Evaluation of traps and attractants for mass trapping of African Invader Fly, Bactrocera invadens on mango in south west Nigeria

Mass trapping has demonstrated to be a powerful tool in the control of fruit flies, its use in African countries has currently increased remarkably as a control method. This study evaluated the efficacy of two traps; Lynfield Trap (LT) and Modified Lynfield Trap(MLT) and two lures (Methyl Eugenol (ME) and Protein Bait from Brewery Waste (PBBW)) for mass trapping of Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta, & White (Diptera: Tephritidae) on mango during 2014 and 2015 fruiting seasons. Traps containing attractants were randomly set on mango homestead trees in three replicates at three selected locations in Ibadan Southwest Nigeria. Results showed no significant difference (p > 0.01) between the trap types baited with ME attractant, although the MLT recorded higher catches of B. invadens during the two seasons. Methyl eugenol was significantly (p < 0.01) more effective than hydrolyzed protein bait from brewery waste in mass trapping B. invadens in the three locations of study. However, ME trapped only male B invadens while PBBW trapped both male and female. B. invadens population was highest at the peak of mango ripening (June) and the density of flies trapped in 2015 was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 2014 in all the locations. Suitable choice of traps, lures and season enhances the mass trapping results. The use of Protein bait from brewery waste and modified lynfield trap for monitoring B. invadens and population suppression is promising and should be encouraged since they attract both sexes and less cost effective.Keywords: trapping, mango, lures, fruit fly, contro

Design, fabrication and performance evaluation of a portable hand-held refractometer

Refractometer is a simple optical instrument that measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. It measures on a "Brix" scale and the Brix level determines the flavor and quality of fruits and vegetables. The fabricated refractometer has built-in temperature compensations for Brix measurements and it is only valid for fruit juices solutions The refractometer is equipped with a thermometer and there is a means of circulating water through the refractometer to maintain a given temperature The designed refractometer consists of a light source, filtered to a single wavelength, which is directed towards the prism-sample interface by a converging lens. This creates a range of incidence angles, some of which will be completely reflected. A Charge-coupled Device (CCD) sensor precisely measures the intensity of the reflected light and determines the exact angle at which light begins to be completely reflected. The fabricated refractomter consists of six main parts which include focus adjustment, calibration screw, daylight plate, eye piece, rubber grip and main prism assembly. Actual tests were conducted using samples of orange, pineapple and cashew juices at certain levels of pH values. The average percentage Brix values of orange, cashew and pineapple juices are 7.88%, 10.84% and 6.91% respectively. It was observed that cashew juice has highest percentage Brix followed by orange and pineapple juices. This implies that cashew juice can deteriorate faster than the other two juices. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the effect of temperature and pH used for the experiment show that F-calculated (4.248) is greater than F-table (3.35) at 5% probability level; therefore, the pH of fruit juice has an effect on its brix value. It appears that the rate of pH or temperature sensitivity of the fabricated refractometer used could not be the actual or maximum rate for the experimentKeywords: Design, Fabrication, Portable, Refractometer, pH, Temperatur

Preparation of Carbon Brushes from Agro-Waste Materials Palm Kernels Shells for Automobile Industry

The carbon brush is mainly applied in a rotating shaft as an electrical contact in conducting current between static wires and moving parts. It is applied majorly in electric motors, alternators, and electric. The automobile industry has recently developed rapidly in the world with numerous novel kinds of motors with low power and high speed. The materials that are utilized in the manufacture of carbon brush are copper metal, amorphous carbon, graphite, retort cokes, petroleum coke, binders, lubricants, and some other metal powders serving various purposes. The major part of the carbon brushes is carbon which can be derived from carbonaceous materials such as agro-waste. The agro-waste of palm kernel shell was prepared through pyrolysis using an anaerobic furnace at 500 °C – 800 °C for five hours to obtain carbonaceous material. The carbon which is the main component was activated at this temperature using the physical activation method. The samplers produced contained copper, zinc, and molybdenum disulphide as a lubricant with a resin binder in a different ratio. The samples were characterized by several testing. The results showed that the hardness, bending strength 1125 N/mm2, resistivity 14 μΩcm, and bulk density 1026 g/cm3. These were compared with control samples from the industry which have Brinell hardness 398.22 BHN, bending strength 1305 N/mm2, resistivity 22 μΩcm, and bulk density 1104 g/cm3. From the comparison result, the properties measured of the sample fell within a reasonable range with the industry carbon brush. In conclusion, the result demonstrates that agro-waste such as palm kernel shell is a viable means in the production of carbon brushes for the automobile industry

