Search

The enzymatic potentials of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from fresh and soured palm wine samples were determined from 50 palm wine samples collected from Ariam, Umudike and Umunneochi in Abia State. Two LAB: Lactobacillus plantarium and Leuconostic Mesenteroides and two yeasts: Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces uvarum were isolated from the palm wine samples. The isolates were screened for amylase, cellulase, protease, pectinase and xylanase production using Agar Well Plate Method to determine their ability to produce these enzymes. Among 88mLAB isolated, 20 were able to exhibit amylase production, 15 produced protease, 10 produced pectinase, 7 produced cellulose and 5 produced xylanase with different zones of inhibition. Lactobacillus plantarium produced all the enzymes tested for. For the fifty S. cerevisiae isolated, 10 isolates exhibited amylase production, 5 produced cellulase, 8 produced protease, 7 produced pectinase and 2 produced xylanase with different zones of inhibitions. S. cerevisiae 25 produced all the enzymes tested (amylase, protease, cellulose, pectinase and xylanase). This research shows that fresh and soured palm wines are sources of LAB and Saccharomyces cerevisiae which possess enzymes of industrial importance. &nbsp

Isolation and sensory evaluation of palm wine yeast from palm wine gotten from Ndoro market was analyzed on bread fermentation. The ability to get quality bread depends on its ingredients, skill and a very good fermentative agent. In this study, palm wine was gotten from Ndoro market, together with commercial yeast, which serves as the control yeast and they were cultured at 300C to isolate different yeast species from palm wine using the appropriate identification techniques like the colony morphology, microscopic observations and fermentative ability. The yeast isolates were then used to bake bread at 180oC for 8 minutes and the sensory properties of the bread like volume, crust, color, internal color, structure, texture, flavor, aroma, crumb clarity and elasticity were analyzed. Bread sample B5 showed the highest mean when compared to volume (4.4), crust (4.0), color (4.3), internal color (4.4), structure (3.3), texture (3.6), flavor (3.7), aroma (4.1) and crumb clarity (3.4) more than the control which had volume (4.3), crust (3.5), color (3.7), internal color (4.0), structure (2.5), texture (3.1), flavor (3.5), aroma (4.0) and crumb clarity (3.4),. Although some of the isolates did not have high leavening ability like the control, they influenced the aroma and flavor more than the control. Thus, these isolates may be combined to give varieties of sensory properties on bread and with the right industrial facilities would become an indigenous baker’s yeast. &nbsp

The increased usage of antibiotics has induced microorganisms to acquire resistance factors which have become a burning predicament. As a result, there is an urgent need to find an alternative to chemotherapeutic drugs in disease treatment particularly those of plant origin which are easily available and have considerably fewer side effects. In this study, in-vitro antibacterial activity of ethanol extract of Zingiber officinale (ginger) was investigated using the agar diffusion method on some clinical isolates (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus mutans, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Shigella dysenteriae). Phytochemical analysis of the extract was carried out using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Data obtained were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure using SPSS (version 21) computer software. The extract of Zingiber officinale was active against all bacterial isolates with varying zones of inhibition that ranged from 12mm-24mm. Zingiber officinale extract had the highest zone of inhibition (24mm) at the concentration of 100mg/ml on E. coli followed by S. aureus (21mm) and K. pneumonia (18mm). Results of the phytochemical analysis of the Z. officinale extract showed the presence of some identified bioactive compounds (Geranyl acetate, α-Pirene, Camphene, Eucalyptol, Camphore, Terpin-4-ol, Citronellol, Geraniol, 2-Heptanol, Terpinolene, hexamethyl- etc.) that have antimicrobial properties. Therefore, results obtained from this study showed that the ethanol extract of Zingiber officinale possesses antibacterial properties against the clinical isolates tested which invariably make it a potential candidate for the treatment of some bacterial infections.

