Subsurface mapping of groundwater contamination pathway using geoelectric method at waste site of Kubanni Basin, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Electrical resistivity Survey was carried out at Kubanni waste dumpsite of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state, Nigeria in order to study the groundwater contamination pathway. Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) using Schlumberger array was carried out at fourteen (14) stations. Ohmega terrameter was used for data acquisition. The field data obtained has been analyzed using Computer Software (ipi2win)which gives an automatic interpretation of apparent resistivity. The VES result revealed the heterogeneous nature of the subsurface geologic sequence. The geologic sequence beneath the study area is composed of topsoil (sandy-clay and sandy-lateritic), weathered basement, fracture basement layer and fresh basement. The resistivity values of the layers ranges from 8.2Ωm to 2884Ωm. The extremely low resistivity variation in the weathered basement identify the present of contamination plume zones in the layer. However, fracture basement and fresh basement underlying the weathered basement show lateral variation in the basement resistivity. The result shows that the contamination plume zone has tendency to contaminate the ground water.Keywords: Contamination, Fracture basement, Fresh basement, Geoelectric, Groundwater, Leachate, Weathered and Vertical Electric Sounding (VES

Evidence of Malnutrition and its Associated Factors among Under-five Children in Danko-Wasagu Kebbi State, North-western Nigeria

Malnutrition is a major health problem worldwide and causes about 2.3 million deaths among under-5 children in low- and middle-income countries annually including Nigeria. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess the nutritional status of under-five children (0-59 months) and associated factors in Danko-Wasagu. The socio-demographic characteristics, prevalence of childhood  diseases, anthropometric parameters and dietary pattern of the children were evaluated. The results indicated that 54.8% of the caregivers are young adults within 20 to 24 years of age with 41.7% having two living children. In addition, 58% of the caregivers have monthly family income below ₦20,000 with no any formal education. The Mid Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) and Weight-for-Height (WFH) indices indicated that none of the children had Severe-Acute-Malnutrition (SAM). However, there was 65.5% prevalence of diarrhea, 45.2% with dermatitis and 25.0% with acute respiratory infections. In addition, stunting, underweight and wasting among the children investigated were 72.7%, 29.8% and 11.9% respectively. Consumption of cereals based diet by the children was 92.7% while 28.6% and 31.0% of the children met the minimum dietary diversity and minimum meal frequency respectively. Caregiver’s age was observed to associate significantly (p<0.05) with wasting, underweight and stunting among the children. Altogether, the presentstudy demonstrated a high prevalence of chronic malnutrition and childhood diseases even though without any case of SAM in the study area. Keywords: Malnutrition, Nutritional status, Under-five-children, Childhood diseases, Dietary patter

A review on microbiological safety of Ready-To-Eat Salads

Eating of road side ready-to-eat (RTE) salads that is made with green leafy vegetables (GLVs) commonly lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the key constituents coupled with adding tomatoes, sliced onions, cucumber, groundnut cake and so on has been reported to cause severe safety threats owing to its being extremely disposed to microbiologically inclined contamination, thereby leading to a public health issue. Pathogenic microorganisms pollute salads as a result of mishandling of raw vegetables, during preparation of salads and also associated environment. Soils typically harbor abundant microorganisms, some of which are human pathogens such as B. cereus, Clostridium botulinum, C. perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Aeromonas. Birds are carriers of pathogens such as E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella and Campylobacter. Reptiles and arthropods are usually in cultivation fields, and therefore have unrestricted access to produce and many bacterial species have evolved to exploit these animals as hosts or vectors. Insect deterioration creates openings that aid the ingress of pathogens into inner plant tissues, thereby enhancing colonization of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria on produce. Not only animals, similarly people working with the vegetables produce are known to be a source and direct contact vector of microorganisms. Hence this type of food is regarded as potential vehicles of food borne illnesses resulting in large and serious national and international outbreaks. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of the most prevalent pathogenic microorganisms. RTE salads can be contaminated with different types of foodborne pathogens from farm-to-fork that makes them unsafe for human consumption. Regulatory bodies should design periodic workshop training for RTE food hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled or poorly prepared minimally processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered

Heavy metals safety of Ready-To-Eat (RTE) vegetables salads (a review)

Vegetables are one of the classes of foods that importantly contribute to the whole health and wellbeing of its consumers. It benefits the human body with important nutrients and help in reducing kind of chronic diseases. Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are generally becoming more popular even in the developing world due to change in lifestyles. One of the most usually RTE food consumed in the northern Nigeria is road side salad that is arranged with vegetables usually lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) or Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) as the main components with the addition of tomato, onion and carrot. However, the consumption of RTE foods promote severe safety threats as vegetables prove well-known trace element and heavy metals (HMs) some of which are essential for good health while some are toxic. HMs include lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), arsenic (As), silver (Ag), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and platinum (Pt). Different sources through which vegetables can be contaminated with these HMs are natural sources, agricultural sources, industrial sources, domestic effluent, atmospheric sources and other sources. Ingestion of vegetables containing HMs is one of the major means in which these elements enter human body. Once entered, HMs is dumped in bone and fat tissues, overlapping noble minerals. Slowly released into the body, HMs can cause an array of diseases. Thus, the essence of this study is to review the safety of the RTE vegetable salads, assessing the contamination level of some dangerous HMs present. As RTE salads can be contaminated with different types HMs that makes them unsafe for human consumption, regulatory bodies should design a periodic workshop training for RTE foods hawkers to help fix the problems and enhance the effectiveness of RTE vegetables salads preparation. Public awareness on the serious health risk associated with mishandled prepared insignificantly processed RTE foods most especially vegetable salads should be considered

