Interaction between Biomphalaria pfeifferi, the snail intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, and indoplanobis exustus, a possible competitor snail

Biological control of snail intermediate host of human schistosome parasites has been suggested. In this study, the effect of Indoplanobis exustus a planorbid snail and possible competitor snail of Biomphalaria pfeifferi on the fecundity and growth rate of the later was evaluated. The results showed a significant difference in the growth rates and fecundity of I. exustus and B. pfeifferi. Maintaining the snails together, the fecundity and growth rate of B pfeifferi were greatly reduced. There was direct relationship between fecundity and growth rate. I. exustus could therefore be a control agent of B. pfeifferi under similar prevailing condition.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (7), pp. 676-678, 200

Operating room waste management: A case study of primary hip operations at a leading national health service hospital in the United Kingdom

This research examines current waste management within an operating room at a large United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS) hospital. The study measured the volume and type of waste produced for primary hip operations (PHOs) and estimated the total waste produced across the United Kingdom by the procedure. Three PHOs were audited to measure and compare the waste volumes generated. Results The average volume of waste per surgical procedure was 10.9 kg, consisting of clinical (84.4%), recyclable (12.8%) and bio-bin (2.8%) waste. This research also found that single-use devices contribute significantly to operating room waste. In addition, it was estimated that there is a missed opportunity to reduce clinical waste volume in each procedure, where approximately 15% of clinical waste disposal consisted of visibly clean recyclable waste material, including cardboard and plastics. Conclusions It was estimated that in the NHS approximately 1043 tonnes of waste is produced annually by PHOs alone. A significant volume of this waste could be prevented through improved recycling and reduced use of single-use devices

Resolution Strategies Adopted in Resolving Marital Disharmony among Couples in Enugu State

This study investigated the resolution strategies adopted in resolving marital disharmony among couples to help in empowering families for sustainable healthy lifestyles in Enugu state. Two research questions and one hypothesis were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey design was used. The sample for this study comprises 300 (150 literate and 150 non-literate) couples drawn through simple random sampling technique from a population of 643, 311. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The research questions were analyzed using means while the hypothesis was tested at 0.05 level of significance using t-test. The findings revealed among others, that avoiding the idle mind by engaging in work, use of family counselors, listening carefully and speaking tactfully to spouse, developing a positive and healthy attitude towards disharmony, communicating feelings of love, admiration, likes and dislikes to each other help in resolving marital disharmony among couples and empowering families for sustainable healthy lifestyles in Enugu state. However, there is no significant difference in the perception of literate and non-literate couples about the resolution strategies adopted in resolving marital disharmony. Based on the findings, recommendations were made. Keywords: marital disharmony, resolution strategies, literacy, couples

Sustainability in practice: a case report of an interdisciplinary online student conference

Sustainable development is interdisciplinary and applicable to all Higher Education subject areas. However, in some curricula its importance is overlooked which presents a barrier to the achievement of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To address this, we organised a ‘Sustainability in Practice’ online conference that invited students to discuss ‘Sustainability, what's it got to do with me?’. The conference, embraced a transformational education approach and active learning, included keynote speakers, breakout sessions and research posters. Student feedback highlighted that they found the event valuable and inspirational: the knowledge gained and discussions with academics and peers were particularly helpful. Students also wished for further engagement, emphasising the event's value and impact on their appetite for knowledge. Insights reported will enable other institutions to replicate the conference thereby helping them to develop their own students’ knowledge and facilitate conversations on sustainability, contributing to education for sustainable development and further achieving the SDGs

Examination Malpractice and Control in Public Secondary Schools in Anambra State, Nigeria: Implications for the Counsellor

This study set out to investigate examination malpractice and control among secondary school students in Anambra state, Nigeria. One thousand, five hundred (1,500) respondents were drawn from the population of staff and students using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Three research questions and one hypothesis guided the study. A 36 item structured questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. Data were analysed using mean and ‘t’ test statistics. The result shows that both teachers and students have knowledge of what examination malpractice is all about and possible ways of curbing it. Counsellors should internalize the results of this study and use them meaningfully for counselling on issues related to examination malpractice Key words: Examination, Malpractice, Control, Secondary Schoo

Adapting and developing an academic and community practice collaborative care model for metastatic breast cancer care (Project ADAPT): Protocol for an implementation science-based study

