A Comparative Study of Antimalarial and Toxicological Effects of Aqueous and Methanol Extracts of Glphaea brevis Leaves in Mice

Malaria is the most important parasitic disease of subtropical and tropical countries and its control remains serious challenge, especially through the development of parasite resistance to standard antimalarial drugs. Aqueous and methanol leaves extract of Glyphaea brevis were investigated for their activities against malaria infections using albino mice infected with Plasmodium berghei at dose levels of 100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg per day. Artemisinin at 5mg/kg /day was used as standard control. Dose dependent chemo-suppression of the parasites was obtained at different dosages of the tested extract. The methanol extract was found to be more active in parasite inhibition growth than its aqueous counterpart. In the established infected control group, aqueous and methanol extracts both showed significant dose dependent (P< 0.05) inhibitory and suppressive activities on the extracts treated animals when compared with the infected (positive) control groups. The percentage suppression revealed that 400 mg/kg methanol extract treated group had the highest efficacy (81.89%) amongst the various dosages administered. There was reduction in PCV levels in all the Plasmodium berghei infected mice when compared to the normal control group. Also, there were significant (P< 0.05) increase in the serum concentration of alanine aminotransferase (80.75 ± 7.04) and aspartate aminotransferase (68.50 ± 4.66) of the infected control group compared to normal, standard and the extract treated groups. There was significant difference in the serum concentration of alkaline phosphatase in the positive control group and aqueous extract treated groups. Conclusively, aqueous and methanol leaves extracts of G. brevis possess antiplasmodial activity

HISTOGRAM NORMALIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR PREPROCESSING OF DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHIC IMAGES

Digital mammogram has become the most efficient tool for early breast cancer detection modalities and pre-processing these images requires high computational capabilities. Pre-processing is one of the most important step in the mammogram analysis due to poor captured mammographic image qualities. Pre-processing is basically used to correct and adjust the mammogram image for further study and classification.  Many image pre-processing techniques have been developed over the past decades to help radiologists in diagnosing breast cancer. Most studies conducted have proven that a pre-processed image is easier for radiologist to accurately detect breast cancer especially for dense breast. Different types of techniques are available for pre-processing of mammograms, which are used to improve image quality, remove noise, adjust contrast, enhance the image and preserve the edges within the image. This paper acquired 20 digital mammograms from Mammographic Image Analysis Society (MIAS) database and uses Histogram Normalization algorithm for pre-processing of the mammograms. A percentage of 95% was obtained. It was observed that the pre-processed mammographic images displayed breast abnormalities clearer with little or no noise

Nutritional potential of underutilized gum arabic tree seeds (acacia nilotica) and locust bean seeds (Parkia biglobosa)

Acacia nilotica seed (ANS) and Parkia biglobosa seed (PBS) are underutilised legume found to have health benefits and functional properties. Th is study determined nutrient composition of A . nilotica and P. biglobosa seed s . ANS and PBS were collected and processed properly for c hemical analysis. The proximate, minerals, vitamins, essential amin o - acids, and antinutri ent composition were analyzed to ascertain nutritional attributes and its potential in promoting dietary diversity . The raw and fermented A . nilotica se eds contained in g/100 g , protein (12.88 to 15.3 8), fat (3.29 to 4.91), ash (5.24 to 6.84), dietary fibre (1.98 to 2.66) and available carbohydrate (69.63 to 71.73), whil e the FPB contained in g/100 g, protein (18.30), fat (9.20), ash (8.69), dietary fibre (2.61), and available carbohydrate (56.27). The fermented A . nilotica (FAN) seed contained all the nine (9) essential amino acids. The raw and fermented ANS contained in mg/100 g , iron (9.67 to 12.23), zinc (0.69 to 1.13), calcium (0.17 to 0.22), sodium (0.14 - 0.21 ) while the F PB seed contained 14.86, 1.59, 0.25, and 0.24 , respecti vely. FAN and FPB contained in μg/100 g, vitamin A (148.79 and 197.81), vitamin E (15.90 and 24.69) and vitamin K (1.41 and 1.63) , respectively. The levels of antinutrient factors in all the samples were not significant. Fermented A . nilotica seed contained adequate level of some micronutrients and essential amino acids. Consumption of the seed should therefore be promoted

Effect of Storage Temperature on Some Ogi Properties

Abstract: The study aimed at investigating the effect of storage temperatures on some quality properties of Ogi putting into consideration the peculiar situation of power supply in Nigeria. Ogi was processed using traditional method and stored at different temperatures (27±3, 5 ±2, -10±3 and -20±3ºC) for a period of 12 weeks. Proximate, pH, total titrable acidity, pasting characteristics and sensory evaluation were carried out. The total titratable acidity (Lactic acid based) began to decrease as from week 2 and throughout the period of storage in ogi samples stored at ambient temperature of 27±3ºC. A similar observation was noticed in the ogi stored at 5 ±2ºC, while ogi stored at -10±3 and -20±3ºC maintained the total titrable acidity when compared with the fresh ogi. The mean values of pH were significantly different (p<0.05) in all the storage conditions, while high pH values of 3.61±0.25 and 3.65±0.05 were recorded at week 12 of ogi stored at ambient temperature and 5±2ºC respectively. There was significant difference (p<0.05) in moisture content throughout the period of storage. There was significant difference in proximate composition (p<0.05) in all the storage conditions and throughout the storage period. The peak viscosity and final viscosity of ogi stored under the ambient temperature witnessed a noticeable reduction throughout the period of storage compared with the fresh sample of ogi. Storage at 5±2,-10±3 and -20±3ºC conditions maintained the hold strength (hot paste viscosity). The range of pasting temperature for ogi samples throughout the period of storage was between 76 and 80ºC. There was no significant difference (p<0.05) in multiple comparison results of sensory evaluation and the values for consistency were 2.7 and 2.75 at weeks 8 and 10 respectively for ogi stored at ambient temperature. The acceptability results for consistency and colour showed a significant difference (p<0.05). Ogi stored at low temperatures (-10±3 and -20±3ºC) were preferred

