In chronic kidney disease (CKD), inadequate and poor nutrition are important factors affecting the outcome and recovery from disease and injury. This study was designed to assess some nutritional indices of patients with CKD attending UDUTH Sokoto. Seventy-five CKD patients and twenty-five controls were recruited, parameters such as serum albumin, total protein, haemoglobin, vitamin D, zinc and copper were determined using standard methods. A significant (P<0.05) increase in Urea, Creatinine, Uric acid, phosphate, copper and potassium was observed in the patients as compared to the controls. There was a significant (P< 0.05) decrease in sodium, chloride, calcium, bicarbonate and albumin of the patients when compared to the control. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) observed in the total protein levels of the patients and the control. Therefore, these assessed parameters plays important role for the screening of malnutrition in CKD patents and if this is established, nutritional intervention can be made to these patients to minimize or prevent the advances of malnutrition problems in the CKD patients.

Bread is one of the basic and popular foods consumed by the majority of the Nigerians irrespective of their ethnic or socioeconomic status. Potassium bromate (KBrO3) is well known bread enhancer. Because of its negative health effects it has been banned in Nigeria and other countries. This paper aims to reviews studies on the use of KBrO3 in bread to ascertain the safety of the bread products and to also evaluate bakers’ compliance with specified regulations. The paper also assesses the possible reasons for the use of KBrO3 by the bread bakers (intentional or unintentional?) as well as addressed what regulatory bodies need to do to improve the bakers’ compliance. Fourty seven (47) articles were evaluated and 95.74% of them reported the presence of potassium bromate in the bread samples analysed, which suggests that use of Potassium bromate in bread production in Nigeria is very common and breads sold in Nigeria are unsafe for human consumption. This high usage may be attributed to factors such as bromine in wheat flour, adulterated improvers or due to use of brominated flour. Also, economic gain, high cost of ingredients and poor enlightenment and enforcement may also be contributing factors. Therefore, regulatory bodies need to adopt strategies such as Post-marketing Surveillance (PMS), on the-spot analysis, effective monitoring and enforcement, stringent regulations, and sustained routine and surveillance inspections to at least reduce, if not eliminate, the use of KBrO3 as bread enhancer.

The HIV infection is one of the most global pandemic with current global estimate of 79.3 million people infected. Due to its high mortality and morbidity it threatened the existence of mankind. This was before the discovery of effective therapy which inhibits replication of the virus. Potent combination therapy called HAART is a great therapeutic advancement for management of HIV positive individuals. The combination therapy has impacted on the lives of individuals by enhancing their quality of lives. The study evaluated the impact of HAART on some immunological indices (CD4 T-cells and WBC count) and the quality of lives of HIV positive (patients) cohort in Sokoto, Nigeria. A total of 200 samples comprising 50 controls, 50 HAART naïve, 50 on HAART for 1-6 months, and 50 on HAART for 7-12 months were enrolled into the study. CD4 T-cell was quantified using flow cytometry via the method developed by Cassens et al. (2004) whereas WBC count was done using the method of Cheesbrough (2010). The HIV positive patient groups have significantly (P<0.05) lower levels of CD4­ T-cells and WBC count compared to the control subjects. The 2 parameters were significantly higher in those on treatment for 7-12 months compared to other two HIV positive groups. The increases in the level of the 2 parameters are related to the duration of treatment. The result suggests that, HAART exerts a positive impact on the lives of people living with HIV by improving the levels of CD4 T-cell and WBC count. Therefore, sustained HAART treatment by the HIV positive subjects may elevate the levels of the two immunological indices to normal levels which will improve physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects of their lives.

Metabolic syndrome (MS), a high risk condition involving obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, is prevalent in Nigeria. The study aims to formulate an anti-oxidant-rich nutraceutical from locally available foodstuff and investigate their effects on the hallmark of MS in salt-induced rats. The rats were placed on an 8% salt diet for 6 weeks, and then supplementation in the form of a salt diet for an additional 4 weeks. Feeding the rats with a salt diet for 6 weeks increased the blood pressure and bodyweight of the salt-loaded rats. A significant (P < 0.001) increase in the serum blood glucose and lipid profile and a decrease in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were observed in the salt-loaded rats. Supplementation lowered the blood pressure and the bodyweight of the rats. Supplementation resulted in a significant (P < 0.001) decrease in the serum blood glucose, lipid profile, malonyldialdehyde (MDA), insulin levels, insulin resistance, and increased HDL-C and anti-oxidant indices. There is a strong positive correlation between blood pressure, bodyweight and serum blood glucose, lipid profile, and markers of oxidative stress and strong negative correlation with HDL-C and anti-oxidant status. The results suggest that the nutraceuticals are useful in reversing most of the components of metabolic syndrome.

