Phosphorus Fertilization Under Different Land Preparation Methods and Performance of Groundnut (Arachis Hypogea L.) in Rainforest Zone of Southern Nigeria

A field experiment was conducted on an Arenic paleudult in the rainforest zone of Southern Nigeria to determine the response of an improved variety of peanut (Arachis hypogea L. var. Samnut 23) to phosphorus, under different land preparation methods. Selected land preparation methods were “slash and burn” (SB) and “slash and mulch” (SM), and the phosphate fertilizer rates were 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg P ha-1.  The experiment was laid out as a randomized complete by block design. Each land preparation was divided into plots. Macro- and micro nutrient contents of peanut plants were determined, and the growth and yield components were also assessed. Results showed that the pre planting soil analysis for the SB management had a pH of 5.77, N (1.8 gkg-1), P (2.05 mgkg-1) and K (0.11cmol (+) kg-1), while that of the SM had a pH of 5.95, N (0.9 g kg-1), P (0.86 mg kg-1) and K (0.07cmol(+)kg-1).  Plant height was not significantly different (pd” 0.05) in the land preparation methods, but leaf area was significantly different. However, plant height and leaf area responded better under the SB treatment with 90 kg P ha-1 rate of phosphorus fertilizer than the SM treatment under the same rate. Fresh pod weight of 908.6kg ha-1 and dry pod weight of 558.0kg ha-1 was obtained at 60 kg P ha-1 under the SB treatment and was significantly different from all other treatments including the SM. Significant differences were also observed in the nutrient concentrations of leaves and roots. Highest leaf phosphorus content (3.502 mg kg-1) was recorded at 90kg P ha-1 in the SM treatment while the highest nutrient content of P in the roots (0.272 mg kg-1) was recorded at 30 kg P ha-1 also in the SM treatment. However, the SB treatment recorded the highest peanut seed pods / shell at 60 kg P ha-1. Generally, phosphorus fertilization under the SB management practice gave better results than the SM management practice.Keywords: groundnut, land preparation, phosphorus fertilization, Slash and burn, slash and mulch   [How to Cite: Joseph SO and RO Oyibo. 2014. Phosphorus Fertilization Under Different Land Preparation Methods and Performance of Groundnut (Arachis hypogea L.) in Rainforest Zone of Southern Nigeria. J Trop Soils 19(1): 1-7. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2014.19.1.1] [Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2014.19.1.1]&nbsp

Effectiveness of online training in improving primary care doctors’ competency in brief tobacco interventions: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of WHO modules in Delta State, Nigeria

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends that brief tobacco interventions should be routinely offered in primary care. However, medical doctors do not consistently and effectively intervene during their encounters with cigarette smokers. There is a paucity of studies assessing the effect of training on the tobacco intervention competency of primary care doctors in Nigeria. Aim To evaluate the effectiveness of online training in improving competency in brief tobacco interventions among primary care doctors in Delta State, Nigeria. Methods A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted among eligible doctors working in government-owned facilities. The 22 eligible Local Government Areas (LGAs) served as clusters. The intervention group received a WHO six-hour online course on brief tobacco cessation intervention, delivered via Zoom. The control group received no intervention. A structured questionnaire was sent to participants via WhatsApp before and six months after the training. The primary outcome variables were scores for knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and practice. Differences in change of scores between intervention and control groups were assessed with t-test. To adjust for clustering, these inter-group differences were further analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression modeling with study condition modeled as a fixed effect, and LGA of practice entered as a random effect. Results The intervention group had a significantly higher mean of change in scores for knowledge (effect size 0.344) and confidence (effect size 0.52). Conclusion The study shows that training, even online, positively affects clinician competency in brief tobacco intervention. This is important for primary care systems in developing countries. Mandatory in-service training and promotion of the WHO modules are recommended

Of Toasters and Molecular Ticker Tapes

Experiments in systems neuroscience can be seen as consisting of three steps: (1) selecting the signals we are interested in, (2) probing the system with carefully chosen stimuli, and (3) getting data out of the brain. Here I discuss how emerging techniques in molecular biology are starting to improve these three steps. To estimate its future impact on experimental neuroscience, I will stress the analogy of ongoing progress with that of microprocessor production techniques. These techniques have allowed computers to simplify countless problems; because they are easier to use than mechanical timers, they are even built into toasters. Molecular biology may advance even faster than computer speeds and has made immense progress in understanding and designing molecules. These advancements may in turn produce impressive improvements to each of the three steps, ultimately shifting the bottleneck from obtaining data to interpreting it

Amputation-free survival in 17,353 people at high risk for foot ulceration in diabetes:a national observational study

