Degradation properties of wild Adansonia digitata (Baobab) and Prosopsis africana (Lughu) oils on storage

The deterioration of Adansonia digitata and Prosopsis africana oils on storage for 140 days was evaluated using chemical and physical parameters. The chemical parameters evaluated includedperoxide value (PV), iodine value (IV), percentage free fatty acids (%FFA), and saponification value (SV). The physical parameters used involved the measurement of infrared (IR) spectroscopy and refractiveindex (RI). The metallic ions present in the A. digitata and P. africana oil have been analysed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The metallic ions found to be present included calcium (Ca),iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sodium (Na) with potassium occurred in relatively high amount in A. digitata oil (280 ± 1.34 mg/100 g). Systematic variations in these parameterswith storage time were observed. These include initial increase followed by decrease in peroxide value, iodine value and increase in free fatty acids, saponification value and refractive index. These changeshave been interpreted to be due to some structural changes in the triglyceride leading to the formation of new chemical properties or products over the period of storage. The IR spectra also have given anindication of the rancid state of the oils, due to bands observed at 3470 – 3490, 1745 – 1740, 970 and 870-890 cm-1 for hydroperoxides, ester C = O stretching (indicating possible formation/presence ofaldehyde, ketones and acids), trans-isomer, peroxides, respectively, which are products of oxidative rancidity

Potential application of resin extracts of Anogeissus leiocarpus plant

This work reports the application of tannin obtained from Anogeissus leiocarpus plant and its use in formulation of a thermosetting material for domestic and industrial use. The ploy condensation of tannin with formaldehyde produced a thermosetting resin with useful properties; formaldehyde (10.5 ml), tannin (2.5 g), glycerol (0.6 ml), hexamine (5.5 g), pH 7.5 and temperature 60 °C. Gel viscosity and effect of temperature on gel time were determined. Absorption behaviour of the films from the thermosetting material formulated under aqueous, acid and basic conditions were investigated. Water absorption up to 90% was obtained between 1 to 3 hrs. Perhaps due to differences in chain topology of the material formulated related to the molecular size holes in the polymer structure which depends on the morphology and crosslink density of the material. No acid absorption was observed after 12 hrs indicating that cross-linking reaction was still taking place in the solution.Keywords: Thermosetting, Resin, Polycondensation, Tannin, polymerization, viscosit

Nutrient content of seeds of some wild plants

The seeds of the fruits of some wild plants; Cassipourea congoensis (Tunti), Nuclea latifolia (Luzzi), Deterium microcarpum (Tallow), Balanites aegytiaca (Betu), and Gemlin arborea (Melina) were analysedto establish their proximate compositions and the physico-chemical characteristics of the oils. The physico-chemical characteristics measured include saponification value (SV), iodine value (IV),peroxide value (PV), acid value (AV) and percentage free fatty acid (%FFA). Refractive index was the physical parameter measured. The iodine values of the oils were not greater than 88 g/100 g but thesaponification values were in the range 122 ± 0.14 to 201 ± 0.05 mg KOH. Proximate values of the protein, oil and carbohydrate content of the seeds suggest that they may be adequate for the formulation of animal feeds. The mineral elements present also suggest that the seeds could contribute partially to the overall daily intake of these elements, subject to knowledge of the levels of the possible toxic substances. The vitamins (A and C) found to be present in the seeds are low, though could alleviate the symptoms associated with these vitamins. The cyanogenetic glucoside contents in the seeds were analyzed to establish their proximate composition. Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis showed that all the samples studied contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in the form of cyanogenetic glucoside in quantities varying from 2.51 ± 0.31 mg/100g of dried sample for D.microcarpum to 3.75 ± 0.02 mg/100g for G. arborea. The aglycone for all the glucoside detected was  found to be benzaldehyde

Biochemical evaluation of Cassipourea congoensis (Tunti) and Nuclea latifolia (Luzzi) fruits