Antinutritional factors are secondary metabolites synthesized in plants, which tend to antagonize nutrition either by causing toxicity or secondary nutritional deficiency of some important nutrients necessary for animal nutrition. Effect of heating regimes on the antinutritional contents of two varieties of rice and maize was determined; boiled for 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes. The samples were sun-dried and levels of the antinutrients were determined using reported procedures. Rice (foreign): phytate – 8.92 ± 1.24, Oxalate – 3.15 ± 0.45, Tannins – 4.44 ± 0.89, For rice (Local): Phytate – 6.03 ± 1.07, Oxalate – 2.05 ± 0.26, Tannins – 2.49 ± 0.36, Maize (White): Phytate – 7.23 ± 0.26, Oxalate – 6.45 ± 1.13, Tannins – 4.66 ± 0.17 and Maize (Red): Phytate – 6.90 ± 0.71, Oxalate – 4.05 ± 0.45 and Tannins–8.58±0.13. Heating for 120 minutes decreases the levels of antinutrients to; Rice (Foreign): Phyate – 5.59. ± 0.16, Oxalate – 1.36 ± 0.19, Tannins – 1.57 ± 0.13, Rice (Local): Phytate – 0.29 ± 0.07, Oxalate – 0.33 ± 0.09, Tannins – 0.52 ± 0.31, Maize (White): Phyate – 3.00 ± 0.08, Oxalate – 1.37 ± 0.31, Tannins – 1.92 ± 0.09 and Maize (red): Phytate – 3.01 ± 0.08, Oxalate – 1.27 ± 0.60 and Tannins 3.19 ± 0.23. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance using SPSS 20. For the analysis, there was significant difference (P˂0.05) between rice and maize cereals, but no significant difference (P˂0.05) between both the cultivars of rice and maize. Similarly, there was significant difference (P˂0.05) in the effect of heating on the two cereals, but no significant difference (P˂0.05) in the effect of heat between the red and white maize as well as local and foreign rice. The results showed that decrease in the levels of antinutritional contents is proportional to the heating time in rice and maize samples.

Background: Reactive oxygen species are implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases but their role in female infertility has not been extensively established. Objective: To determine oxidative stress markers, in infertile and fertile controls. To determine the level of gonadotropins and prolactin in both groups. Methodology: The study was a case control study conducted at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto. This study determined serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) using standard methods in 100 females, among whom 50 were infertile and the remaining 50 were fertile (control) subjects matched for age. Results: All the infertile subjects showed significantly (P<0.05) higher levels of MDA (5.92±0.39 vs 1.35±0.09) with lower levels of antioxidant enzymes compared to the fertile controls (CAT: 24.65±2.20 vs 104.14±2.24; GPx: 7.66±0.13 vs 25.24±0.55) except SOD (0.51±0.03 vs 0.65±0.03). FSH, LH and PRL levels showed significantly lower levels in the infertile subjects (FSH: 17.13±1.23 vs 6.80±0.45; LH: 18.38±1.23 vs 5.76±0.41; PRL: 33.84±4.14 vs 18.38±1.23). Conclusion: Women with infertility have high oxidative stress status and low level of antioxidant compared to control. In light of this, antioxidant supplementation to infertile women is recommended as a strategy to enhance their chances of conception.

