The practice of skin-lightening has reached epidemic levels in many nations around the globe, and especially in many African countries. In Kenya, the practice is common in major urban centres like Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret and Mombasa. The skin lightening cosmetics occur in various forms including topical creams, soaps and bleaching powders. Ingredients such as hydroquinone (HQ), mercury (Hg), arbutin (ART), kojic acid (KA), ascorbic acid (AA), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP) are used in sk...
The health benefits of exclusive breastfeeding on survival, growth and development of a child as well as health and well being of a mother are well documented. The World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are among organizations promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Factors influencing breastfeeding have been well researched but there is paucity of data on factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding practices. This study aimed to esta...
East Coast Fever is a disease of cattle which results in high animal mortality with corresponding economic losses to farmers and to the nation. The disease is caused by a protozoan agent whose vector is Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (Brown Ear Tick). The tick feeds dominantly inside the cattle ear. Studies have shown that the adults of R. appendiculatus exhibit „pull-push‟ effect that guides them to their preferred feeding site. This is linked to the presence of ear volatiles which attrac...
Naturally occurring radioactivity has existed in our environment since the creation of the earth. Uranium, thorium and potassium radionuclides are relatively abundant in rocks and soils. Poor agricultural practices such as excessive use of fertilizers also lead to accumulation of radioactive elements in the soil. Due to their radiation, these radionuclides pose exposure risks which could lead to health related problems like cancer to the people exposed. There is therefore a growing concern on...
The emergence of bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics and other drugs is a worldwide problem. New classes of antimicrobial compounds with complete new mode of action are therefore urgently needed to control the rise of the multidrug resistant pathogens. The objective of this study was to prepare, and characterize halfsandwich organometallic compounds of iron containing amine ligands with similar backbones as drug molecules used in the treatment of TB and to test their biological activ...
Nickel doped tin oxide and tin monoselenide thin films were coated using spray pyrolysis. Nickel doped tin oxide Precursor solution was prepared using a 0.05M Tin (II) Chloride (SnCl4.2H2O) and 0.05M Nickel chloride 6-hydrate (NiCl2.6H2O) in de-ionized water and then being added in ethanol in the ratio 1:1 to get equal proportions, followed by about 2-3 drops of hydrochloric acid. Doping tin oxide was done using uniform concentration of (NiCl2.6H2O) of 0-10 %. Precursor solution of tin sele...
Hypoglycaemia in neonates is defined as blood glucose concentration below 1.1mmol/l for term neonates. A common abnormality in neonates, it is associated, with neurological damage and death when it occurs in the first few days of life. This is more pronounced in rural set-ups without the knowledge, detection and management facilities. When promptly diagnosed and managed, its effects can be prevented or minimized. Studies at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) show that 59.8% of all neonates ...
Bagasse, a fibrous residue from Sugar mills, is not easily biodegradable posing disposal challenges. Given its abundance in the sugar producing regions of Kenya, there is continued need to find other alternative uses. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential use of sugarcane bagasse-based adsorbents for removing Cd2+, Pb2+, methylene blue and turbidity from water spiked with the contaminants. Four bagasse-based adsorbents were prepared and used in batch experiments. Sugarc...
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill) is referred to as the golden crop of the future. There is a concern in Kenya on its production due to the fact that the country remains a net importer of this vital food to the tune of 100,000 tons annually yet the country has the potential to produce that capacity locally. The major impediments in local production are singled out as: Expensive farm inputs in form of fertilizers and use of inferior soybean varieties in terms of effective nodulation. The nodu...
Zinc is an essential micronutrient for human health. Its numerous structural and biochemical functions at the cellular and sub cellular level makes it very important during pregnancy. Maternal serum Zn levels at the time of conception and in pregnancy plays a major role in maternal and child health. It is an important determinant of foetal growth and development. Despite availability of data to demonstrate widespread micronutrient deficiency in pregnancy, minimal studies have examined the sta...
Watermelons belong to the family cucurbitaceous, they are fruits like cantaloupe, pumpkin and similar to plants that grow on vines on the ground. There are over 1,200 varieties of watermelons in the world, several of these varieties have been recommended for Kenya range of climate, however only three varieties are commercially grown in Kenya namely; the Charleston Grey (Sugar F1), Crimson sweet (Zebra) and Sugar baby. Watermelon has four distinct parts; the seeds, the pink flesh, the white fl...
The geology of Magaoni area is associated with the presence of heavy minerals. Magaoni neighbours Maumba and Nguluku where ilmenite was discovered by Tiomin Resource Inc. in1996, using drilling and chemical analysis. Ilmenite mineral is known to be magnetically weak, but provides observable magnetic response. In this study, ground magnetic survey method was carried out to map magnetic anomalies of established stations, associated with ilmenite bearing formations. Energy Dispersive X-R...
Density functional theory has been used to study mechanisms of the reactions involving [1,7]-sigmatropic hydrogen shift in Z,Z-1,3,5-heptatriene systems, esterification of acetyl chloride with methanol and acid-catalyzed esterification of carboxylic acids with methanol. The calculations employed the B3LYP functional, with 6-31+G(d) basis sets. Mechanism routes were computed, with complete optimization of all intermediates and transition states. The effect of electron-donating and electron...
Fisher-folk depend for a major part of their livelihood on natural resources whose distribution and productivity are known to be influenced by climate dynamics. Research has shown that small-scale fisher-folk in the developing countries are more vulnerable to climate variability due to their high reliance on fisheries and poor adaptive capacity. However most studies so far have concentrated on climate-driven changes in ocean productivity and its impact on fish distribution and production part...
In this study, the tectonic lineaments and permeability around Homa Hills geothermal prospect, Nyanzian rift were investigated in order to explore its geothermal potential using ground magnetic method. A proton-precession magnetometer model G-856 of accuracy of ±0.1nT was used to take total magnetic field intensity of the earth at every station. A total of 86 magnetic stations were established over an area of about 76km2. The magnetic data at each station was corrected for both diurnal varia...