Protein and amino acid requirements of warm-water fishes: a tool to efficient and low-cost fish feed production in Nigeria

Numerous investigations have utilized various semi-purified and purified diets to estimate the protein and amino acid requirements of several temperate fishes. The vast literature on the protein and amino acid requirements of fishes has continued to omit that of the tropical warm water species. The net effect is that fish feed formulation in Nigeria have relied on the requirement for temperate species. This paper attempts to review the state of knowledge on the protein amino acid requirements of fishes with emphasis on the warm water species, the methods of protein and amino acid requirement determinations and the influence of various factors on nutritional requirement studies. Finally evidence are presented with specific examples on how requirements of warm water fishes are different from the temperate species and used this to justify why fish feed formulation in Nigeria are far from being efficien

Water Parameters and Floristic Composition of African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) Habitat in Pandam Wildlife Park, Nigeria

The study of the physicochemical characteristic and floristic composition of African manatee habitat in Pandam Lake was conducted between 2012 and 2013. The water parameters were tested using standard method while line intercept method was adopted for vegetation survey. Data obtained on the water parameters were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Plant species diversity index was analyzed using PAST Software. The mean seasonal water surface area increase was 66.12±5.01. The mean water depth in the dry season was 2.28±1.14 while the wet season value was 4.3±1.15. Also the mean water transparency was for wet and dry seasons were 64.02±4.66 and 111.18±4.26 respectively. The mean pH value was 6.5±0.14. Water salinity ranges from 0.00mg/l to 0.01mg/l, mean DO was 6.24±1.13, nitrate was 0.08±0.02 and mean conductivity of 52.65 ±2.12. A total of 42 plant species from 23 families were recorded in Pandam Lake. The family Poaceae had the highest number of species (22) (30.56%). The grass species had the highest frequency of 13 while trees recorded the lowest (3). Also there are more perennial species (n=28; 66.67%) than annual species (n=14; 33.33%). The Shannon diversity index was 3.72. Thirteen species of plants recorded in Pandan Lake during this study were known to provide food for manatees across their range in Africa. All the water parameter values were within the range tolerable by manatee. The Lake have diverse species of plants that manatee can feed on both in the wet and dry seasons. The park management should maintain the integrity of the ecosystem by regulating fishing and other human activities to avoid pollution. The park should be taken over by the Federal government for effective protection of the resources most especially manatee.Keywords: Water quality, vegetation, African manatee, Pandam Lak

Length-Weight Relationship And Condition Factor Of The Elephant Fish, Mormyrus rume (Valenciennes, 1846) In River Ose, Southwestern Nigeria

A total of 791 elephant fish, Mormyrus rume specimens of various sizes were sampled from River Ose, southwestern Ngera. Length-weight relationship and condition factor of the M rume specimens were studied. Their standard lengths ranged from 15.0 to 45.0 cm. Mean standard lengthfor males, females and combined sex were 27.86 cm, 3008 cm and 28.97 cm, respectvely. The body weight ranged from 75.5 to 610.0 g Mean body weight for males, females and combinedsex were 167.57 g 237.38 g and 202.48 g respectvely. Lengh-weight relatonship for males, emales andcombined sex were 1.699, 2.134 and 1990, respectively. The fsh exhibited alometrcgrowth in the river. The predictive equation was log W = -0.636 + 199 log L. The mean condition factor varied between seasons. The mean condition for males, females and combined sex were 0.787, 0.859 and 0.823, respectvely. The condtion factor decreased with increase in ndvidual sizes. Keywords: Length-weight relationship, Condition factor, Mormyrus rume, River Ose, NigeriaAnimal Research International Vol. 4 (1) 2007 pp. 617-62