DOI: 10.21276/sjmps.2018.4.5.4 Abstract: Snakebite is a major socio-medical problem affecting many communities globally, especially African and Asian countries. It is still depending on the usage of antisera as the major source of treatment, which has its limitations. In many rural communities, health care facilities are inadequate and victims of snakebites mostly depend on traditional healers for herbal antidotes as an alternative treatment. This review has focused on the mechanisms of action of the animal derived anivenoms (antisera or antivenins) as well as those derived from plant resources (phytoantivenoms). Antigen-antibody reaction is the basic mechanism of snake venom neutralization by the antivenins, but for the phyto-antivenoms, there are many hypotheses proposed on how the herbal compounds neutralize the toxic venom constituents. These include; protein precipitation, enzyme inactivation, chelation activity, adjuvant action, antioxidant activity, combination of these activities, etc. The review might be a stepping stone in establishing an effective and widely acceptable future therapy against snakebite treatment and management.

The deteriorating effect of microorganisms on tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus) milk has hampered its large-scale production and profitability. To study the effect of preservation on the pH and microbiological quality of the milk, big yellow tiger nuts were soaked in 3 L of tap water at 60oC for 6 hours, additives such as coconut, date, cinnamon and ginger were added and blended. The extracted milk was divided into twenty five portions and subjected to the following treatments: pasteurization, sterilization, ultraviolet light, freezing and sodium benzoate. The pH and microbiological quality of both the fresh and preserved samples were investigated over 9-day storage period. The pH of the milk samples significantly decreased (p<0.05) over the period due to microbial activity. There were significant (p<0.05) decrease and increase in the pH values of the preserved samples with negative control (FTM) and positive control samples (TMA) respectively. The less acidic the products are the higher the bacterial load. The values of the total bacterial count for the preserved milk ranged from 5.19±0.06 to 6.84±0.03 log10cfu/ml. The values within this range were significantly lower (p<0.05) than FTM (6.58±0.05log10cfu/ml) but higher than TMA (4.44±0.02 to 5.85±0.06 log10cfu/ml). The organisms isolated from the samples were Staphylococcus species (16%), Clostridium species (11%), Bacillus species (10%), Acinetobacter species (3%), Enterobacter species (6%), Corynebacterium species (4%), Neisseria species (1%), Vibrio species (1%), Micrococcus species (4%), Aeromonas species (5%), Saccharomyces species (35%) and Rhizopus oryzae (4%). The results suggest that ultraviolet light and sterilization methods were more effective at eliminating most of the bacteria implicated in milk spoilage.Keywords: Fresh, large-scale production, microbiological quality, preserved, tiger nut milk.

Aflatoxins (AF) are a group of fungal toxins that contaminate foods and feeds with adverse health impact on human beings and animals.A total of sixty three (63) samples of Groundnut kernels from three (3) Agricultural zones of Sokoto State, were analysed for the presence of Aflatoxins B1 (AFB1), B2 (AFB2), G1 (AFG1) and G2 (AFG2) using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).The Aflatoxin was detected in 82.5%, the total Aflatoxin concentration ranged between 0.9-646.0µg/kg.All four types of AF were detected from all samples, out of the total samples analysed 38.10% contained AF levels above the Nigerian (20 µg/kg) limits for AF, while 66.7% samples had AF concentrations above the European Union maximum tolerance level of 2µg/kg for AFB1 and Total Aflatoxin(Tot AF) of 4µg/kg.The result shows that, there were significant (P > 0.05) differences between the samples analysed in the state, as regards to AFB1.The results also revealed that Groundnut kernel in the study area have high frequency of contamination (82.5%).However, awareness on danger of Aflatoxin contamination by all stakeholders is the key in effective management of the problem.Relevant quality control units must be reactivated to assess the quality of the Groundnut kernels from which other products are made.

The study assessed the effect of both HIV and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on antioxidant markers in patients with HIV infection being managed with HAART. Fifty (50) HIV positive HAART naïve (12 male and 38 females), fifty (50) HIV positive on HAART for 1 to 6 months (18 male and 32 females), fifty (50) HIV positive on HAART for 7 to 12 months (14 males and 36 females) and fifty (50) HIV negative (28 males and 22 females) were enrolled into the study. Oxidative stress markers such as reduced glutathione (GSH), Malondialdehyde (MDA), Catalase, Vitamin A, C and E were measured using different standard methods. Significantly (p<0.05) low levels of reduced glutathione in nontreated group were observed compared to the control. The three HIV positive groups have significantly higher MDA and lower Catalase activity when compared to control. Vitamins A, C and E show a significant decrease (p<0.05) in all the HIV positive patients when compared with control. HIV infection increases oxidative stress, which decreases at the commencement of therapy (HAART). Antioxidants supplementations should be considered for incorporation in the management of HIV/AIDS patients.

The present work evaluates the hepatoprotective, phytochemical and antioxidant properties of stem bark extracts of Newbouldia laevis in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). Carbon tetrachloride was used to induce hepatotoxicity. Phytochemicals, clinical chemistry, antioxidant activities and enzymes were estimated using standard methods. Saponins, tannins, flavonoids, alkaloids, volatile oils, steroids, flavonoid glycosides, balsams, saponin glycosides and resins were detected in the extracts. A significant (P<0.05) rise in the levels of transaminases, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol and lipid peroxides in CCl4 intoxicated rats were restored to normal levels in groups treated with 40,80,120 and 160mg/kg of the extracts and CCl4 to be deleted in a dose-dependent manner. However, levels of albumin, total protein, vitamin C, vitamin E, reduced glutathione and catalase were significantly increased (P<0.05) when treated with the extract at 120 and 160mg/kg/body weight. Similarly, an increase in the activities of microsomal marker enzymes and lipids were recorded when treated with the extracts at the same dose. Histopathological observation show fatty changes, necrosis and ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes in CCl4 treated group. These attributes were not seen in groups treated with 160mg/kg/ body weight of the extract and CCl4, which indicates high protective effect than 40, 80, and 120mg/kg/ body weight. The lethal dose (LD50) of the plant extract was greater than 5000mg/kg. The results suggest that CCl4-induced damage in rats can be ameliorated by treatment with the stem bark extracts of Newbouldia laevis.

Sclerocarya birrea fruits are widely eaten in developing countries especially in rural areas where they serve as nutritional supplements. However, they may also contain phyto-toxins which may affect the normal functioning of the body. Acute toxicity study was performed by a single oral administration of a dose of 3000 mg/kg body weight. Sub chronic toxicity evaluation was conducted by oral feeding of the rats with the peels extract daily at doses of 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 mg/kg body weight for 28 days. The results of acute toxicity show no mortality and general behaviour changes. The lethal dosage (LD 50 ) was greater than 3000 mg/kg body weight. Rats fed with 1000, 2000 and 3000mg/kg body weight of the extract have higher body weights throughout the period of treatment but not significantly (p>0.05) different from the control group. Rats fed with 4000mg/kg body weight have significantly (p<0.05) lower body weight throughout the period of treatment. Significantly (p<0.05) higher serum total proteins, albumin, bilirubin, transaminases, creatinine, urea, uric acid and electrolytes were recorded in rats fed with 3000 to 4000 mg/kg body weight of the extract, suggesting liver and kidney toxicities. Therefore, the peels extract of S. birrea may be relatively toxic at doses of 3000 and 4000 mg/kg body weight. Further studies are required for isolation and characterization of the toxic compounds.

This work was carried out to determine the potential applications of gingerbread plum seed oil by investigating its phytoconstituents and physicochemical characteristics. The underutilize oil seed from gingerbread plum tree growing in abundance in Niger Republic was exploited. Phytochemical analysis of the seed oil extracted using soxhlet apparatus with n-hexane revealed the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, and tannins and absence of Cyanogenic glycosides.The physicochemical analysis of gingerbread plum (Parinari macrophylla) seed oil was carried out and the following results were obtained; Acid value 12.97± 0.01 mg KOH/g, Saponification value 153.30 ± 0.10 , Iodine value 32.07 ±0.01 I2/100g, Free fatty acid 15.10±0.10 ( % Oleic), Peroxide value (meq H2O2) 45.48 ± 0.02. The % yield was 49.3, Color was golden yellow, odour was agreeable, and the oil was liquid at room temperature.Justification of the use of the seed oil for food, medicinal and cosmetic was expatiated.

