Volume 2 (Issue 1 & 2)
ABSTRACT:
Previous work in our lab showed Tetracarpidium conophorum (African walnut) nut oil to possess antioxidant properties.
To harness the full health benefits of the whole nut, diets containing 3.58g, 7.32g and 10.74g walnuts per kg of feed (simulating adult human consumption of about 6, 12 and 18 walnuts a day) were constituted and fed to male albino rats for four weeks.
Biomarkers of oxidative stress, plasma and HDL lipid profiles were analyzed. Controls were fed walnut – free diet. The 3.58g and 7.32g/kg walnut diets increased reduced glutathione in the liver and kidney of the rats. Plasma AST activity increased in the 7.32g/kg and 10.74g/kg feed groups with a concomitant decrease in the kidney in the entire test groups.
The 3.58g and 7.32g/kg walnut groups reduced total, LDL cholesterol and lowered atherogenic indices while the 10.74g/kg diet increased plasma cholesterol, induced lipid peroxidation in the organs of the rats and caused significant increases in catalase and plasma paraoxonase activities.
Plasma and HDL phospholipids increased in all the diet groups. Kidney malondialdehyde correlated positively with plasma cholesterol (r = 0.546, p<0.01) but negatively with liver ALT (r = -0.450, p<0.05) and kidney AST (r = -0.404, p<0.05).
The result of this study shows that a daily walnut consumption of 3.58g – 7.32g/kg walnut may help to harness the cardio-protective and antioxidant properties of walnuts while higher consumption could lead to oxidative stress and hypercholesterolemia.
Keywords: Tetracarpidium conophorum, cardio-protective, cholesterol, HDL, antioxidant.
ABSTRACT:
This study was carried out to determine the bacteriological quality of sachet-packaged water being sold in Ota area comprising of four different locations (Ota, Ijoko, Sango and Iyana-Iyesi).
Forty (40) sachet water samples sourced from twenty (20) different producers representing five samples from each location were subjected to physical and bacteriological analyses using total viable count and multiple tube technique.
The result showed that the physical parameters were within W.H.O limits for drinking water with temperature ranging from 27.0 – 28.6oC and pH from 6.27 – 6.90. The total heterotrophic plate count ranged from 1.0×101 CFU/ml – 5.3×102 CFU/ml, while too numerous bacterial count was observed on the plates of three samples coded IY4O (B), SA5S (A) and IJ4D (A).
Multiple tube technique was carried out to confirm the presence of coliform in the water samples and only 6 (15%) of the samples had less than one coliform count
per 100ml.
The study showed that out of 40 samples, 21(52.5%) and 28(70%) were contaminated with Escherichia coli and Enterobacter species respectively.
In conclusion, some of the water samples were found to be potable and others in unsatisfactory conditions; however, efforts should be made by the producers to
still improve on the quality of their products.
Keywords: Escherichia coli, Enterobacter species, coliforms, quality, sachet water, temperature
ABSTRACT:
Pregnancy is a period of active and dynamic changes causing an increase in nutritional requirement due to the growing fetus and maternal tissues associated with it.
The study assessed the weight gain of pregnant women in Ota, Ogun State. Semi-structured questionnaires, calibrated weighing scale, heightometer and battery powered Omron Digital Blood Pressure Monitor were used to elicit relevant information from 110 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of a State Hospital. Data was analyzed and presented as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviations.
The study revealed44.5% of the women were between 21-30 years, 46.4% were ≥ 31 years while ˂ 10% were below age 20 years. The Body Mass Index (BMI) on first attendance at the clinic indicated that about 57% were normal, 32.7% were overweight and obese while 10.3% were underweight. The women in study were mostly businesswomen with 26.4% each as artisans and civil servants while 3.6% were housewives.
The weight gain was not in conformity with recommendation of the Institute of Medicine in 54.5% of the pregnant women. The observed Elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 20% and 26.4% of the women respectively.
The dietary intake indicated that the pregnant women exceeded their Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for energy, carbohydrate, protein, Vitamins A and C while calcium, folate and iron intake was below the RDA. In conclusion, weight gain of pregnant women studied was below the recommended adequate weight gain which could result in delivery complications, low birth-weight babies, childhood obesity, developmental delays and increased risk of illnesses.
Thus, there is the need for awareness on attendance of antenatal clinics at early stage of pregnancy with considerable attention to weight gain in pregnancy.
Keywords: Weight gain, pregnant women, ante-natal clinic, normal weight, overweight and obese, underweight.
ABSTRACT:
There is a need to formulate available, affordable and high-quality complementary foods from local food materials to solve the problem of malnutrition.
This study evaluated some quality attributes of three different complementary food flours produced from malted and unmalted sorghum, bambara groundnut and banana flour using different ratios.
The flour blends were Sample A-unmalted sorghum and bambara groundnut (60:40), SampleB-unmalted sorghum, bambara groundnut and banana flour (50:25:25) and Sample C-malted sorghum, bambara groundnut and banana flour (50:25:25).
The cold water mixed paste of each sample flour was poured into boiling water, stirred to avoid lumps and allowed to get cooked until the desired consistency achieved.
