Haematological Indices and Enzymatic Biomaker of Black Jaw Tilapia (Sarotherodon Melanotheron) from Lagos Lagoon

The increases in industrial activities and rapid urban development which occur along the shores of the lagoon have resulted in serious pollution problems. The release of wastes containing hazardous substances and dumping of waste indiscriminately into water bodies could lead to environmental disturbance that might be considered a potential source of stress to the aquatic organism. A toxicological study was carried out to ascertain the effects of aquatic pollutants in the blood of Sarotherodon melanotheron at the Lagos lagoon for a period of three months. Four enzymatic biomarkers were analysed which include protein, superoxide dismutase, Malondialdehyde and Reduced Glutathione. Water sample were collected from Lagos Lagoon and analyzed.The differential counts of Haematological indices such as Haemoglobin (Hb), Packed cell volume (PCV), Red blood cell (RBC), White blood cell (WBC), Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), Mean corpuscular haemoglobin content (MCHC), were investigated. The lipid peroxidation and antioxidant biomarkers in the blood of S. melanotheron showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). The mean value recorded for Haemoglobin was 39.78±14.43g/L, PCV was 0.16±0.16L/L, RBC was 2.13±1.47T/L, WBC 6.22±2.66G/L while the Mean corpuscular volume was 73.39fl, MCH was 24.57±11.07pg, MCHC was 344.19±24.04L/L. Also the mean value Lymphocyte was 70.78±6.53% and Monocyte was 0.39±0.69% while 0% was recorded for Eosinophil and Basophil. Air temperature, water temperature, Salinity, pH, conductivity, Turbidity and dissolved oxygen had a mean value of 25.75±1.44°c, 25.17±0.75°c, 0.15±0.1‰, 6.13±0.82, 3.60±1.49mS/cm, 31.0±8.37FTU, 1.60±0.26mg/l respectively. Also the mean value of alkalinity, nitrate, phosphate, sulphate, chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand are 68.07±22.92mg/l, 6.77±3.90mg/l, 0.53±0.55mg/l,0.84±0.37mg/l, 307.67±27.30mg/l and117.19±14.61mg/l respectively. Environmental factors such as low dissolved oxygen, high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) values of this study may be implicated as the possible cause of alteration in the haematological characteristics of S. melanotheron in this study. This study indicates that there was an alteration in haematological profile, antioxidant enzyme and lipid peroxidase activities in S. melanotheron blood which may cause biochemical dysfunction in this specie. All these result provide a useful tool in monitoring the condition and state of health of fish by knowing the normal value with respect to their responses to stress which affects body metabolism.Keywords: Biomarker, Sarotherodon melanotheron, Haematology, Lagos Lagoo

Improvement of diabetic dyslipidemia by legumes in experimental rats

Grain legumes are a valuable source of food proteins; hence, their exploitation is expected to grow in relation to a growing world's food needs. Apart from high level of dietary fibre, their protein composition makes them useful in managing diabetes. This paper reports a study conducted to evaluate the effects of four different non-soy legume-based (Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana var dekindtiana, Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata, Sphenostylis stenocarpa and Vigna subterranea) diets in rats administered with alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg bodyweight). Concentration of plasma glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and HDL-triacyglycerol as well as hepatic levels of cholesterol and triacylglycerols were determined spectrophotometrically in alloxan-induced diabetic rats fed on these legumes for five weeks. Induction of rats with alloxan monohydrate led to significant (p<0.05) elevation of fasting plasma glucose and reduction in body weight. Consumption of each of the four legumes led to a significant reduction in the fasting plasma glucose concentrations in the diabetic rats (p<0.05) with V. subterranean causing about 60% reduction. Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana var dekindtiana and Sphenostylis stenocarpa caused a reversal of the diabetes-induced reduction of hepatic cholesterol (p<0.05). Plasma dyslipidemia was observed in the alloxan-induced diabetic rats as significant (p<0.05) increases in total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, HDL-cholesterol, HDL-triacylglycerols and LDL-cholesterol levels were observed. The legumes improved the plasma lipid profile as shown by a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the ratios of total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol (ranging from 1.25-2.25 for control groups to 1.00-1.35 for the legume-fed groups) and LDL-Cholesterol/HDL-Cholesterol (ranging from 0.50-1.75 for control groups to 0.50-0.75 for the legume fed groups). The results suggest that wild cowpea, white cowpea, african yam bean and bambara groundnut equally reversed diabetes-associated dyslipidemia as indicated by the indexes of cardiovascular disorder. This, therefore, underscores the potential of these underutilized legumes in managing dyslipidemia associated with diabetes in experimental rats. These data should contribute toward enhancing the nutraceutical potential and utility of these legumes.Keywords: Diabetes, lipid profile, rats, legumesAfrican Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Volume 13 No. 2, April 201

