Nutrient Intakes and Nutritional Status of Mothers and their Under-Five Children in a Rural Community of Oyo State, Nigeria

Malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa contributes to high rates of childhood morbidity and mortality which make it a public health concern in Africa. This study assessed the nutrient intakes and nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children in a rural community of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 500 households with a mother and child pair were sampled using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Information on household socio-economic status, hygiene practices, breastfeeding practices and clinical observation for signs of malnutrition were collected using pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires by trained interviewers. Weight for age (WAZ), weight for height (WHZ), and height for age (HAZ) for underweight, wasting and stunting, respectively were calculated and assessed by Epi Info software using the NCHS/WHO international reference values. BMI (weight/height2) of mothers were also constructed from the measurements of mothers’ weights and heights. The waist/hip ratio of mothers was also determined. An interactive 24 h recall repeated for three days was used to obtain data on food and nutrient intakes of the women. Information on foods consumed was converted into quantitative data of nutrients using Food Composition Table. The result showed a high proportion (81%) of mothers ate three times daily while 14% ate twice and 5% ate more than thrice daily. The mean daily intakes of calcium, vitamins A, B6, B12, niacin, and folate were found to be inadequate compared with the Recommended Intakes. The WHR of the mothers indicated that majority had low risk. Most of the mothers (69.2%) were normal, underweight 9.6%, overweight 15.8% and obese 5.4%. About 37% of the children were stunted, 18% were underweight and 14.3% were wasted. BMI correlated negatively with age (r = -0.41; p <0.05), and positively with education (r = 0.22; p<0.05) and income (r = 0.45; p <0.05). Clinical observation revealed PEM prevalence in 12% children while eyes pallor and palm pallor were present in 15% and 20% respectively. The nutritional status of mothers and their under-five children is poor with respect to the overall food consumption and micronutrient intake. Consequently, nutrition programmes in this area should include effective measures to promote nutritional status of mothers and children

Assessment of the nutritional and growth enhancement quality of some brands of milk on selected bacteria.

Studies were carried out on the nutritional and growth enhancement quality of four brands of milk selected based on consumer preference. These are 'Cowbell', 'Jago', 'Milcow' and 'Peak' milk powder. Nutritional facts of the four brands shows that all of them have similar composition except 'Cowbell' that contains vegetable fat 26%. The protein composition of the four brands were in the range (25-26%), lactose (35-38%) and mineral salts (5.5-6.0%). Various types of milk media were composed using the stipulated milk and different protein sources which include 'Daddawa'(Locust beans), Yeast Powder, Yeast extract and Peptone. Growth enhancement quality of the composed media was assessed using three bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum while Imported Milk Agar (Sigma-Aldrich, Germany) was used as the Control. Nutritional quality of the milk media were assessed based on proximate and elemental analysis of the composed media. Obtained result showed that there was no significant difference in the moisture content, carbohydrate, crude fat, protein, crude fibre and ash content of the locally compounded milk agar (LCMA) and that of the Imported Milk Agar (IMA). There was also no significant difference in the elemental composition such as sulphur, phosphorus, potassium, iron and magnesium in the LCMA and that of the IMA. Generally, Staphylococcus aureus showed the least growth and development on all composed media (3.1x104 – 1.3 x 105cfu/ml) while the highest viable counts were obtained in Lactobacillus plantarum (1.0 x 105 – 2.0x 106cfu/ml) on the various milk media. There was a significant difference between total viable counts of Staphylococcus aureus on the LCMA and IMA (Control). However, there was no significant difference in the total viable counts of Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum on the locally compounded media and control. Media containing 'Cowbell' milk powder had the highest total viable counts for the three isolates (1.3 x 105cfu/ml, 1.8 x 106cfu/ml and 2.0 x 106cfu/ml) for Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus plantarum respectively. It was observed that 'Cowbell' milk powder in conjunction with Daddawa (locust bean) and edible yeast powder is the best combination when compounding Milk agar using our local resources

