conclusion: CDKs hold promising results in attenuating maternal infections in resource-poor settings. Larger studies with greater statistical power are required to establish statistically reliable information

Patterns, facilitators and barriers to physical activity among Nigerian pregnant women

Introduction: pregnancy is associated with sedentary behaviors and/or low levels of physical activity (PA). This study aimed to assess patterns, barriers, and facilitators of PA among pregnant women. Methods: a convergent parallel mixed method design study involving a concurrent collection of quantitative (n=198) and qualitative (n=36) data was carried out. Respondents were drawn from five selected health care facilities in Ile-Ife, Osun state, South-West, Nigeria. Physical activity was assessed using the pregnancy physical activity questionnaire. Focus group discussions were used to qualitatively explore barriers and facilitators of PA. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results: the mean total PA score for the population was 118.663±81.522 mets-min/wk. While it was 118.743±92.062 mets-min/wk, 113.861±72.854 mets-min/wk, and 25.429±87.766 mets-min/wk for the first, second, and third trimester respectively. The respondents engaged more in moderate (44.27±37.07) than vigorous (13.89±18.87) intensity PA. Respondents in the third trimester had the highest and the least scores for household-related PA (45.7±33.0) and vigorous-intensity PA (10.0±14.0) respectively. Major themes that emerged on enablers and barriers of PA engagement during pregnancy were related to intrapersonal, interpersonal, availability of specialized health personnel and policy for PA, good built environment/neighborhood factors, and pervading cultural beliefs and myths about pregnancy. Conclusion: moderate intensity and household-related PA were most common among Nigerian pregnant women. Contextual facilitators and barriers to PA during pregnancy were largely related to intrapersonal, interpersonal, environmental or organizational, policy, and cultural factors

Effect of early tranexamic acid administration on mortality, hysterectomy, and other morbidities in women with post-partum haemorrhage (WOMAN): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Post-partum haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. Early administration of tranexamic acid reduces deaths due to bleeding in trauma patients. We aimed to assess the effects of early administration of tranexamic acid on death, hysterectomy, and other relevant outcomes in women with post-partum haemorrhage. Methods In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we recruited women aged 16 years and older with a clinical diagnosis of post-partum haemorrhage after a vaginal birth or caesarean section from 193 hospitals in 21 countries. We randomly assigned women to receive either 1 g intravenous tranexamic acid or matching placebo in addition to usual care. If bleeding continued after 30 min, or stopped and restarted within 24 h of the first dose, a second dose of 1 g of tranexamic acid or placebo could be given. Patients were assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight numbered packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Participants, care givers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. We originally planned to enrol 15 000 women with a composite primary endpoint of death from all-causes or hysterectomy within 42 days of giving birth. However, during the trial it became apparent that the decision to conduct a hysterectomy was often made at the same time as randomisation. Although tranexamic acid could influence the risk of death in these cases, it could not affect the risk of hysterectomy. We therefore increased the sample size from 15 000 to 20 000 women in order to estimate the effect of tranexamic acid on the risk of death from post-partum haemorrhage. All analyses were done on an intention-to-treat basis. This trial is registered with ISRCTN76912190 (Dec 8, 2008); ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00872469; and PACTR201007000192283. Findings Between March, 2010, and April, 2016, 20 060 women were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive tranexamic acid (n=10 051) or placebo (n=10 009), of whom 10 036 and 9985, respectively, were included in the analysis. Death due to bleeding was significantly reduced in women given tranexamic acid (155 [1·5%] of 10 036 patients vs 191 [1·9%] of 9985 in the placebo group, risk ratio [RR] 0·81, 95% CI 0·65–1·00; p=0·045), especially in women given treatment within 3 h of giving birth (89 [1·2%] in the tranexamic acid group vs 127 [1·7%] in the placebo group, RR 0·69, 95% CI 0·52–0·91; p=0·008). All other causes of death did not differ significantly by group. Hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (358 [3·6%] patients in the tranexamic acid group vs 351 [3·5%] in the placebo group, RR 1·02, 95% CI 0·88–1·07; p=0·84). The composite primary endpoint of death from all causes or hysterectomy was not reduced with tranexamic acid (534 [5·3%] deaths or hysterectomies in the tranexamic acid group vs 546 [5·5%] in the placebo group, RR 0·97, 95% CI 0·87-1·09; p=0·65). Adverse events (including thromboembolic events) did not differ significantly in the tranexamic acid versus placebo group. Interpretation Tranexamic acid reduces death due to bleeding in women with post-partum haemorrhage with no adverse effects. When used as a treatment for postpartum haemorrhage, tranexamic acid should be given as soon as possible after bleeding onset. Funding London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Pfizer, UK Department of Health, Wellcome Trust, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation