Despite the progress that has occurred in recent years in the development of therapy, there is still a need for effective and potent analgesics for pain. Pain is defined as unpleasant feeling essential for body‘s defense system. Pain is managed using analgesics such as aspirin,paracetamol, diclofenac, morphine, opioids, among others. Conventional antinociceptives are expensive and have many side effects. Continued use of these drugs may lead to tolerance. Medicinal plants have been use...
Maize is an important staple food for most Kenyans. The increasing population trend in the face of declining yields in maize production has intensified food insecurity countrywide. The low grain yield can be attributed to foliar diseases mainly gray leaf spot and maize streak virus and expensive hybrid seeds. Hybrid testing is expensive and limited in number of hybrids that can be generated and tested each year. This has increased the need to improve maize production techniques to meet t...
ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome remains the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa, Kenya being one of them. Over 407,000 patients were on antiretroviral therapy by the year 2015 nationally. Despite sustained clinical benefits associated to usage of antiretroviral drugs, adverse effects are emerging as a major safety concern. Some of the factors that have been identified as having an influence on the effect of ARV in disease control include a...
ABSTRACT Prunus africana (Hook. f) Kalkman, 1965 (formerly Pygeum africanum Hook.f) is a geographically widespread tree restricted to highland forest of main land Africa and outlying islands. The species is commercially important for its bark, which is used in the treatment of prostate gland disorders. It also produces high quality timber used locally for building poles and furniture as well as fuel wood. The high demand for the bark has led to notable destruction of the species in natural f...
ABSTRACT Knowledge of differential and integral cross sections for electron scattering from atoms and molecules is very important for explanation and understanding of electron interaction with matter and for determining dynamics of collision processes. It is also important in the study of astrophysics, plasma physics and laser development. For the past three decades, experimental and theoretical results for electron-barium elastic scattering have been reported however, these results are inco...
ABSTRACT The disposal of untreated municipal wastes is a problem that challenges public and environmental health on global scale. In Kenya, the high population growth rates, urbanization and growth of the industrial sector have compounded the problem of environmental sustainability, notably, due to the large volumes of solid waste generated. The traditional dumping and land filling have been methods of choice for solid waste disposal for many municipalities; however, they lead to the polluti...
ABSTRACT There is growing awareness about the efficacy of essential elements in the maintenance of good health and prevention of diseases. Zinc plays a vital role in wound healing, immune system, reproductive system and nervous system. Zinc wades off oxygen free radicals and also aid in metabolism of carbohydrates by assisting insulin to function. Chromium lowers blood sugar and also works with insulin in metabolization of sugar, while copper is required for conversion of body’s Fe into ha...
ABSTRACT Details of the Earth’s subsurface are largely obscured because it’s difficult to make direct observation of the Earth’s subsurface. Geophysical exploration methods, however, provide a means of remotely examining the Earth’s subsurface. This study therefore seeks to image for geothermal prospects in Arus-Bogoria area using Magnetotelluric (MT) and Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) methods. MT method has the greatest exploration depth whereas TEM has the best resolution at shall...
ABSTRACT Scelerocarya birrea is an important fruit tree that is widely used by the rural populations in most regions in which it is found, for its fruits, bark, timber, and even its roots. Studies have shown that the tree has the potential to boost nutrition, health and income security in Africa. However, the local communities harvest the tree products from the wild with minimal attempts to grow it on-farm. The sustainability of such wild harvests is threatened by agriculture, overgrazing, a...
ABSTRACT Parasitic weeds are a serious problem in agricultural production, causing large crop losses in many parts of the world and particularly Africa. One of the most economically important parasitic weed is Striga. Striga weed is considered to be the greatest biological constraint to food production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This genus includes races; Striga hermonthica, S. asiatica, S. gesnerioides, S. aspera and S. forbesii that are considered to be most harmful to crops. Striga herm...
ABSTRACT Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) are serious vectors of trypanosome parasite, threatening over 60 million people with Human African Trypanosomosis (sleeping sickness) and 45-50 million cattle with Animal African Trypanosomosis (Nagana) annually in the sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that 50,000-100,000 people and 3 million cattle die from trypanosomosis annually. Studies on vaccine development for parasite control have proved unsuccessful due to antigenic variations of the parasite....
ABSTRACT Research was carried to explain the variation in the hydrological characteristics of river Nyakomisaro and its effect on water supply in the Kisii Municipality. The study determined the variability in rainfall and river discharge in the Nyakomisaro sub Catchment, established the relationship between rainfall and streamflow in the sub catchment, examined the extent for which River Nyakomisaro water was used in supplying water to the Kisii Municipality and examined the streamflow mana...
ABSTRACT Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for high tuberculosis cases that result from widespread HIV infections, which is exacerbated by injection substance use. Immunologically, HIV critically impairs cell-mediated host responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. IFN-γ, IL-10 and Acrp30 are key mediators of systemic inflammation. Although circulating IFN- and IL-10 levels are increased, Acrp30 levels are lowered and associated with disease severity among HIV and TB co-infected non-susbstance u...
ABSTRACT Gasification technology has failed to take off in a number of developing countries including East Africa despitebeing the most efficient way of converting biomass into energy. All countries in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB) depend mostly on hydroelectric power for provision of modern energy. While hydropower is sensitive to climate change, gasification technology has a high potential for reducing biomass energy consumption while increasing access to electricity and clean cooking faci...
ABSTRACT Electronic weighing technology presents management with rapid, timely and accurate information that provides quick turnaround times for customers. Its popularity can be attested by its use in all the sectors of the industry. In fact, its spectrum of use spans from the traditional retail industry, to manufacturing and warehousing, to postal, health and transport industry. Ordinary microprocessor based weighing systems that utilize single point load cells, have a huge circuitry and he...