Influence of Calcined Clay on the Strength Characteristics and Microstructure of Recycled Aggregate Concrete for Sustainable Construction

Utilization of concrete wastes as aggregate in conventional concrete is regarded as a promising way of achieving sustainability within the built-up environment. This study investigated the performance of high strength concrete produced using recycled aggregate (RCA) with the addition of calcined clay in the concrete mixes. The recycled aggregate was sourced from concrete rubbles and treated by soaking in water, while calcined clay was sourced from the pilot pozzolana plant of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI). The recycled concrete aggregates were used as a replacement for coarse aggregate at levels of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%, using a mix ratio of 1:1:2 at a constant water-binder ratio of 0.25. Superplasticizer was added to ensure the workability of the mixes. The calcined clay was added at 15 and 20% partial replacement for cement in the mixes. Physical and chemical properties of the materials used were determined, while the workability of the concrete mixes was examined using the slump. The compressive strength of the hardened concrete was determined after 7, 28 and 56 days of curing using 100 mm cube samples. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphology of selected concrete. Results showed that soaking of the recycled aggregate in water limit the water absorption rate of the RCA aggregates in the mixes, while the addition of calcined clay was observed to slightly reduce the workability of the concrete mixes. A reduction trend in compressive strength was noticed as the percentage of recycled aggregate increases, however, a significant increase in compressive strength was observed with the addition of calcined clay at 15% cement replacement. An optimum concrete mix containing 20% recycled aggregate and 15% calcined clay showed improve performance compare to the other mixes. The implication of these results suggests that recycled concrete aggregate can be used for the production of sustainable structural concrete

Effect of varying levels and sources of dietary fat on growth performance and nutrient gigestibility in rabbits

The effects of dietary fat sources and levels on growth performance and nutrient digestibility were investigated in cross-breed Lopx New Zealand rabbits. Fifty weaned rabbits were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments consisting of a control (no fat) and four others with fat, either from plant (groundnut oil) or animal (butter) sources, each at two levels (3% and 6%) of inclusion. There were ten rabbits per diet. Rabbits on 6% animal fat-based diet recorded the highest (P<O.Ol) better in rabbits on 6% animal diet. Organic matter intake (OMI) was observed to be similar between rabbits fed control and 3% animal fat diets. However, the 6% butter fat diet recorded the lowest. Crude protein digestibility (CPD) was similar in rabbit fed 3% and 6% level of animal fat which were the highest while 6% level of plant fat diet had the lowest CPD. These findings show that the inclusion of animal fat at 6% level improved the weight gain and efficiency of feed utilization in rabbits

Mechanical properties of high strength eco-concrete containing crushed waste clay brick aggregates as replacement for sand

Utilization of clay brick wastes for production of high strength eco-concrete enables the combat of raw resources depletion due to excessive mining as well as mitigating environmental pollution caused by demolition of old brick structures in an effort to achieve environmental sustainability in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This study investigates the beneficial usage of crushed clay brick as partial replacement for natural sand in producing high strength eco-friendly concrete. The replacement percentages of the crushed clay brick in respect to sand are 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50% by weight using a mix proportion ratio of 1:1:2 at a constant water-cement ratio of 0.25, aiming at the 28 days compressive strength of about 40 MPa. The chemical characterization of the crushed clay brick and cement was conducted via X-ray fluorescence (XRF). The mechanical properties tests were performed on about 80 specimens using 100 x 100 x 100 mm for cubes, 100 x 100 x 500 mm for beams and 100 x 200 mm diameter for cylinders after 7, 14 and 28 days of curing in water. Results showed that concrete containing crushed clay brick as partial replacement for sand compare favourably well with the control. Consequently, it is suggested that generated clay brick wastes can be crushed and used as replacement for natural sand for the production of eco-friendly high strength concrete

Effect of Nitrogen on the Nutritional Quality and Microbial Load of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L)