Factors motivating end-users’ behavioural intention to recommend m-health innovation: multi-group analysis

mHealth innovation is health innovation that is gaining adoption in developing countries. The COVID-19 impact and the brain drain of health practitioners in Nigeria are indicating higher importance of the innovation. However, while the literatures on adoption are rising there is paucity of literature on intention to recommend mHealth innovation particularly with gender context. The study considered determinants of end-users’ behavioural intention to recommend mHealth innovation by considering multi-group analysis. Theory of reasoned action was modified with variables from health belief model and unified theory of acceptance and use of innovation to structure the intention to recommend mHealth model. Structured questionnaire with adapted items from extant studies were scaled on 7 point likert scale while snowball sampling technique was adopted in data collection. A total of 291 questionnaires were used in the analysis which was done through IBM Statistics version 23 and AMOS 23. The study used descriptive statistics, structural equation model and an invariant analysis to check the difference between the groups. The model showed good fit using a set of fit indices and coefficient of codetermination that indicates high predictive capacity. The SEM analysis show that subjective norm is the most vital factor that influences end-users’ intention to recommend mHealth innovation to others. Generally, it indicates that male users have higher intention to recommend mHealth innovation than female users of mHealth innovation. The result of the analysis also show that the correlations between the exogenous factors are positive and at least moderate across gender thus indicating the direction for adoption of marketing communication strategies to deepen the awareness of the innovation and encourage recommendation to others. The recommendation suggested center on marketing communication strategies that involves use of role models, influencers, celebrities, health practitioners and other referents to encourage the awareness and intention to recommend the innovation. The key limitation of the study is on sample size and the use of cross-sectional survey design which could pose danger in generalisation of the findings. However, it is concluded in the study that male users of mHealth innovation have higher intention to recommend the innovation than the female users of the innovation

The Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Positive Patients on Therapy in Nnewi.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a common disorder affecting individuals of all ages. Similar to general population, diabetes mellitus (DM) can also be seen in HIV infected subjects. In this study, 150 confirmed HIV positive subjects, 50 of whom were on the first line drug of Lamividine, Nevirapine, Combivir, Co mbipack and efavirenze were recruited. The second group of 50 subjects was on second line drugs which consisted of Truvada and Aluvida. Truvada is from first line drug and comprises tenofovir and emtricitabine while aluvida is protease inhibitor and comprises lopinavir and ritonavir. The third group of 50 subjects was not on antiretroviral therapy and was used as control. All the patients were screened for diabetes mellitus (DM) before the commencement of antiretroviral therapy and found to be negative. Assay was performed three months after the commencement of therapy. There is a prevalence of 6% diabetes mellitus in those on second line drugs which comprised mostly protease inhibitors compared to 0% of those on the first line drug and control samples using a cut-point of 11.0 mmol/L of random blood sugar as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). It is possible that the rise in blood glucose level may be a result of Aluvida , a protease inhibitor rather than Truvada a first line drug. There is also a prevalence of 10% impaired glucose intolerance based on WHO cut-point of 8.0mmol/l. Most of the patients recruited for this work had CD4 less than 350 cells/ l, which is the WHO cut point before drug can be administered to a patient. Therefore primary care for HIV – infected individuals with reference to DM and its complication is important

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Blood Pressure Reducing Effect of Bitter Kola ( Garcinia kola , Heckel) in Wistar Rats

In this study the effect of Garcinia kola (GK) on blood pressure was investigated. Albino wistar rats were divided into three groups. Groups A rats had normal rat chow and water ad-libitum while groups B and C rats had Garcinia kola diet of 10% w/w and 15% w/w respectively, their blood pressures were monitored weekly for a period of 6 weeks. Secondly, inbred wistar rats weighing on the average 185g were anaestezized with thiopentone sodium 100mg/kg body weight (b.wt) intraperitoneally and prepared for injection and for blood pressure measurements on a recording device (Ugo Basile Itlay). Significant reduction in blood pressure (P <0.05) was observed in rats given GK-enriched diets, in the third week. During preliminary investigations it was observed that 5.0mg/kg b.wt dose of extract was lethal after 6 minutes, while 3.0mg/kg b.wt of the extract was tolerated for upwards of four hours. Based on these findings, graded doses of the extract. (0.5 – 3.0mg/kg) were used and these doses produced statistically significiant (P <0.05) fall in mean arterial pressure and also significant (P <0.05) increase in heart rate. Cholinergic blockade produced no significant attenuation on the effect of extract. However there was a significant (P <0.05) attenuation to extract effect after Histaminergic blockade. This study shows that Garcinia kola contains in its alcohol extract, a vasoactive substance that has a blood pressure reducing effect

ABO Blood Group as a Biomarker of Preeclampsia among Antenatal Clinic Attendees in Nigeria