Proximate, minerals, anti-nutrient (phytic acid) and sensory evaluation of the cooked samples were determined.
Proximate composition result showed that protein(4.19g/100g), ash(0.86g/100g), carbohydrate and (29.6g/100g)of Sample C was the highest while Sample A had the least.
Due to the slight increase in ash content of Sample C, a significant high in mineral composition was observed. However, sample B had the highest manganese and zinc content.
The sensory evaluation showed that the complementary foods prepared were safe and acceptable. Sample C had the highest proximate, mineral content and sensory evaluations.
Bioavailability studies should be carried out on the formulated complementary foods.
Keywords: complementary food, bambara groundnut and banana flour blends.
ABSTRACT:
A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to test the effect of replacement of premix by Moringa Leaf Meal (MLM) in the diet of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus in order to determine its growth performance.
Four isonitrogenous rations of 40% crude protein containing replacement of premix by Moringa leaf meal at (MLM) 0 (control), 0.5%, 1.0%, or 1.5% and fed to triplicate groups of C. gariepinus juveniles (12.5 ± 0.03g). Growth performance and nutrient utilization of the fish were evaluated based on weight gain (WG),
specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and survival rate (SR) %. The highest mean WG 40.39±17.43g was in treatment II (0.5% inclusion), with no significance difference (P ˃0.05).
FCR was best (2.00 ±0.05) in treatment III (1% MLM inclusion) with significance difference (P<0.05). Control recorded highest SGR. This study revealed that Moringa leaf meal was suitable as a replacement of premix at inclusion rate of 1% and 0.5%to enhance growth performance of Clarias gariepinus.
Keywords: Moringa leaf meal, growth performance, Clarias gariepinus, premix.
ABSTRACT:
Environmental pollution by crude oil spillage is one of the serious problems facing the world today and the need to contain this menace has become imperative to reduce its impact on the ecosystem.
The abilities of three Bacillus species isolated from Lagos Lagoon to degrade crude oil and other petroleum hydrocarbons were investigated in this study.
The population of heterotrophic and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria were monitored at three (3) sampling stations in Lagos Lagoon (Apapa, Iddo and Unilag) over a period of four weeks using population count method.
The highest count of heterotrophic bacteria was 2.4 × 108 cfu/ml while that of hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria was 8.7 × 104 cfu/ml from the samples.
A total of three hydrocarbon utilizing Bacillus species were isolated from the water samples using crude oil as the sole carbon source and identified using the standard biochemical tests.
The isolates were identified as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus panthothenticus. These organisms were able to utilize petroleum fractions (diesel, kerosene, biphenyl) and aromatic hydrocarbons at varying degrees.
Biodegradation studies performed showed a quantitative change in the hydrocarbon content of crude oil from 0.205 – 0.019 mgL-1 values for the Residual Oil Concentration (ROC) during the experiment.
All isolates were able to efficiently degrade the petroleum hydrocarbons with Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus megaterium having the highest degradation of 87.32% and 85.37% with specific growth rate of 0.33 and 0.268 d-1 and mean generation time of 2.67 min and 2.6 min respectively.
The results indicate that these Bacillus species have great potential to be used in the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated environments.
Keywords: Bacillus, Biodegradation, Crude oil, Lagos Lagoon, Hydrocarbon.
ABSTRACT:
Non-communicable Diseases (NDs) are major cause of death worldwide. It is a risk factor for heart failure, stroke, chronic kidney disease and ischemic heart disease in sub-Saharan Africa. This study assessed the risk factors of non-communicable diseases among teachers in selected public secondary schools in Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. A cross sectional study was carried out among 210 teachers.
A well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge and health history of teachers. Appropriate measuring tools were used for collection of anthropometric data. Digital blood pressure monitor was used to obtain the systolic and diastolic pressure of respondent.
The result indicated that majority of the respondents were females 66.7% and 33.3% males with a mean age of 38.8+8.7 years. Only 37.1% of the respondents engaged in regular physical activity, 1.4% smoke cigarette while only 4.3% are regular consumers of alcohol.
The percentage of frequent consumer of fruits and vegetables were 53.8% and 71.4% respectively, 6.6% rarely consumed both salt and oil in their meals. Based on the risk factors assessed a higher percentage of teachers 46.7% had good
nutritional knowledge.
Prevalence of both hypertension and obesity were found to be 24.3%, while that of
only obesity and hypertension were 20.5% and 18.5% respectively. In conclusion, this study reveals that the risk factor for non-communicable diseases prevalence among the studied population is obesity and hypertension.
Keywords: Risk factors, Non-communicable diseases, Teachers, Public Secondary Schools.
ABSTRACT:
Pipe borne water samples collected from three different locations in the University were analyzed for their physical properties in terms of temperature, turbidity, pH and their bacteriological loads using the pour plate method. Eva bottle water was used as a control. The antibiotic resistance pattern of the bacterial isolates
from the water samples against some antibiotics was determined using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.
The result showed that the bacterial count was within the range of 0.3 ×10¹- 20.8 × 10¹cfu/ml, while that of total coliform count was 0/100cfu/ml -17/100cfu/ml. Eight genera of bacteria isolated and identified from the samples were Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Vibrio,
Salmonella and Shigella spp.