The fruits of Cassipourea congoensis (Tunti) and Nuclea latifolia (Luzzi) were assessed chemically for the presence of mineral elements, vitamins A, B, C, E, and some antinutritional factors. Resultsobtained showed that C. congoensis had higher quantities of Cu, Co, Fe, Ca, Mg and Mn ( 0.25 ± 0.02, 0.52 ± 0.01, 6.70 ± 0.13, 45.00 ± 0.23, 85.00 ± 0.11 and 0.35 ± 0.12 mg/g, respectively) compare to N.latifolia (0.15 ± 0.01,0.26 ± 0.02, 1.80 ± 0.21, 42.00 ± 0.15, 70 ± 0.21 and 0.21 ± 0.01 mg/g, respectively). Higher amounts of Zn (0.92 ± 0.03 mg/g) and P (29.00 ± 0.15 mg/g) were, however, observed in N.latifolia. Results of vitamins analysis showed that C. congoensis had the highest levels of vitamins A (69.00 ± 4.10 mg/g), B1(0.86 ± 0.02 mg/g), B2 (0.94 ± 0.03 mg/g) and C (410.50 ± 0.32 mg/g), while vitamin E was higher in N. latifolia (1.18 ± 0.49 mg/g). The antinutritional results showed that oxalate, phytate and saponin were higher in C. congoensis (11.40 ± 1.50, 2.57 ± 0.41 and 8.16 ± 0.4%, respectively), while tannin was highest in N. latifolia (4.62 ± 0.14). This indicates that these wild fruits can serve as good sources of vitamins and mineral elements where cultivated fruits are scarce or out of season

Neighbourhoods as relational places for people living with dementia

An increase in the number of people living independently with dementia across the developed world has focused attention on the relevance of neighbourhood context for enabling or facilitating social health and wellbeing. Taking the lived experiences and daily realities of people living with dementia as a starting point, this paper contributes new understanding about the relevance of local places for supporting those living with the condition in the community. The paper outlines findings from a study of the neighbourhood experiences, drawing on new data collected from a creative blend of qualitatively-driven mixed methods with people living in a diverse array of settings across three international settings. The paper details some of the implications of neighbourhoods as sites of social connection for those living with dementia from material from 67 people living with dementia and 62 nominated care-partners. It demonstrates how neighbourhoods are experienced as relational places and considers how people living with dementia contribute to the production of such places through engagement and interactions in ways that may be beneficial to social health. We contend that research has rarely focused on the subjective, experiential and ‘everyday’ social practices that contextualise neighbourhood life for people living with dementia. In doing so, the paper extends empirical and conceptual understanding of the relevance of neighbourhoods as sites of connection, interaction, and social engagement for people living with dementia

Getting lost with dementia: encounters with the time-space of not knowing

In this paper we explore the experience and implications of getting lost with dementia. While getting lost has become culturally emblematic of dementia, speaking as it does to a widespread fear of losing our place in the world, it is marked by an overall absence of critical attention. We argue that this critical hesitancy is part of a broader unease with ‘dementing’ that reveals a paradox in dementia scholarship as growing emphasis on strengths-based and capacity-oriented approaches to the condition shift attention away from episodes of disorientation, forgetting and unknowing that commonly arise after onset. We therefore explore getting lost with dementia, not only as a route to better understanding what happens during such events and the meaning it holds but also to consider the implications for a broader politics of the social inclusion of people living with dementia. Reporting findings from a five-year international study of the neighbourhood experiences of people with dementia, we suggest that through such experiences as getting lost, people with dementia have a unique and distinctive contribution to make to the ever-evolving character of public space and civic culture. In particular, we argue that getting lost and the subsequent recovery or reconstitution that ensues can help inform efforts to reimagine public space. This includes looking beyond risk reduction in responses to dementia and public and outdoor settings to consider how freedom of movement for people with dementia might be enhanced rather than curtailed. Our learning points to the value of making the process of dementing more visible and central to the politics and practices of social inclusion

Beyond the shrinking world : dementia, localisation and neighbourhood

‘Dementia-friendly communities’ herald a shift toward the neighbourhood as a locus for the care and support of people with dementia, sparking growing interest in the geographies of dementia care and raising questions over the shifting spatial and social experience of the condition. Existing research claims that many people with dementia experience a ‘shrinking world’ whereby the boundaries to their social and physical worlds gradually constrict over time, leading to a loss of control and independence. This paper reports a five-year, international study that investigated the neighbourhood experience of people with dementia and those who care for and support them. We interrogate the notion of a shrinking world and in so doing highlight an absence of attention paid to the agency and actions of people with dementia themselves. The paper draws together a socio-relational and embodied-material approach to question the adequacy of the shrinking world concept as an explanatory framework and to challenge reliance within policy and practice upon notions of place as fixed or stable. We argue instead for the importance of foregrounding ‘lived place’ and attending to social practices and the networks in which such practices evolve. Our findings have implications for policy and practice, emphasising the need to bolster the agency of people living with dementia as a route to fostering accessible and inclusive neighbourhoods

Antiphospholipid antibodies and neurological manifestations in acute COVID-19: A single-centre cross-sectional study

Background: A high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies has been reported in case series of patients with neurological manifestations and COVID-19; however, the pathogenicity of antiphospholipid antibodies in COVID-19 neurology remains unclear. Methods: This single-centre cross-sectional study included 106 adult patients: 30 hospitalised COVID-neurological cases, 47 non-neurological COVID-hospitalised controls, and 29 COVID-non-hospitalised controls, recruited between March and July 2020. We evaluated nine antiphospholipid antibodies: anticardiolipin antibodies [aCL] IgA, IgM, IgG; anti-beta-2 glycoprotein-1 [aβ2GPI] IgA, IgM, IgG; anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin [aPS/PT] IgM, IgG; and anti-domain I β2GPI (aD1β2GPI) IgG. Findings: There was a high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies in the COVID-neurological (73.3%) and non-neurological COVID-hospitalised controls (76.6%) in contrast to the COVID-non-hospitalised controls (48.2%). aPS/PT IgG titres were significantly higher in the COVID-neurological group compared to both control groups (p < 0.001). Moderate-high titre of aPS/PT IgG was found in 2 out of 3 (67%) patients with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis [ADEM]. aPS/PT IgG titres negatively correlated with oxygen requirement (FiO2 R=-0.15 p = 0.040) and was associated with venous thromboembolism (p = 0.043). In contrast, aCL IgA (p < 0.001) and IgG (p < 0.001) was associated with non-neurological COVID-hospitalised controls compared to the other groups and correlated positively with d-dimer and creatinine but negatively with FiO2. Interpretation: Our findings show that aPS/PT IgG is associated with COVID-19-associated ADEM. In contrast, aCL IgA and IgG are seen much more frequently in non-neurological hospitalised patients with COVID-19. Characterisation of antiphospholipid antibody persistence and potential longitudinal clinical impact are required to guide appropriate management

Serum and cerebrospinal fluid biomarker profiles in acute SARS-CoV-2-associated neurological syndromes

Preliminary pathological and biomarker data suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection can damage the nervous system. To understand what, where and how damage occurs, we collected serum and CSF from patients with COVID-19 and characterized neurological syndromes involving the PNS and CNS (n = 34). We measured biomarkers of neuronal damage and neuroinflammation, and compared these with non-neurological control groups, which included patients with (n = 94) and without (n = 24) COVID-19. We detected increased concentrations of neurofilament light, a dynamic biomarker of neuronal damage, in the CSF of those with CNS inflammation (encephalitis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis) [14 800 pg/ml (400, 32 400)], compared to those with encephalopathy [1410 pg/ml (756, 1446)], peripheral syndromes (Guillain–Barré syndrome) [740 pg/ml (507, 881)] and controls [872 pg/ml (654, 1200)]. Serum neurofilament light levels were elevated across patients hospitalized with COVID-19, irrespective of neurological manifestations. There was not the usual close correlation between CSF and serum neurofilament light, suggesting serum neurofilament light elevation in the non-neurological patients may reflect peripheral nerve damage in response to severe illness. We did not find significantly elevated levels of serum neurofilament light in community cases of COVID-19 arguing against significant neurological damage. Glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker of astrocytic activation, was not elevated in the CSF or serum of any group, suggesting astrocytic activation is not a major mediator of neuronal damage in COVID-19