Background: The full reopening of schools in September 2020 was associated with an increase in COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in educational settings across England. Methods: Primary and secondary schools reporting an outbreak (≥2 laboratory-confirmed cases within 14 days) to Public Health England (PHE) between 31 August and 18 October 2020 were contacted in November 2020 to complete an online questionnaire. Interpretation: There were 969 school outbreaks reported to PHE, comprising 2% (n = 450) of primary schools and 10% (n = 519) of secondary schools in England. Of the 369 geographically-representative schools contacted, 179 completed the questionnaire (100 primary schools, 79 secondary schools) and 2,314 cases were reported. Outbreaks were larger and across more year groups in secondary schools than in primary schools. Teaching staff were more likely to be the index case in primary (48/100, 48%) than secondary (25/79, 32%) school outbreaks (P = 0.027). When an outbreak occurred, attack rates were higher in staff (881/17,362; 5.07; 95%CI, 4.75-5.41) than students, especially primary school teaching staff (378/3852; 9.81%; 95%CI, 8.90-10.82%) compared to secondary school teaching staff (284/7146; 3.97%; 95%CI, 3.79-5.69%). Secondary school students (1105/91,919; 1.20%; 95%CI, 1.13-1.28%) had higher attack rates than primary school students (328/39,027; 0.84%; 95%CI, 0.75-0.94%). Conclusions: A higher proportion of secondary schools than primary schools reported a COVID-19 outbreak and experienced larger outbreaks across multiple school year groups. The higher attack rate among teaching staff during an outbreak, especially in primary schools, suggests that additional protective measures may be needed. Funding: PHE.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has previously never been identified with humans, thereby creating devastation in public health. The need for an effective vaccine to curb this pandemic cannot be overemphasized. In view of this, we, therefore, designed a subcomponent antigenic peptide vaccine targeting the N-terminal (NT) and C-terminal (CT) RNA binding domains of nucleocapsid protein that aid in viral replication. Promising antigenic B-cells and T cell epitopes were predicted using computational pipelines. The peptides “RIRGGDGKMKDL” and “AFGRRGPEQTQGNFG” were the B cell linear epitopes with good antigenic index and non-allergenic property. Two CD8+ and Three CD4+ T-cell epitopes were also selected considering their safe immunogenic profiling such as allergenicity, antigen level conservancy, antigenicity, peptide toxicity, and putative restrictions to a number of MHC-I and II alleles. With these selected epitopes, a non-allergenic chimeric peptide vaccine incapable of inducing a Type II hypersensitivity reaction was constructed. The molecular interaction between the toll-like receptor-5 (TLR5) which was triggered by the vaccine was analyzed by molecular docking and scrutinized using dynamics simulation. Finally, in silico cloning was performed to ensure the expression and translation efficiency of the vaccine, utilizing pET-28a vector. This research, therefore, provides a guide for experimental investigation and validation.

Thesearch for a sustainable and environmental friendly energy has resulted to thedevelopment of an alternative renewable energy such as biogas. The objective ofthis work was to identify the presence of methanogenic bacteria in a short-termoperated biogas reactor fed with kitchen waste by PCR-amplification of themethyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA). Household organic waste wasobtained from Bells University of Technology canteen while pig manure thatserved as the inoculum was obtained from a pig farm. Three replicate sampleswere taken every week and analysed for changes in the physico-chemicalparameters to determine their effects on the rate of biogas production. Resultsobtained showed that the % moisture and carbon contents, before and afterfermentation, were reduced from 88% to 80% and16.7% to 12.5%, while % nitrogen content increased from 1.20% to 1.70%. Themean weekly biogas production ranged from 27.4 ml to 147 ml at 4 weeks and 6weeks, respectively. Methyl coenzyme M reductase(mcrA) gene, which codes for the enzyme thatcatalyse the terminal step in methane production during the anaerobicfermentation of biomass, was amplified both inthe methanogenic bacteria and transformed E.coli with the fragment size of 500 bp.

Bisphosphonates have become a commonly used class of medications to treat osteoporosis and other bone diseases. Zoledronate (zoledronic acid) can be dosed annually via intravenous infusion, making it an appealing option for patients and physicians. We report the case of a 68-year-old woman who developed severe, unilateral, ocular inflammation, including corneal endotheliitis, anterior uveitis with hyphema, scleritis, and orbital inflammation beginning 12 hours after receiving her first zoledronate infusion. Symptoms escalated but ultimately resolved with topical steroids and high-dose systemic corticosteroids. To our knowledge, this is the first report of unilateral diffuse inflammation of the eye and orbit, including corneal inflammation developing within 12 hours of a first zoledronate infusion.

We explore the farmers’ perception of how different external drivers of changes in farming activities could lead to sustainability practices among wine producers. The general assumption is that regulatory and market forces can change the production strategies of wine producers, which could eventually lead to the adoption of sustainability practices. We presented the percentage sustainability practice (PSP) as a novel way of measuring sustainability. We developed a structural equation model (SEM) with 13 hypotheses to test our assumption for the wine supply chain in Tuscany (Italy). Among the market forces, we found that wine growers perceived access to credit to have a significant positive association with sustainability practices. We also found that the perception of change in regulatory instruments such as environmental regulation and Common Agriculture Policy can lead to sustainable practice if they improve access to credit. Our research provides evidence for medium-large scale wine producers, emphasising their role as carriers of innovation in the movement towards sustainable wine production.

Twelve medicated soaps: Crusader, Septol, Carat, 14 days, Funbact, Lifebouy, Safeguard, Tetmosol, TCP, Dettol, Delta and Antigal were investigated for their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Two cloth washing soaps (Key and Truck) were used as control. Identification of the bacterial species was by standard microbiological techniques which included colonial examination, Gram staining and biochemical testing. Minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal activities of the soaps were determined by disc-agar diffusion method. Profloxacin was employed as a positive control antibiotic. Crusader soap had the highest antibacterial activity (25 mm, against Staphylococcus aureus) while Antigal exhibited the least zone of inhibition (9 mm against Staphylococcus aureus). Significant differences (P

In the recent years, Nigeria has witnessed the insurgent of terrorist attacks by a group known as Boko Haram. A clear approach to the ideological spring of this Islamic sect has eluded scholarly discussion. One of the major moral challenges with Boko Haram menace has been its method and approach to their struggle. Though there is no clarity with the ideological aims, goals or objectives of this sect, but its acceptance of suicide terrorism in their struggle has become great issues of concern. Boko Haram’s suicide terrorism has raised a lot of philosophical questions; what are the grievances that motivated members and sympathizers of Boko Haram? What are the sociopolitical factors that sustain their ideological resonance and operational capability? What are the rationales behind modern religiously inspired terrorism? How did Boko Haram emerge? Is it different from other terrorist groups? What has led to the current outbreak of violence, in the form of Boko Haram? Have conditions somehow worsened in recent years? Is the violence largely a result of a particularly popular radicalizing agent? Does a religion have a right to enjoin acts which are irrational and immoral? Or does the religious person have the converse right–even a God-given right–to analyze the tenets of a religion for conformity to reason, and to resolutely discountenance any religious directives which go clearly against reason and ethics? The crux of this work is to philosophically consider the moral implication of suicide terrorism with particular reference to Boko haram.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and model systems exhibit consistent abnormalities in PUFA metabolism, including increased metabolism of linoleate to arachidonate. Recent studies have connected these abnormalities to increased expression and activity of the Δ6- and Δ5-desaturase enzymes. However, the mechanism connecting these changes to the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations responsible for CF is unknown. This study tests the hypothesis that increased activity of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), previously described in CF bronchial epithelial cells, causes these changes in fatty acid metabolism by driving desaturase expression. Using CF bronchial epithelial cell culture models, we confirm elevated activity of AMPK in CF cells and show that it is due to increased phosphorylation of AMPK by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase β (CaMKKβ). We also show that inhibition of AMPK or CaMKKβ reduces desaturase expression and reverses the metabolic alterations seen in CF cells. These results signify a novel AMPK-dependent mechanism linking the genetic defect in CF to alterations in PUFA metabolism.

We previously identified the G6PC2 locus as a strong determinant of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and showed that a common G6PC2 intronic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs560887) and two common G6PC2 promoter SNPs (rs573225 and rs13431652) are highly associated with FPG. However, these promoter SNPs have complex effects on G6PC2 fusion gene expression, and our data suggested that only rs13431652 is a potentially causative SNP. Here we examine the effect of rs560887 on G6PC2 pre-mRNA splicing and the contribution of an additional common G6PC2 promoter SNP, rs2232316, to the association signal.Minigene analyses were used to characterise the effect of rs560887 on G6PC2 pre-mRNA splicing. Fusion gene and gel retardation analyses characterised the effect of rs2232316 on G6PC2 promoter activity and transcription factor binding. The genetic association of rs2232316 with FPG variation was assessed using regression adjusted for age, sex and BMI in 4,220 Europeans with normal FPG.The rs560887-G allele was shown to enhance G6PC2 pre-mRNA splicing, whereas the rs2232316-A allele enhanced G6PC2 transcription by promoting Foxa2 binding. Genetic analyses provide evidence for association of the rs2232316-A allele with increased FPG (β = 0.04 mmol/l; p = 4.3 × 10(-3)) as part of the same signal as rs560887, rs573225 and rs13431652.As with rs13431652, the in situ functional data with rs560887 and rs2232316 are in accord with the putative function of G6PC2 in pancreatic islets, and suggest that all three are potentially causative SNPs that contribute to the association between G6PC2 and FPG.

The study investigated levels of attainment of scientific literacy by junior secondary (8th grade) male and female students. Quasi-experiment of non- equivalent control group design was used. A total of 162 students were selected by purposive sampling of four coeducational schools out of twenty three in Ohafia Local Government Area, Abia state, Nigeria. In each of the four schools, an intact class was randomly selected. These were randomly assigned, two to experimental and control groups. Research questions were answered using mean and standard deviations and the hypotheses tested using ANCOVA. TOSL instrument for data collection had parts A and B. Reliability Coefficient of part A was established using Spearman rank order correlation and B using Kuder-Richardson formula 20(K-R). The internal consistencies were 0.69 and 0.72. The findings showed that constructivist instruction enhanced students’ attainment of scientific literacy irrespective of their sexes. Based on the findings recommendations were made. &nbsp