Determination of radiological hazard indices from surface soil to individuals in Angwan Kawo Gold Mining Sites, Niger state, Nigeria

The determination of radiological health hazard indices from soil samples has been carried out to assess the environmental impact assessment of gold mining activities in Angwan Kawo community in Niger state, Nigeria using NaI (TI) gamma ray spectroscopy. The radionuclide concentrations were determined using the sodium iodide [NaI (TI)] detector with a low background configuration. The results obtained show that the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K ranged from (20.43±0.04 to 86.45±3.83) (Bq/kg), (19.79±0.83 to 69.80±2.60) (Bq/kg) and (52.63±1.07 to 714.32±16.25) (Bq/kg) at the goldmine and (30.54±0.48 to 82.39±5.83) (Bq/kg), (54.63±0.83 to 114.92±2.91) (Bq/kg) and (290.74±7.08 to 600.44±16.24) (Bq/kg) at the processing zone, respectively. The results obtained were compared with the world mean values of 35, 30 and 400 Bq/kg, for 226Ra, 232Th and 40k, respectively. To assess the radiological hazard of the gold mining site the radiological hazard indices i.e., absorbed dose (D), annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), radium equivalent activity (Raeq), external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin) and gamma representative index (I) were calculated and found to be below the internationally recommended values. Based on this study finding, for the purpose of protection of mine workers and the public it is highly recommended that these sites should be regularly monitored and controlled in order to avoid any radiological impact to the population.Keywords: Gamma spectrometry, Gold mine, Processing zone, Hazard inde

Occurrence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis among patients with suspected tuberculosis in Katsina State north western Nigeria

Background: A couple of decades ago, experts in the study of Tuberculosis excogitated that multi drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is uncommon in sub-Saharan Africa due to the delayed introduction of rifamycin based regimens. However, previous studies showed that 21% of the global MDR-TB burden occurs in the region; with South Africa, Nigeria and Ethiopia ranking first second and third, respectively. Aims and objectives: the objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of drug resistant tuberculosis in patients suspected of having tuberculosis. The aims are: to determine the prevalence of MDR-TB in the non HIV patients presenting with persistent cough, to determine the prevalence of MDR-TB in HIV infected patients and to appraise the extent of the association between MDR-TB and HIV in this region. Methods: Eight hundred and twenty four (824) sputa were collected from suspected participants and analyzed for the presence Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistant strains using a nucleic acid amplification test based machine, Gene expert (Cepheid inc. USA). Results: One hundred and seventy three (21.0%) of the 824 had MTB and 13(7.5%) of the MTB cases were MDR-TB. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of MDR-TB among patients with chronic cough in the region and it is found in both HIV positive and negative patients

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

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Understanding exposure routes of endocrine disruptors in livestock

This paper present review on various exposure routes of endocrine disruptors in livestock due to concern and wide usage of synthetic chemicals and other substances to mimic and interfere with natural hormones in livestock. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals can have a lifelong effects and consequence to next generation livestock offspring. New endocrine disruptor chemicals continue to emerge and the negative and deleterious effects of such chemicals on growth, reproduction, and obesity constitute a public health issue in livestock production. The review indicates that there are various routes through which endocrine disrupting agent can get into animal body and disrupt the normal function of endocrine system: controversial use of synthetic steroid hormones, grazing contaminated pasture, drinking water, concentrate feed, inhalation EDCs substances, placental route, milk exposure and skin contact with product containing endocrine disruption chemicals. There is concern and call for animal science researchers to extensively diversify their studies in this area to come out with holistic solutions on how to minimize exposure and physio-reproductive consequences of endocrine disruptors in livestock

Influence of ampicllin/cloxacilin combination on pharmacokinetics of metformin in type II diabetic patients

Infection is common in diabetes and ampicillin/cloxacillin combination (Ampiclox®) is often coadministered with metformin. The study examined the influence of concomitant administration of a single dose of (2 x 500 mg) capsules of Ampiclox with (2 x 500 mg) metformin on the pharmacokinetics of the latter in Type II diabetic patients. The approval for the research was granted by the Ethical Committee of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria, Nigeria. Six Type II diabetic patients with ages ranging from 25 - 55 years, weight from 50-70 kg took part in the study. Each of the six patients received the following treatments at two weeks intervals: 1 gm of metformin tablets alone and concomitantly with Ampiclox capsules. Blood samples were collected at intervals of 0 to 8 h and stored at -40C before analysis. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was adopted, modified and validated to measure the plasma levels of metformin in the samples. Samples were chromatographed on Agilent Technologies 1120 Compact LG model of HPLC, on column Eclipse x BD C-8,4.6 x 150 nm for metformin with mobile phase acetonitrile: potassium dihydrogen orthophosphate (79:21), using UV detector. The results obtained from the study indicated a statistically significant (P < 0.5) increase in the plasma concentration (Cmax) of metformin from 1140.43±0.52 to 1,379.55±0.4 ng/ml at Tmax 3.0 h, AUC0- 8hrs from 4388.81±0.52 to 5179.71±0.80 ng/ml/hr and elimination half-life t1/2β from 3.8 to 5.1 hr-1. Statistically significant decrease in volume of distribution from 333,852.19.28 ± 0.27 to 283,061 ± 0.02 ml was also recorded. Ampiclox must have inhibited the renal secretion of metformin resulting in higher circulating plasma concentrations. Patients on metformin who require Ampiclox , need therefore to be monitored to avoid therapeutic failure.Keywords: Ampiclox®, Diabetes, HPLC, Metformin, Pharmacokinetic