The effect of nitrogen concentration on the nutritional quality and microbial load of samples of Hibiscus sabdariffa were studied. Samples of calyces harvested from three different nitrogen levels viz; 0 kg N / ha, 30 kg N / ha and 60 kg N / ha were used. Nutritional composition and the microbial counts of the calyces were determined. Highest significantly (P = 0.01) different crude protein and nitrogen value of 12.06% and 1.93 % were obtained from calyces fertilized with 60 kg N / ha. Ascorbic acid content of the calyces increased with increase in nitrogen levels. For the microbial load analysis, there was no significant influence of nitrogen on the microbial load. However, the least bacteria (2.6 x 104 cfu / ml) and fungi (5.68 x 105 cfu / ml) counts were obtained from calyces fertilized with 30 kg N / ha. Therefore, inorganic nitrogen fertilizer of up to 60 kg N / ha can be applied to Roselle plant in order to increase some of the nutritional constituents but should not exceed 30 kg N / ha for the purpose of reduced microbial load

A Tool for Biotechnological Advancement 1

Bioinformatics has been a useful tool for the advancement and enhancement of biotechnology in recent times with its application in various fields. Bioinformatics has thereby helped invent useful products and create solutions to problems in aspects including utilization of the genome attributes of various living organisms to acquire a better understanding of their biology. It has been used to understand the biology of pathogenic microorganism’s product developments such as reverse vaccinology, drug discovery, personalized medicine, waste clean-up, climate change, and crop improvement. We highlight, in the section, some of the bioinformatics components of biotechnology that are used for translational research in the life sciences

The use of recycled concrete aggregate for concrete production incorporating calcined clay as pozzolanic admixture

Concrete is the most widely used construction material thereby required a lot of raw resources to keep up with its demand. This leads to depletion of raw resources as well as a continuous build-up of demolished concrete wastes (DCW). In most developing nations like Nigeria, the usual way of disposing these DCW is landfilling. However, recycling has become a viable options for conserving the raw resources and reducing greenhouse gases. This study examines the alternative way of reusing concrete wastes for production of fresh structural concrete. The DCW was obtained from the demolition of an existing concrete building and were treated by soaking in water to help reduce the amount of adhered mortar. A mix ratio of 1:1:2 was adopted with a water-cement ratio of 0.25 to attain a relatively high strength concrete and superplasticizer was added to ensure workable mixes. The recycled aggregates (RCA) were used as partial and complete substitute for natural coarse aggregates in percentages of 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100%, while calcined clay was added as pozzolanic admixture into the mixes at 15% and 20% partial replacement for cement. Tests carried out include the physical characterization of the constituent materials and the compressive strength of the hardened concretes were determined after 7, 14 and 28 days of curing in water using cubes of 100 mm × 100 mm × 100 mm. Results showed that the recycled concrete aggregates has high water absorption due to its porous interface. Moreso, results clearly indicate a continual decreasing trend in the compressive strength as the percentages of the RCA increases, however, a significant increase in compressive strength was observed when calcined clay was added as substitute for cement thereby improving the strength development of concrete

Follicular fluid content and oocyte quality: from single biochemical markers to metabolomics

The assessment of oocyte quality in human in vitro fertilization (IVF) is getting increasing attention from embryologists. Oocyte selection and the identification of the best oocytes, in fact, would help to limit embryo overproduction and to improve the results of oocyte cryostorage programs. Follicular fluid (FF) is easily available during oocyte pick-up and theorically represents an optimal source on non-invasive biochemical predictors of oocyte quality. Unfortunately, however, the studies aiming to find a good molecular predictor of oocyte quality in FF were not able to identify substances that could be used as reliable markers of oocyte competence to fertilization, embryo development and pregnancy. In the last years, a well definite trend toward passing from the research of single molecular markers to more complex techniques that study all metabolites of FF has been observed. The metabolomic approach is a powerful tool to study biochemical predictors of oocyte quality in FF, but its application in this area is still at the beginning. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge about the biochemical predictors of oocyte quality in FF, describing both the results coming from studies on single biochemical markers and those deriving from the most recent studies of metabolomic