Acknowledgements Some of the data were presented as an abstract at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference in 2017. Diabetes data for Scotland are available for analysis by members of the Scottish Diabetes Research Network (SDRN) thanks to the hard work and dedication of NHS staff across Scotland who enter the data and people and organisations (the Scottish Care Information –Diabetes Collaboration (SCI-DC) Steering Group, the Scottish Diabetes Group, the Scottish Diabetes Survey Group, the managed clinical network managers and staff in each Health Board) involved in setting up, maintaining and overseeing SCI-DC. The SDRN receives core support from the Chief Scientist’s Office at the Scottish Government Health Department. Members of the Scottish Diabetes Research Network Epidemiology Group who do not qualify for authorship but who contributed to data collection include R. Lindsay (Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, UK); J. McKnight (Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK); S. Philip (Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK); Members of the Scottish Diabetes Research Network Epidemiology Group who do not qualify for authorship but who contributed to data management include L. Blackbourn (Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK); B. Farran (Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, UK); D. McAllister (Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, UK); P. McKeigue (Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK); S. Read (Usher Institute of Population Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, UK).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Identification and Characterization of Microsporidia from Fecal Samples of HIV-Positive Patients from Lagos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites that infect a broad range of vertebrates and invertebrates. They have been increasingly recognized as human pathogens in AIDS patients, mainly associated with a life-threatening chronic diarrhea and systemic disease. However, to date the global epidemiology of human microsporidiosis is poorly understood, and recent data suggest that the incidence of these pathogens is much higher than previously reported and may represent a neglected etiological agent of more common diseases indeed in immunocompetent individuals. To contribute to the knowledge of microsporidia molecular epidemiology in HIV-positive patients in Nigeria, the authors tested stool samples proceeding from patients with and without diarrhea. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Stool samples from 193 HIV-positive patients with and without diarrhea (67 and 126 respectively) from Lagos (Nigeria) were investigated for the presence of microsporidia and Cryptosporidium using Weber's Chromotrope-based stain, Kinyoun stain, IFAT and PCR. The Weber stain showed 45 fecal samples (23.3%) with characteristic microsporidia spores, and a significant association of microsporidia with diarrhea was observed (O.R. = 18.2; CI: 95%). A similar result was obtained using Kinyoun stain, showing 44 (31,8%) positive samples with structures morphologically compatible with Cryptosporidium sp, 14 (31.8%) of them with infection mixed with microsporidia. The characterization of microsporidia species by IFAT and PCR allowed identification of Enterocytozoon bieneusi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis and E. cuniculi in 5, 2 and 1 samples respectively. The partial sequencing of the ITS region of the rRNA genes showed that the three isolates of E.bieneusi studied are included in Group I, one of which bears the genotype B. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, this is the first report of microsporidia characterization in fecal samples from HIV-positive patients from Lagos, Nigeria. These results focus attention on the need to include microsporidial diagnosis in the management of HIV/AIDS infection in Nigeria, at the very least when other more common pathogens have not been detected

Pf7: an open dataset of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation in 20,000 worldwide samples

We describe the MalariaGEN Pf7 data resource, the seventh release of Plasmodium falciparum genome variation data from the MalariaGEN network.  It comprises over 20,000 samples from 82 partner studies in 33 countries, including several malaria endemic regions that were previously underrepresented.  For the first time we include dried blood spot samples that were sequenced after selective whole genome amplification, necessitating new methods to genotype copy number variations.  We identify a large number of newly emerging crt mutations in parts of Southeast Asia, and show examples of heterogeneities in patterns of drug resistance within Africa and within the Indian subcontinent.  We describe the profile of variations in the C-terminal of the csp gene and relate this to the sequence used in the RTS,S and R21 malaria vaccines.  Pf7 provides high-quality data on genotype calls for 6 million SNPs and short indels, analysis of large deletions that cause failure of rapid diagnostic tests, and systematic characterisation of six major drug resistance loci, all of which can be freely downloaded from the MalariaGEN website

Normosmic idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism due to a rare KISS1R gene mutation

Hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism is due to impaired or reduced gonadotrophin secretion from the pituitary gland. In the absence of any anatomical or functional lesions of the pituitary or hypothalamic gland, the hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism is referred to as idiopathic hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism (IHH). We present a case of a young lady born to consanguineous parents who was found to have IHH due to a rare gene mutation

Malaria and HIV co-infection and their effect on haemoglobin levels from three healthcare institutions in Lagos, southwest Nigeria

Background: Malaria and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are two major infections with enormous public health consequence. Together, they are endemic in many developing countries with anaemia being the most frequent haematological consequence of the infections. Objective: To determine the prevalence of malaria and HIV co-infection as well as anaemia among selected patients from three health-care institutions in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 1080 patients was carried out to determine the prevalence of malaria and HIV co-infection as well as anaemia. Blood sera from each of the patients were screened for malaria parasites, HIV-1 and HIV-2 using Giemsa stain, Cambridge Biotech Recombigen HIV-1/HIV-2 rapid device, respectively while haemoglobin estimation was performed using cyanmethemoglobin method. Results: Our data showed that the total number of malaria infected patients were significantly higher in HIV sero-positive patients 47.7% (31/65) when compared with their HIV sero-negative counterparts 25.8% (262/1015) P = 0.047. The result also revealed that 25.8% (8/31) of the patients co-infected with malaria and HIV had anaemia as compared to 11.1% (29/262) infected with malaria alone. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that patients with dual infection of malaria and HIV were twice likely to be anaemic than those infected with malaria alone [adjusted OR 2.4, 95% CI, 1.3 to 2.7,P = 0.014]. Conclusion: Our data indicated a higher prevalence of malaria in HIV infected patients and also revealed that patients coinfected with malaria and HIV were more likely to be anaemic

Influence of Yam /Cassava Based Intercropping Systems

Abstract: The research showed that intercropping significantly suppressed weeds, reduced pest/disease infestation and thereby can play a leading role in integrated pest management. However, no pests and diseases were observed in all plots at 4WAP while low incidence of termite and stem borers were observed at 8 and 12 WAP respectively. Although, there were heavy weed weights at 4 and 8 WAP, indicating weed troublesome nature and how it constitutes a major limiting factor to food production if not checked. Early canopy cover shading the land area on stakes and fast spread of the landrace legumes covering the ground reduced weed incidence at 12 WAP and beyond while timely weeding also reduced weed and host for pest and diseases syndrome prevalent in unweeded farms in rainforest zones