Ethnozoological Study of Wild Bird Species Body Parts Supply in Traditional Medicine Markets, Abeokuta, Nigeria

The paper examined the ethnozoological study of wild bird species' body parts supply of eighty-three traditional medicine marketers in six traditional medicine markets in Abeokuta North and South Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria using snowball and convenience sampling techniques through the administration of a set of structured questionnaire to 83respondents. The result showed that four-fifths of the total respondents were females (85.54%), two-thirds of the total respondents (68.68%) were less than 50 years and 91.56% of the total respondents had formal education. A total of 21 bird species had their body parts and products on sale in the different markets studied in the study area. Due to the belief and faith of the people, the respondents agreed that there were some bird species that are regarded as being sacred or forbidden and thus, the birds and their bird body parts are used and sold in traditional medicine to treat different ailments and for sacrificial activities of their clients. It was concluded that the existence of bird species cannot be over-emphasized because they are important in believed resources for curing specified types of ailments and sacrificial offerings in traditional medicine. It was recommended that since birds significantly contribute to the natural ecosystem, human health and nutrition, forest and wildlife conservation campaign should be strengthened

Quality Educational Planning and Senior Secondary Education Goal Attainment in Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State

This study determined the relationship between quality educational planning and senior secondary education goal attainment in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State. The study adopted a descriptive design of correlation type while its population comprised all the 3594 teachers across the public secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 346 teachers in the metropolis. An adapted questionnaire titled “Quality Educational Planning Questionnaire” (QEPQ) and “Secondary Education Goal Attainment Proforma” (SEGAP) were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics of frequency count and percentage was used to answer the research questions while inferential statistics of Pearson product-moment correlation statistics was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. The findings of the study revealed that quality educational planning has a significant relationship with secondary education goal attainment in Ilorin metropolis, Kwara State. It was recommended that adequate classrooms and instructional facilities should continue to be adequately planned in order to keep the tempo of academic performance and enhance the level of senior secondary education goal attainment in Kwara State

Insecticidal activities and chemical composition of the essential oil from Tarchonanthus camphoratus (L.), leaves against Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky, and Sitophilus oryzae (L.)

The essential oil of Tarchonanthus camphoratus dry leaves growing in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa was obtained by hydrodistillation and evaluated for its repellent effect, contact and fumigation toxicity against both Sitophilus zeamais and Sarocladium oryzae. Chemical composition of the essential oil was analysed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The study revealed that the essential oil of T. camphoratus had no contact and fumigation toxicity against stored insect pests, S. zeamais and S. oryzae. The oil, however, showed good repellent activity of over 50% after 24 h for all the concentrations used on both S. zeamais and S. oryzae. A total of 27 compounds accounting for 73% of the total oil composition were identified of which sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, (59.18%), were the most dominant. These results suggest that the essential oil of T. camphoratus could be considered a potential control agent of stored grain pests as a repellent

Exercise-induced bronchospasm and its associated factors among secondary school students in an urban community

Introduction: Exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) is a transient narrowing of the airway that usually occurs shortly after exercise. It occurs commonly in people with asthma; however EIB has also been reported in individuals without clinical asthma. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with EIB among secondary school students. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional school- based study involving secondary school students aged between 10 and 17 years without previous history of asthma. Subjects undertook a six-minute running test, spirometry was done and the best of three FEV1 readings were obtained pre-exercise, at 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes post exercise. The diagnosis of EIB was made when there was a decrease in FEV1 of ≥10% from baseline after exercise. Results: Of the 265participants studied, 34 (12.8%) had EIB at 5 minutes post exercise. EIB was significantly more in the 10–13 years age group (χ2 = 18.416, p = <0.001), there was no significant gender difference. The presence of allergic (vernal) conjunctivitis and rhinitis were both significantly associated with the development of EIB (χ2 = 13.574, p < 0.001 and 0.011 respectively). There was no significant association with previous history of wheeze and exposure to indoor air pollution such as cooking with biomass fuel and parental cigarette smoking. Conclusion: EIB exist among non-asthmatic school children, and it is more frequent in the early adolescent age-group. Students with allergic conjunctivitis and rhinitis are more likely to manifest exercise induced bronchospasm

Solid-phase extraction and high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection method for the determination of antibiotic residues in poultry tissues

This article presents information on high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) method for the simultaneous determination of six antibi- otic residues (enrofloxacin, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamerazine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamox- ole, and tylosin) in three poultry tissues. The target antibiotic residues were extracted from raw poultry samples following concentration, clean-up through solid phase extraction. The data describe the extraction, determination and screening procedures of these common antibiotic residues in 111 samples of fresh and frozen poultry meats. The limit of detection (LOD) ranged from 5.37–55.4 ng/g, while the quantification limit (LOQ) was in the range of 17.9–184 ng/g, respectively, with minimal matrix effect. The calibration curves obtained exhibited a good linear response with the coefficient of determination, R 2 > 0.996. Some concentrations exceeded their maximum residue limits in most samples. These findings indicated elevated levels of antibiotic residues in tissues of locally produced and illegally imported poultry meat samples

Effect of frying treatments on texture and colour parameters of deep fat fried yellow fleshed cassava chips