The Making of Racial and Ethnic Categories: Official Statistics Reconsidered

One of the most striking features of the end of the twentieth century was the resurgence of the ethnic question in public debates, both in developing and in developed countries. Between conflicts and wars interpreted from an ethnic perspective (the Balkans and central Africa), nationalist struggles (the Basque country, Quebec and Belgium), and demands for recognition and political representation by new ethnic minorities resulting from immigration, every country is currently affected by what is commonly known as cultural pluralism (Hobsbawm 1993; Dieckhoff 2000; Faist 2009; Simon and Piché 2013). This ‘ethnic renewal’, to coin the expression used to qualify the growing interest for ethnic diversity in the 1960s in the US, is not only driven by a sort of obsession for cultural differences as an explanation for all kinds of social and political phenomenon. It derives from different legacies: from the increasing diversity of the population of countries that have undergone large immigration flows to the long lasting cohabitation of national minorities within modern Nation states, from the history of slavery to the post-colonial era. This resurgence or extension of the salience of ethnicity in most of the societies around the world can be found not only in public discourses, policy-making, scientific literature and popular representations, but also in the pivotal realm of statistics. Indeed, at the turn of century, an increasing number of countries are processing routinely data on ethnicity or race of their population. This is precisely what this book is about: ethnic and racial classifications in official statistics, as a reflection of the representations of population and an interpretation of social dynamics through different lenses

Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and affects people regardless of country, age group, or sex. Using the most recent evidentiary and analytical framework from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), we produced location-specific, age-specific, and sex-specific estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden from 1990 to 2021, the proportion of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 2021, the proportion of the type 2 diabetes burden attributable to selected risk factors, and projections of diabetes prevalence through 2050. Methods: Estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden were computed in 204 countries and territories, across 25 age groups, for males and females separately and combined; these estimates comprised lost years of healthy life, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; defined as the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] and years lived with disability [YLDs]). We used the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) approach to estimate deaths due to diabetes, incorporating 25 666 location-years of data from vital registration and verbal autopsy reports in separate total (including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes) and type-specific models. Other forms of diabetes, including gestational and monogenic diabetes, were not explicitly modelled. Total and type 1 diabetes prevalence was estimated by use of a Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, to analyse 1527 location-years of data from the scientific literature, survey microdata, and insurance claims; type 2 diabetes estimates were computed by subtracting type 1 diabetes from total estimates. Mortality and prevalence estimates, along with standard life expectancy and disability weights, were used to calculate YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs. When appropriate, we extrapolated estimates to a hypothetical population with a standardised age structure to allow comparison in populations with different age structures. We used the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the risk-attributable type 2 diabetes burden for 16 risk factors falling under risk categories including environmental and occupational factors, tobacco use, high alcohol use, high body-mass index (BMI), dietary factors, and low physical activity. Using a regression framework, we forecast type 1 and type 2 diabetes prevalence through 2050 with Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and high BMI as predictors, respectively. Findings: In 2021, there were 529 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 500–564) people living with diabetes worldwide, and the global age-standardised total diabetes prevalence was 6·1% (5·8–6·5). At the super-region level, the highest age-standardised rates were observed in north Africa and the Middle East (9·3% [8·7–9·9]) and, at the regional level, in Oceania (12·3% [11·5–13·0]). Nationally, Qatar had the world's highest age-specific prevalence of diabetes, at 76·1% (73·1–79·5) in individuals aged 75–79 years. Total diabetes prevalence—especially among older adults—primarily reflects type 2 diabetes, which in 2021 accounted for 96·0% (95·1–96·8) of diabetes cases and 95·4% (94·9–95·9) of diabetes DALYs worldwide. In 2021, 52·2% (25·5–71·8) of global type 2 diabetes DALYs were attributable to high BMI. The contribution of high BMI to type 2 diabetes DALYs rose by 24·3% (18·5–30·4) worldwide between 1990 and 2021. By 2050, more than 1·31 billion (1·22–1·39) people are projected to have diabetes, with expected age-standardised total diabetes prevalence rates greater than 10% in two super-regions: 16·8% (16·1–17·6) in north Africa and the Middle East and 11·3% (10·8–11·9) in Latin America and Caribbean. By 2050, 89 (43·6%) of 204 countries and territories will have an age-standardised rate greater than 10%. Interpretation: Diabetes remains a substantial public health issue. Type 2 diabetes, which makes up the bulk of diabetes cases, is largely preventable and, in some cases, potentially reversible if identified and managed early in the disease course. However, all evidence indicates that diabetes prevalence is increasing worldwide, primarily due to a rise in obesity caused by multiple factors. Preventing and controlling type 2 diabetes remains an ongoing challenge. It is essential to better understand disparities in risk factor profiles and diabetes burden across populations, to inform strategies to successfully control diabetes risk factors within the context of multiple and complex drivers. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic