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Mycotoxins are naturally occurring chemical compounds produced by certain genera, such as Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium, as by-products of their metabolism (secondary metabolites). They are plant pathogens able to cause infection pre-, during, and postharvest. The most important and economically-relevant mycotoxins of great concern to humans, plants, and animals are aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, fumonisins, and trichothecenes. The present review aimed to compile updated management strategies of mycotoxins in foods and feeds, including control and detoxification techniques. Generally, the strategies are divided into physical, chemical, and biological, and can be implemented during pre-, harvest, and post-harvest. Physical controls pre-harvest includes the development and planting of resistant varieties; during harvest include control of field infections, timely harvest, sufficient drainage, and physical barriers; and post-harvest include storage of harvested commodities under conditions that would prevent and exclude the growth and mycotoxin production by mycotoxigenic fungi. Chemical controls generally involve the use of chemically synthesised fungicides which are often associated with long-term effects on the environment. When compared with chemical and physical controls, biological controls are generally more unique, productive, and environmentally friendly, and when implemented appropriately in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy, can collectively control the growth and proliferation of mycotoxigenic, and reduce the incidence of mycotoxin production and contamination in foods and feeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although the official age of fetal viability in Nigeria is 28 weeks, there are pockets of reports some anecdotal, of survival of babies delivered at younger gestational age (GA) from different parts of the country. The routine resuscitation and management of premature infants born before the official age of fetal viability (28 weeks) is likely to generate important ethical and medical concerns that are bound to influence our approach to the management of such infants. Aim: To determine the GA- specific neonatal mortality and survival among preterm deliveries at the National Hospital Abuja. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective review of relevant data from the National Hospital Neonatal Registry Database based on the Research Electronic Data Capture software (REDCap) was undertaken to determine the mortality rate of preterm babies managed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) from January 2017 to February 2018. Disaggregated GA specific mortality rates were also computed to determine the fetal age at which extra uterine neonatal survival rate was at least 50%. Gestational age estimation was based on mothers’ last menstrual period (LMP) in over 96% of cases. Results: Sixty-three (63) of 305 preterm babies admitted died during hospitalization giving a mortality rate of 20.7%. This was significantly higher than the mortality rate among term babies (7.5%, P=0.01) hospitalized over the same period. Antenatal corticosteroid use was low (11.2%), 188 (25.8%) received CPAP for Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS), and none of the babies received surfactant or mechanical ventilation. There were no survivors among babies delivered at GA of 22-25 weeks (11, 3.6%). However, the survival rate at 26 weeks gestation was 53.8%, and this subsequently increased, reaching a peak of 96.5% survival at 35 weeks. RDS accounted for 53.9% of all deaths. Conclusion: It is concluded that the survival rate (53.8%) of babies at GA of 26 weeks despite minimal antenatal interventions and limited postnatal respiratory support was reasonably high, and this could serve the basis for discussions for a downward review of the age of fetal viability in Nigeria.

We report prune belly syndrome, a rare congenital malformation, in a set of twins delivered to a young couple with a history of three previous first trimester spontaneous abortions, discordant HIV seropositivity and antenatal ultrasound report that indicated renal abnormalities in only one of the twins. The challenges of management are discussed.

Using the principle of under-water-seal pressure, we assembled a circuit to produce an effective Bubble Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device at the National Hospital. The device is reasonably inexpensive and is suitable for use at secondary and tertiary health institutions for the care of the preterm infant with RDS.

Aplasia cutis congenita is a rare congenital abnormality first described in 1767 by cordon. It mostly appears as a solitary lesion involving various layers of the skin and sometimes the bone on the scalp, limbs or abdomen. Genetics, environmental and exogenous causes have been implicated as potential causes. Only about 500 cases have been reported globally as of 2013. Two cases of Aplasia Cutis Congenita (ACC) who presented with scalp and bone defects at birth are reported, one in a syndromic child delivered to a consanguineous family, with associated cardiac, skin and nail anomalies (likely Adams Oliver syndrome) and the other as an isolated scalp lesion. Both were large defects managed conservatively by a multidisciplinary team. The challenges of investigating and managing such complex scalp anomalies in sub-Saharan Africa are highlighted., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright: Mariya Mukhtar-Yola et al.)

Climate change is primarily manifested by elevated temperature and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels and is projected to provide suitable cultivation grounds for pests and pathogens in the otherwise unsuitable regions. The impacts of climate change have been predicted in many parts of the world, which could threaten global food safety and food security. The aim of the present work was therefore to examine the interacting effects of water activity (a w ) (0.92, 0.95, 0.98 a w ), CO 2 (400, 800, 1200 ppm) and temperature (30, 35 °C and 30, 33 °C for Fusarium verticillioides and F. graminearum , respectively) on fungal growth and mycotoxin production of acclimatised isolates of F. verticillioides and F. graminearum isolated from maize. To determine fungal growth, the colony diameters were measured on days 1, 3, 5, and 7. The mycotoxins produced were quantified using a quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer (QTOF-MS) combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) system. For F. verticillioides , the optimum conditions for growth of fumonisin B 1 (FB 1 ), and fumonisin B 2 (FB 2 ) were 30 °C + 0.98 a w + 400 ppm CO 2 . These conditions were also optimum for F. graminearum growth, and zearalenone (ZEA) and deoxynivalenol (DON) production. Since 30 °C and 400 ppm CO 2 were the baseline treatments, it was hence concluded that the elevated temperature and CO 2 levels tested did not seem to significantly impact fungal growth and mycotoxin production of acclimatised Fusarium isolates. To the best of our knowledge thus far, the present work described for the first time the effects of simulated climate change conditions on fungal growth and mycotoxin production of acclimatised isolates of F. verticillioides and F. graminearum .