ABSTRACT This study compares some ecological aspects (territory size, group size, clutch size and food supply rate) of three communally breeding bird species, namely Yellow-billed Shrike (Corvinella corvina), Green Wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) and Brown Babbler (Turdoides plebejus), on the Legon campus of the University of Ghana. This was in response to the limited literature on communal breeding bird species despite their widespread distribution in Africa. The methodology involved dir...
ABSTRACT Water of good quality is indispensable to human survival on earth. The provision of potable water to both the rural and the urban populations is necessary to prevent health hazards. The aim of this research was to assess water quality with respect to physicochemical parameters and trace metals levels in the water, the sediment and the fish species from the Kpong Reservoir on the Lower Volta River. The water, the sediment and the fish samples were collected monthly for six (6) months ...
Abstract This study is aimed at determining the status, prevalence and significance of female urogenital schistosomiasis (FUGS) in schistosomiasis endemic population at risk of HIV transmission in Jos, Plateau State. Epidemiological circumstances that predisposed individuals to urogenital schistosomiasis and HIV in Jos Plateau State, was investigated. FUGS was determined from parasitological and immunological techniques. Circulating cathodic (worm) antigen (CCA) was used as an additional imm...
ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis remains endemic in Ghana, with Schistosoma mansoni and S. haematobium being the two dominant species of the schistosome parasites. In some parts of Africa, previous works indicated the occurrence of pairings between these two species, resulting in the production of non-viable eggs (parthenogenesis). In Ghana, although both species occur in sympatry, it is yet to be shown whether this can lead to hetero-specific pairing within the definitive host leading to consequent ...
ABSTRACT Infection with hepatitis B virus constitutes a major public health problem globally. The lack of proofreading of the reverse transcriptase results in considerable mutations culminating into genotypes, sub-genotypes and variants. HBV quasispecies in an infected host has been linked to disease progression and therapeutic outcome. Limited data exist on the quasispecies diversity in other clinically relevant regions particularly the precore/core ORF which also is a determinant factor in ...
ABSTRACT The isolation and characterization of starch from Parkia biglobosa Oacq.)Benth. (African locust bean), was investigated. The starch was extracted by a pre- isolation bleaching using KOH (5%) and sodium hypochlorite (3 .5% ); followed by steeping, wet milling and centrifugation. The starch obtained was dried in an oven at 60°C. The thermal properties were obtained by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The work showed that Parkia starch has a pH of 5.6,density (true) 2.3lg/ml, ...
ABSTRACT The investigations of Cissampe/os owariensis have largely been driven by the desire to find new drugs or new drug leads. The studies were carried out to confirm the traditional medicinal uses of the plant C. owariensis, and to identify the chemical constituents responsible for the activity. The ethnomedicinal uses of the plant include whooping cough, wound, irregular menstrual cycle, typhoid and malaria fevers. Phytochemical screening of the roots extracts revealed the presence of...
ABSTRACT Onchocerciasis also referred to as river blindness is a neglected tropical disease that affects the skin and eyes. It is caused by the nematode Onchocerca volvulus. Disease pathology is largely attributed to host immune responses to microfilariae. The efficacy of ivermectin (IVM) is defined by its microfilaricidal effects (clearing > 60% of microfilariae within 24 hours, ~ 100% within 7 days) and its ability to temporarily retard adult parasite embryogenesis at least within 90 days. ...
ABSTRACT The n-butanol fraction (nBF) of Desmodium adscendens, a plant used for the management of asthma, is' an inhibitor of NADFH-dependent cytochrome P-450 (CYP) reactions. Its mechanism of action as an inhibitor is however not known. In this study, flavoprotein reductase activity, spectral changes associated with binding and spectral properties of reduced cytochrome c and CYP were used to investigate the mode of inhibition. nBF reduced cytochrome c but not CYP directly. In the prese...
ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease that affects 200 million people and accounts for 100, 000 deaths annually. In endemic geographical areas, schistosomiasis has been implicated as an etiological agent in the pathogenesis of bladder, colorectal and renal carcinoma largely due to chronic infection of tissues with Schistosoma eggs. Several studies have also reported cases of association between Schistosoma infection and prostate cancer, one of the most common cancers in men...
ABSTRACT The total concentration of Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were detemlined in the soil and plant materials from some selected local government areas of Nassarawa state, Nigeria. The modified USEPA- 3050 method of HNOr HCI04 - H202 was used in the preparation of soil sample for total deternlination whilst the plant materials were digested with HN03 -H202. The CaCh. DTPA extraction method was used in the determination of the concentration of bio available metals in soil samples. The fla...
ABSTRACT The impact of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from cell phones on selected soil microorganisms, enzymes and physico-chemical parameters was studied. EMF-unexposed soil from the homogenized sampled soil served as the control. At the periods of 0, 30, 60, and 90 days, the total colony counts (CFU/g) and viability ratios of Bacillus, Micrococcus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Corynebacterium, Saccharomyces, Penicillium, and Geotrichum were determined. Also determined at the exposure perio...
ABSTRACT The impact of the effluents from the Transcorp Hilton Hotel on the quality of the Maitama Stream, Abuja was studied. Samples were collected from points upstream (control samples), the effiuent discharge point and points downstream (a total of eight points) and analyzed as follows: Electrochemical methods of determination were used in the determination of pH and dissolved oxygen content whilst classical methods of analysis were used in the determination of total alkalinity and chlori...
ABSTRACT The concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and Cd in agricultural soils and vegetation of Kwali Area Council were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The HN03 -HCI04-HF mixture was used for the digestion of soil samples for metal determination, while HNOTHCI04 was used for metals determination in vegetation. The coefficient of variation for Pb, Cu, Zn, Ni and ....... Cd in soil were 4.0%, 4.8%, 3.2%, 3.9% and 4.3% while in vegetation were 7.0%, 4.8% 5.4%, 6.9%...
ABSTRACT Fruits and vegetables are eaten world over and serve as nutrient supplements. This study compared the nutritional and phytochemical contents of the pulp of C. lanatus dried at 45°C and C. maxima dried at 45°C and 100°C and their effect on the biochemical, haematological, histopathological and growth performance parameters of Wistar rats after feeding with 5% and 10% ratios. The results showed that proximate composition of C. lanatus and most especially C. maxima dried a...