The Influence of Drying on the Physical Properties of Sweet Potato Slices

The effects of varying drying conditions on the physical properties of sweet potato slices were studied. Fresh tubers were peeled, washed and cut into two shapes (rectangular: 50 x 60 mm and cylindrical 60 mm diameter) and two thicknesses (4 and 6mm) slices. Some slices were blanched in water at 90 oC for 5 mins and some untreated. The slices were dried in the sun or oven (50 oC , 70 oC , 90 oC ). The bulk density, dimensional changes and moisture loss were investigated. Moisture loss and percent shrinkage increased with higher temperature and longer drying time. 4mm thick samples lost more moisture and higher % shrinkage than 6mm thick samples, although not significantly (P>0.05). Logarithmic equations gave best fit of moisture loss with time at the different temperatures. Initial sample thickness had a greater impact on shrinkage than sample shape. Blanching minimized % shrinkage although not significantly (P>0.05). Greater shrinkage took place in the sample thickness (up to 63%) than across product diameter or length (values up to 26.3%). % shrinkage can be predicted using either the linear or logarithmic equations. The bulk densities of dried sweet potato slices were not influenced by blanching. Keywords: moisture content, drying kinetics, blanching, dimensional changes, bulk density

Tree Species Diversity and Distribution in the Natural Forest of Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

Anthropogenic activities has caused depletion of majority of Nigeria forest reserves, reducing forest lands to agricultural lands and grasslands. These prompted this study to consider the diversity of species as well as their species composition in the forest in February 2021. Four sub-plots were established in a cluster with an area of 50m by 50m, with 20m distance between each plots and 10m as edge effect. Twenty five tree species belonging to fifteen families were found in the study site. Family Malvaceae was the most represented. Triplochiton scleroxylon recorded the highest relative importance value (11.23). The diversity indices across the study plots assessed were species richness, evenness, Shannon index and dominance. Dominance indices across the study plots were low, asides for Plot 4 where. Triplochiton scleroxylon was dominant. Simpson index was highest in Plot 1 and lowest at Plot 4. Shannon index was highest, though in moderation in Plot 1 and relatively low in the remaining plots. Evenness indices across the four plots were high. However, the summarized diversity indices for the study site reflected dominance was generally low, Simpson index was high, Shannon index was moderate and Evenness index was moderate. The dendrogram depicted the relationship among  the tree species population based on similarities and dissimilarities. Triplochiton scleroxylon belonged to a cluster while every other species with close similarity were categorized under cluster 2

The Effects of Storage on Sachet Water Quality in Ogun State, Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of storage on the physicochemical status and bacteriological quality of sachet water produced and sold in Abeokuta metropolis, Nigeria. Ten brands of sachet water were collected within 24 hours of production and stored at ambient temperature. Sub-samples were drawn from the stock samples immediately for physico-chemical and microbiological analyses and after two months. Physical parameters were determined by instrumental methods. Cationic and anionic constituents were determined by standard titrimetric and spectrophotometric methods, trace and heavy water were determined by Atomic Adsorption Spectrophotometer. The study revealed that all the brands of water analyzed were physically and chemically wholesome and met the WHO standards. Five brands (50%) of the water had total viable and coliform count above the recommended count of 100cfu/m and zero cfu/ml, respectively. pH values increased in all brands to acceptable WHO limits within 2 months of storage except for sample 3 and 4 which decreases below the acceptable limit. Majorly dissolved oxygen and nitrate values decreased through the investigation period. Total and faecal coliform appeared in 50% of sachet water samples analyzed immediately after production and were no longer detected after storing for two months except for sample 4. Results of the experiment indicate that 60% of the brands analyzed met the WHO guideline limit for drinking especially for the physico-chemical parameters while the majority failed in the microbiological essay when stored at ambient temperature for the two-month investigation period

From cassava to gari: Mapping of quality characteristics and end-user preferences in Cameroon and Nigeria

User's preferences of cassava and cassava products along the value chain are supported by specific root quality characteristics that can be linked to root traits. Therefore, providing an evidence base of user preferred characteristics along the value chain, can help in the functional choice of cassava varieties. In this respect, the present paper presents the results from focus group discussions and individual interviews on user preferred quality characteristics of raw cassava roots and the derived product, gari, ‐ one of the major cassava products in Sub Saharan Africa ‐ in major production and consumption areas of Cameroon and Nigeria. Choice of cassava varieties for farming is mainly determined by the multiple end‐uses of the roots, their agricultural yield and the processing determinants of roots that support their major high‐quality characteristics: size, density, low water content, maturity, colour and safety. Processing of cassava roots into gari goes through different technological variants leading to a gari whose high‐quality characteristics are: dryness, colour, shiny/attractive appearance, uniform granules and taste. Eba, the major consumption form of gari in Cameroon and Nigeria is mainly characterized by its textural properties: smoothness, firmness, stickiness, elasticity, mouldability. Recommendations are made, suggesting that breeding will have to start evaluating cassava clones for brightness/shininess, as well as textural properties such as mouldability and elasticity of cassava food products, for the purpose of supporting decision‐making by breeders and the development of high‐throughput selection methods of cassava varieties. Women are identified as important beneficiaries of such initiatives giving their disadvantaged position and their prominent role in cassava processing and marketing of gari

Efficacy and Safety of Three Antiretroviral Regimens for Initial Treatment of HIV-1: A Randomized Clinical Trial in Diverse Multinational Settings

Background:Antiretroviral regimens with simplified dosing and better safety are needed to maximize the efficiency of antiretroviral delivery in resource-limited settings. We investigated the efficacy and safety of antiretroviral regimens with once-daily compared to twice-daily dosing in diverse areas of the world.Methods and Findings:1,571 HIV-1-infected persons (47% women) from nine countries in four continents were assigned with equal probability to open-label antiretroviral therapy with efavirenz plus lamivudine-zidovudine (EFV+3TC-ZDV), atazanavir plus didanosine-EC plus emtricitabine (ATV+DDI+FTC), or efavirenz plus emtricitabine-tenofovir-disoproxil fumarate (DF) (EFV+FTC-TDF). ATV+DDI+FTC and EFV+FTC-TDF were hypothesized to be non-inferior to EFV+3TC-ZDV if the upper one-sided 95% confidence bound for the hazard ratio (HR) was ≤1.35 when 30% of participants had treatment failure.An independent monitoring board recommended stopping study follow-up prior to accumulation of 472 treatment failures. Comparing EFV+FTC-TDF to EFV+3TC-ZDV, during a median 184 wk of follow-up there were 95 treatment failures (18%) among 526 participants versus 98 failures among 519 participants (19%; HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.72-1.27; p = 0.74). Safety endpoints occurred in 243 (46%) participants assigned to EFV+FTC-TDF versus 313 (60%) assigned to EFV+3TC-ZDV (HR 0.64, CI 0.54-0.76; p<0.001) and there was a significant interaction between sex and regimen safety (HR 0.50, CI 0.39-0.64 for women; HR 0.79, CI 0.62-1.00 for men; p = 0.01). Comparing ATV+DDI+FTC to EFV+3TC-ZDV, during a median follow-up of 81 wk there were 108 failures (21%) among 526 participants assigned to ATV+DDI+FTC and 76 (15%) among 519 participants assigned to EFV+3TC-ZDV (HR 1.51, CI 1.12-2.04; p = 0.007).Conclusion: EFV+FTC-TDF had similar high efficacy compared to EFV+3TC-ZDV in this trial population, recruited in diverse multinational settings. Superior safety, especially in HIV-1-infected women, and once-daily dosing of EFV+FTC-TDF are advantageous for use of this regimen for initial treatment of HIV-1 infection in resource-limited countries. ATV+DDI+FTC had inferior efficacy and is not recommended as an initial antiretroviral regimen.Trial Registration:http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00084136

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution of Wetland Soils in Ijokodo, Oyo State, Nigeria

Wetlands soils play significant roles in agricultural food production, but are susceptible to heavy metal contamination from recharge waters and/or agrochemicals. This study investigated distribution and level of pollution of heavy metal in soils of Ijokodo wetland, Oyo state, Southwest Nigeria. Twenty soil samples (top and sub soils) were collected randomly within the wetland in October, 2019 and analyzed for Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Co, Cr and Ni using standard methods. The degree of heavy metal pollution was assessed by comparing metal concentrations to sediment quality guidelines and soil quality thresholds. The results show that soil within the Ijokodo wetland is moderately polluted with cadmium and nickel at concentrations that could cause adverse impact to the wetland ecosystem. The correlation matrix and PCA both show recharge waters, agricultural inputs and parent rock composition as important sources of metals in the wetland. The presence of heavy metals in wetland soils above permissible limits is of human health concern and calls for continuous monitoring of Ijokodo wetland soils to check heavy metal enrichment above the accepted regulatory limits

SEPTICAEMIA IN HIGH RISK NEONATES AT A TEACHING HOSPITAL IN ILE-IFE, NIGERIA

Objectives: To determine the incidence, predisposing factors,clinical features, bacteriologicalpattern and antibiotic sensitivity in septicaemia in high-risk newborns.Design: A prospective study.Setting: Neonatal unit, Ife State Hospital, a unit of the Obafemi Awolowo UniversityTeaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Subjects: All newborns admitted with clinical features and/or risk factors suggestive ofneonatal septicaemia from February 1994 to March 1995.Main outcome measures: Culture results and mortality rates.Results: The incidence of neonatal septicaemia among new born was 22.9 per 1000 livebirths.The predisposing perinatal factors were low socio-economic status, lack of antenatal care,maternal peripartum pyrexia and congenital malformations. Gram-positive bacteria werefound to be the most prevalent causative organisms (59.4%). Staphylococcusaureus (36.2%),Pseudomonas aerugirzosa (18.8%) and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (15.9%) were thecommonest causes of septicaemia. Meningitis and UTI were associated diagnoses in 16.7%and 18.2% of the septicaemic babies, respectively. The bacterial isolates showed a highdegree of in-vitro antimicrobial resistance. However, all the isolates were sensitive toofloxacin. Amongst the commonly used antibiotics, gentamicin had the lowest resistance.The overall mortality rate was 33.3%.Conclusion: Improvement in the socio-economic status of the populace and availability ofaffordable antenatal care would reduce the incidence of neonatal septicaemia in Nigeria.Continuous surveillance in every unit, as well as close attention to preventive strategieswould be necessary to reduce morbidity and mortality from neonatal septicaemia. Werecommend the inclusion of gentamicin in the initial treatment of septicaemia in the neonatalunit of OAUTHC, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

SEPTICAEMIA IN HIGH RISK NEONATES AT A TEACHING HOSPITAL IN ILE-IFE, NIGERIA

Objectives: To determine the incidence,predisposingfactors, clinical features, bacteriologicalpattern and antibiotic sensitivity in septicaemia in high-risk newborns.Design: A prospective study.Setting: Neonatal unit, Ife State Hospital, a unit of the Obafemi Awolowo UniversityTeaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria.Subjects: All newborns admitted with clinical features andfor risk factors suggestive ofneonatal septicaemia from February 1994 to March 1995.Main outcome measures: Culture results and mortality rates.Results: The incidence of neonatal septicaemia among new born was 22.9 per 1000 livebirths.The predisposing perinatal factors were low socio-economic status, lack of antenatal care,maternal peripartum pyrexia and congenital malformations. Gram-positive bacteria werefound to be the most prevalent causative organisms (59.4%). Staphylococcus aureus (36.2 %),Pseudomonas aeruginosa (18.8%) and Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (15.9%) were thecommonest causes of septicaemia. Meningitis and UTI were associated diagnoses in 16.7%and 18.2% of the septicaemic babies, respectively. The bacterial isolates showed a highdegree of in-vitro antimicrobial. resistance. However, all the isolates were sensitive toofloxacin. Amongst the commonly used antibiotics, gentamicin had the lowest resistance.The overall mortality rate was 33.3%.Conclusion: Improvement in the socio-economic status of the populace and availability ofaffordable antenatal care would reduce the incidence of neonatal septicaemia in Nigeria.Continuous surveillance in every unit, as well as close attention to preventive strategieswould be necessary to reduce morbidity and mortality from neonatal septicaemia. Werecommend the inclusion of gentamicin in the initial treatment of septicaemia in the neonatalunit of OAUTHC, lle-Ife, Nigeria