BACKGROUND: Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) remains incurable despite significant treatment advances. Coordinating care for patients with MBC can be challenging given the various treatment options, available clinical trials, and frequent need for ancillary services. To optimize MBC care, we designed a project for adapting and developing an academic and community practice collaborative care model for MBC care (Project ADAPT), based on the Ending Metastatic Breast Cancer for Everyone (EMBRACE) program developed at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. OBJECTIVE: We aim to describe the implementation science-based study design and innovative components of Project ADAPT. METHODS: Project ADAPT uses the Dynamic Adaptation Process informed by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment framework. Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) partnered with 3 community hospitals in the St. Louis region covering rural and urban settings. The exploration and preparation phases provide patient and provider feedback on current referral practices to finalize the approach for the implementation phase. At the implementation phase, we will enroll patients with MBC at these 3 community sites to evaluate potential collaborative care at WUSM and assess the impact of this collaborative care model on referral satisfaction and acceptability for patients with MBC and their providers. Patients may then return to their community site for care or continue to receive part of their care at WUSM. We are incorporating virtual and digital health strategies to improve MBC care coordination in order to minimize patient burden. RESULTS: The exploration phase is ongoing. As of August 2021, we have recruited 21 patient and provider participants to complete surveys of the current collaborative care process at WUSM. Using a 2-tailed paired t test, 44 patients (including 10 patients from the exploration phase) and 32 oncologists are required to detect an effect size of 0.5 with 80% power at a level of significance of .05. Throughout this phase and in preparation for the implementation phase, we have iteratively updated and refined our surveys for the implementation phase based on testing of our data collection instruments. Our partner sites are in various stages of the single institutional review board (IRB) approval process. We have ongoing engagement with all partner sites, which has helped solidify our participant recruitment strategies and design patient-friendly recruitment materials. In addition, we have included a patient advocate on the research team. Members of the research team have launched a single IRB Support Network at WUSM to create a repository of the single IRB procedures in order to streamline the partner site onboarding process and facilitate enhanced collaboration across institutions. CONCLUSIONS: With this robust model, we expect that patients with MBC will receive optimal care regardless of geographical location and the model will improve patient and provider experiences when navigating the health system. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/35736

Antimicrobial and GC-MS Analyses of Stem and Root Extracts of Bidens Pilosa Linn

This study describes the qualitative phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and GC-MS analyses of the crude methanol extract of the stem and roots parts of Bidens pilosa partitioned between methanol, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and hexane solvents. Phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of cardiac glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids. Saponins were not found in any of the fractions of stem and root of B. pilosa. Antibacterial studies indicated that the lowest concentration (6.25 mg/mL) was achieved for Candida subtilis for the ethyl acetate fraction of the stem extract and hexane fraction of the root extract. Antimycobacterial test activity of these solvent fractions revealed that the hexane fraction of the root extract was susceptible to the bacterium isolate. Gas chromatography-Mass spectrometric study revealed the presence of the following compounds-cis-9-Hexadecenal, 2-hydroxyl ethyl (Z)-9-Octadecenoate, Octadecanal, Oleic acid, 4-(dimethylamino)-Benzaldehyde, 4,6,7-Trimethoxy-2,3-dihydrofuro(2,3-b)quinolon

Safety evaluation of Terminalia catappaLinn (Combretaceae) aqueous leaf extract: Sub-acute cardio-toxicopathological studies in albino Wistar rats

This study evaluated the safety of sub-acute administration of Terminalia catappa L. aqueous leaf extract (TCA) on cardiac biochemical parameters. Graded concentrations (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) of TCA wereorally administered daily for 28 days. Cardiac biochemical parameters of toxicity were thereafter accessedusing standard methods forsuperoxide dismutase, peroxidase, glutathione-S-transferase, reduced glutathione, lipid peroxidation, protein levels, cholesterol, triglyceride, lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine kinase. TCA treatment did not alter the heart weight and cardiac biochemical parameters. Nonetheless, at 800 mg/kg, the antioxidant profile was significantly improved after TCA treatment. There was no mediated sign of treatment toxicityas well asa change in cardiac histological architecture. T. catappaaqueous leaf extract is relatively non-toxic to the heart at the experimental doses and also within the test period

Physico-Chemical, Microbial and Organoleptic Properties of Yoghurt Fortified with Tomato Juice

The world is currently trending towards the discovery of foods that can also serve as nutraceuticals which are highly beneficial to human health. Fortification of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice has shown to incorporate lycopene into the yoghurt, which in turn, increased the nutritional benefit of the yoghurt. Tomato juice was added as increasing levels of 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 w/w% to plain yoghurt. Ash, carbohydrate, moisture pH, viscosity and lycopene content were all analyzed using standard methods. Results showed that ash and carbohydrate content of the yoghurt improved in direct proportion with fortification. Lycopene content also increased (1.50- 9.24 mg/kg) as enrichment with fresh tomato juice increased. Viscosity reduced drastically as fortification increased, colour and texture of the yoghurt also changed; however, sample B (50% tomato juice) showed the best acceptance in respect to the sensory analysis of all the fortified samples. Hence, findings in this research indicated that enrichment of yoghurt with fresh tomato juice improved the nutritional indices of the yogurt

Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change: A Synopsis of Coordinated National Crop Wild Relative Seed Collecting Programs across Five Continents

The Adapting Agriculture to Climate Change Project set out to improve the diversity, quantity, and accessibility of germplasm collections of crop wild relatives (CWR). Between 2013 and 2018, partners in 25 countries, heirs to the globetrotting legacy of Nikolai Vavilov, undertook seed collecting expeditions targeting CWR of 28 crops of global significance for agriculture. Here, we describe the implementation of the 25 national collecting programs and present the key results. A total of 4587 unique seed samples from at least 355 CWR taxa were collected, conserved ex situ, safety duplicated in national and international genebanks, and made available through the Multilateral System (MLS) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Plant Treaty). Collections of CWR were made for all 28 targeted crops. Potato and eggplant were the most collected genepools, although the greatest number of primary genepool collections were made for rice. Overall, alfalfa, Bambara groundnut, grass pea and wheat were the genepools for which targets were best achieved. Several of the newly collected samples have already been used in pre-breeding programs to adapt crops to future challenges.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio