Phytochemical and antimycobacterial analysis of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Annona muricata Linn (Soursop)

Against the backdrop evidenced in the threat Tuberculosis poses to developing economies, especially its prevalence among people in their productive (15-45) years; this preliminary study examined the phytochemical constituents and antimycobacterial effect of four (4) aqueous and ethanolic extracts from the fruit skin (epicarp) and leaf of Annona muricata Linn

EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, PROXIMATE STATUS AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF ETHANOL EXTRACT OF Gongronema latifolium (Benth) FRUIT

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the chemical composition, proximate status, and antioxidant activity of ethanol extract of G. latifolium fruit. The chemical composition was determined using spectrophotometric method. Moisture, ash, lipid, and fibre contents were determined using gravimetric method, while crude protein and total carbohydrate were determined using kjeldahl and difference methods respectively. Acute toxicity study was carried out with eighteen albino rats using lorke’s method. The in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activities, reducing power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation were determined spectrophotometrically. The results of phytochemical composition obtained are flavonoids(39.32±0.88mgCE/g), phenols(37.50±1.41mgGAC/g), tannins(31.45±0.46mgTAE/g), oxalates(3.45±0.41mg/g), saponins (2.91±0.53%), alkaloids (0.23±0.06%), phytates (0.14±0.00%), beta carotene (0.12±0.03%), and lycopene (0.09±0.02%). Total carbohydrate, crude protein, lipid, moisture, ash, and crude fibre obtained are 64.59%, 10.07%, 9.20%, 8.62%, 4.96%, and 2.85% respectively. The fruit extract has antioxidant effect with EC50 318.6

The Effect of Processing on the Antioxidant Activities of Purple Onions (Allium Cepa L.), Bulb.

Onion (Allium cepa L.) is a common vegetable and is widely consumed all over the world. It has been used as a food and medicinal crop since ancient times; it is grown worldwide and because of its peculiar taste, unique flavor, highly valued aroma, and various health benefits, it is sometimes referred to as the “Queen of the kitchen”. Onions is traditionally used as fresh condiment, but recently, particularly in the year 2020, the scarcity of the commodity has led to a thought of processing and preserving it for the scarcity period. The present study was therefore, conducted to evaluate the effect of processing on the antioxidant activities of fresh, sun dried and oven dried purple onion bulb. Two processing methods which included sun-drying and oven-drying at 70oC were used. The antioxidant activities were determined using standard biochemical methods. The oven dried sample showed better antioxidant activities when compared to the other samples. The results of the parameters analyzed in this study, suggests that oven drying (70oC) is the most efficient method of processing and preservation of purple onion, since it gave the best results among the samples assessed. Therefore, it can be concluded that oven dried purple onions have enhanced antioxidant properties making it a good candidate for the prevention and therapy of array of diseases which meets consumer requirement of being readily available all seasons.  

The Effects of Oral Intraperitoneal and Inhaled Methamphetamine on some Biochemical Parameters using Wistar Albino Rats

Abuse of hard drugs has become a norm for an increasing number of young people globally with methamphetamine currently the second most abused in Nigeria. The need for people to know as much as it is consumed was what inspired this research. With the oral, inhaled and intraperitoneal as the three routes of administration to be investigated, the animals were sequestered into seven groups of five each. Besides the control group, the other six were used to investigate effects of administering low and high doses of methamphetamine. Doses 0.57mg/kg and 14.28mg/kg were administered to the test animals via inhalation, oral and intraperitoneal means for 21 days while their weights were taken four times in a five day interval before sacrifice and biochemical analysis. The highest reductions in weight were recorded in groups orally administered 14.28mg/kg with a reduction percentage of 24.4% while those intraperitoneally administered 14.28mg/kg showed a 15.9% increase in weight. Groups orally and intraperitoneally administered 14.28mg/kg showed significant (p<0.05) elevations in AST levels when compared to the control group. The ALT levels increased significantly (p<0.05) in all test groups when compared to the control. Significant increase (p<0.05) in serum urea levels was recorded in groups intraperitoneally administered as well as those administered 0.57mg/kg via inhalation while all test groups administered 14.28mg/kg showed significant (p<0.05) rise in serum urea levels. Also, the creatinine levels showed significant increase (p<0.05) in groups intraperitoneally administered 14.28mg/kg. The results summarily suggest that the substance; both in low and high doses, can cause serious perturbations to vital organs and expose patrons to a host of health complications notwithstanding route of administration.

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine

Background: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). Methods: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. Results: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. Conclusions: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the countr

Pediatric Bacterial Meningitis Surveillance in Nigeria From 2010 to 2016, Prior to and During the Phased Introduction of the 10-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: Historically, Nigeria has experienced large bacterial meningitis outbreaks with high mortality in children. Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus), and Haemophilus influenzae are major causes of this invasive disease. In collaboration with the World Health Organization, we conducted longitudinal surveillance in sentinel hospitals within Nigeria to establish the burden of pediatric bacterial meningitis (PBM). METHODS: From 2010 to 2016, cerebrospinal fluid was collected from children <5 years of age, admitted to 5 sentinel hospitals in 5 Nigerian states. Microbiological and latex agglutination techniques were performed to detect the presence of pneumococcus, meningococcus, and H. influenzae. Species-specific polymerase chain reaction and serotyping/grouping were conducted to determine specific causative agents of PBM. RESULTS: A total of 5134 children with suspected meningitis were enrolled at the participating hospitals; of these 153 (2.9%) were confirmed PBM cases. The mortality rate for those infected was 15.0% (23/153). The dominant pathogen was pneumococcus (46.4%: 71/153) followed by meningococcus (34.6%: 53/153) and H. influenzae (19.0%: 29/153). Nearly half the pneumococcal meningitis cases successfully serotyped (46.4%: 13/28) were caused by serotypes that are included in the 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. The most prevalent meningococcal and H. influenzae strains were serogroup W and serotype b, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccine-type bacterial meningitis continues to be common among children <5 years in Nigeria. Challenges with vaccine introduction and coverage may explain some of these finding. Continued surveillance is needed to determine the distribution of serotypes/groups of meningeal pathogens across Nigeria and help inform and sustain vaccination policies in the country

Emergence and spread of two SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest in Nigeria.

Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 (Eta) variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave in Nigeria emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Data from this study show how regional connectivity of Nigeria drove the spread of these variants of interest to surrounding countries and those connected by air-traffic. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission, as bidirectional transmission within and between African nations are grossly underestimated as seen in our import risk index estimates