Socio-economic factors associated with delivery assisted by traditional birth attendants in Iraq, 2000

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Traditional birth attendants (TBAs) are likely to deliver lower quality maternity care compared to professional health workers. It is important to characterize women who are assisted by TBAs in order to design interventions specific to such groups. We thus conducted a study to assess if socio-economic status and demographic factors are associated with having childbirth supervised by traditional birth attendants in Iraq.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Iraqi Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data for 2000 were used. We estimated frequencies and proportions of having been delivered by a traditional birth attendant and other social characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between having been delivered by a TBA and wealth, area of residence (urban versus rural), parity, maternal education and age.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Altogether 22,980 women participated in the survey, and of these women, 2873 had delivery information and whether they were assisted by traditional birth attendants (TBAs) or not during delivery. About 1 in 5 women (26.9%) had been assisted by TBAs. Compared to women of age 35 years or more, women of age 25–34 years were 22% (AOR = 1.22, 95%CI [1.08, 1.39]) more likely to be assisted by TBAs during delivery. Women who had no formal education were 42% (AOR = 1.42, 95%CI [1.22, 1.65]) more likely to be delivered by TBAs compared to those who had attained secondary or higher level of education. Women in the poorest wealth quintile were 2.52 (AOR = 2.52, 95%CI [2.14, 2.98]) more likely to be delivered by TBAs compared to those in the richest quintile. Compared to women who had 7 or more children, those who had 1 or 2 were 28% (AOR = 0.72, 95%CI [0.59, 0.87]) less likely to be delivered by TBAs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Findings from this study indicate that having delivery supervised by traditional birth attendants was associated with young maternal age, low education, and being poor. Meanwhile women having 1 or 2 children were less likely to be delivered by TBAs. These factors should be considered in the design of interventions to reduce the rate of deliveries assisted by TBAs in favour of professional midwives, and consequently reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates and other adverse events.</p

Microsatellite discovery in an insular amphibian (Grandisonia alternans) with comments on cross-species utility and the accuracy of locus identification from unassembled Illumina data

The Seychelles archipelago is unique among isolated oceanic islands because it features an endemic radiation of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona). In order to develop population genetics resources for this system, we identified microsatellite loci using unassembled Illumina MiSeq data generated from a genomic library of Grandisonia alternans, a species that occurs on multiple islands in the archipelago. Applying a recently described method (PALFINDER) we identified 8001 microsatellite loci that were potentially informative for population genetics analyses. Of these markers, we screened 60 loci using five individuals, directly sequenced several amplicons to confirm their identity, and then used eight loci to score allele sizes in 64 G. alternans individuals originating from five islands. A number of these individuals were sampled using non-lethal methods, demonstrating the efficacy of non-destructive molecular sampling in amphibian research. Although two loci satisfied our criteria as diploid, neutrally evolving loci with the statistical power to detect population structure, our success in identifying reliable loci was very low. Additionally, we discovered some issues with primer redundancy and differences between Illumina and Sanger sequences that suggest some Illumina-inferred loci are invalid. We investigated cross-species utility for eight loci and found most could be successfully amplified, sequenced and aligned across other species and genera of caecilians from the Seychelles. Thus, our study in part supported the validity of using PALFINDER with unassembled reads for microsatellite discovery within and across species, but importantly identified major limitations to applying this approach to small datasets (ca. 1 million reads) and loci with small tandem repeat sizes

