Anatomical studies of the gastrointestinal tract of the striped sand snake (Psammophis sibilans)

A study was carried out on the gross anatomical, morphometric features and histology of the gastrointestinal tract of the Striped Sand Snake (Psammophis sibilans). Ten snakes (five males and five females) were euthanized and dissected for the study. The gastrointestinal tract appeared as a straight tubular organ from oral cavity to cloaca, owning to the absence of a cecum. The stomach could be distinguished as a spindle-shaped bulge along the length of the gastrointestinal tract, longitudinal folds (rugae) were observed for the inner wall of the stomach. The small intestine in this species is thrown into rings; the cranial portion is the duodenum and posterior portion the ileum. The ileum widens up into the colon, it also loses its rings at this point. The cranial portion of the large intestine is the colon, and the caudal portion is the rectum. The mean snout-vent length (cm) in males was recorded as 94.02 ± 1.1 while in females it was recorded as 48.28 ± 1.4. The stomach was the shortest segment while the esophagus was the constituting almost half of the total length of the snout-vent length. The wall of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine was built up of the following layers from outside inwards; serosa, muscularis, submucosa and mucosa, while the stomach consists of a new layer, subserosa which follows the serosa. The entire length of the gastrointestinal tract was lined by simple columnar epithelium (ciliated in the esophagus) and contains goblet cells except in the stomach and rectum where these cells are absent. The esophageal mucosa contained extensive folds, and the lining epithelium consisted of ciliated columnar epithelium, lamina propria, muscularis mucosae and goblet cells. Areas of lymphatic aggregation were also found in the mucosal layer. The stomach mucosa is thrown into folds and was lined through its length with columnar epithelium that showed numerous invaginations, gastric pits, which led to glandular structures, the gastric glands. In the small intestine (duodenum and ileum) the mucosal lining of the intestinal villi is uniform throughout. It is composed of three types of cells; simple columnar cells, goblet cells and lymphatic nodules. The large intestine consists of the colon and rectum. With their villi relatively short compared to those in the small intestine.Keywords: Sand snake, Psammophis sibilans, gastrointestinal tract, gross, morphometry, histolog

A Petroleum Leakage Detection System

This paper presents report of a design work on petroleum leakage detectionsystem. It is a system that is designed to monitor seepage of petroleumproducts across pipeline installations. The design work which was simulated on a PROTEUS software, consists of a gas detecting sensor (GH-312),an 8-bit (AT89C51) Microcontroller, an alarm system and a remote PC. Itwas implemented as a laboratory prototype to sense seepages, generate analarm and also send an alert message to a PC at remote location. Testing ofthe prototype was carried out in the laboratory using methane gas which is acomponent gas contained in petroleum products. Result shows an actuatedalarm (upon the release of gas from test tube) and an instant alert messageon the PC

Comparative Analysis between Monophasic and Biphasic Methods of Blood Culture

A biphasic blood (BiPB) culture bottle (GIBCO Laboratories, North Andover, USA) with an architectural design that physically separates the agar slant from the broth was compared with a conventional vented monophasic bottle (MPB) (GIBCO Laboratories, North Andover, USA) for routine blood culture. Monophasic bottles contained thioglycollate broth (BioAmerica Inc., USA) while the biphasic contained Brain heart infusion agar-BHIA/Brain heart infusion broth-BHIB (BioAmerica Inc., USA). 120 blood cultures were examined on either of monophasic and biphasic blood culture experimental set up.  Out of 240 sets collected, 157(65.4%) were positive for bacterial growth while 83(35.6%) were negative. After subculture a total of 8 isolates (from 154 plates for BiPB and 117 plates for MPB) were recovered during the study. Of these isolates, 4 (from 126 plates for BiPB and 91 plates for MPB) were recovered, 2 isolates (from 28 plates) grew in the BiPB but not in MPB, 2 isolates (from 26 plates) grew only in the MPB but not in BiPB. The BiPB allowed more rapid recovery of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Salmonella spp. and Proteus spp. While Pseudomonas spp. and Enterococcus faecalis were more readily isolated using MPB. BiPB subcultures was easy enough to permit both early and daily subculture which provided isolated colonies sooner than could be done by using the MPB. Bacteria organisms were recovered at a non-significantly (P > 0.025) more frequent rate in the BiPB than in the MPB-A. Either bottle, however, should be used in conjunction with an anaerobic bottle for optimal recovery of anaerobic bacteria. Key words: Biphasic, Monophasic, Thioglycollate, Brain Heart Infusion Agar/Broth, blood culture

Effects of four different methods of skeletal processing on the guinea fowl (Numida meleagridis).

The process of skeletal processing which involves soft tissues removal, bone cleaning, articulation and labelling is a fundamental step in achieving gross anatomical and archeological studies in museum display of skeletal specimens. It also helps to further highlight the functional anatomy of bones. Several methods of bone preparation have been practiced so as to achieve desired quality bone specimens in the shortest possible time with limited resources. To this end, this study was carried out on 16 (8 males and 8 females) helmeted guinea fowl (Numida meleagridis) a representative of the avian species using four different bone preparation methods (Burial, cold maceration, chemical and insect larvae) at 31ºc to determine the most suitable in this species. Dissection to remove feathers, skin and internal organs was performed prior to each method. Burial in soil took 14 days for complete bone recovery, turned the bones uniformly light brown while producing an indelible putrefying smell with no evidence of cracks on the bones. Cold maceration also took 14 days for complete bone recovery, however, the bones turned whitish, producing a strong putrid smell with no cracks on the bones observed. Chemical method using 3 concentrations of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) (2%, 3% and 5%) took approximately 10 hours, 8 hours and 4 hours respectively for complete cream coloured bone recovery with no odour but cracks were conspicuous on the bones with increasing concentration of sodium hydroxide. Use of insect larvae took approximately 4 months to produce non-uniform brown-coloured bones articulated via the ligaments having an unpleasant odour with no cracks. Considering the pros and cons of the effects associated with each method, this study concludes that the use of insect larvae was most suitable for a non-urgent bone recovery while the use of NaOH at 3% concentration was suitable for urgent bone recovery of the helmeted guinea fowl

Nosocomial infections and the challenges of control in developing countries.

Nosocomial infection is a recognized public health problem world-wide with a prevalence rate of 3.0-20.7% and an incidence rate of 5-10%. It has become increasingly obvious that infections acquired in the hospital lead to increased morbidity and mortality which has added noticeably to economic burden. However, after about three decades of nosocomial infection surveillance and control world-wide, it still remains an important problem for hospitals today. Studies have shown that most hospitals in developing countries especially Africa, have no effective infection control programme due to lack of awareness of the problem, lack of personnel, poor water supply, erratic electricity supply, ineffective antibiotic policies with emergence of multiply antibiotic resistant microbes, poor laboratory backup, poor funding and non-adherence to safe practices by health workers. It is recommended that the cost of hospital infection control programme should be included in the health budget of the country and fund allocated for the infection control committee for routine control purposes and to bear the cost of outbreaks. There is need for adequate staffing and continuous education of staff on the principles of infection control, especially hand washing which is the single most important effective measure to reduce the risks of cross infection.

Effect of dietary inclusion of Pleurotus tuber-regium on performance and intestinal morphology of growing rabbits

The Pleuroteus mushroom has immense growth and health promoting potentials. However, reports on its utilization in the diet of the rabbit is sparse. Therefore, a 56-day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary inclusion of Pleurotus tuber-regium sclerotium powder (PTRSP) in growing rabbits. Forty–eight crossbred rabbits aged between 7 and 9 weeks with average initial weight of 700±25 g were used for the study. The rabbits were allotted to 4 experimental diets containing 0.0, 25.0, 50.0 and 75.0 g/kg PTRSP, respectively. Each treatment had 4 replicates with three rabbits each in a completely randomised design. Growth performance, serum biochemistry and intestinal morphology were determined. The weight gain and feed conversion ratio were better (P<0.05) in rabbits fed diet containing 50.0g/kg PTRSP. Rabbits fed diet containing 75.0 g/kg PTRSP had lower (P<0.05) serum cholesterol, creatinine and alanine transaminase and higher (P<0.05) total glucose concentration compared to those receiving other experimental diets. Rabbits fed diet with 50.0g/kg PTRSP had higher (P<0.05) caecal apical width than those fed diet containing 0.0 g/kg. Inclusion of 50.0 g/kg of PTRSP in the diets of rabbits is beneficial for improved growth, cholesterol metabolism and intestinal morphology without any adverse effects

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health in low- and middle-income countries

Adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are struggling with accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, and COVID-19 has escalated the problem. The purpose of this review was to identify and assess the existing literature on the impact of the pandemic on SRH needs and access to services by adolescents in LMICs. A scoping review was conducted to collate findings on the topic. Searches were performed on eight databases. Data were extracted and categorized into various themes. After removing duplicates and performing a full-text reading of all articles, nine articles were included in our review. Our findings generated several themes related to adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health during the COVID-19 pandemic. These include (1) limited access to sexual and reproductive health services, (2) school closure and increased rate of early marriages, (3) sexual or intimate partner violence during COVID-19, (4) disruption in maternity care, (5) adolescents’ involvement in risky or exploitative work, (6) intervention to improve sexual and reproductive health services during COVID-19, and (7) policy development related to adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Several recommendations were made on policies—for instance, the use of telemedicine and community-based programs as a way to deliver SRH services to adolescents during and after a pandemic

Comparative agronomic effectiveness of two agrowastes and NPK fertilizer on the performance of Amaranthus caudatus

Production of agricultural wastes is increasing while soils are progressively losing organic matter due to intensive cultivation and climatic conditions. This makes the recycling of organic wastes a useful alternative to incineration, landfill or rubbish dumps. The effects of two agro- wastes and mineral fertilizer on growth and yield of leaf amaranth were assessed in a pot experiment at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. Treatments consisted of poultry manure (PM) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) each applied at 8 and 16MT/ha while NPK 15-15-15 was applied at 150, 200kgha-1 and no fertilizer as control. Seeds of amaranthus caudatus variety were sown in plastic pot (50x20x40cm) containing 20kg top soil. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Data were taken on plant height, stem girth, number of leaves plant-1, leaf area, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, edible yield and above ground plant weight at 6 weeks after planting. The results revealed that the agrowastes significantly (p<0.05) resulted in better performance of leaf amaranth. Application of 16MT/ha PM gave the highest fresh and edible weight of 211.23 and 98.80g respectively. POME also performed better than NPK fertilizer in some of the parameters measured. This indicated that PM and POME could serves as an alternative sources of nutrient to mineral fertilizer for leaf amaranth and also a sustainable fertility management strategy for crop production. Keywords: amaranth, palm oil mill effluent, organic fertilizer, NPK fertilizer, utilizatio

Foetal Wastage Through Slaughtering of Pregnant Cows in Zaria, Nigeria

This study was conducted to evaluate the causes and effects of foetal wastage in the Nigerian cattle industry due to indiscriminate slaughter of pregnant cows in Zaria abattoir, Nieria. A total of 7,812 cattle were slaughtered in the abattoir, with a total of 236 (6.78%) foetuses recovered from January to December, 2008. The highest number of foetal recovery was obtained in January and May with the values of 36 and 39 foetuses, respectively. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the foetuses recovered and the months. The highest number recovered was during the first trimester and it accounted for 43.22% of the total number of foetal recovery during the period while the values obtained at the second and last trimesters accounted for 32.62% and 24.15%, respectively. Reproductive tract of each cow was examined using rectal palpation pre-slaughter for the presence of pregnancy, right and left side containing single, twins or triplets. The results showed that 8.1% of cows slaughtered in the abattoir were at various levels of pregnancy with a single foetus.Key words: Pregnancy, foetal wastage, slaughtered cattle, abattoir, Zaria, Nigeri

Evaluation of Methods of Peak Runoff Determination using Catchment Characteristics for Jere Sub-basin, Gurara River Basin, North Central Nigeria

This paper presents the evaluation of methods of determination of peak runoff for an ungauged catchment. The present study made use of Geographical Information System (GIS) for the morphometric analysis of four sub-catchments within Jere sub-basin in Gurara Basin, Nigeria. Various morphometric parameters were computed and analyzed as sub-basin characteristics are important factors in determining the runoff. Three methods of peak runoff estimation were used to determine peak runoff of the study area for four return periods. The results of the peak runoff estimation based on rational method for the four sub-catchments for 25-year, 50-year, 75-year and 100-year return periods varied between 224m3/s and 1036m3/s, while the results for the SCS method varied between 105.3m3/s and 162.05m3/s and the results from the Cypress Creek method varied between 22.8m3/s and 86.55m3/s. The results obtained from the three methods showed that there are significant differences in the peak runoff results and also there are significant differences in the peak runoff results for the different return periods