Effects of frying treatments on texture (hardness) and colour parameters (L, a, b, Delta) during deep fat frying of yellowfleshed cassava root slices (TMS 01/1371) were investigated. Slices (dimension of 40mm × 25mm × 3 mm) were divided into three portions and subjected to vacuum frying (fresh slices) and atmospheric frying (fresh and predried slices) and equivalent thermal driving forces (ETDF) of 60∘C, 70∘C, and 80∘C were maintained during frying. The quality attributes investigated were best preserved in vacuum fried chips. The overall colour change in chips fried under vacuum conditions at 118∘C and 8 min was the least (21.20) compared to fresh and atmospherically predried ones (16.69 and 14.81, resp.). A sharp reduction in the breaking force was obtained for all frying treatments after 8 min and this effect was the least in vacuum fried chips. First-order kinetics modeled the changes in quality attributes for all the temperatures investigated. Rate constants k (min−1) obtained for vacuum frying were almost equal to that of atmospheric frying while activation energies for hardness and colour change were 53.30 and 467.11 KJ/mol, respectively. Quality attributes studied were best preserved during vacuum frying

Determination of antibiotic residues in frozen poultry by a solid-phase dispersion method using liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry

Importation of poultry produce into Nigeria through its land borders has heightened, notwithstanding the government’s ban on such products. This study examined imported frozen poultry products for antibiotic residues considering their health implications. A solid-phase extraction method using liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry in the positive and negative electrospray ionisation and the multiple reaction monitoring modes were employed. The antibiotics were extracted with acetonitrile-dichloromethane. Chromatographic separation was on Waters Acquity UPLC® BEH C18 column with acetonitrile, and water gradient and the antibiotics analysed using Electrospray positive ionisation polarity switch in a single run of fourteen minutes. Residues of nineteen (19) antibiotics were found in the three different matrices at different levels with varying detection frequencies ranging between 2 and 4% (sulfamoxole, penicillin-G, albendazole and phebendazole) and 14–54% for all the other antibiotics. The highest number of violative samples was found in the turkey gizzard and chicken muscle. Sulfixosazole had the highest percentage violation of 80.00% in turkey gizzard while sulfamethoxazole, notwithstanding its lower frequency in chicken muscle had highest maximum concentration and 100% violation. The presence of these drugs, however, does not pose any immediate health risk

Distribution of Antibiotic Residues in Non-medicated Poultry Feeds by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode-array Detection

This paper reports on the determination and distribution of antibiotic drugs in poultry feeds mainly the layers and growers mash obtained from Ogun state in Nigeria. Pulverized feed samples were initially treated with phosphate buffer adjusted to pH 7 and the analytes extracted in an SPE cartridge with ammonium hydroxide and methanol. The extract reconstituted in phosphate buffer was determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection (HPLC–DAD). The analytical column was an XTerra MS C18 column, (4.6 mm x 100 mm, 3.5 μm) with mobile phases consisting of ultrapure water and acetonitrile mixed with 0.1% HCOOH in gradient elution mode. Data acquisition was achieved with AgilentChemStation Version B.040.01 SP1 while the analytes were completely separated under 10 minutes with good resolution and symmetric peaks. The high correlation coefficient (R2) values (> 0.998, excluding sulfadimethoxine) indicate a good correlation between analyte concentration and peak areas. Limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) was between 5.37 and 55.42 ng/g, and 17.91 and 184.74 ng/g, respectively. All the drugs exhibited high mean concentration values in the two feed types, and there was no significant difference between their means (p < 0.05). The results clearly showed that feed millers fortify their feeds with antibiotics mainly sulfonamides in varying amounts without declaring same, thus compromising security of poultry birds and human consumers

Effectiveness of Agricultural Technologies and Constraints of Cassava Farming on the Production in Ido local Government of Oyo state, Ibadan, Nigeria

The study investigated the effectiveness of agricultural technologies and constraint on cassava farming in Ido Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. One hundred and forty-eight well-structured questionnaires were used for this study to obtain data for this study from five selected villages. Data obtained were analyzed using percentage and Chi-Square to compare the significance among the variables in this study. The results showed that Cassava production was dominated by males (51.4%) as against females (48.6%), an active age group of 41-50 years (56.7%), more of married people (88.5%) to unmarried (2.7%). The study area was characterized with an average level of secondary education (54.7%). There was no significant relationship between the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents and agricultural technologies used. This research hereby recommended that the government should make available agricultural technologies to the farmers and they should be aware of the technologies through the extension agent

Target Analysis of Antibiotic Drugs in Poultry Feedstuff by Solid Phase Extraction and Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Seventy-five poultry feed samples of two feed types were analysed for antibiotic drugs using a simple generic solid phase extraction procedure with dichloromethaneacetonitrile after delipidation with n-hexane. Analytical separation was performed on a Waters Acquity C18 column with gradient elution consisting of water and acetonitrile. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), with positive and negative electrospray ionization methods in the multiple reaction monitoring modes (MRM), was used for the quantification of 21 compounds from six classes including fluoroquinolones, sulfonamides, lincosamides, anthelmintics, macrolides and the β-lactams in a single chromatographic run of 14 minutes. All the six classes of the drugs were found in the two feed types at concentration ranging between 0.22 – 1505 ng/g. Sulfadimethoxine, sulfaguanidine, sulfamerazine, and sulfamethoxazole were the major sulfonamides in the two feed types with concentration at the part per million levels. Albendazole, penicillin-G, sulfadiazine, sulfaquinoxaline and sulfixosazole were not detected in the layers mash exclusively fed to laying birds; also, sulfamethazine and sulfamozole were the only two drugs not detected in the growers mash meant for birds raised for meat. Ciprofloxacin, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamerazine, and sulfaguanidine were the most prominent antibiotic drugs in the two feed types. Results from the present study suggest that feed millers surreptitiously fortify their feeds with antibiotics without declaring same, thus exposing poultry chickens to sub-therapeutic dosages of the drugs. It is evident that self-regulation for safety in the poultry industry should be discouraged thus relevant authorities must take steps to reduce and control the use of antibiotics to protect public health