Risk and Trust in Online Shopping: Experience from Nigeria

This paper attempts to examine and investigate online shopping in Nigeria considering perceived risk and trust among online shoppers and online vendors. Trust in the Internet world can be influenced by perceptions of the vendors. This study will place more emphasis on consumers trust in online vendors rather than trust in the infrastructure. This study argues that since online vendors are the consumer’s main focus when transacting online, trust is built based on perceptions of the vendors. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of online shopping is also examined in this study know whether the Nigeria populace see a need for online shopping or even e-commerce. Some of the perceived risk identified includes risk are financial, product performance, social, psychological and time/ convenience loss. Primary source of data collection was employed in getting data for this study through administering of questionnaires. Respondents were selected from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, which are the major cities in Nigeria; there were 100 respondents in this research study. Correlation analysis was carried out to test for relationship between variables. Findings reveals that the presence of perceived risk negatively affects trust in online shopping and that perceived usefulness of online shopping has a positive effect on actual usage of online shopping. Keywords: E-Commerce, Economy, Consumer, Internet, Trust, Ris

Trend of Childhood TB Notifications in Nigeria

Background: Childhood tuberculosis (CTB) accounted for 10% of the total global tuberculosis (TB) burden in 2017.  During the same year, CTB accounted for only 6% of the total TB cases notified by the National TB control programme (NTP) in Nigeria giving credence to the widely held belief that, over the past few years, clinicians and public health officials in the country may have given more attention to the diagnosis and treatment of TB in adults compared to children, resulting in under reporting of the true burden of the disease.  Thus this study assessed the trend of childhood TB notifications in Nigeria, from 2012 to 2016.Methods: Retrospective record review of childhood TB cases notified by the NTP between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016.  Results: A total of 27,793 CTB cases, representing 5.8% of all forms of TB cases, were notified and treated during the study period. This proportion is more or less similar for every year within the period under review.Conclusion: The case notification rate of TB among children has plateaued within the period under review.  Efforts should be made to improve CTB detection, reporting and notification into the NTP Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) system. Keywords: Tuberculosis, World Health Organization, Bauchi, Childhood TB, National TB Control Programme, Caregivers, Quality of Life, Monitoring and Evaluation, Northeastern Nigeria

Evaluation of Escherichia coli as indicator of point-of-use chlorination efficiency of drinking water

In this study, the relevance of the presence of Escherichia coli in drinking water as an indicator of point-of-use chlorination efficiency is examined. The survival of clinical isolates of human enteric pathogenic bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis and Vibrio cholerae) as well as E. coli was monitored as a function of effective germicidal concentration and contact time. The  inactivation kinetics indicated that the minimum effective dose for three-log units (99.9%) inactivation of E. coli (C·T99.9% = 10 mgl-1-min) can sufficiently  eliminate the other pathogens (C·T99.9% ranged from 5.6–10.5 mgl-1-min); the exception being K. pneumoniae, which required more than 1.4-times higher dose. In general, the results implied that the branded hypochlorite solution should effectively inactivate almost all vegetative  bacteria in household drinking water at the manufacturer’s recommended dosage of 0.5 mgl-1 after at least 30 minutes contact time. The application of point-of-use chemical disinfectants to drinking water in households will significantly reduce the incidence of water-borne infections  particularly in rural communities where central treatment of water is mostly unavailable.Keywords: Effective dose; Point-of-use disinfectants; Indicator bacteria; Pathogen; Escherichia coli; Chlorinatio

Male Partners Involvement in Spousal Contraceptive Use: A Perspective of a Contemporary African Setting

Background: Contraceptive use by women is one of the tools used for promoting family health and slowing population growth. Evidence has suggested that contraceptive use in Nigeria is below acceptable levels in spite of the fact that family planning services are readily available, accessible and affordable. The involvement and participation of males in spousal contraceptive use is seen as the driver to achieving better reproductive outcomes. Hence, this study aimed to determine the level of male involvement in spousal contraceptive use so as to provide evidence based and people oriented information on the available male partner support system for contraceptive use and factors influence it.Methodology: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 80 male partners between April and May, 2017 using quantitative method of data collection and SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis.nbsp Crude and adjusted odds ratios as well asnbsp 95% confidence interval were used in this study with a p-value of le 0.05 considered statistically significant.Results: The mean age of the respondents in the study was 40.0 plusmn 10 years with only 13 (16.3%) of the respondents adjudged as being involved in their spousal contraceptive use. Currently use of male contraceptive method was found to significantly influence involvement in spousal contraceptive use (AOR = 7.1 95% CI = 2.1092 ndash 10.5818 P = 0.015). Conclusion: This study has demonstrated a low level of male involvement in spousal contraceptive use hence, relevant male educational intervention on contraception is required

