About two billion people around the world have no access to modern energy. More than 84% of Kenya population use kerosene for cooking and lighting therefore it is necessary to search for suitable alternatives to liquid and cooking fuels. In this study, oil extracted from Telfairia pedata Hook (Oyster nut) was transesterified in methanol using sodium hydroxide catalyst. Methyl ester obtained was characterized by GC-MS and further tested for fuel properties relative to conventional diesel ...
Herbal medicine has been widely used and forms an integral part of primary health care in most countries. Of late, despite emphasis being put in research of synthetic drugs; interest in medicinal plants has been reborn. This is due to the rapidly growing population, the failure of modern medicine to provide effective treatment, increase in chronic diseases and the emergence of the multi-drug resistant pathogens. It is of importance to establish a scientific basis for the use and validati...
ABSTRACT Population increase in Matungulu Sub-County in Kenya has led to pressure on arable land where agriculture is the main economic activity. This has caused a gradual shift in land use practices over the years from extensive to intensive agriculture. There has been a decrease in maize yields over the years despite the use of phosphate (P) and nitrogenous (N) fertilizers, which may suggest that the levels of potassium (K) in the soil may be low. Fertilizer application for maize farming ...
ABSTRACT Development of environmentally friendly and economically viable water treatmet techniques for remediation of fluoride ions in drinking water has gained a huge research interest. Floridated water is associated with dental and skeletal disorders. Previously used water treatment methods encountered several limitations such as operational problems and are not regeneratable. Adsorption technique is easy to use and is regeneratable. Adsorbents used include activated carbon and bone char. ...
ABSTRACT East Coast Fever (ECF), commonly known as theileriosis, is a tick-borne disease caused by a protozoan organism known as Theileria parva. It has been a major limitation in livestock production and food security in several developing countries. ECF is transmitted predominantly by the brown ear tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. In Africa, it is estimated that about 1.1 million cattle suffer from ECF resulting to losses of about US dollars 168 million. In Kenya, approximately 50-80% o...
ABSTRACT Deficiencies of micronutrients are a major global health problem with more than 2 billion people (among them children) in the world today estimated to be deficient in key vitamins and minerals. Most of these people live in low income countries while micronutrient-rich foods such as sweet potatoes are locally available. Micronutrient deficiencies increase the general risk of infectious illness and of dying from diarrhea, measles, malaria and pneumonia, conditions that are among the 1...
ABSTRACT Lack of access to safe drinking water is a major concern due to negative health effects experienced by people in many parts of the world. The quality of such waters is mainly affected by pollutants from natural and anthropogenic sources when they get incorporated in the water sources. These pollutants are either organic or inorganic species. Among the inorganic pollutants are fluorides. Continuous consumption of high concentrations of fluoride ions leads to their accumulation in th...
ABSTRACT Water is essential for all domestic and development activities worldwide. It‟s continues contamination by heavy metals is a major concern to many developing countries, Kenya included as they are non-biodegradable and toxic. This is expected to increase in tandem with the projected population and industrial growth. Therefore, it is important to systematically minimize the percentage concentration of the heavy metal ions in waste water before use or discharge into water bodies. Meth...
ABSTRACT Square planar complexes of cobalt in any of its common oxidation states are rare and attempt to make them either yield tetrahedral or octahedral complexes. The aim of this study was to synthesize and characterize low oxidation state complexes of cobalt using selected chelating ligands including 8-hydroxyquinoline (oxine) and glycine. It was of interest to synthesize cobalt (I) complexes of square planar geometry as these are expected to have the same mode of action as the square pla...
ABSTRACT The water quality used for irrigation is essential for the yield and quantity of crops, maintenance of soil productivity, and protection of the environment. Irrigation water quality has a profound effect on soil and plant health. A major concern with water used for irrigation is decreased crop yields and land degradation as a result of poor water and soil management which lead to irrigation induced problems, such as salinity and water-logging capacity. The Rusurirwamujyinga rice irri...
Abstract Background : Acne vulgaris is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. Vitamin D plays an important role in the immune system, and its deficiency has been implicated in various skin diseases, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Objectives: The aim of this study wasto evaluate the serum 25 hydoxy vitamin D levels among patients with acne vulgaris . Methods: This study was a cross sectional case control hospital base study performed in Khartoum state at military Hospit...
Abstract The objectives of this study were both to develop, optimize and validate spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods for the analysis of amlodipine besylate and esomeprazole magnesium in pharmaceutical formulations in presence of their degradation products and to study their stability under various conditions. The spectrophotometric method for amlodipine was based on either its solubility enhancement using different hydrotropic agents including potassium acetate, ammonium acetate...
ABSTRACT The issue of water contamination and quality dilapidation in Kenya is more and more becoming a menace to the natural water resources due to modern methods of farming and industrialization which have resulted in water pollution especially in rivers. River Nyamasogota provides water for growing crops and for domestic purposes. The river passes through the areas that have many tea farms where fertilizers are heavily used and hence polluted by inorganic, organic and microbial substances....
ABSTRACT About 80% of low income earners in developing countries rely on traditional medicine for their primary health care, hence medicinal plants play an important role in the society. Lannea schweinfurthii, Rhus natalensis and Euclea divinorum, has been extensively used in treating severe headache, dermatological, gastrointestinal, gynaecological, abdominal pains, female sterility among others in several parts of East Africa. In addition, many communities in Kenya including Mbita - Homabay...
ABSTRACT With the onset of industrialization, humanity has witnessed various ecological issues in the society and disturbance of ecosystem. Heavy metals and methylene blue are very toxic substances known to cause detrimental effects to human health when ingested even at low concentrations. Several techniques are available for removal of heavy metals, and dyes from the wastewater such as chemical precipitation, ion exchange, adsorption, membrane among others. Among these technologies adsorptio...