The most predominant in terms of occurrence were Stapylococcus (16.67%),
Salmonella (16.67%), Shigella (16.67%), Vibrio (16.67%) and then Streptococcus (8.33%), Enterobacter (8.33%), Citrobacter (8.33%) and Bacillus (8.33%).
The antibiogram carried out using the disc diffusion technique showed that Staphylococcus was sensitive to Augumentin, Ofloxacin, Erythromycin, Cefuroxime, Ciprofloxacin, Cotrimoxazole and Pefloxacin; Streptococcus was sensitive to Ofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Ciprofloxacin and Pefloxacin; Bacillus was sensitive to Gentamicin, Ciprofloxacin and Pefloxacin: Salmonella was sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Ofloxacin, Nitrofurantoin; Shigella was sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Ofloxacin, Nitrofurantoin; Enterobacter was sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Ofloxacin and Nitrofurantoin and Vibrio was sensitive to Ciprofloxacin, Gentamicin, Ofloxacin, Augmentin and Nitofurantoin.
Thus, these antibiotics could be used in case of infections by the identified
microorganisms.
Keywords: Water; bacteriological loads; antibiotic resistance; antibiogram; sensitivity tests.
ABSTRACT:
The study assessed the implications of defective design and construction on building maintenance in Lagos state, Nigeria. It also identified and examined the critical factors of defective design and construction.
In achieving the objectives, questionnaires were distributed to the respondents. The target respondents were building users and maintenance personnel.
Frequency, Percentage, Mean, Likert Scale, Severity Index (SI), and Spearman Rank Correlation were used in analyzing data collected for the study.
The result obtained revealed that, building users ranked “defects due to construction materials” as the most critical problem and “defects due to contractor administration” as the least critical. It also revealed that the maintenance personnel ranked “defects in civil (structural) designs” as the most critical problem while “defects due to construction drawings” was ranked by them as the least critical problem.
The hypothesis postulated revealed that building users generally agree with the maintenance personnel in their assessment of the severity of the implications
of defective design and construction on building maintenance.
In conclusion, the study recommends that buildability and maintainability analysis should be carried out during the design stage by a professional
builder in order to avoid defect design and construction.
Both building users and maintenance personnel should be educated as regards the need to give feedback information to designers with sick buildings.
Keywords: Defective Design, Defective Construction, Building Maintenance, Building Users, Maintenance Personnel
ABSTRACT:
Change in food culture from indigenous to westernized diet has exposed young adults to low fibre diets which have been linked to increased incidence of chronic diseases.
This study assessed the knowledge, practice and intake of dietary fibre among students of a private university. Employing, a cross sectional study design, 140 undergraduate students selected through multistage random sampling were assessed on knowledge and practice of dietary fibre with the use of structured questionnaire.
The student’s dietary fibre intake was obtained using 24 hour dietary recall. About 3 samples each of most consumed meals were evaluated for dietary fibre using standard procedures.
Data analysis was done using Chi square and ANOVA test. About 46.4% and 21.4% of the participants had high and average knowledge of dietary fibre while
32.1% had poor knowledge.
Fruits (54%) were more frequently consumed than others while vegetables were
the least consumed (31%). The mean dietary fibre intake was 25.33±6.19g/day. The male participants consumed more dietary fibre than the females (30.29±5.48 vs 20.38±6.89 g/day) and met recommendation (100%) while the females did not (82%).
Spaghetti + plantain + vegetable salad meal had the statistically higher content of dietary fibre (21.32%), (p<0.05) than the other meals. Noodles + 2eggs meal contained the least fibre (1.11%).
Dietary fibre knowledge was associated with dietary fibre intake among the males. The students are well informed about dietary fibre and had good practice of dietary fibre intake.
However more males consumed adequate dietary fibre compared to the females.
Keywords: dietary fibre, eating habit, students.
ABSTRACT:
Chicken meat is a major source of animal protein. This meat is in high demand and to meet up with the demand, feeds are produced with the addition of some minerals, plants, and crops.
When broilers are fed on these fortified feeds, they develop faster. Therefore, the probability that the broiler may contain a high concentration of heavy metals is high. The concentration of some heavy metals in the feeds used in five
randomly selected poultry in Lagos was assessed using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (FAAS) and their hazard was determined in the chicken meat, liver, and gizzard. Lead concentration was observed to be higher than the permissible limit in about 95% of the feeds. Cd concentration was also found to be higher in
about 33% while the concentrations of other metals were below permissible limits.
In chicken meat and organs, Pb concentration was higher than permissible limits in the feed samples; Cd was not detected in the liver and gizzard while other metals have concentrations within the permissible limit.
Hazard Quotient (HQ) of metals shows that Cu in the chicken meat, Cd in the liver; Zn and Cu in the gizzard were below unity while for other metals, HQ was higher than1.
Hazard Index (HI) in the parts analyzed was between 3 and 10;
meaning that longtime exposure or consumption of the chicken may cause fatal risk and several health issues.
Keywords: Chicken, heavy metal, contamination factor, liver, gizzard, feeds