Agromorphological Characterisation of 29 Accessions of Okra (Abelmoschus spp L.)

The West African sub-region is indisputably the region of greatest diversity of Okra (Abelmoschus spp L.) germplasm as it currently hosts some 1,769 accessions of Okra (representing 77.49%) out of the 2, 283 reported world-wide. These are largely uncharacterised, making it practically impossible to ascribe specific attributes to known accessions to facilitate breeding for further improvement to meet specific demands by end-users or industrial-scale production. Twenty six (26) local accessions and three (3) exotic lines of Okra were collected from eight geographic regions of Ghana. Their agro-morphological traits were evaluated under field conditions on the research farm of the Biotechnology and Nuclear Agriculture Research Institute. Hierarchical cluster analysis of results grouped the accessions into two major clusters and subsequently into five sub-clusters based on the qualitative characters studied. The pattern of clustering did not indicate any relationship with geographic origin of collection. The two most divergent accessions were Cs-Legon (local accession) and Clemson spineless (exotic line). There were no duplicates among the accessions which exhibited great variability with respect to all vegetative as well as reproductive characters, except one. Keywords: Okra; accession; characterisation; phenotypic variation; cluster analysis; genetic similarity index

Detection of TYLCV in Ten Genotypes of Tomato (Solanum spp L.) using Serological and Molecular Techniques in a Coastal Savanna Zone of Ghana

Use of resistant varieties is a proven way of controlling the tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), which causes a devastating disease of tomato in tropical and warm temperate regions, resulting in significant yield losses. However, breeding for resistant varieties is slow due to lack of effective methods of virus detection that will lead to efficient selection of desired varieties. A study was conducted to evaluate the susceptibility or otherwise of ten tomato genotypes to TYLCV under field conditions. The ten (10) tomato genotypes were planted in the field and left to natural infection by whitefly vectors. Leaf samples were collected from symptomatic as well as asymptomatic plants at five weeks after transplanting (5WAT) for analysis by serological and nucleic acid-based techniques. Triple antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (TAS-ELISA) detected TYLCV in five out of ten genotypes while polymerase chain reaction using six primers (virus-specific and degenerate) detected the virus in eight out of ten genotypes. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique detected the virus in three samples that tested negative to TAS-ELISA, implying its enhanced sensitivity. A correlation of symptom expression in the field to the presence of TYLCV in test samples led to an effective and unbiased selection of tolerant/resistant genotypes which can be used in further breeding programmes. The study highlights the need for a combination of two or more detection techniques in breeding to enhance the efficiency of selection of TYLC-resistant lines. Keywords: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, polymerase chain reaction, genotypes, resistant varieties, Solanum lycopersicon

Thread embedded into penile tissue over time as an unusual hair thread tourniquet injury to the penis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Hair thread tourniquet syndrome has been recognized since the 1960s. Since then, sporadic reports have appeared in the literature describing different degrees of strangulation and/or amputation of the penis caused by a hair thread being inadvertently tied around the penis.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 9-year-old boy presented with a 3-year history of hair thread tourniquet injury to his penis. Instead of the usual strangulation or amputation, the tourniquet had become embedded into the penile tissue, manifesting with exuberant granulation tissue and a tight urethral stricture. At surgery, the intact tourniquet was still in place, embedded in dense fibrous tissue and associated with a dense urethral fibrosis which measured about 2 cm long. The tourniquet was divided and removed, the fibrotic urethra excised and a distal penile pedicled skin flap used to perform a single-stage substitution urethroplasty. The patient has been voiding well for 28 months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case is unusual and is the first report of its kind. It is also the first report of a hair thread tourniquet as the cause of pediatric penile injury in Nigeria.</p

Male urethral strictures and their management

Male urethral stricture disease is prevalent and has a substantial impact on quality of life and health-care costs. Management of urethral strictures is complex and depends on the characteristics of the stricture. Data show that there is no difference between urethral dilation and internal urethrotomy in terms of long-term outcomes; success rates range widely from 8–80%, with long-term success rates of 20–30%. For both of these procedures, the risk of recurrence is greater for men with longer strictures, penile urethral strictures, multiple strictures, presence of infection, or history of prior procedures. Analysis has shown that repeated use of urethrotomy is not clinically effective or cost-effective in these patients. Long-term success rates are higher for surgical reconstruction with urethroplasty, with most studies showing success rates of 85–90%. Many techniques have been utilized for urethroplasty, depending on the location, length, and character of the stricture. Successful management of urethral strictures requires detailed knowledge of anatomy, pathophysiology, proper patient selection, and reconstructive techniques