Plio-Pleistocene phylogeography of the Southeast Asian Blue Panchax killifish, Aplocheilus panchax

The complex climatic and geological history of Southeast Asia has shaped this region’s high biodiversity. In particular, sea level fluctuations associated with repeated glacial cycles during the Pleistocene both facilitated, and limited, connectivity between populations. In this study, we used data from two mitochondrial and three anonymous nuclear markers to determine whether a fresh/brackish water killifish, Aplocheilus panchax, Hamilton, 1822, could be used to further understand how climatic oscillations and associated sea level fluctuations have shaped the distribution of biota within this region, and whether such patterns show evidence of isolation within palaeodrainage basins. Our analyses revealed three major mitochondrial clades within A. panchax. The basal divergence of A. panchax mitochondrial lineages was approximately 3.5 Ma, whilst the subsequent divergence timings of these clades occurred early Pleistocene (~2.6 Ma), proceeding through the Pleistocene. Continuous phylogeographic analysis showed a clear west-east dispersal followed by rapid radiation across Southeast Asia. Individuals from Krabi, just north of the Isthmus of Kra, were more closely related to the Indian lineages, providing further evidence for a freshwater faunal disjunction at the Isthmus of Kra biogeographic barrier. Our results suggest that Sulawesi, across the Wallace Line, was colonised relatively recently (~30 ka). Nuclear DNA is less geographically structured, although Mantel tests indicated that nuclear genetic distances were correlated with geographic proximity. Overall, these results imply that recent gene flow, as opposed to historical isolation, has been the key factor determining patterns of nuclear genetic variation in A. panchax, however, some evidence of historical isolation is retained within the mitochondrial genome. Our study further validates the existence of a major biogeographic boundary at the Kra Isthmus, and also demonstrates the use of widely distributed fresh/brackishwater species in phylogeographic studies, and their ability to disperse across major marine barriers in relatively recent time periods

On-Chip Integration of Functional Hybrid Materials and Components in Nanophotonics and Optoelectronics

[No abstract available

Improvement Of Diabetic Dyslipidemia By Legumes In Experimental Rats

Grain legumes are a valuable source of food proteins; hence, their exploitation is expected to grow in relation to a growing world&apos;s food needs. Apart from high level of dietary fibre, their protein composition makes them useful in managing diabetes. This paper reports a study conducted to evaluate the effects of four different non-soy legume-based ( Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana var dekindtiana, Vigna unguiculata ssp.unguiculata, Sphenostylis stenocarpa and Vigna subterranea ) diets in rats administered with alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg bodyweight). Concentration of plasma glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and HDL-triacyglycerol as well as hepatic levels of cholesterol and triacylglycerols were determined spectrophotometrically in alloxan-induced diabetic rats fed on these legumes for five weeks. Induction of rats with alloxan monohydrate led to significant (p<0.05) elevation of fasting plasma glucose and reduction in body weight. Consumption of each of the four legumes led to a significant reduction in the fasting plasma glucose concentrations in the diabetic rats (p<0.05) with V. subterranean causing about 60% reduction. Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana var dekindtiana and Sphenostylis stenocarpa caused a reversal of the diabetes-induced reduction of hepatic cholesterol (p<0.05). Plasma dyslipidemia was observed in the alloxan-induced diabetic rats as significant (p<0.05) increases in total cholesterol, triacylglycerols, HDL-cholesterol, HDL-triacylglycerols and LDL-cholesterol levels were observed. The legumes improved the plasma lipid profile as shown by a significant (p<0.05) reduction in the ratios of total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol (ranging from 1.25-2.25 for control groups to 1.00-1.35 for the legume-fed groups) and LDL-Cholesterol/HDL-Cholesterol (ranging from 0.50-1.75 for control groups to 0.50-0.75 for the legume fed groups). The results suggest that wild cowpea, white cowpea, african yam bean and bambara groundnut equally reversed diabetes-associated dyslipidemia as indicated by the indexes of cardiovascular disorder. This, therefore, underscores the potential of these underutilized legumes in managing dyslipidemia associated with diabetes in experimental rats. These data should contribute toward enhancing the nutraceutical potential and utility of these legumes