Influence of temperature and relative humidity on the efficacy of diatomaceous earth and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschinkoff) Sorokin (Hyphomycetes: Deuteromycotina) against Tyrophagus fatimii F. (Astigmata: Acaridae)

The combined as well as the alone effect of diatomaceous earth (DE) and entomopathogenic fungi were evaluated against Tyrophagus fatimii (Astigmata: Acaridae). Two different dose rates of DE (1 g and 1.5 g/kg of wheat) and three of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae (Hyphomycetes: Deuteromycotina) (3.6 x 107, 3.6 x 108 and 3.6 x 109 conidia/kg of wheat) were taken and studied at 20°C and 25°C with 45% and 55% r.h. under three exposure intervals. It was found that the combined effect of DE diatomaceous earth and M. anisopliae was maximum at 25°C and 55% r.h. which gave 75% adult mortality at their highest dose rates, however, DE alone exhibited the highest mortality (61.3%) at 25°C and 45% r.h. On the other hand, M. anisopliae gave maximum mortality of mites (48.7%) at 20°C and 55% r.h. at 3.6 x 109 conidia/kg of wheat. It was concluded that the efficacy of both DE and M. anisopliae increased with the increase of the exposure interval. Moreover, the increase of dose increased the mortality. In addition, temperature and r.h. are the key factors for determining the effectiveness of both DE and M. anisopliae. Keywords: Diatomaceous earth, Tyrophagus fatimii, Metarhizium anisopliae, Stored wheat

Efficacy assessment of diatomaceous earth against Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) on gram at different temperature and relative humidity regimes

The efficacy of diatomaceous earth against Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) was evaluated on stored gram under laboratory conditions. The bioassay was conducted at 25 and 30°C in combination with 50 and 60% r.h. Diatomaceous earth (DE) formulation (Diafil 610), at the dose rates of 200, 400, 600 and 800 ppm was admixed with gram grains. Fifty unsexed adults of C. maculatus were released in each jar and treatments replicated thrice. Mortality data was recorded after 2, 3 and 5 days of exposure intervals and after every count the dead individuals were removed, and the commodity was maintained for an additional period of 25 d, in order to record the emergence of F1 adults. The results showed that all treatments were highly effective against the bruchids; however, the highest mortality (100%) was observed at 30°C and 50% relative humidity at 800 ppm of DE with minimal progeny production.Keywords: Diatomaceous earth, Callosobruchus maculatus, Temperature, relative humidity, Gra

Analysis of containers used by fishermen at Lake Alau community in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria

Good handling of fish from the point of harvest to consumption is very essential and the quality of fish can only be maintained if only suitable containers are used in its processing, transportation, distribution and marketing. This study analyzed the different containers used by fishermen at lake Alau community in Konduga Local Government Area of Bomo State. The study was carried out in two prominent leading sites of lake Alau community which are kachalari and Abbari with the aid of questionnaires interview conducted with 50 randomly selected respondents fishermen. Both primary and secondary data were collected. The collected data were analyzed using the market cost of the various fish containers. The result shows that fish containers such as Metal basin, sacks, flat sacks and Metal trays have strong strength while Baskets, jerry cans and calabash have moderate strength the polythene bags, stationery and news print are very weak. Also baskets have the highest percentage of usage 20% while flat sacks, polythene bags and stationery have the highest percentage of 4%, which are the lowest. It can be concluded that, the different containers are afforded to fishermen but most of the containers are often kept dirty, which lead to poor hygiene, rough handling and invariably post-harvest losses and shortage in food supply. It can be recommended that, sheds should be provided at the landing sites to protect fresh fish the direct heat of the sun and enlightment of fishermen and traders on the minimum standard o fthe quality and hygiene for fish and fishery products

Cytosolic NADPH balancing in Penicillium chrysogenum cultivated on mixtures of glucose and ethanol

The in vivo flux through the oxidative branch of the pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) in Penicillium chrysogenum was determined during growth in glucose/ethanol carbon-limited chemostat cultures, at the same growth rate. Non-stationary 13C flux analysis was used to measure the oxPPP flux. A nearly constant oxPPP flux was found for all glucose/ethanol ratios studied. This indicates that the cytosolic NADPH supply is independent of the amount of assimilated ethanol. The cofactor assignment in the model of van Gulik et al. (Biotechnol Bioeng 68(6):602–618, 2000) was supported using the published genome annotation of P. chrysogenum. Metabolic flux analysis showed that NADPH requirements in the cytosol remain nearly the same in these experiments due to constant biomass growth. Based on the cytosolic NADPH balance, it is known that the cytosolic aldehyde dehydrogenase in P. chrysogenum is NAD +  dependent. Metabolic modeling shows that changing the NAD + -aldehyde dehydrogenase to NADP + -aldehyde dehydrogenase can increase the penicillin yield on substrate

Recent research on Gulf War illness and other health problems in veterans of the 1991 Gulf War: Effects of toxicant exposures during deployment