Spatial analysis of tuberculosis and risk factors at the lowest administrative level in Nigeria

BACKGROUNDFew studies have utilized modern techniques of spatial data analysis to understand the distribution of tuberculosis (TB) and its possible predictors. In 2013, an estimated 9 million new TB cases and 1.5 million deaths occurred worldwide, out of which 360,000 deaths were HIV related. AIMTo assist in planning key interventions for the control of TB at a sub-national level, the studysought to explore the spatial distribution of TB and associated risk factors at the lowest administrative level in Nigeria. METHODOLOGYThis was an ecological study carried out using number of notified TB cases for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 2013. Bayesian spatial regression analysis was conducted to identify high-risk clusters of the disease and to assess associated factors . RESULTSAnalysis revealed that TB was significantly clustered in 138 (17%) LGAs. Significant associations were found with household size, urban residence, access to transportation, population density, number of TB diagnostic services. Other predictors, including a composite index of socioeconomic status, living in a single room, number of TB treatment centres, and total health facilities in the LGA were not significantly associated with TB incidence. CONCLUSIONThe study identified LGAs with elevated risk as well as significant factors associated with TB. This information can assist policymakers in rationally planning targeted specific interventions with the potential to effectively control TB in the country

Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae among In-Patients of Tertiary Hospitals in Southwest, Nigeria

The study assessed the incidence and risk factor associated with the occurrence of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) among hospitalized patients at three tertiary hospitals in Southwest, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was performed over a six-month surveillance period in the locations with a total of 300 blood and urine samples. A structured close-ended questionnaire was also administered to all subjects for review of demographics and potential risk factors. Fifty-nine isolates belonging to genera Escherichia (52.5%), Enterobacter (23.8%), Klebsiella (10.2%) and Proteus (13.6%) were isolated. All the isolates were multi-drug resistant with a notable resistance (100%) to cephalosporins and significant sensitivity to nitrofurantoin. A total of 23 isolates including Escherichia coli (n = 8), Enterobacter aerogenes (n = 9), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 1) and Proteus mirabilis (n = 5) exhibited resistance to one or both of imipenem and meropenem. The overall incidence of CRE in the three locations at the time of study was 7.7%. Age (p = 0.01) and exposure to invasive devices were significant risk factors for CRE colonization. Although at low incidence, the occurrence of CRE among this group calls for active monitoring because of its implication fatality of infections as well as the propensity to spread

The Effect of Rhizosphere Soil and Root Tissues Amendment on Microbial Mineralisation of Target 14 C-Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil

Abstract The effect of rhizosphere soil or root tissues amendments on the microbial mineralisation of hydrocarbons in soil slurry by the indigenous microbial communities has been investigated. In this study, rhizosphere soil and root tissues of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), channel grass (Vallisneria spiralis), blackberry (Rubus fructicosus) and goat willow (Salix caprea) were collected from the former Shell and Imperial Industries (ICI) Refinery site in Lancaster, UK. The rates and extents of 14 C-hydrocarbons (naphthalene, phenanthrene, hexadecane or octacosane) mineralisation in artificially spiked soils were monitored in the absence and presence of 5% (wet weight) of rhizosphere soil or root tissues. Respirometric and microbial assays were monitored in fresh (0 d) and pre-incubated (28 d) artificially spiked soils following amendment with rhizosphere soil or root tissues. There were significant increases (P < 0.001) in the extents of 14 C-naphthalene and 1