Patients with cystic fibrosis, caused by mutations in CFTR, exhibit specific and consistent alterations in the levels of particular unsaturated fatty acids compared with healthy controls. Evidence suggests that these changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Among these abnormalities are increases in the levels of n-7 and n-9 fatty acids, particularly palmitoleate (16:1n-7), oleate (18:1n-9), and eicosatrienoate or mead acid (20:3n-9). The underlying mechanisms of these particular changes are unknown, but similar changes in the n-3 and n-6 fatty acid families have been correlated with increased expression of fatty acid metabolic enzymes. This study demonstrated that cystic fibrosis cells in culture exhibit increased metabolism along the metabolic pathways leading to 16:1n-7, 18:1n-9, and 20:3n-9 compared with wild-type cells. Furthermore, these changes are accompanied by increased expression of the enzymes that produce these fatty acids, namely Δ5, Δ6, and Δ9 desaturases and elongases 5 and 6. Taken together, these findings suggest that fatty acid abnormalities of the n-7 and n-9 series in cystic fibrosis are as a result, at least in part, of increased expression and activity of these metabolic enzymes in CFTR-mutated cells.

Inductivism is the claim that induction is the basis of proper scientific inquiry. Induction holds that we can infer that what we know to be true in a particular case or cases will be true in all cases, which resemble the former in certain assignable respects. Sequel to this, proponents of inductivism such as John Stuart Mill, Francis Bacon etc rejected every rationalistic or idealistic approach to scientific knowledge; instead, they suggested experience as the basis for any knowledge that is worthwhile. The history of philosophy has been characterized by arguments and counter arguments on what should constitute the nature of scientific methodology and this has led to absolutism in science that is, the belief that scientists must adhere to some stipulated method (s). This work employs critical method, functional analysis and hermeneutical method to appraise the above stated claim by first of all establishing the roles played by the human reason and a priori ideas in the scientific enterprise. After this, we will also examine issues surrounding the methodology of science as raised by philosophers of science like Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, and Feyerabend etc. consequently; we will conclude that science has more to do with pragmatism via relativism which can be certified by some landmark achievements in the history of science.

Reduction mammoplasty has been shown to benefit physical, physiological, and psycho-social health. However, there are some recognized complications. It would be beneficial if one could identify and modify the factors which increase the rate of complications. To determine the effects of resection weight, BMI, age, and smoking on complication rates following reduction mammoplasty. Data were gathered as a part of randomized control trial (RCT) examining psycho-social & QOL benefits of reduction mammoplasty. Sixty-seven consecutive female patients referred to either the Hull Breast Unit or Hull Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit and underwent Inferior pedicle reduction mammoplasty were recruited. Complications were recorded prospectively. Data gathered included resection weight, BMI, age, and smoking status. Smoking status was categorized into current; ex; and never. Prospective records of all complications were noted. SPSS was used for purposes of statistical analysis. Of the 67 patients, 16 (23.9%) had complications. Higher resection weight, increased BMI, and older age are associated with high rate of complications with significance reaching p-values of p

Geophagia, which refers to the deliberate eating of soil, is considered to be a deviant eating disorder, a sequel to poverty and famine but could also be observed in the absence of hunger and in both scenarios may be associated with high degree of mortality and morbidity. The phenomenon has been reported to be common among pregnant women, lactating women, school children and people with psychiatric disorders. The microbiology of soil shows a broad diversity and functionality of soil microflora which impact variously on soil and its consumption. Soil microbes contribute immensely to the quality of soil and even determine soil types. Geophagia may be beneficial or harmful. Beneficial aspects include the use of kaolin to treat diarrhea, gastritis, colitis, enhancement of bioactivities and maintenance of normal intestinal flora by commensal flora found in soil. Clay or soil containing special constituents are valuable oral and topical antimicrobials as well as adsorbents of toxins. Microbiological underpinnings of geophagia include the ingestion of eggs of parasitic worms such as Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura with the health consequences. Highly toxigenic bacteria such as Clostridium perfringens, Clostridium tetani, Clostridium botulinum, the causative agents of gas gangrene, tetanus and botulism and other human pathogens may be ingested. It has also been postulated that indirect consumption of soil may pose serious health problems. For example, nitrate run-off and leaching from soil into water bodies may lead to eutrophication and colonization by toxic cyanobacteria with ripple medical effects such as gastroenteritis. Some general health implications of geophagia include association with iron deficiency and anemia, intestinal obstruction, constipation, peritonitis, dental damage, eclampsia, iron deficiency and even mortality. The interplay of factors involved in geophagia, though varied, intricate and researched may not have been fully elucidated. Further concerted efforts aimed at multidisciplinary research are warranted so as to address gaps in the corpus of knowledge on the important subject.Keywords: Geohelminths, geophagia, health, microorganisms, soilAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(19), pp. 5784-5791, 10 May, 2010