Veterans of Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield - the 1991 Gulf War (GW) - are a unique population who returned from theater with multiple health complaints and disorders. Studies in the U.S. and elsewhere have consistently concluded that approximately 25-32% of this population suffers from a disorder characterized by symptoms that vary somewhat among individuals and include fatigue, headaches, cognitive dysfunction, musculoskeletal pain, and respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatologic complaints. Gulf War illness (GWI) is the term used to describe this disorder. In addition, brain cancer occurs at increased rates in subgroups of GW veterans, as do neuropsychological and brain imaging abnormalities. Chemical exposures have become the focus of etiologic GWI research because nervous system symptoms are prominent and many neurotoxicants were present in theater, including organophosphates (OPs), carbamates, and other pesticides; sarin/cyclosarin nerve agents, and pyridostigmine bromide (PB) medications used as prophylaxis against chemical warfare attacks. Psychiatric etiologies have been ruled out. This paper reviews the recent literature on the health of 1991 GW veterans, focusing particularly on the central nervous system and on effects of toxicant exposures. In addition, it emphasizes research published since 2008, following on an exhaustive review that was published in that year that summarizes the prior literature (RACGWI, 2008). We conclude that exposure to pesticides and/or to PB are causally associated with GWI and the neurological dysfunction in GW veterans. Exposure to sarin and cyclosarin and to oil well fire emissions are also associated with neurologically based health effects, though their contribution to development of the disorder known as GWI is less clear. Gene-environment interactions are likely to have contributed to development of GWI in deployed veterans. The health consequences of chemical exposures in the GW and other conflicts have been called "toxic wounds" by veterans. This type of injury requires further study and concentrated treatment research efforts that may also benefit other occupational groups with similar exposure-related illnesses

Associations of autozygosity with a broad range of human phenotypes

In many species, the offspring of related parents suffer reduced reproductive success, a phenomenon known as inbreeding depression. In humans, the importance of this effect has remained unclear, partly because reproduction between close relatives is both rare and frequently associated with confounding social factors. Here, using genomic inbreeding coefficients (F-ROH) for >1.4 million individuals, we show that F-ROH is significantly associated (p <0.0005) with apparently deleterious changes in 32 out of 100 traits analysed. These changes are associated with runs of homozygosity (ROH), but not with common variant homozygosity, suggesting that genetic variants associated with inbreeding depression are predominantly rare. The effect on fertility is striking: F-ROH equivalent to the offspring of first cousins is associated with a 55% decrease [95% CI 44-66%] in the odds of having children. Finally, the effects of F-ROH are confirmed within full-sibling pairs, where the variation in F-ROH is independent of all environmental confounding.Peer reviewe

Recovery of dialysis patients with COVID-19 : health outcomes 3 months after diagnosis in ERACODA

Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related short-term mortality is high in dialysis patients, but longer-term outcomes are largely unknown. We therefore assessed patient recovery in a large cohort of dialysis patients 3 months after their COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods. We analyzed data on dialysis patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 31 March 2021 from the European Renal Association COVID-19 Database (ERACODA). The outcomes studied were patient survival, residence and functional and mental health status (estimated by their treating physician) 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. Complete follow-up data were available for 854 surviving patients. Patient characteristics associated with recovery were analyzed using logistic regression. Results. In 2449 hemodialysis patients (mean ± SD age 67.5 ± 14.4 years, 62% male), survival probabilities at 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis were 90% for nonhospitalized patients (n = 1087), 73% for patients admitted to the hospital but not to an intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 1165) and 40% for those admitted to an ICU (n = 197). Patient survival hardly decreased between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. At 3 months, 87% functioned at their pre-existent functional and 94% at their pre-existent mental level. Only few of the surviving patients were still admitted to the hospital (0.8-6.3%) or a nursing home (∼5%). A higher age and frailty score at presentation and ICU admission were associated with worse functional outcome. Conclusions. Mortality between 28 days and 3 months after COVID-19 diagnosis was low and the majority of patients who survived COVID-19 recovered to their pre-existent functional and mental health level at 3 months after diagnosis

Synthesis and Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Two Schiff Bases Derived From Cyclohexylamine

Design and development of novel materials with outstanding antimicrobial properties has transpired to hinder and regulate the growth of microorganisms. Indubitably, Schiff bases are the magic bullet that have efficient antimicrobial properties against various pathogenic strains. The Schiff bases, L1 and L2 reported herein were respectively synthesized by equimolar condensation of benzophenone with cyclohexylamine and 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone with cyclohexylamine. The products were obtained in excellent yield of 66 and 75 %. The Schiff bases were subjected to solubility test, melting point determination and FT-IR spectroscopic analysis. They were found to show relative thermal stability with melting points of 220 and 195 oC and solubility in methanol, acetone and dimethylformamide of the solvents used. The FT-IR confirmed the formation of the Schiff bases with appearance of azomethine (C=N) peak at 1652 and 1592 cm-1. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of the Schiff bases was tested against two gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogens) and two gram negative (Pseudomonas aureginosa and Escherichia coli) as well as two fungi strains (Aspergillus Niger and Candida albicans). The results reveal that the Schiff base L2 shows promising activity against all the pathogen under investigation. However, no activity was observed for L1 against the microbes except Streptococcus pyogens