Background: The clinical application of the ABO blood group is not limited to transfusion medicine but extends to other aspects of medicine. Its&nbsp; impact on preeclampsia is controversial. Aim: To determine the association of ABO blood group type with preeclampsia. Subjects and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional analytical study of 66 women with preeclampsia and 81 apparently healthy women controls carried out in a tertiary health institution. The case and control groups were consecutively recruited during antenatal clinic visits and matched for age, parity, and gestational age. Data on demographics and the ABO blood group of the two groups of individuals were obtained. The analysis was both descriptive and inferential using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 (Chicago Il, USA). A P value of &lt;0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.6 (4.9), 95% CI: 27.76–33.95. The majority of the women were ≤40 years (98.5%) and multigravidae constituted 81.8%. Forty‑six (69.7%) women with preeclampsia had blood group O and 20 (30.3%) had a non‑O blood group. Forty‑nine (60.5%) of the controls had blood group O and 32 (39.5%) had a non‑O blood group. The observed difference was not statistically significant (OR 1.50; 95% CI: 0.75–3.0; P = 0.26). The odds ratio for developing preeclampsia was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.37–1.91; P = 0.67) for the&nbsp; primigravidae. The non‑O blood groups were more likely to present with symptoms than the O group (P &lt; 0.01). Twenty‑six (39.4%) women with preeclampsia had a mild disease while 40 (60.6%) had severe disease. Conclusion: Women with non‑O blood groups are not at increased risk of developing preeclampsia but are more likely to be symptomatic than the&nbsp; O group. Keywords: ABO blood group, preeclampsia, severe hypertension, symptomati

Pattern of blood donation and characteristics of blood donors in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Background: Despite increasing need for blood donation in medical practice, little is known about pattern of blood donation and characteristics of blood donors in some African populations like Nigeria. This information is necessary in designing strategies and policies for improving blood transfusion services in Africa.Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the pattern of blood donation and characteristics of blood donors in Enugu, Southeast, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study of 3377 blood donors at a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Nigeria from May 1, 2016 to April 30, 2017. Information sought included donors’ sociodemographic characteristics; type of blood donor: Voluntary nonremunerated donor (VNRD), family replacement donor (FRD), or paid donor (PD); willingness to become VNRD in the future after counseling and education (at point of entry to blood bank) on its benefits to clinical practice; hemoglobin (Hb) level; and transfusion transmissible infections (TTIs).Results: Mean age of blood donors was 28.8 ± 8.5 years, majority were male (3011, 89.2%) and students (1289, 32.8%). FRDs were the highest in number (1998, 59.2%), followed by PDs (746, 22.1%) and finally VNRDs (633, 18.7%). Of the 3377 persons that came for blood donation, 2537 (75.1%) were found eligible to donate while 840 (24.9%) were deferred on account of low Hb (602/3377, 17.8%) or positive infectious screening test (238/3377, 7.0%). The odds of a male donor being a VNRD were about one and half times that of a female donor (582/3011 [19.3%] vs. 51/366 [13.9%]; odds ratio: 1.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.09–2.02; P = 0.01). After counseling of FRDs and PDs, majority (54.3%) were willing to become VNRDs in the future. Donors’ age &gt;30 years, being of male sex, having tertiary level of education, and being employed were strongly associated with willingness to become VNRDs in the future (P &lt; 0.001).Conclusion: VNRD made up &lt;20% of the total number of donors in Enugu, Nigeria. There is a need for improvement in public enlightenment on the need for VNRDs and employment opportunities of the populace to improve voluntary blood donation.Keywords: Blood donation, blood donors, donor characteristics, patter

Prognostic Impact of Pretreatment Thrombocytosis in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Aims:&nbsp;This study was aimed at investigating the prognostic impact of pretreatment thrombocytosis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients in Lagos, Nigeria.&nbsp;Methods:&nbsp;This was a retrospective cohort study involving the review of the clinical record of 72 patients with histologically confirmed EOC who were managed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria over a 7-year period from January 2010 to December 2016. Information on the sociodemographic data and platelet counts at diagnosis of EOC were retrieved from the patients' medical records. Descriptive statistics were then computed for all baseline patients' characteristics. Survival analyses were carried out using the Kaplan-Meier estimates. Multivariate analysis of these data was performed with the Cox proportional hazards model.&nbsp;Results:&nbsp;This study revealed that the prevalence of pretreatment thrombocytosis was 41.7% among the women with EOC. Fifty-three (73.6%) of the women had the advanced-stage disease (FIGO stage III-IV) while 52 (72.2%) had high-grade disease (II-III). The majority (66.7%) of the women had a serous histological type of EOC while 76.4% had documented recurrence. Pretreatment thrombocytosis was significantly associated with the women's parity (P&nbsp;= 0.009), serum carbohydrate antigen 125 levels (P&nbsp;= 0.018), median progression-free survival (PFS) (P&nbsp;&lt; 0.001), 3-year median overall survival (OS) (P&nbsp;&lt; 0.001), type of primary treatment (P&nbsp;= 0.002), extent of cytoreduction (P&nbsp;&lt; 0.001), presence of ascites (P&nbsp;= 0.002), International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P&nbsp;= 0.008), and histological type (P&nbsp;= 0.011). Pretreatment thrombocytosis was negatively associated with PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.25; 95% CI 0.83, 0.75;&nbsp;P&nbsp;= 0.014) and 3-year OS (HR = 0.03; 95% CI 0.03, 0.27;&nbsp;P&nbsp;= 0.002).&nbsp;Conclusions:&nbsp;The study suggests that pretreatment thrombocytosis may be a useful predictor of survivals in EOC patients