The Effect of Temperature on the Clarification of Apple (MALUS DOMESTICA) Juice with Pecinase obtained from ASPERGILLUS NIGER

Aspergillus niger is a saprophytic fungus existing ubiquitously in the soil and on decaying vegetation. Various researchers have reported Aspergillus niger as frequently responsible for postharvest decay of fresh fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, melons, onions and some vegetables. The fungus has been implicated in the deterioration of apple fruits with the production of Pectinolytic enzymes during the breakdown of the plant cell wall by microbial attack. The three varieties of apple (Malus domestica) fruits used for this work are commonly referred to as Red, Green and Yellow varieties from their physical appearance. The fruits were obtained from a grocery store along Idiroko road, Ota, Ogun State in Nigeria. The fruits were disinfected and inoculated with a 72-h-old culture of A. niger. Control fruits were inoculated with sterile inoculum. The fruits were incubated at room temperature of 27oC for twelve days. Extracts from the inoculated fruits exhibited appreciable polygalacturonase activity while those from the uninoculated fruits possessed only traces of the enzyme activity. The enzyme obtained from the deteriorated fruits and commercially produced pectinase were applied for the clarification of freshly ripe apple fruits under controlled experimental conditions at different temperatures (20oC, 25oC, 30oC, 35oC, 40oC and 45oC) to investigate the role of pectinase in the clarification of apple juice. The temperature of incubation had different effects on the three varieties of apple fruits studied. The volume of juice was more in the cylinders with the enzyme clarification at all temperatures than that with water. The optimum temperature was at 25oC for the three varieties green and red apples. The commercial pectinase produced more juice than the crude pectinase

STUDIES ON PECTINOLYTIC AND PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES FROM DETERIORATED GRAPES (Vitis vinifera)

The ability of microorganisms to cause grape (Vitis vinifera) fruit deterioration by production of pectinolytic and proteolytic enzymes to degrade the plant cell was carried out in the Microbiology laboratory of the Department of Biological Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. A bunch of grape fruit was purchased from a local market in Ikeja, Lagos, South West, Nigeria. These samples were allowed to rot for five days in a clear packaging bag. The grape samples were disinfected and cultured on nutrient agar and potato dextrose agar for bacterial and fungal isolates respectively. The morphological and microscopic characteristics of the isolates in combination with a series of biochemical tests were used to identify them. The isolates were tested for their ability to produce pectinolytic and proteolytic enzymes. Aspergillus sp, Mucor sp, Rhizopus sp., Micrococcus sp., and Bacillus sp. were the organisms isolated from this study. The results of this investigation revealed appreciable pectinolytic, and proteolytic enzymes by Aspergillus niger and Bacillus sp. These organisms can be utilized as good sources of industrial enzymes

Studies on Home-Based Management of Malaria in Ogun State, South Western Nigeria

Background: The study area is Olambe, a fast-growing community in Ogun State, Nigeria. It shares the same boundary with Lagos State, Nigeria. It is highly populated due to high cost of rent and high cost of living in Lagos State which made lots of the inhabitants to migrate to neighbouring towns with easy access to Lagos State especially for workers or employees of Lagos State. The effect of home-based management of malaria (HMM) was carried out in Olambe in 2013. HMM is a major means of treatment in this part of Ogun State because the general hospitals or government hospitals available are only in Lagos State and it is quite a distance. A large percentage of the populace receives treatments from private-owned hospitals or solely depends on HMM. Methods: The sampling population was 250 respondents which are mothers of children under the age of five years. Structured questionnaires and oral interview were used in collecting data from the 250 consenting individuals. Results: A large percentage of the respondents were traders and not-well educated individuals (65.0%) who believed so much in home-based management of malaria due to financial difficulties, ignorance and distance to hospitals. About 5.5% are not educated and they attributed the ineffectiveness of some malaria drugs to fake drugs. They therefore use different herbal treatments. About 30.5% use both malaria drugs and herbal treatments for the treatment of malaria. The major factor for ineffective HMM in Olambe is wrong dosage of anti-malarial drugs, herbal treatment and wrong diagnosis. Artemisinin- based combination therapies (ACTS) was the preferred anti-malarial drug in this area. There is poor correlation between the reoccurrence of malaria and the type of drug used for the children (p0.05) Conclusion: This study deduced that few respondents practice HMM correctly while many of them end up in hospitals due to lack of ideal dosage of anti-malarial drugs. A large percentage of respondents take traditional treatments. There is paucity of information on the use of HMM in Olambe, Ogun State, Nigeria and therefore a need to improve HMM, organize programmes to sensitize the area and the local communities around Olambe on the way forward in HMM

Entrepreneurial characteristics of principal partners of architectural firms in Lagos, Nigeria

Very few studies have investigated entrepreneurial characteristics of principal architects, who venture out on their own, rather than practice under established organizations. The research was done to determine and quantify the entrepreneurial characteristics of the principal partners of architectural firms in Lagos, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey of 92 principal partners of architectural firms in Lagos State, carried out in March 2018 and Questionnaires were used in obtaining the data. Results from the analyzed data showed that there is a correlation between the entrepreneurial characteristics of principal partner and the performance of their firms in that their leadership skill and prowess have a direct influence on their firms. This, however, does not necessarily result in a better outcome in all measures of performance investigated. This is because the two entrepreneurial characteristics only affect the ability of the firms to expand. The recommendation, therefore, is that architecture schools should include leadership training and capacity building programs to produce effective contemporary architects who consequently will lead a successful firm, thus bringing repute to the field of architecture. This research can also be implemented on a large scale in other fields for comparative analysis

Knowledge and utilization of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in primary health care centers in rural southwest, Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Intermittent preventive treatment for prevention of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) is a key component of malaria control strategy in Nigeria and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is the drug of choice. Despite the evidence of the effectiveness of IPTp strategy using SP in reducing the adverse effects of malaria during pregnancy the uptake and coverage in Nigeria is low. This study set out to assess the use of IPTp among pregnant women attending primary health centres in the rural area and determine factors that influence the uptake.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional study was carried out between July and August 2007 among 209 pregnant women selected by systematic random sampling from antenatal care attendees at primary health care in a rural Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Nigeria. Information on knowledge of IPT, delivery, adherence and acceptability was obtained using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as means, range, proportions were used. Chi-square test was used to examine association between categorical variables. All analyses were performed at 5% level of significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>One hundred and nine of 209 (52.2%) respondents have heard about IPTp but only 26 (23.9%) were able to define it. Fifty seven (27.3%) reported to have received at least one dose of IPTp during the index pregnancy and all were among those who have heard of IPTp (52.3%). Twenty one of the 57 (36.8%) took the SP in the clinic. Only three of the twenty-one (14.3%) were supervised by a health worker. Twenty two of the 36 women (61.1%) who did not take their drugs in the clinic would have liked to do so if allowed to bring their own drinking cups. Almost half (43.9%) of those who had used IPTp during the index pregnancy expressed concern about possible adverse effect of SP on their pregnancies. Periodic shortages of SP in the clinics were also reported.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this study, IPTp use among pregnant women was very low and there was poor adherence to the Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) scheme. Concerted effort should be made to increase awareness of IPTp among the public especially women of child bearing age. Health workers should also be trained and monitored to ensure adherence.</p

Feasibility and acceptability of artemisinin-based combination therapy for the home management of malaria in four African sites

BACKGROUND: The Home Management of Malaria (HMM) strategy was developed using chloroquine, a now obsolete drug, which has been replaced by artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) in health facility settings. Incorporation of ACT in HMM would greatly expand access to effective antimalarial therapy by the populations living in underserved areas in malaria endemic countries. The feasibility and acceptability of incorporating ACT in HMM needs to be evaluated. METHODS: A multi-country study was performed in four district-size sites in Ghana (two sites), Nigeria and Uganda, with populations ranging between 38,000 and 60,000. Community medicine distributors (CMDs) were trained in each village to dispense pre-packaged ACT to febrile children aged 6-59 months, after exclusion of danger signs. A community mobilization campaign accompanied the programme. Artesunate-amodiaquine (AA) was used in Ghana and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) in Nigeria and Uganda. Harmonized qualitative and quantitative data collection methods were used to evaluate CMD performance, caregiver adherence and treatment coverage of febrile children with ACTs obtained from CMDs. RESULTS: Some 20,000 fever episodes in young children were treated with ACT by CMDs across the four study sites. Cross-sectional surveys identified 2,190 children with fever in the two preceding weeks, of whom 1,289 (59%) were reported to have received ACT from a CMD. Coverage varied from 52% in Nigeria to 75% in Ho District, Ghana. Coverage rates did not appear to vary greatly with the age of the child or with the educational level of the caregiver. A very high proportion of children were reported to have received the first dose on the day of onset or the next day in all four sites (range 86-97%, average 90%). The proportion of children correctly treated in terms of dose and duration was also high (range 74-97%, average 85%). Overall, the proportion of febrile children who received prompt treatment and the correct dose for the assigned duration of treatment ranged from 71% to 87% (average 77%). Almost all caregivers perceived ACT to be effective, and no severe adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: ACTs can be successfully integrated into the HMM strategy