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...
ABSTRACT Diabetes mellitus, is a metabolic disorder caused by the inability of the beta pancreatic cells to adequately produce insulin or due to insulin resistance of cells. As a result of the increasingly high incidence of diabetes globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) has set timelines and guidelines for the reduction of the risk of mortalities and morbidities associated with non-communicable diseases including diabetes, by the year 2030. However, this agenda is hinged on the availa...
ABSTRACT Nearly two decades into the outbreak, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa with complex spatio-temporal variability within countries Based on epidemiological evidence, several broadly distinctive HIV/AIDS prevalence patterns have been reported reflecting a variety of factors such as sophistication in surveillance systems, political attitudes, openness towards recognition, and release of AIDS information. This thesis examines the geography of clinical AIDS in...
ABSTRACT Quality assurance (QA) in all aspects of radiotherapy reduces the number of instances of accidental dose misadministration. Reduction of such errors and uncertainties plays an important role in the outcome of radiotherapy. As part of the audit supported by the IAEA in Ghana this study was designed to review the whole chain of activities in 3D conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) workflow, from patient data acquisition to treatment planning and dose delivery.The study focused on dosimetry ...
ABSTRACT This study used the VAR models to model the Growth Domestics Products (GDP) of Ghana with other two selected macroeconomic such as inflation and real exchange rate for the period of 1980 to 2013. Data were taken from the World Bank’s World Development Indicators and Bank of Ghana. This study employed co-integration test and vector error correction models (VECM) to examine both long-run and short-run dynamic relationships between the GDP and the macroeconomic variables. The time ser...
ABSTRACT In this research work a low pressure steam turbine was designed, constructed and tested for the purpose of studying how electrical power can be generated using low pressure steam from concentrated solar power (CSP) sources. The turbine consist essentially of a two cylindrical casings to which stationary blades are fixed on the inside and a shaft carrying rotating blades (rotors) penetrating between the rows of stators. Steam fed into the turbine passes alternately through the stator...