This study attempted to gain an insight of the conformation of insulin using solvent perturbation and ultraviolet spectroscopy. The effects of two solvents, mercaptoethanol and sucrose on the absorption spectrum of Insulin were studied; changes in ionic strength and pH were used to identify the position of amino acid chromophores. The effect on the absorption spectrum of movement from a non-polar to a polar environment indicates that tyrosine and phenylalanine reside on the surface of insulin protein. The results show that pH resolved spectral behavior of Insulin in the neighborhood of 290 nm is determined predominantly by the ionization of imidazole – NH+ of histidine. The results, however, do not rule out the possible contribution of the phenol hydroxyl of tyrosine in the spectral behavior. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Insulin conformation, solvent perturbation, ultraviolet spectroscopy.

Educational programmes all over the world are facing increasing pressure to integrate information technology in the curriculum. Knowledge of bioinformatics is at infancy in Nigeria it is therefore imperative to develop and build the capacity for high-throughput determination and computational analysis of the nucleotide base sequences of the genomes of organisms. The present communication navigated the ENTREZ Web page and downloaded sequences of Cystathionine gamma- lyase gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequence is then represented in the five best known database formats namely Plain, FASTA, EMBL, GCG and Genebank thereby making it more visible and available for other research applications such as comparative genomic analysis, evolutionary studies, searching for and identification of regulatory elements and scanning for mutations. The present study highlights data retrieval and representation. Data retrieval is important as it provides the opportunity to engage in data mining for discovery, a convenient alternative to traditional wet laboratories, providing biological insights, and proficiency to access and use the vast repository of computational and webbased resources which are the most available information in the world today.Keywords: Nucleotide, Database, Genome, GenBank.

Oil extracts from the seed of some selected indigenous cultivars were exploited for physical and phytochemical characteristics and they revealed the following; Oil yields Adansonia digitata seed oil ( 27.37%), Jatropha curcas L seed oil ( 42.19%), Lagenaria siceraria (calabash gourd) seed oil (44.83 %), Luffa cylindrical seed oil (29.03%), Ricinus communis L.(Bean) oil (42.30%), Ricinus communis L.(Wild) seed oil (46.20%), Sesamum indicum L. ( Brown) seed oil (41.67%) . Their colours were Greenish yellow, Lighter green, Light yellow, Greenish light brown, Light brown, Pale amber and Brownish yellow respectively. The following phytoconstituents were found in varying limits; Tannins. Saponins Flavonoids, Alkaloids, Steroids and Terpenoids. The properties exhibited by the seed oils justify their applications in food, soaps, detergents and perfume industries.

Diabetic nephropathy is the kidney disease that occurs as a result of diabetes. Cardiovascular and renal complications share common risk factors such as blood pressure, blood lipids, and glycemic control. The markers of diabetics nephropathy in diabetic patients, serum glucose, creatinine clearance, urinary albumin and blood pressure in 40 diabetic (9 type I and 31 type II diabetics) patients attending Federal Medical Centre, Gusau, were determined. Sixteen (16) age- matched volunteers served as control. In type I diabetes mellitus; serum glucose level, creatinine clearance, and microalbuminuria were significantly different (P< 0.05) between the subjects and control. In type II diabetes mellitus, serum glucose level, systolic pressure and age were significantly different (P< 0.05) between the subjects and control. Therefore, serum glucose level, creatinine Clearance and microalbuminuria could be the markers of nephropathy in type I diabetics while serum glucose level, systolic pressure and higher age could be for type II diabetics. Other markers of risk for diabetic nephropathy are needed for optimal clinical management. The implication of this result for improving the quality of life of diabetics is discussed.

In the face of increasing morbidity and mortality, coupled with unavailability of effective vaccines, the fight against malaria continues through the search of effective control remedies. In line with this search, the effects of the aqueous extracts (0.1 – 2.0%) of the whole plant of Striga hermonthica and Mitracarpus scaber, against the larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito were investigated using the WHO bioassay method. The larvicidal efficacy of the extract was dose-dependent with extract of highest concentration showing highest efficacy, which is given in percentage (%) concentration, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%; the higher the concentration of the extracts, the more effective. The results indicated that S. hermonthica and M. scaber contain larvicidal properties that could be developed and used as natural larvicidal, for mosquito control. Keywords: Striga hermonthica, Mitracarpus scaber, mosquito larvae, aqueous extracts, Culex quinquefasciatus Nigerian Journal of Parasitology , Vol. 32 [1] March 2011, pp.105-108